A Simplified Taxonomy of Command and Control Structures for Robot Teams

Abstract

For a team to be effective, it must coordinate and cooperate in some fashion. Often this ability is a direct function of the way the team is put together. Selecting the right architecture is driven by many factors including the skill of the individual, ability to communicate, availability of resources, and the size of the team. In this paper, we examine the issue of command and control from the perspective of coordinating a team of robots. We look at the existing field of robotics and select several representative teams that cover the spectrum from teleoperation to peer to peer interaction. We identify and examine the mechanisms that facilitate coordination and define a taxonomy that describes the coordination complexity. Finally we look at the role of the human as he interacts with the team and how this interaction influences the coordination between members of the team.