Safe and efficient trajectory planner in construction environments considering Manhattan distance
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.17979/ja-cea.2026.47.13883Keywords:
aerial robotics, trajectory planning, navigation and control, autonomous systemsAbstract
This paper presents a 3D trajectory planner in construction environments, based on Manhattan Distance Fields (MDF) instead of the classic Euclidean Distance Fields (EDF). The planner combines a cost-aware A* algorithm (CA-A*) that integrates obstacle distance using the L1 metric, followed by a post-processing stage with 5th-degree polynomials optimized with Ceres Solver. Simulations in a realistic construction environment show that using Manhattan distance significantly reduces the number of expanded nodes and computation time compared to L2, while maintaining safe and efficient trajectories. Furthermore, the post-processing reduces turning angles and improves smoothness without deviating significantly from the initial trajectory.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Guillermo Gil, Antonio Moreno, José Antonio Cobano, Fernando Caballero, Luis Merino

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