Robust Self-Deployment for a Swarm of Autonomous Mobile Robots with Limited Visibility Range

Abstract

In this study, we focus on a self-deployment problem for a swarm of autonomous mobile robots that can be used to build a sensor networking infrastructure with equilateral triangle lattice configurations. In order to deploy the swarm, this paper proposes a self-stabilizing distributed self- deployment algorithm under a robot model with the following features: no identification numbers, no common coordinates, no predetermined leader, no memory for past actions and implicit communication. Regardless of the restricted model, our proposed algorithm based on local interactions provides a solution for the self-deployment problem. Moreover, the algorithm provides robust capability of swarm connectivity in spite of loss of several robots. We discuss in details the features of the algorithm, including self-organization, self-stabilization, and robustness. A simulation study demonstrates the validity of the algorithm.