This chapter covers path planning and navigation for our toy-grabbing robot helper. You have to admit that one of the most difficult problems in any ground robot is navigation. There are two parts to the task – figuring out where you are (localization), and then figuring out where you want to go (path planning). Most robots at this point would be using some sort of Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) algorithm that would first map the room, and then figure out where the robot is within it. But is this really necessary? First of all, SLAM generally requires some sort of 3D sensor, which we don't have, and a lot of processing, which we don't want to do. We can also add that it does not use machine learning.
Is it possible to perform our task without making maps or ranging sensors? Can you think of any other robot that cleans rooms but...