Conflict detection and avoidance for a robot based on perception uncertainty

A method of detecting and avoiding conflict during a mission of an aerial robot that includes a global route of travel, the method comprising:

• generating a local route of travel through a region of an environment that includes the aerial robot, the region and thereby the local route of travel that is generated being updated as the aerial robot travels the global route, the region having a size and shape that are set based on a type of the aerial robot and a state of the aerial robot when the local route is generated;
• monitoring a measure of uncertainty in a perception of at least one object in the region based on the environment;
• and
• causing the aerial robot to maintain the global route, or transition from the global route to the local route, based on a comparison of the measure of uncertainty and an uncertainty threshold.

A computer-readable storage medium for detecting and avoiding conflict during a mission of an aerial robot that includes a global route of travel, the computer-readable storage medium being non-transitory and having computer-readable program code stored therein that, in response to execution by processing circuitry, causes an apparatus to at least:

• generate a local route of travel through a region of an environment that includes the aerial robot, the region and thereby the local route of travel that is generated being updated as the aerial robot travels the global route, the region having a size and shape that are set based on a type of the aerial robot and a state of the aerial robot when the local route is generated;
• monitor a measure of uncertainty in a perception of at least one object in the region based on the environment;
• and
• cause the aerial robot to maintain the global route, or transition from the global route to the local route, based on a comparison of the measure of uncertainty and an uncertainty threshold.