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An improved butterfly optimization algorithm-based path navigation of humanoid robots in an unfamiliar setting

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  04 June 2025

Himansu Sekhar Dash Open the ORCID record for Himansu Sekhar Dash [Opens in a new window] ,
Dayal R. Parhi ,
Manoj Kumar Muni Open the ORCID record for Manoj Kumar Muni [Opens in a new window]  and
Pinaki Das
Himansu Sekhar Dash*
Affiliation:
Robotics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, India Department of Production Engineering, Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang, Odisha, India
Dayal R. Parhi
Affiliation:
Robotics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, India
Manoj Kumar Muni
Affiliation:
Department of Mechanical Engineering, Indira Gandhi Institute of Technology, Sarang, Odisha, India
Pinaki Das
Affiliation:
Robotics Laboratory, Department of Mechanical Engineering, National Institute of Technology, Rourkela, Odisha, India
*
Corresponding author: Himansu Sekhar Dash; Email: 919me5062@nitrkl.ac.in
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Abstract

The path navigation of robot in an entirely known space is presented by various researchers in the recent times. The navigational complexity arises when a robot moves in a completely unknown and complex environment from one defined start to a designated desired location. As the success of the nature-inspired algorithms in the unclear navigational problem is better, therefore, an improved butterfly optimization algorithm (IBOA) to determine the optimal feasible path for a humanoid robot navigating through a platform cluttered with both known and unfamiliar barriers is presented in this study. The BOA is inspired by the food-gathering habits of butterflies, where the sense of smell is the vital parameter in the global optimal search. However, the performance of this technique in the complex environment is poor, as a result, the chances of being trapped in local minima are more. Hence, the BOA is improved by using a nonlinear weight reduction strategy in updating the position of the butterflies in every iteration. The simulation is carried out in the Webots platform by considering variable-legged robot, NAO, in an unfamiliar environment. The outcomes derived from the simulation and real assessments demonstrate the potential of the proposed technique and compare with other existing algorithms, which highlights the potential and efficacy of the proposed IBOA algorithm.

Keywords

humanoid robotsnavigationunknown environmentbutterfly optimization algorithmglobal optimizationWebotsNAO
Type
Research Article
Information
Robotica , First View , pp. 1 - 31
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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