A Sampling Ensemble for Asymptotically Complete Motion Planning with Volume-Reducing Workspace Constraints

Many robot tasks impose constraints on the workspace. For example, a robot may need to move a container without spilling its contents or open a door following the doorknob’s arc. Such constraints may induce narrow volumes in the configuration space, traditionally a challenge for sampling-based methods, and further cause infeasibility. We extend sample-driven connectivity learning (SDCL), a robust approach for planning with narrow passages, to develop a sampling ensemble for workspace constraints. In particular, the ensemble combines SDCL, projection via dual quaternion optimization, and random sampling. These complementary sampling approaches support efficient and robust planning under workspace constraints. Further, this framework offers the ability to determine infeasibility under workspace constraints, which is unaddressed by previous constrained planning methods.