An interactive system for multiple-task linear temporal logic path planning

Beyond programming robots to accomplish a single high-level task at a time, people also hope robots follow instructions and complete a series of tasks while meeting their requirements. This paper presents an interactive software system that consists of a multiple-task linear temporal logic (LTL) path planner and a human-machine interface (HMI). The HMI transforms human oral instructions into task commands that can be understood by the machine. The planner grows a rapid random exploring tree to search for solutions for multiple tasks. When switching tasks, the search tree is reinitialized and reconnected to utilize the information gathered during the exploration of the workspace. The feasibility of the improved planner is theoretically guaranteed, and profiling in simulation shows an acceleration in planning. An experiment with a quadcopter is conducted to show that the combination of the multiple-task LTL planner and the HMI results in a synergistic effect in real-world applications.