Modeling the Problem

The purpose of this lab is to find the shortest path for a robot moving inside a 5x6 map from start to goal position using different path planning algorithms. The robot can only move in four directions: up, left, down, and right. We will first model this problem using classes in C++ and later solve it with the BFS and A* algorithms.

Given

Grid( 5x6 ) :

Where 1's represent obstacles and 0's represent free space.

Robot Start position: 0 , 0

Robot Goal Position: 4 , 5

Direction of Movement: Up( -1,0 ) - left( 0,-1 ) - down( 1,0 ) - right( 0,1 )

The Direction of Movement vector is a collection of four different 2D vectors each of which enables you to move between grid cells in the map.

Movement Arrows: Up( ^ ) - left( < ) - down( v ) - right( > )

The Movement Arrows vector store the robot actions, this vector will be used later in this lab to visualize the robot orientation at each grid cell on the shortest path.

Cost of Movement: 1

The Cost of Movement value indicates how much it cost to move from one cell to another. Here, the cost is equal for all possible movements.

Note

Throughout this lab, you'll be working with 1D and 2D vectors in C++. Vectors allow you to easily manage and manipulate the data with pre-built functions. For example: the pop_back function can be used to delete the last element in the vector.

If you are not already familiar with vectors, I recommend you read the following two sources before you start coding:

1. 2D Vectors : Learn how to define and use 2D Vectors in C++.
2. Documentation : Learn the vectors iterators and modifiers.

Start Quiz:

#include <iostream>
#include <string.h>
#include <vector>
#include <algorithm>

using namespace std;

/* TODO: Define a Map class
   Inside the map class, define the mapWidth, mapHeight and grid as a 2D vector
*/

/* TODO: Define a Planner class
   Inside the Planner class, define the start, goal, cost, movements, and movements_arrows
   Note: The goal should be defined it terms of the mapWidth and mapHeight
*/

/* TODO: Define a print2DVector function which will print 2D vectors of any data type
   Example
   
   Input: 
   vector<vector<int> > a{{ 1, 0 },{ 0, 1 }};
   print2DVector(a);
   vector<vector<string> > b{{ "a", "b" },{ "c", "d" }};
   print2DVector(b);
   
   Output:
   1 0
   0 1
   a b
   c d
   Hint: You need to use templates
*/

/*############ Don't modify the main function############*/
int main()
{
    // Instantiate map and planner objects
    Map map;
    Planner planner;

    // Print classes variables
    cout << "Map:" << endl;
    print2DVector(map.grid);
    cout << "Start: " << planner.start[0] << " , " << planner.start[1] << endl;
    cout << "Goal: " << planner.goal[0] << " , " << planner.goal[1] << endl;
    cout << "Cost: " << planner.cost << endl;
    cout << "Robot Movements: " << planner.movements_arrows[0] << " , " << planner.movements_arrows[1] << " , " << planner.movements_arrows[2] << " , " << planner.movements_arrows[3] << endl;
    cout << "Delta:" << endl;
    print2DVector(planner.movements);

    return 0;
}

#include <iostream>
#include <string.h>
#include <vector>
#include <algorithm>

using namespace std;

// Map class
class Map {
public:
    const static int mapWidth = 6;
    const static int mapHeight = 5;
    vector<vector<int> > grid = {
        { 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0 },
        { 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0 },
        { 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0 },
        { 0, 1, 0, 0, 0, 0 },
        { 0, 0, 0, 1, 1, 0 }
    };
};

// Planner class
class Planner : Map {
public:
    int start[2] = { 0, 0 };
    int goal[2] = { mapHeight - 1, mapWidth - 1 };
    int cost = 1;

    string movements_arrows[4] = { "^", "<", "v", ">" };

    vector<vector<int> > movements{
        { -1, 0 },
        { 0, -1 },
        { 1, 0 },
        { 0, 1 }
    };
};

// Template function to print 2D vectors of any type
template <typename T>
void print2DVector(T Vec)
{
    for (int i = 0; i < Vec.size(); ++i) {
        for (int j = 0; j < Vec[0].size(); ++j) {
            cout << Vec[i][j] << ' ';
        }
        cout << endl;
    }
}

int main()
{
    // Instantiate map and planner objects
    Map map;
    Planner planner;

    // Print classes variables
    cout << "Map:" << endl;
    print2DVector(map.grid);
    cout << "Start: " << planner.start[0] << " , " << planner.start[1] << endl;
    cout << "Goal: " << planner.goal[0] << " , " << planner.goal[1] << endl;
    cout << "Cost: " << planner.cost << endl;
    cout << "Robot Movements: " << planner.movements_arrows[0] << " , " << planner.movements_arrows[1] << " , " << planner.movements_arrows[2] << " , " << planner.movements_arrows[3] << endl;
    cout << "Delta:" << endl;
    print2DVector(planner.movements);

    return 0;
}