SBAMP: Sampling Based Adaptive Motion Planning

Abstract

Autonomous robots operating in dynamic environments must balance global path optimality with real-time responsiveness to disturbances. This requires addressing a fundamental trade-off between computationally expensive global planning and fast local adaptation. Sampling-based planners such as RRT* produce near-optimal paths but struggle under perturbations, while dynamical systems approaches like SEDS enable smooth reactive behavior but rely on offline data-driven optimization. We introduce Sampling-Based Adaptive Motion Planning (SBAMP), a hybrid framework that combines RRT*-based global planning with an online, Lyapunov-stable SEDS-inspired controller that requires no pre-trained data. By integrating lightweight constrained optimization into the control loop, SBAMP enables stable, real-time adaptation while preserving global path structure. Experiments in simulation and on RoboRacer hardware demonstrate robust recovery from disturbances, reliable obstacle handling, and consistent performance under dynamic conditions.