Path Planning Design for Boarding-Type Personal Mobility Unit Passing Pedestrians Based on Pedestrian Behavior

Abstract

In this study, we consider a scenario in which a boarding-type personal mobility (BPM) unit navigates in a mixed environment with pedestrians. The BPM unit passenger is expected to pass pedestrians in a smooth manner without imparting anxiety to them. This is accomplished by selecting appropriate paths on a successively updated map of the surrounding environment. Based on a model that simulates a pedestrian’s path selection behavior, we design and investigate a path selection method that avoids sudden behavior changes in the BPM unit, which may cause apprehensiveness to the passenger.