SemSafe-3DGS: Semantic Risk-Aware Active Navigation in Uncertain 3D Gaussian Splatting Maps

Abstract:Autonomous robots operating in partially observed environments must navigate safely while acquiring observations that improve future planning. Existing safety formulations generally reason primarily about geometry. Consequently, geometrically similar scene elements may induce comparable control responses despite having different semantic consequences. We present a semantic risk aware safe-active perception framework for navigation in attributed 3D Gaussian maps. Semantic attributes modulate an Average Value-at-Risk collision clearance model through class dependent risk weights, allowing safety-critical Gaussian primitives to receive greater influence in the composite barrier. The resulting weighted clearances are aggregated into a control barrier function, while a trajectory-relevant active perception barrier promotes observations that reduce geometric map uncertainty along the robot's anticipated motion. Both objectives are integrated in a unified CBF-QP that enforces semantic risk-aware collision avoidance as a hard constraint while relaxing information acquisition when it conflicts with safety or task progress. Experiments demonstrate efficient safety constraint, improved navigation through active perception, semantic dependent trajectory adaptation, and real-robot execution under Ackermann dynamics.

Robotics (cs.RO)

arXiv:2609.19330 [cs.RO]

(or arXiv:2609.19330v1 [cs.RO] for this version)

https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2609.19330 Focus to learn more arXiv-issued DOI via DataCite (pending registration)

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