Space-Time Graphs of Convex Sets for Multi-Robot Motion Planning

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Tang, Jingtao, Mao, Zining, Yang, Lufan, Ma, Hang
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Tang, Jingtao
Mao, Zining
Yang, Lufan
Ma, Hang
author_facet Tang, Jingtao
Mao, Zining
Yang, Lufan
Ma, Hang
contents We address the Multi-Robot Motion Planning (MRMP) problem of computing collision-free trajectories for multiple robots in shared continuous environments. While existing frameworks effectively decompose MRMP into single-robot subproblems, spatiotemporal motion planning with dynamic obstacles remains challenging, particularly in cluttered or narrow-corridor settings. We propose Space-Time Graphs of Convex Sets (ST-GCS), a novel planner that systematically covers the collision-free space-time domain with convex sets instead of relying on random sampling. By extending Graphs of Convex Sets (GCS) into the time dimension, ST-GCS formulates time-optimal trajectories in a unified convex optimization that naturally accommodates velocity bounds and flexible arrival times. We also propose Exact Convex Decomposition (ECD) to "reserve" trajectories as spatiotemporal obstacles, maintaining a collision-free space-time graph of convex sets for subsequent planning. Integrated into two prioritized-planning frameworks, ST-GCS consistently achieves higher success rates and better solution quality than state-of-the-art sampling-based planners -- often at orders-of-magnitude faster runtimes -- underscoring its benefits for MRMP in challenging settings.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_00583
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Space-Time Graphs of Convex Sets for Multi-Robot Motion Planning
Tang, Jingtao
Mao, Zining
Yang, Lufan
Ma, Hang
Robotics
Artificial Intelligence
We address the Multi-Robot Motion Planning (MRMP) problem of computing collision-free trajectories for multiple robots in shared continuous environments. While existing frameworks effectively decompose MRMP into single-robot subproblems, spatiotemporal motion planning with dynamic obstacles remains challenging, particularly in cluttered or narrow-corridor settings. We propose Space-Time Graphs of Convex Sets (ST-GCS), a novel planner that systematically covers the collision-free space-time domain with convex sets instead of relying on random sampling. By extending Graphs of Convex Sets (GCS) into the time dimension, ST-GCS formulates time-optimal trajectories in a unified convex optimization that naturally accommodates velocity bounds and flexible arrival times. We also propose Exact Convex Decomposition (ECD) to "reserve" trajectories as spatiotemporal obstacles, maintaining a collision-free space-time graph of convex sets for subsequent planning. Integrated into two prioritized-planning frameworks, ST-GCS consistently achieves higher success rates and better solution quality than state-of-the-art sampling-based planners -- often at orders-of-magnitude faster runtimes -- underscoring its benefits for MRMP in challenging settings.
title Space-Time Graphs of Convex Sets for Multi-Robot Motion Planning
topic Robotics
Artificial Intelligence
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.00583