arXiv subjects

Alexis Lussier Desbiens

Publications and source records attributed to Alexis Lussier Desbiens.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

RRT-Rope: A deterministic shortening approach for fast near-optimal path planning in large-scale uncluttered 3D environments

Many path planning algorithms have been introduced so far, but most are costly, in path cost and in processing time, in large-scale uncluttered 3D environments such as underground mining stopes explored by an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV). Rapidly-exploring Random Tree (RRT) algorithms are popular because of their probabilistic completeness and rapidity in finding a feasible path in single-query problems. Many of the algorithms (e.g. Informed RRT*, RRT#) developed to improve RRT need considerable time to converge in large environments. Shortcutting an RRT is an old idea that has been proven to outperform RRT variants. This paper introduces a new method, RRT-Rope, that aims at finding a near-optimal solution in a drastically shorter amount of time. The proposed approach benefits from fast computation of a feasible path with an altered version of RRT-connect, and post-processes it quickly with a deterministic shortcutting technique, taking advantage of intermediate nodes added to each branch of the tree. This paper presents simulations and statistics carried out to show the efficiency of RRT-Rope, which gives better results in terms of path cost and computation time than other popular RRT variations and shortening techniques in all our simulation environments, and is up to 70% faster than the next best algorithm in a representative stope.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2026

MOAR Planner: Multi-Objective and Adaptive Risk-Aware Path Planning for Infrastructure Inspection with a UAV

The problem of autonomous navigation for UAV inspection remains challenging as it requires effectively navigating in close proximity to obstacles, while accounting for dynamic risk factors such as weather conditions, communication reliability, and battery autonomy. This paper introduces the MOAR path planner which addresses the complexities of evolving risks during missions. It offers real-time trajectory adaptation while concurrently optimizing safety, time, and energy. The planner employs a risk-aware cost function that integrates pre-computed cost maps, the new concepts of damage and insertion costs, and an adaptive speed planning framework. With that, the optimal path is searched in a graph using a discrete representation of the state and action spaces. The method is evaluated through simulations and real-world flight tests. The results show the capability to generate real-time trajectories spanning a broad range of evaluation metrics: around 90% of the range occupied by popular algorithms. The proposed framework contributes by enabling UAVs to navigate more autonomously and reliably in critical missions.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2026

TAPE: Tether-Aware Path Planning for Autonomous Exploration of Unknown 3D Cavities Using a Tangle-Compatible Tethered Aerial Robot

This letter presents the first method for autonomous exploration of unknown cavities in three dimensions (3D) that focuses on minimizing the distance traveled and the length of tether unwound. Considering that the tether entanglements are little influenced by the global path, our approach employs a 2-level hierarchical architecture. The global frontier-based planning solves a Traveling Salesman Problem (TSP) to minimize the distance. The local planning attempts to minimize the path cost and the tether length using an adjustable decision function whose parameters play on the trade-off between these two values. The proposed method, TAPE, is evaluated through detailed simulation studies as well as field tests. On average, our method generates a 4.1% increase in distance traveled compared to the TSP solution without our local planner, with which the length of the tether remains below the maximum allowed value in 53% of the simulated cases against 100% with our method.

cs.RO↗

arXiv2025

ARENA: Adaptive Risk-aware and Energy-efficient NAvigation for Multi-Objective 3D Infrastructure Inspection with a UAV

Autonomous robotic inspection missions require balancing multiple conflicting objectives while navigating near costly obstacles. Current multi-objective path planning (MOPP) methods struggle to adapt to evolving risks like localization errors, weather, battery state, and communication issues. This letter presents an Adaptive Risk-aware and Energy-efficient NAvigation (ARENA) MOPP approach for UAVs in complex 3D environments. Our method enables online trajectory adaptation by optimizing safety, time, and energy using 4D NURBS representation and a genetic-based algorithm to generate the Pareto front. A novel risk-aware voting algorithm ensures adaptivity. Simulations and real-world tests demonstrate the planner's ability to produce diverse, optimized trajectories covering 95% or more of the range defined by single-objective benchmarks and its ability to estimate power consumption with a mean error representing 14% of the full power range. The ARENA framework enhances UAV autonomy and reliability in critical, evolving 3D missions.

cs.RO↗