Path-planning strategies for ambush avoidance

Abstract

This thesis examines a variety of ambush games in which one player must navigate between an origin and a destination, and the other player seeks to intercept and ambush him. These games include single-stage games, in which all decisions are made at the outset of the game, and multi-stage games, in which the second player may choose his ambush locations based on real-time updates of the first player's position. For both types of ambush games, methods are presented for efficiently computing the optimal mixed strategies for the first player to navigate between the origin and destination, so as to minimize the probability of being ambushed. The results are applicable to a wide range of real-life situations, including the routing of VIPs and convoys through hostile areas.