Adaptive RRTs for Validating Hybrid Robotic Control Systems

Most robot control and planning algorithms are complex, involving a combination of reactive controllers, behavior-based controllers, and deliberative controllers. The switching between different behaviors or controllers makes such systems hybrid, i.e. combining discrete and continuous dynamics. While proofs of convergence, robustness and stability are often available for simple controllers under a carefully crafted set of operating conditions, there is no systematic approach to experimenting with, testing, and validating the performance of complex hybrid control systems. In this paper we address the problem of generating sets of conditions (inputs, disturbances, and parameters) that might be used to “test” a given hybrid system. We use the method of Rapidly exploring Random Trees (RRTs) to obtain test inputs. We extend the traditional RRT, which only searches over continuous inputs, to a new algorithm, called the Rapidly exploring Random Forest of Trees (RRFT), which can also search over time invariant parameters by growing a set of trees for each parameter value choice. We introduce new measures for coverage and tree growth that allows us to dynamically allocate our resources among the set of trees and to plant new trees when the growth rate of existing ones slows to an unacceptable level. We demonstrate the application of RRFT to testing and validation of aerial robotic control systems.