The issues of local navigation of mobile robots are considered. The navigation process includes the following steps: mapping the external environment, locating the robot, and planning the route leading to the goal. Among the popular methods of local navigation of robots is the method of artificial potential fields. The report analyzes the features of this method. The question of choosing the structure of attracting potential fields is investigated. The problem of local minima in the method of potential fields is discussed. A new way to avoid obstacles when moving the robot to the goal is proposed