Beyond Traditional Motion Planning: A Proximal Policy Optimization Reinforcement Learning Approach for Robotics

In today’s technologically-driven era, robotic systems have been integrated into various aspects of our daily lives, handling tasks from household chores to complex industrial applications. With these robotic systems becoming increasingly commonplace in homes, offices, and public spaces, the demand for effective and adaptable motion planning becomes paramount. Traditional motion planning methods, although having made noteworthy progress, still have difficulties with the challenges posed by dynamic environments characterized by unpredictable elements and rapid changes. Recognizing this gap, this paper introduces a novel reinforcement learning-based path planning algorithm specifically designed for dynamic scenarios. Through the integration of Proximal Policy Optimization (PPO) reinforcement algorithm, our approach empowers robots to actively chart their paths, adapting in real-time to unforeseen obstacles and shifts in the environment. To validate our methodology, we undertook extensive experiments comparing our approach to established benchmark methods, notably SARSA, A^∗, and Regular Reinforcement Learning (RL) (i.e., non PPO-based). The results not only highlight the effectiveness of our proposed solution but also emphasize its potential to reshape how robotic systems navigate complex, ever-evolving environments.