Improved A* and DWA fusion algorithm based path planning for intelligent substation inspection robot

To solve the intelligent substation inspection robot path planning with low global efficiency, search node redundancy, and may even fail under a dynamic obstacle environment, which is normally based on the A* or dynamic window approach (DWA) algorithms. This study attempted to use the improved A* algorithm and an enhanced DWA algorithms for intelligent substation inspection robot path planning to improve its path planning ability under dynamic inspection. In this study, The neighborhood traversal rule of the A* is refined, and the DWA evaluation function is adjusted to align with the specific demands of intelligent substation inspection. Simulation results demonstrate that combining the improved A* algorithm with the enhanced DWA significantly reduces the inspection path length by 24.4% compared to traditional A* in fixed point inspection condition. This integration greatly enhances the dynamic path-planning performance of substation inspection robots, particularly in terms of path smoothness and inspection efficiency.