Vision-Based, Distributed Control Laws for Motion Coordination of Nonholonomic Robots

In this paper, we study the problem of distributed motion coordination among a group of nonholonomic ground robots. We develop vision-based control laws for parallel and balanced circular formations using a consensus approach. The proposed control laws are distributed in the sense that they require information only from neighboring robots. Furthermore, the control laws are coordinate-free and do not rely on measurement or communication of heading information among neighbors but instead require measurements of bearing, optical flow, and time to collision, all of which can be measured using visual sensors. Collision-avoidance capabilities are added to the team members, and the effectiveness of the control laws are demonstrated on a group of mobile robots

Penentuan Trajektori Kereta Dubin Melalui Kontrol Optimum

This paper addressed the control of a Dubin's vehicle. The Dubin's vehicle control design, using the Pontryagin Maximum Principle. The application of this principle, bring the matter to the Hamiltonian system with some partial equations excess conditions, while others do not have any conditions. The difference approach, which used in this paper to design of the control. This paper solve the problem by transforming the problem into the initial values problem, by finding the best approach to obtain the initial condition equations for some equations that do not have any conditions

Perancangan Kontrol Sistem Integrator Multi Agen Dengan Formasi Segitiga

In this paper, a model of swarm movement in triangular formation is considered. The flocking of geese happening in nature motivates this model. The model is described by several integrator systems. The movement of the swarm formation is required to preserve a triangle formation from one particular position to the other position. The triangular formation above is translated to a functional cost that must be minimized. This functional cost consists of an error function, repellant term and energy put to control each agent. The theorem of swarm movement in a triangular formation and some simulation results are presented in the end of the paper

Bounded Distributed Flocking Control of Nonholonomic Mobile Robots

There have been numerous studies on the problem of flocking control for multiagent systems whose simplified models are presented in terms of point-mass elements. Meanwhile, full dynamic models pose some challenging problems in addressing the flocking control problem of mobile robots due to their nonholonomic dynamic properties. Taking practical constraints into consideration, we propose a novel approach to distributed flocking control of nonholonomic mobile robots by bounded feedback. The flocking control objectives consist of velocity consensus, collision avoidance, and cohesion maintenance among mobile robots. A flocking control protocol which is based on the information of neighbor mobile robots is constructed. The theoretical analysis is conducted with the help of a Lyapunov-like function and graph theory. Simulation results are shown to demonstrate the efficacy of the proposed distributed flocking control scheme

Optical flow sensing and the inverse perception problem for flying bats

The movements of birds, bats, and other flying species are governed by complex sensorimotor systems that allow the animals to react to stationary environmental features as well as to wind disturbances, other animals in nearby airspace, and a wide variety of unexpected challenges. The paper and talk will describe research that analyzes the three-dimensional trajectories of bats flying in a habitat in Texas. The trajectories are computed with stereoscopic methods using data from synchronous thermal videos that were recorded with high temporal and spatial resolution from three viewpoints. Following our previously reported work, we examine the possibility that bat trajectories in this habitat are governed by optical flow sensing that interpolates periodic distance measurements from echolocation. Using an idealized geometry of bat eyes, we introduce the concept of time-to-transit, and recall some research that suggests that this quantity is computed by the animals' visual cortex. Several steering control laws based on time-to-transit are proposed for an idealized flight model, and it is shown that these can be used to replicate the observed flight of what we identify as typical bats. Although the vision-based motion control laws we propose and the protocols for switching between them are quite simple, some of the trajectories that have been synthesized are qualitatively bat-like. Examination of the control protocols that generate these trajectories suggests that bat motions are governed both by their reactions to a subset of key feature points as well by their memories of where these feature points are located

Distributed sampled-data control of nonholonomic multi-robot systems with proximity networks

This paper considers the distributed sampled-data control problem of a group of mobile robots connected via distance-induced proximity networks. A dwell time is assumed in order to avoid chattering in the neighbor relations that may be caused by abrupt changes of positions when updating information from neighbors. Distributed sampled-data control laws are designed based on nearest neighbour rules, which in conjunction with continuous-time dynamics results in hybrid closed-loop systems. For uniformly and independently initial states, a sufficient condition is provided to guarantee synchronization for the system without leaders. In order to steer all robots to move with the desired orientation and speed, we then introduce a number of leaders into the system, and quantitatively establish the proportion of leaders needed to track either constant or time-varying signals. All these conditions depend only on the neighborhood radius, the maximum initial moving speed and the dwell time, without assuming a prior properties of the neighbor graphs as are used in most of the existing literature.Comment: 15 pages, 3 figure