Programming a single potential field

Programming a single potential field

Potential fields are actually easy to program, especially since the fields are
ego-centric to the robot. The visualization of the entire field may appear
to indicate that the robot and the objects are in a fixed, absolute coordinate
system, but they are not. The robot computes the effect of the potential field,
usually as a straight line, at every update, with no memory of where it was
previously or where the robot has moved. This should become clear through
the following examples.
A primitive potential field is usually represented by a single function. The
vector impacting the robot is computed each update. Consider the case of a
robot with a single range sensor facing forward. The designer has decided
that a repulsive field with a linear drop off is appropriate.