Resource constrained multirobot task allocation with a leader-follower coalition method

Abstract

This paper investigates the multirobot task allocation (MRTA) problem for a group of heterogeneous mobile robots. The robots and tasks are characterized by resources as required by task execution. The robots are required to generate optimal solutions for the MRTA problem while forming coalitions to meet the resource constraints imposed by tasks. A leader-follower based coalition methodology is developed, with detailed discussions on leader selection, coalition forming and refinement algorithms. It is shown that the resource constrained task allocation problem can be well resolved by the proposed leader-follower coalition algorithms. Simulations performed on a mobile robot group demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.