Unmanned Ground Vehicle Path Planning Algorithms: A Review

As the core technology for realizing autonomous navigation of unmanned ground vehicles, the path planning algorithm directly determines the reliability and stability of navigation tasks in complex dynamic environments. With the expanding range of application scenarios, traditional path planning approaches have become increasingly inadequate in terms of real-time performance, dynamic obstacle avoidance, and multi-objective optimization. The recent rise in AI-based methods has provided new opportunities for this field. This paper systematically analyzes the latest research progress in this area. By reviewing and analyzing the highly recognized literature in recent years, we classify mainstream path planning and related algorithms into six types: graph-search-based, sampling-based, local optimization-based, meta-heuristic optimization, AI-based, and optimal control methods. The core improvement trends, advantages, and inherent limitations of each algorithm type are deeply analyzed. Through bibliometric analysis, we identify major gaps in current research, including over-reliance on simulation methods, overly restrictive environmental assumptions, and insufficient handling of multiple objectives. Finally, we point out the critical gap between simulation environments and real-world deployment and advocate the use of hybrid algorithms to address the deficiencies of single algorithms, along with effective validation in real environments. This direction is crucial for promoting the broader practical application of unmanned ground vehicle technology.