To address the issues of low path planning efficiency and poor path smoothness of the traditional A* algorithm in complex environments, an improved A* algorithm combining bidirectional jump point search with a direction penalty factor is proposed. This approach enhances search efficiency by changing the traditional A* algorithm's unidirectional search strategy to a bidirectional search, reduces redundant node expansions through jump point search mechanisms, and optimizes path smoothness by introducing a direction penalty factor. Experimental results show that the improved algorithm reduces the number of node expansions by approximately 90%, shortens the search time by 50%, and decreases the path length by 13%, while ensuring that the path length remains close to optimal.

Qingyuan Xiao, Meng Qin, Huiheng Suo, Guangjun Lai, Zuteng Chen, Jian Wu, Yuanhao Pan, Xie Ma, Yingping Bai, Weihong Zhong. Improved A* Algorithm Based on Bidirectional Jump Point Search. International Journal of Multimedia Computing (2025), Vol. 6, Issue 1: 19-28. https://doi.org/10.38007/IJMC.2025.060102.

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