Robotics Pathfinding Program

A C++ simulation program that demonstrates autonomous robotic navigation through obstacle-laden environments using heuristic-enhanced Depth-First Search (DFS) algorithms.

Overview

This program simulates a robot navigating from a starting position (0,0) to a goal position (4,4) on a 5×5 grid containing randomly generated obstacles. The robot employs intelligent pathfinding strategies to avoid obstacles and reach its destination.

Key Features

1. Heuristic-Enhanced DFS: Combines Depth-First Search with 4-Way Directional Vision (4DV) for improved pathfinding
2. Obstacle Detection System: Active Robot Modern Scan (ARMS) pre-validates grid viability before navigation
3. Adaptive Strategy Switching: Automatically attempts alternative paths when primary route fails
4. Real-time Visualization: Color-coded terminal display with animated scanning and pathfinding
5. Performance Analytics: Detailed statistics including moves, sensor usage, and path efficiency

Technical Implementations

• Core Components

  • Robot Class (robotObject.hpp): Encapsulates robot properties and identification
  • Pathfinding Algorithm: Two-pass DFS with configurable movement priorities
  • Obstacle Avoidance: Multi-directional sensor system (up, down, left, right)
  • Path Validation: Pre-simulation scanning to eliminate unsolvable configurations

• Navigation Strategies

  1. Primary Strategy: DOWN → RIGHT priority
  2. Secondary Strategy: RIGHT → DOWN priority
  3. 4DV Lookahead: Checks diagonal and adjacent cells for optimal routing

Requirements

• C++11 or higher
• ANSI terminal support for colored output
• Standard libraries: iostream, vector, thread, chrono

Installation/Usage

Clone the Repository

git clone https://github.com/VigneshT24/CPP-Robotics-Pathfinding-Program.git
cd CPP-Robotics-Pathfinding-Program

Compile & Run

g++ -std=c++11 main.cpp -o robot_sim
./robot_sim
# or click the run button if shown

User Input

Parameter	Description	Options/Format
Robot Name	Single character identifier	Any character except 0 or O
Difficulty Level	Controls obstacle density	5 - Fewer obstacles (super high success rate) 3 - Moderate obstacles (good success rate) 2 - More obstacles (slightly lower success rate)
Robot Type	Descriptive classification	Any string value

Program Output

The program provides:

• Animated grid visualization with color-coded elements
• Real-time pathfinding progression
• Comprehensive statistics including:
  • Total moves counter
  • Sensor usage frequency
  • Path efficiency metrics
  • Visual robot footprint trace

This simulation is developed as a demonstration of algorithmic pathfinding and robotic simulation techniques.