Path Following for Autonomous Mobile Robots with Deep Reinforcement Learning

Autonomous mobile robots have become integral to daily life, providing crucial services across diverse domains. This paper focuses on path following, a fundamental technology and critical element in achieving autonomous mobility. Existing methods predominantly address tracking through steering control, neglecting velocity control or relying on path-specific reference velocities, thereby constraining their generality. In this paper, we propose a novel approach that integrates the conventional pure pursuit algorithm with deep reinforcement learning for a nonholonomic mobile robot. Our methodology employs pure pursuit for steering control and utilizes the soft actor-critic algorithm to train a velocity control strategy within randomly generated path environments. Through simulation and experimental validation, our approach exhibits notable advancements in path convergence and adaptive velocity adjustments to accommodate paths with varying curvatures. Furthermore, this method holds the potential for broader applicability to vehicles adhering to nonholonomic constraints beyond the specific model examined in this paper. In summary, our study contributes to the progression of autonomous mobility by harmonizing conventional algorithms with cutting-edge deep reinforcement learning techniques, enhancing the robustness of path following.