Air University

Department of Mechatronics Engineering

Path Planning for Robots: HW2 Optimization

Instructions: Submit your homework by the date announced in the lecture. Homework should be in PDF
format not more than 2 pages. File should be named as follows: yournamePPMTS. Any two similar
assignments will both be given zero marks in the total assignment marks for this course.

1. Find the turning point of the function:𝑓(𝑥, 𝑦) = 3𝑥 2 + 2𝑥 + 2𝑦 2 + 7, determine

whether it is a minima or maxima and plot the function.
2. What would be the rectangle of minimum perimeter with area 25 m2? On the same
figure, plot the ‘cost function’ and the constraint.
3. A robot is moving at 10 kilometers per hour on a course of 30 o (measured clockwise
from north, which is 0o). Find its closest point of approach to a base station that at time
t=0 is 20 km east and 30 km north of it. Find the distance to the base at this point. Find
the time of closest approach. What does the Lagrange multiplier signify in the
Hamiltonian formulation for optimality? Describe briefly.
4. A robot is moving on a line lying on two planes: 3𝑥 + 2𝑦 + 𝑧 − 1 = 0 and 𝑥 + 2𝑦 −
3𝑧 − 4 = 0. What will be its’ shortest distance from the origin?