Complete area-coverage path planner for surface cleaning in hospital settings using mobile dual-arm robot and GBNN with heuristics

Abstract

Complete area-coverage path planners are essential for robots performing tasks like cleaning, inspection, and surveying. However, they often involve complex calculations, mapping, and determining movement directions, leading to high computational or processing overheads and the risk of deadlocks. This paper proposes an approach for cleaning, i.e., by linear wiping of generic and discontinuous surfaces in hospital settings using inhouse assembled mobile dual-arm (MDA) robotic system. The proposed framework introduces key features: (a) a less resource-intensive approach for MDA positioning and cleaning surface mapping, (b) Modified Glasius Bioinspired Neural Network through use of heuristics (GBNN+H) to optimize surface linear wiping while obstacle avoidance, and traversal across discontinuous surfaces. The advantages of the proposed algorithm are highlighted in simulation with GBNN+H significantly reduces the number of steps and flight time required for complete coverage compared to existing algorithms. The proposed framework is also experimentally demonstrated in a hospital setting, paving the way for improved automation in cleaning and disinfection tasks. Overall, this work presents a generic and versatile, applicable to various surface orientations and complexities.