Obstacle avoidance

Obstacle avoidance, in robotics, is a critical aspect of autonomous navigation and control systems. It is the capability of a robot or an autonomous system/machine to detect and circumvent obstacles in its path to reach a predefined destination. This technology plays a pivotal role in various fields, including industrial automation, self-driving cars, drones, and even space exploration. Obstacle avoidance enables robots to operate safely and efficiently in dynamic and complex environments, reducing the risk of collisions and damage.

For a robot or autonomous system to successfully navigate through obstacles, it must be able to detect such obstacles. This is most commonly done through the use of sensors, which allow the robot to process its environment, make a decision on what it must do to avoid an obstacle, and carry out that decision with the use of its effectors, or tools that allow a robot to interact with its environment.^[1]