A* Path Planning Algorithm

MATLAB-based A* search algorithm for autonomous robot path planning with obstacle avoidance.

This work presents the development and implementation of an A* (A-Star) path planning algorithm in MATLAB for autonomous mobile robot navigation. The algorithm computes an optimal collision-free path between a start and a goal position on a grid-based environment containing static obstacles. It employs a heuristic search strategy that evaluates nodes using the cost function (f(n)=g(n)+h(n)), where (g(n)) represents the actual path cost and (h(n)) estimates the remaining distance to the goal. The implementation includes map generation, obstacle representation, node expansion, path cost evaluation, and optimal path reconstruction. Simulation results demonstrate the algorithm's ability to efficiently determine the shortest feasible path while avoiding obstacles, making it suitable for robotic navigation and autonomous path planning applications.