Safe Deep Reinforcement Learning-Based Controller (SDRLC) for Autonomous Navigation of Planetary Rovers

Surface exploration and data collection by planetary rovers are challenging due to unknown complex planet terrains. This paper focuses on developing a Deep Reinforcement Learning (DRL)-based controller for rovers to enable safe operation. The necessary control input for safe and efficient vehicle maneuver is derived using the Control Barrier Function (CBF)-based safety protocols. Deep Deterministic Policy Gradient (DDPG) algorithm is used as a DRL framework to find the optimal exploration policies for the rover. Numerical simulations on different vehicle models show the efficacy of the proposed safety method for planetary rovers.