6,944 research outputs found
A Decentralized Control Framework for Energy-Optimal Goal Assignment and Trajectory Generation
This paper proposes a decentralized approach for solving the problem of
moving a swarm of agents into a desired formation. We propose a decentralized
assignment algorithm which prescribes goals to each agent using only local
information. The assignment results are then used to generate energy-optimal
trajectories for each agent which have guaranteed collision avoidance through
safety constraints. We present the conditions for optimality and discuss the
robustness of the solution. The efficacy of the proposed approach is validated
through a numerical case study to characterize the framework's performance on a
set of dynamic goals.Comment: 6 pages, 3 figures, to appear at the 2019 Conference on Decision and
Control, Nice, F
Decentralized MPC based Obstacle Avoidance for Multi-Robot Target Tracking Scenarios
In this work, we consider the problem of decentralized multi-robot target
tracking and obstacle avoidance in dynamic environments. Each robot executes a
local motion planning algorithm which is based on model predictive control
(MPC). The planner is designed as a quadratic program, subject to constraints
on robot dynamics and obstacle avoidance. Repulsive potential field functions
are employed to avoid obstacles. The novelty of our approach lies in embedding
these non-linear potential field functions as constraints within a convex
optimization framework. Our method convexifies non-convex constraints and
dependencies, by replacing them as pre-computed external input forces in robot
dynamics. The proposed algorithm additionally incorporates different methods to
avoid field local minima problems associated with using potential field
functions in planning. The motion planner does not enforce predefined
trajectories or any formation geometry on the robots and is a comprehensive
solution for cooperative obstacle avoidance in the context of multi-robot
target tracking. We perform simulation studies in different environmental
scenarios to showcase the convergence and efficacy of the proposed algorithm.
Video of simulation studies: \url{https://youtu.be/umkdm82Tt0M
Cellular Automata Applications in Shortest Path Problem
Cellular Automata (CAs) are computational models that can capture the
essential features of systems in which global behavior emerges from the
collective effect of simple components, which interact locally. During the last
decades, CAs have been extensively used for mimicking several natural processes
and systems to find fine solutions in many complex hard to solve computer
science and engineering problems. Among them, the shortest path problem is one
of the most pronounced and highly studied problems that scientists have been
trying to tackle by using a plethora of methodologies and even unconventional
approaches. The proposed solutions are mainly justified by their ability to
provide a correct solution in a better time complexity than the renowned
Dijkstra's algorithm. Although there is a wide variety regarding the
algorithmic complexity of the algorithms suggested, spanning from simplistic
graph traversal algorithms to complex nature inspired and bio-mimicking
algorithms, in this chapter we focus on the successful application of CAs to
shortest path problem as found in various diverse disciplines like computer
science, swarm robotics, computer networks, decision science and biomimicking
of biological organisms' behaviour. In particular, an introduction on the first
CA-based algorithm tackling the shortest path problem is provided in detail.
After the short presentation of shortest path algorithms arriving from the
relaxization of the CAs principles, the application of the CA-based shortest
path definition on the coordinated motion of swarm robotics is also introduced.
Moreover, the CA based application of shortest path finding in computer
networks is presented in brief. Finally, a CA that models exactly the behavior
of a biological organism, namely the Physarum's behavior, finding the
minimum-length path between two points in a labyrinth is given.Comment: To appear in the book: Adamatzky, A (Ed.) Shortest path solvers. From
software to wetware. Springer, 201
Probabilistic and Distributed Control of a Large-Scale Swarm of Autonomous Agents
We present a novel method for guiding a large-scale swarm of autonomous
agents into a desired formation shape in a distributed and scalable manner. Our
Probabilistic Swarm Guidance using Inhomogeneous Markov Chains (PSG-IMC)
algorithm adopts an Eulerian framework, where the physical space is partitioned
into bins and the swarm's density distribution over each bin is controlled.
Each agent determines its bin transition probabilities using a
time-inhomogeneous Markov chain. These time-varying Markov matrices are
constructed by each agent in real-time using the feedback from the current
swarm distribution, which is estimated in a distributed manner. The PSG-IMC
algorithm minimizes the expected cost of the transitions per time instant,
required to achieve and maintain the desired formation shape, even when agents
are added to or removed from the swarm. The algorithm scales well with a large
number of agents and complex formation shapes, and can also be adapted for area
exploration applications. We demonstrate the effectiveness of this proposed
swarm guidance algorithm by using results of numerical simulations and hardware
experiments with multiple quadrotors.Comment: Submitted to IEEE Transactions on Robotic
- …