Sheepdog-type robot navigation: Experimental verification based on a linear model

Abstract

This paper demonstrates the sheepdog-type robot navigation based on the linearized model of sheep flock and the sheepdogs. What we call the sheepdog system is the wonderful group phenomenon in which a small number of sheepdogs collaborates to manipulate up to one thousand sheep flock indirectly by using their own maneuverability. In order to grasp the key of the navigation mechanisms: the stability and the scalability of the system, we design the sheepdog system based on the linearized model. Firstly, we derive the stability condition of the system; we also verify it by the numerical simulations. Secondly, we conduct robot demonstrations with five sheep robots and two sheepdog robots to verify the system in the real world.