HyperGuider: Virtual Reality Framework for Interactive Path Planning of Quadruped Robot in Cluttered and Multi-Terrain Environments

TL;DR

This paper introduces HyperGuider, a VR-based framework for interactive path planning of quadruped robots in complex environments, combining human intuition with algorithmic planning to improve safety and efficiency.

Contribution

It presents a novel VR interface for human-robot collaboration in path planning, integrating global and local planners for improved navigation in cluttered terrains.

Findings

Human-robot cooperation increased planning speed by 35.58%.

VR interface was rated highly for ease of use and performance.

Path safety was improved with less optimal but safer routes.

Abstract

Quadruped platforms have become an active topic of research due to their high mobility and traversability in rough terrain. However, it is highly challenging to determine whether the clattered environment could be passed by the robot and how exactly its path should be calculated. Moreover, the calculated path may pass through areas with dynamic objects or environments that are dangerous for the robot or people around. Therefore, we propose a novel conceptual approach of teaching quadruped robots navigation through user-guided path planning in virtual reality (VR). Our system contains both global and local path planners, allowing robot to generate path through iterations of learning. The VR interface allows user to interact with environment and to assist quadruped robot in challenging scenarios. The results of comparison experiments show that cooperation between human and path planning algorithms can increase the computational speed of the algorithm by 35.58% in average, and non-critically increasing of the path length (average of 6.66%) in test scenario. Additionally, users described VR interface as not requiring physical demand (2.3 out of 10) and highly evaluated their performance (7.1 out of 10). The ability to find a less optimal but safer path remains in demand for the task of navigating in a cluttered and unstructured environment.