What the study found
The study found that Pure Pursuit with Dynamic Steering Control (PP-DSC) improved trajectory tracking for an autonomous mobile robot in open outdoor tests. It also found that adding a Fire and Explosion Index (F&EI)-based safety factor helped automate speed reduction in hazard zones, but industrial use depended on the site geometry.
Why the authors say this matters
The authors conclude that the method can improve trajectory tracking in open-field environments. They also suggest the safety-integrated version may support Process Safety Management (PSM), meaning organized management of process hazards, by reducing velocity in hazardous areas.
What the researchers tested
The researchers proposed PP-DSC, which adaptively adjusts lookahead distance and velocity based on steering angle. They deployed it on a four-wheeled steering-type autonomous mobile robot using Robot Operating System 2 (ROS 2) Jazzy with sensor fusion from GNSS-RTK, IMU, and wheel encoders, and tested it on straight, circular, and figure-eight trajectories at 1.0–5.0 m/s in an open area.
What worked and what didn't
In the open-area tests, PP-DSC achieved mean lateral deviations of 0.05, 0.07, and 0.08 m on the straight, circular, and figure-eight trajectories, which the abstract says was a 68–82% improvement over standard Pure Pursuit. In the simulated biodiesel plant, standard Pure Pursuit outperformed the Safety-integrated PP-DSC by 15.6% overall, although the safety-integrated version still showed 11–17% improvement in moderate-curvature sections and added less than 1% tracking overhead.
What to keep in mind
The industrial test was a simulation in an empty fruit bunch biodiesel plant, not a physical deployment. The abstract also indicates that the safety-integrated approach was less effective in tight turning radii of 5–9 m, so the results depend on site geometry.
Key points
- PP-DSC reduced mean lateral deviation to 0.05, 0.07, and 0.08 m in open-field tests.
- The abstract reports 68–82% improvement over standard Pure Pursuit in those outdoor trajectories.
- A Safety-integrated PP-DSC variant used an F&EI-based safety factor to reduce speed in hazard zones.
- In the plant simulation, standard Pure Pursuit outperformed the safety-integrated version by 15.6% overall.
- The safety-integrated version still showed 11–17% improvement in moderate-curvature sections and added less than 1% overhead.
Disclosure
- Research title:
- Dynamic steering control improved robot path tracking outdoors
- Authors:
- Nattapong Promkaew, Nitikorn Junhuathon, Arthit Phuphaphud, Pasan Kulvanit, Somboon Sukpancharoen
- Institutions:
- Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen University, Khon Kaen University, Ministry of Science and Technology Thailand, Rajamangala University of Technology, Thailand Center of Excellence in Physics
- Publication date:
- 2026-02-13
- OpenAlex record:
- View
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