Ph.D. Dissertation at the College of Information Technology Explores Enhancements in Multi-Robot Path Planning

Duhaa Fadill Abbas
As part of the ongoing academic activities at the Department of Software, College of Information Technology – University of Babylon, a Ph.D. dissertation defense was held for the thesis entitled “Enhancing Multi-Robot Path Planning Using a Hybrid Adaptive Dimensionality Algorithm Integrated with a Swarm-Based Approach” by Noor Kazem Ayoub, under the supervision of Prof. Dr. Ali Hadi Hassan. The defense took place on Thursday, September 18, 2025, at the college’s main conference hall.

The dissertation aimed to address one of the most critical challenges in multi-robot systems: generating optimal paths for each robot while accounting for variations in size and avoiding conflicts with other robots and dynamic obstacles. The researcher introduced a hybrid methodology that integrates adaptive dimensionality with the Grey Wolf Optimizer algorithm, enabling more precise and flexible path planning for large-scale heterogeneous robotic systems.

The study also involved the enhancement of the D* algorithm through the incorporation of new parameters, including the Safety Factor (SF) and Objective (OBJ), alongside a novel mechanism for detecting narrow free spaces and reclassifying them as “traps” to be avoided during navigation. The proposed approach was applied to different robotic vehicle types, including articulated robotic vehicles (RAVs) and long robotic vehicles (RLVs), and was tested across six dynamic environments to simulate and evaluate performance.

Findings revealed that the proposed framework significantly reduced planning time and iterations while maintaining a balance between path cost and safety requirements. Furthermore, the approach demonstrated improved navigation efficiency compared to conventional techniques, ensuring safer and more reliable movement across diverse environments.

At the conclusion of the defense, the examination committee commended the dissertation for its valuable scientific contributions, highlighting its potential to advance artificial intelligence and robotics applications within industrial and service-oriented domains.