Improved GBNN Guided Multirobot Coverage Search Based on Neuronal Connectivity

Abstract

The multirobot coverage search problem in unknown environments has attracted significant attention. However, the existing methods are inefficient in the search process. The aim of the present study is to improve the search efficiency through an enhanced bioinspired neural network method. In this work, a connected Glasius bioinspired neural network (CGBNN) model is introduced to address the lack of consideration for neuronal connectivity and transmission properties in existing studies. The dynamic search environment is represented by the changes in neurons' activity values, which guide the robots in performing the search task. Each robot automatically plans its search path according to the principle of the decreasing gradient of CGBNN activity values until the task is completed. Experimental results demonstrate that the robots can avoid different types of obstacles to complete the coverage search, confirming the effectiveness of the proposed method. Meanwhile, it indicates that the proposed method outperforms others, the coverage rate is improved by 6.90%, 6.22%, and 4.02% compared to the GBNN, A-RPSO, and DMPC algorithms, respectively. In adition, the decision time is less affected by the complexity of the environment, which fulfills the practical demands of real-time decision-making in a large-scale complex environment.