Navigation Of Mobile Robots Based On Passenger Following

Methods and systems for navigating a mobile robot through a crowded pedestrian environment by selecting and following a particular pedestrian are described herein. In one aspect, a navigation model directs a mobile robot to follow a pedestrian based on the position and velocity of nearby pedestrians and the current and desired positions of the mobile robot in the service environment. The mobile robot advances toward its desired destination by following the selected pedestrian. By repeatedly sampling the positions and velocities of nearby pedestrians and the current location, the navigation model directs the mobile robot toward the endpoint location. In some examples, the mobile robot selects and follows a sequence of different pedestrians to navigate to the desired endpoint location. In a further aspect, the navigation model determines whether following a particular pedestrian will lead to a collision with another pedestrian. If so, the navigation model selects another pedestrian to follow.