HexGuide: A Hexapod Robot for Autonomous Blind Guidance in Challenging Environments

In this paper we present the HexGuide, a hexapod guide robot designed to provide guidance to visually impaired people in challenging environments. Firstly, we propose an improved A* path planning algorithm that incorporates an artificial potential field (APF) factor into the evaluation function and optimizes the turning point to generate a safe and collision-free initial path. Moreover, we propose a Model Predictive Control (MPC)-based motion tracking controller for path tracking and a locomotion control model for the robot to manage the swing of each single leg. Furthermore, we develop an obstacle avoidance strategy and a traffic light recognition method for the robot. The experimental results show that HexGuide can excellently accomplish the task of guiding visually impaired people in challenging environments such as airports and intersections.