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Decentralized controllers for shape generation with robotic swarms

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  01 September 2008

M. Ani Hsieh ,
Vijay Kumar  and
Luiz Chaimowicz
M. Ani Hsieh*
Affiliation:
GRASP Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania
Vijay Kumar
Affiliation:
GRASP Laboratory, University of Pennsylvania
Luiz Chaimowicz
Affiliation:
Computer Science Department, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: mya@seas.upenn.edu
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Summary

We address the synthesis of controllers for a swarm of robots to generate a desired two-dimensional geometric pattern specified by a simple closed planar curve with local interactions for avoiding collisions or maintaining specified relative distance constraints. The controllers are decentralized in the sense that the robots do not need to exchange or know each other's state information. Instead, we assume that the robots have sensors allowing them to obtain information about relative positions of neighbors within a known range. We establish stability and convergence properties of the controllers for a certain class of simple closed curves. We illustrate our approach through simulations and consider extensions to more general planar curves.

Keywords

robot swarmsdecentralised controlmotion planning
Type
Article
Information
Robotica , Volume 26 , Issue 5 , September 2008 , pp. 691 - 701
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2008

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