Generalized Coordination of Multi-robot Systems

Abstract

Multi-robot systems have huge potential for practical applications, which include sensor networks, area surveillance, and environment mapping. In many applications, cooperative coordination of the robots plays a central role. However, there are so many tasks and their variants, it is not viable to describe individually all the existing methods. Instead, in this monograph the authors focus on a generalized coordination problem which can cover a wide range of coordination problems and handle them in a unified manner. The reader is first introduced to the mathematics and a set of systematic tools that underpin subsequent discussions on the practical implementations. Each chapter in the second part of the book uses the same structure to address three types of generalized coordination problems, namely, Pairwise Coordination; Generalized Coordination with “Absolute” Measurements and Generalized Coordination with “Relative” Measurements. Finally, the authors present real-world applications of generalized coordination. Throughout, the authors provide examples to clearly illustrate the concepts being discussed. The book provides an accessible overview of the complexities of the topic for students, researchers and practitioners alike.