Positional Encoding by Robots with Non-Rigid Movements

Consider a set of autonomous computational entities, called \emph{robots}, operating inside a polygonal enclosure (possibly with holes), that have to perform some collaborative tasks. The boundary of the polygon obstructs both visibility and mobility of a robot. Since the polygon is initially unknown to the robots, the natural approach is to first explore and construct a map of the polygon. For this, the robots need an unlimited amount of persistent memory to store the snapshots taken from different points inside the polygon. However, it has been shown by Di Luna et al. [DISC 2017] that map construction can be done even by oblivious robots by employing a positional encoding strategy where a robot carefully positions itself inside the polygon to encode information in the binary representation of its distance from the closest polygon vertex. Of course, to execute this strategy, it is crucial for the robots to make accurate movements. In this paper, we address the question whether this technique can be implemented even when the movements of the robots are unpredictable in the sense that the robot can be stopped by the adversary during its movement before reaching its destination. However, there exists a constant $\delta > 0$, unknown to the robot, such that the robot can always reach its destination if it has to move by no more than $\delta$ amount. This model is known in literature as \emph{non-rigid} movement. We give a partial answer to the question in the affirmative by presenting a map construction algorithm for robots with non-rigid movement, but having $O(1)$ bits of persistent memory and ability to make circular moves

Meeting in a Polygon by Anonymous Oblivious Robots

The Meeting problem for $k\geq 2$ searchers in a polygon $P$ (possibly with holes) consists in making the searchers move within $P$, according to a distributed algorithm, in such a way that at least two of them eventually come to see each other, regardless of their initial positions. The polygon is initially unknown to the searchers, and its edges obstruct both movement and vision. Depending on the shape of $P$, we minimize the number of searchers $k$ for which the Meeting problem is solvable. Specifically, if $P$ has a rotational symmetry of order $\sigma$ (where $\sigma=1$ corresponds to no rotational symmetry), we prove that $k=\sigma+1$ searchers are sufficient, and the bound is tight. Furthermore, we give an improved algorithm that optimally solves the Meeting problem with $k=2$ searchers in all polygons whose barycenter is not in a hole (which includes the polygons with no holes). Our algorithms can be implemented in a variety of standard models of mobile robots operating in Look-Compute-Move cycles. For instance, if the searchers have memory but are anonymous, asynchronous, and have no agreement on a coordinate system or a notion of clockwise direction, then our algorithms work even if the initial memory contents of the searchers are arbitrary and possibly misleading. Moreover, oblivious searchers can execute our algorithms as well, encoding information by carefully positioning themselves within the polygon. This code is computable with basic arithmetic operations, and each searcher can geometrically construct its own destination point at each cycle using only a compass. We stress that such memoryless searchers may be located anywhere in the polygon when the execution begins, and hence the information they initially encode is arbitrary. Our algorithms use a self-stabilizing map construction subroutine which is of independent interest.Comment: 37 pages, 9 figure

Problems and applications of Discrete and Computational Geometry concerning graphs, polygons, and points in the plane

Esta tesistratasobreproblemasyaplicacionesdelageometríadiscretay computacional enelplano,relacionadosconpolígonos,conjuntosdepuntos y grafos. Después deunprimercapítulointroductorio,enelcapítulo 2 estudiamos una generalizacióndeunfamosoproblemadevisibilidadenelámbitodela O-convexidad. Dadounconjuntodeorientaciones(ángulos) O, decimosque una curvaes O-convexa si suintersecciónconcualquierrectaparalelaauna orientaciónde O es conexa.Cuando O = {0◦, 90◦}, nosencontramosenel caso delaortoconvexidad,consideradodeespecialrelevancia.El O-núcleo de unpolígonoeselconjuntodepuntosdelmismoquepuedenserconectados con cualquierotropuntodelpolígonomedianteunacurva O-convexa.En este trabajoobtenemos,para O = {0◦} y O = {0◦, 90◦}, unalgoritmopara calcular ymantenerel O-núcleodeunpolígonoconformeelconjuntode orientaciones O rota. Dichoalgoritmoproporciona,además,losángulosde rotación paralosqueel O-núcleotieneáreayperímetromáximos. En elcapítulo 3 consideramos unaversiónbicromáticadeunproblema combinatorioplanteadoporNeumann-LarayUrrutia.Enconcreto,de- mostramos quetodoconjuntode n puntosazulesy n puntosrojosenel plano contieneunparbicromáticodepuntostalquetodocírculoquelos tenga ensufronteracontieneensuinterioralmenos n(1− 1 √2 )−o(n) puntos del conjunto.Esteproblemaestáfuertementeligadoalcálculodelosdiagra- mas deVoronoideordensuperiordelconjuntodepuntos,pueslasaristas de estosdiagramascontienenprecisamentetodosloscentrosdeloscírculos que pasanpordospuntosdelconjunto.Porello,nuestralíneadetrabajo actual enesteproblemaconsisteenexplorarestaconexiónrealizandoun estudio detalladodelaspropiedadesdelosdiagramasdeVoronoideorden superior. En loscapítulos 4 y 5, planteamosdosaplicacionesdelateoríadegrafos 6 7 al análisissensorialyalcontroldeltráficoaéreo,respectivamente.Enel primer caso,presentamosunnuevométodoquecombinatécnicasestadísti- cas ygeométricasparaanalizarlasopinionesdelosconsumidores,recogidas a travésdemapeoproyectivo.Estemétodoesunavariacióndelmétodo SensoGraph ypretendecapturarlaesenciadelmapeoproyectivomediante el cálculodelasdistanciaseuclídeasentrelosparesdemuestrasysunor- malización enelintervalo [0, 1]. Acontinuación,aplicamoselmétodoaun ejemplo prácticoycomparamossusresultadosconlosobtenidosmediante métodosclásicosdeanálisissensorialsobreelmismoconjuntodedatos. En elsegundocaso,utilizamoslatécnicadelespectro-coloreadodegrafos para plantearunmodelodecontroldeltráficoaéreoquepretendeoptimizar el consumodecombustibledelosavionesalmismotiempoqueseevitan colisiones entreellos.This thesisdealswithproblemsandapplicationsofdiscreteandcomputa- tional geometryintheplane,concerningpolygons,pointsets,andgraphs. After afirstintroductorychapter,inChapter 2 westudyageneraliza- tion ofafamousvisibilityproblemintheframeworkof O-convexity. Given a setoforientations(angles) O, wesaythatacurveis O-convex if itsin- tersection withanylineparalleltoanorientationin O is connected.When O = {0◦, 90◦}, wefindourselvesinthecaseoforthoconvexity,consideredof specialrelevance.The O-kernel of apolygonisthesubsetofpointsofthe polygonthatcanbeconnectedtoanyotherpointofthepolygonwithan O-convexcurve.Inthisworkweobtain,for O = {0◦} and O = {0◦, 90◦}, an algorithm tocomputeandmaintainthe O-kernelofapolygonasthesetof orientations O rotates. Thisalgorithmalsoprovidestheanglesofrotation that maximizetheareaandperimeterofthe O-kernel. In Chapter 3, weconsiderabichromaticversionofacombinatorialprob- lem posedbyNeumann-LaraandUrrutia.Specifically,weprovethatevery set of n blue and n red pointsintheplanecontainsabichromaticpairof pointssuchthateverycirclehavingthemonitsboundarycontainsatleast n(1 − 1 √2 ) − o(n) pointsofthesetinitsinterior.Thisproblemisclosely related toobtainingthehigherorderVoronoidiagramsofthepointset.The edges ofthesediagramscontain,precisely,allthecentersofthecirclesthat pass throughtwopointsoftheset.Therefore,ourcurrentlineofresearch on thisproblemconsistsonexploringthisconnectionbystudyingindetail the propertiesofhigherorderVoronoidiagrams. In Chapters 4 and 5, weconsidertwoapplicationsofgraphtheoryto sensory analysisandairtrafficmanagement,respectively.Inthefirstcase, weintroduceanewmethodwhichcombinesgeometricandstatisticaltech- niques toanalyzeconsumeropinions,collectedthroughprojectivemapping. This methodisavariationofthemethodSensoGraph.Itaimstocapture 4 5 the essenceofprojectivemappingbycomputingtheEcuclideandistances betweenpairsofsamplesandnormalizingthemtotheinterval [0, 1]. Weap- ply themethodtoareal-lifescenarioandcompareitsperformancewiththe performanceofclassicmethodsofsensoryanalysisoverthesamedataset. In thesecondcase,weusetheSpectrumGraphColoringtechniquetopro- poseamodelforairtrafficmanagementthataimstooptimizetheamount of fuelusedbytheairplanes,whileavoidingcollisionsbetweenthem

Meeting in a Polygon by Anonymous Oblivious Robots

The Meeting problem for k>=2 searchers in a polygon P (possibly with holes) consists in making the searchers move within P, according to a distributed algorithm, in such a way that at least two of them eventually come to see each other, regardless of their initial positions. The polygon is initially unknown to the searchers, and its edges obstruct both movement and vision. Depending on the shape of P, we minimize the number of searchers k for which the Meeting problem is solvable. Specifically, if P has a rotational symmetry of order sigma (where sigma=1 corresponds to no rotational symmetry), we prove that k=sigma+1 searchers are sufficient, and the bound is tight. Furthermore, we give an improved algorithm that optimally solves the Meeting problem with k=2 searchers in all polygons whose barycenter is not in a hole (which includes the polygons with no holes). Our algorithms can be implemented in a variety of standard models of mobile robots operating in Look-Compute-Move cycles. For instance, if the searchers have memory but are anonymous, asynchronous, and have no agreement on a coordinate system or a notion of clockwise direction, then our algorithms work even if the initial memory contents of the searchers are arbitrary and possibly misleading. Moreover, oblivious searchers can execute our algorithms as well, encoding information by carefully positioning themselves within the polygon. This code is computable with basic arithmetic operations (provided that the coordinates of the polygon\u27s vertices are algebraic real numbers in some global coordinate system), and each searcher can geometrically construct its own destination point at each cycle using only a compass. We stress that such memoryless searchers may be located anywhere in the polygon when the execution begins, and hence the information they initially encode is arbitrary. Our algorithms use a self-stabilizing map construction subroutine which is of independent interest

Tethered Motion Planning for a Rappelling Robot

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Caltech developed the Axel rover to investigate and demonstrate the potential for tethered extreme terrain mobility, such as allowing access to science targets on the steep crater walls of other planets. Tether management is a key issue for Axel and other rappelling rovers. Avoiding tether entanglement constrains the robot's valid motions to the set of outgoing and returning path pairs that are homotopic to each other. In the case of a robot on a steep slope, a motion planner must additionally ensure that this ascent-descent path pair is feasible, based on the climbing forces provided by the tether. This feasibility check relies on the taut tether configuration, which is the shortest path in the homotopy class of the ascent-descent path pair. This dissertation presents a novel algorithm for tethered motion planning in extreme terrains, produced by combining shortest-homotopic-path algorithms from the topology and computational geometry communities with traditional graph search methods. The resulting tethered motion planning algorithm searches for this shortest path, checks for feasibility, and then generates waypoints for an ascent-descent path pair in the same homotopy class. I demonstrate the implementation of this algorithm on a Martian crater data set such as might be seen for a typical mission. By searching only for the shortest path, and ordering that search according to a heuristic, this algorithm proceeds more efficiently than previous tethered path-planning algorithms for extreme terrain. Frictional tether-terrain interaction may cause dangerously intermittent and unstable tether obstacles, which can be categorized based on their stability. Force-balance equations from the rope physics literature provide a set of tether and terrain conditions for static equilibrium, which can be used to determine if a given tether configuration will stick to a given surface based on tether tension. By estimating the tension of Axel's tether when driving, I divide potential tether tension obstacles into the following categories: acting as obstacles, acting as non-obstacles, and hazardous intermittent obstacles where it is uncertain whether the tether would slip or stick under normal driving tension variance. This dissertation describes how to modify the obstacle map as the categorization of obstacles fluctuates, and how to alter a motion plan around the dangerous tether friction obstacles. Together, these algorithms and methods form a framework for tethered motion planning on extreme terrain.</p

Hierarchical Graphs as Organisational Principle and Spatial Model Applied to Pedestrian Indoor Navigation

In this thesis, hierarchical graphs are investigated from two different angles – as a general modelling principle for (geo)spatial networks and as a practical means to enhance navigation in buildings. The topics addressed are of interest from a multi-disciplinary point of view, ranging from Computer Science in general over Artificial Intelligence and Computational Geometry in particular to other fields such as Geographic Information Science. Some hierarchical graph models have been previously proposed by the research community, e.g. to cope with the massive size of road networks, or as a conceptual model for human wayfinding. However, there has not yet been a comprehensive, systematic approach for modelling spatial networks with hierarchical graphs. One particular problem is the gap between conceptual models and models which can be readily used in practice. Geospatial data is commonly modelled - if at all - only as a flat graph. Therefore, from a practical point of view, it is important to address the automatic construction of a graph hierarchy based on the predominant data models. The work presented deals with this problem: an automated method for construction is introduced and explained. A particular contribution of my thesis is the proposition to use hierarchical graphs as the basis for an extensible, flexible architecture for modelling various (geo)spatial networks. The proposed approach complements classical graph models very well in the sense that their expressiveness is extended: various graphs originating from different sources can be integrated into a comprehensive, multi-level model. This more sophisticated kind of architecture allows for extending navigation services beyond the borders of one single spatial network to a collection of heterogeneous networks, thus establishing a meta-navigation service. Another point of discussion is the impact of the hierarchy and distribution on graph algorithms. They have to be adapted to properly operate on multi-level hierarchies. By investigating indoor navigation problems in particular, the guiding principles are demonstrated for modelling networks at multiple levels of detail. Complex environments like large public buildings are ideally suited to demonstrate the versatile use of hierarchical graphs and thus to highlight the benefits of the hierarchical approach. Starting from a collection of floor plans, I have developed a systematic method for constructing a multi-level graph hierarchy. The nature of indoor environments, especially their inherent diversity, poses an additional challenge: among others, one must deal with complex, irregular, and/or three-dimensional features. The proposed method is also motivated by practical considerations, such as not only finding shortest/fastest paths across rooms and floors, but also by providing descriptions for these paths which are easily understood by people. Beyond this, two novel aspects of using a hierarchy are discussed: one as an informed heuristic exploiting the specific characteristics of indoor environments in order to enhance classical, general-purpose graph search techniques. At the same time, as a convenient by- product of this method, clusters such as sections and wings can be detected. The other reason is to better deal with irregular, complex-shaped regions in a way that instructions can also be provided for these spaces. Previous approaches have not considered this problem. In summary, the main results of this work are: • hierarchical graphs are introduced as a general spatial data infrastructure. In particular, this architecture allows us to integrate different spatial networks originating from different sources. A small but useful set of operations is proposed for integrating these networks. In order to work in a hierarchical model, classical graph algorithms are generalised. This finding also has implications on the possible integration of separate navigation services and systems; • a novel set of core data structures and algorithms have been devised for modelling indoor environments. They cater to the unique characteristics of these environments and can be specifically used to provide enhanced navigation in buildings. Tested on models of several real buildings from our university, some preliminary but promising results were gained from a prototypical implementation and its application on the models

LIPIcs, Volume 258, SoCG 2023, Complete Volume

LIPIcs, Volume 258, SoCG 2023, Complete Volum

Collection of abstracts of the 24th European Workshop on Computational Geometry

International audienceThe 24th European Workshop on Computational Geomety (EuroCG'08) was held at INRIA Nancy - Grand Est & LORIA on March 18-20, 2008. The present collection of abstracts contains the 63 scientific contributions as well as three invited talks presented at the workshop