Path-planning optimization of underwater microrobots in 3-D space by PSO approach

The paper researches on the problem of Path-planning and optimization of several underwater microrobots in three-dimensional space by developing a novel spiral particle pathway searching approach and PSO Approach. We propose a kind of novel underwater multi-microrobot system which is consist of a mother submarine and several microrobots with ICPF (Ionic Conducting Polymer Film) actuators. Firstly, we set up the environmental model of robot path-planning in 3-D space, the obstacle be simplified as a solid sphere element and the microrobot be simplified as a particle point. The concept of the Grid Method and a Spiral Particle Pathway Searching Approach are developed and used to search for particles in the pathway in the plane of parallel subspace. MATLAB is used to calculate the particles in order to search the best path to the target points in three-dimensional space. DPSO is used to optimize the path of microrobots. At last, we get the optimized pathway of a single microrobot and pathway of three microrobots searching for the target points without collection with each other by using Spiral Particle Pathway Searching Approach and PSO Approach.