The invention provides an improved VFH 
algorithm-based positioning and 
obstacle avoidance method and 
robot. According to the improved VFH 
algorithm-based positioning and 
obstacle avoidance method and 
robot, on the basis of an improved 
vector field histogram method and a scan matching 
algorithm, environmental information is acquired by the adoption of a 
laser range-finder sensor, and the 
pose error brought by 
speedometer is amended by the adoption of the polar coordinate scan matching algorithm. After 
robot positioning is finished, environmental information is rasterized, an obstacle is expanded according to the relationship between the robot and the obstacle and considering the sensing uncertainty of a movable robot and the 
real size of the robot, an original polar coordinate 
histogram is built, the free walking area and the 
obstacle avoidance area are acquired, a binary polar coordinate 
histogram is acquired through the definition of two threshold values, a shielding polar coordinate histogram is built through estimating the movement trail of the movable robot, and finally, the cost function is introduced to determine the best movement direction of the robot so as to solve the problem of shielding 
route planning of the movable robot in a 
home environment.