Castro, Gabriel G.R.Carvalho, Lucas L. M.Marques, Diogo G.Lima, JoséPinto, Milena F.2025-12-122025-12-122025Castro, Gabriel G.R.; Carvalho,ucas L.M.; Marques, Diogo G.; Lima,José; Pinto, Milena F. (2025). Hybrid wavefront and bidirectional A* coverage path planning for AGVs in photovoltaic farm inspection. In International Conference on Autonomous Robot Systems and Competitions-ICARSC-Annual. Funchal, Portugal. p.64-69.http://hdl.handle.net/10198/35212This work presents a novel Coverage Path Planning (CPP) framework integrating theWavefront Algorithm with bidirectional A* to optimize path planning for Autonomous Ground Vehicles (AGVs) that inspect photovoltaic farms. The proposed framework combines the efficient propagation capabilities of the Wavefront Algorithm with the heuristic-driven optimization of bidirectional A*, comparing the results achieved to those from the individual algorithms. The framework was validated in a Software-In-The-Loop (SITL) simulation environment using Gazebo and the Robot Operating System (ROS), focusing on AGV-based inspection of ground infrastructure and cables beneath solar panels. The outcomes demonstrate significant coverage efficiency and overall robustness.engAutonomous Ground VehicleRobotic Path PlanningRenewable Energy Systemsconference paper10.1109/icarsc65809.2025.10970161