Multi-Agent Task Allocation for Robot Soccer

This is the published version. Copyright De GruyterThis paper models and analyzes task allocation methodologies for multiagent systems. The evaluation process was implemented as a collection of simulated soccer matches. A soccer-simulation software package was used as the test-bed as it provided the necessary features for implementing and testing the methodologies. The methodologies were tested through competitions with a number of available soccer strategies. Soccer game scores, communication, robustness, fault-tolerance, and replanning capabilities were the parameters used as the evaluation criteria for the mul1i-agent systems

Adoption of vehicular ad hoc networking protocols by networked robots

This paper focuses on the utilization of wireless networking in the robotics domain. Many researchers have already equipped their robots with wireless communication capabilities, stimulated by the observation that multi-robot systems tend to have several advantages over their single-robot counterparts. Typically, this integration of wireless communication is tackled in a quite pragmatic manner, only a few authors presented novel Robotic Ad Hoc Network (RANET) protocols that were designed specifically with robotic use cases in mind. This is in sharp contrast with the domain of vehicular ad hoc networks (VANET). This observation is the starting point of this paper. If the results of previous efforts focusing on VANET protocols could be reused in the RANET domain, this could lead to rapid progress in the field of networked robots. To investigate this possibility, this paper provides a thorough overview of the related work in the domain of robotic and vehicular ad hoc networks. Based on this information, an exhaustive list of requirements is defined for both types. It is concluded that the most significant difference lies in the fact that VANET protocols are oriented towards low throughput messaging, while RANET protocols have to support high throughput media streaming as well. Although not always with equal importance, all other defined requirements are valid for both protocols. This leads to the conclusion that cross-fertilization between them is an appealing approach for future RANET research. To support such developments, this paper concludes with the definition of an appropriate working plan

Distributed approach for coverage and patrolling missions with a team of heterogeneous aerial robots under communication constraints

Using aerial robots in area coverage applications is an emerging topic. These applications need a coverage path planning algorithm and a coordinated patrolling plan. This paper proposes a distributed approach to coordinate a team of heterogeneous UAVs cooperating efficiently in patrolling missions around irregular areas, with low communication ranges and memory storage requirements. Hence it can be used with small‐scale UAVs with limited and different capabilities. The presented system uses a modular architecture and solves the problem by dividing the area between all the robots according to their capabilities. Each aerial robot performs a decomposition based algorithm to create covering paths and a ’one‐to‐one’ coordination strategy to decide the path segment to patrol. The system is decentralized and fault‐tolerant. It ensures a finite time to share information between all the robots and guarantees convergence to the desired steady state, based on the maximal minimum frequency criteria. A set of simulations with a team of quad‐rotors is used to validate the approach

A Survey and Analysis of Multi-Robot Coordination

International audienceIn the field of mobile robotics, the study of multi-robot systems (MRSs) has grown significantly in size and importance in recent years. Having made great progress in the development of the basic problems concerning single-robot control, many researchers shifted their focus to the study of multi-robot coordination. This paper presents a systematic survey and analysis of the existing literature on coordination, especially in multiple mobile robot systems (MMRSs). A series of related problems have been reviewed, which include a communication mechanism, a planning strategy and a decision-making structure. A brief conclusion and further research perspectives are given at the end of the paper

On fault tolerance and scalability of swarm robotic systems

This paper challenges the common assumption that swarm robotic systems are robust and scalable by default. We present an analysis based on both reliability modelling and experimental trials of a case study swarm performing team work, in which failures are deliberately induced. Our case study has been carefully chosen to represent a swarm task in which the overall desired system behaviour is an emergent property of the interactions between robots, in order that we can assess the fault tolerance of a self-organising system. Our findings show that in the presence of worst-case partially failed robots the overall system reliability quickly falls with increasing swarm size. We conclude that future large scale swarm systems will need a new approach to achieving high levels of fault tolerance. © 2013 Springer-Verlag