Self-collisions of a dual-arm robot system can cause severe damage to the robot. To deal with this problem, this paper presents a real-time algorithm for preventing self-collisions in dual-arm systems. Our first contribution in this work is a novel collision model built using discrete spherical bounding volumes with different radii. In addition, we propose a sensitivity index to measure the distance between spheres with different radii in real time. Next, according to the minimal sensitivity index between different spheres, the repulsive velocity is produced at the centers of the spheres (control points), which the robot uses to generate new motion based on the robot kinematic model. The proposed algorithm offers the additional benefits of a decrease in the number of bounding spheres, and a simple collision model that can effectively decrease the computational cost of the process. To demonstrate the validity of the algorithm, we performed simulations and experiments by an upper-body humanoid robot. Although the repulsive velocity acted on the control points, the results indicate that the algorithm can effectively achieve self-collision avoidance by using a simple collision model.

In recent years, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) have been confirmed as a powerful tool for countless applications in nearly every industry, in which collision avoidance plays a vital role for micro aerial vehicles (MAVs) performing autonomous missions.The complexity of collision avoidance systems is directly related to the complexity of the navigation environment, the avoidance of highly uncertain obstacles being a more thoroughly researched critical aspect. The non-cooperative collision avoidance strategy is necessary when communication between the agents is unavailable, under the case with many existing passive obstacles and non-cooperative flying objects. In this article, we review the topic of non-cooperative collision avoidance for MAVs in dynamic environments by covering two main issues: onboard sensing and obstacle description algorithms. A detailed discussion of these two topics is provided to face non-cooperative collision avoidance technology for MAVs. Finally, the paper summarizes the open challenges and foreseen future directions in this field.

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