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potential energy gradients

A concept where attractive forces pull the robot toward goals and repulsive forces push it away from obstacles. The robot moves along the “energy landscape” toward the lowest energy point (the goal).


This describes a field-based navigation method for robots. Here's how it works:

The Core Idea

Imagine an invisible energy landscape surrounding the robot:
  1. Goal location = valley (low energy, attractive)
  2. Obstacles = hills (high energy, repulsive)
  3. Robot = rolls downhill toward the goal

The Forces

Attractive Force:
  1. Pulls the robot toward the target
  2. Strength increases as the robot gets closer to the goal
  3. Creates a "gravitational pull" effect
Repulsive Force:
  1. Pushes the robot away from obstacles
  2. Activates when obstacles are near
  3. Creates a "wall" effect

How It Works

The robot doesn't need a detailed map. Instead, it:
  1. Senses nearby obstacles and the goal direction
  2. Calculates combined attractive + repulsive forces
  3. Moves in the direction of net lowest energy
  4. Continuously updates as it navigates

Real-World Analogy

Think of a marble on a contoured surface—it naturally rolls downhill (toward the goal) while going around bumps (obstacles).

Advantage & Limitation

✓ Simple, reactive navigation with minimal computing
✗ Can get stuck in local minima (false valleys between obstacles)
This approach is widely used in robotics for obstacle avoidance and path planning.













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Contents The Core Idea The Forces How It Works Real-World Analogy Advantage & Limitation