Theoretical Improvements of Control Algorithms in Robot Path Planning: From Traditional Methods to Intelligent Algorithms

As robotics technologies evolve rapidly, path planning has emerged as a fundamental pillar underpinning autonomous navigation systems. Traditional algorithms such as A*, Dijkstra, and Bellman-Ford demonstrate competence in structured environments, yet exhibit notable limitations in dynamic and uncertain scenarios. In contrast, intelligent algorithmsincluding Genetic Algorithms (GA), Reinforcement Learning (RL), and hybrid strategiesprovide measurable advantages in adaptability, learning capacity, and robustness. This study centers on comparing traditional and intelligent control algorithms for path planning from a theoretical perspective, outlining their respective principles, performance traits, and application contexts. The findings suggest that intelligent algorithms, owing to their capacity for real-time learning, environmental adaptation, and heuristic generalization, consistently outperform traditional approaches in dynamic and unstructured operational contexts. The paper offers critical theoretical insights to guide future algorithm selection and optimization for robot navigation. Furthermore, the paper discusses real-world implementation challenges, such as computational complexity, sensor uncertainty, and algorithm convergence stability, to highlight the applicability of these techniques in complex systems.