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184
Stability analysis of swarms
- IEEE Transactions on Automatic Control
, 2003
"... Abstract — In this brief article we specify an “individual-based ” continuous time model for swarm aggregation in n-dimensional space and study its stability properties. We show that the individuals (autonomous agents or biological creatures) will form a cohesive swarm in a finite time. Moreover, we ..."
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Cited by 197 (9 self)
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Abstract — In this brief article we specify an “individual-based ” continuous time model for swarm aggregation in n-dimensional space and study its stability properties. We show that the individuals (autonomous agents or biological creatures) will form a cohesive swarm in a finite time. Moreover, we obtain an explicit bound on the swarm size, which depends only on the parameters of the swarm model. I.
Flocking in Fixed and Switching Networks
, 2003
"... The work of this paper is inspired by the flocking phenomenon observed in Reynolds (1987). We introduce a class of local control laws for a group of mobile agents that result in: (i) global alignment of their velocity vectors, (ii) convergence of their speeds to a common one, (iii) collision avoidan ..."
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Cited by 192 (10 self)
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The work of this paper is inspired by the flocking phenomenon observed in Reynolds (1987). We introduce a class of local control laws for a group of mobile agents that result in: (i) global alignment of their velocity vectors, (ii) convergence of their speeds to a common one, (iii) collision avoidance, and (iv) minimization of the agents artificial potential energy. These are made possible through local control action by exploiting the algebraic graph theoretic properties of the underlying interconnection graph. Algebraic connectivity a#ects the performance and robustness properties of the overall closed loop system. We show how the stability of the flocking motion of the group is directly associated with the connectivity properties of the interconnection network and is robust to arbitrary switching of the network topology.
Distributed, Physics-Based Control of Swarms of Vehicles
- Autonomous Robots
"... We introduce a framework, called "physicomimetics," that provides distributed control of large collections of mobile physical agents in sensor networks. The agents sense and react to virtual forces, which are motivated by natural physics laws. Thus, physicomimetics is founded upon solid sc ..."
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Cited by 107 (26 self)
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We introduce a framework, called "physicomimetics," that provides distributed control of large collections of mobile physical agents in sensor networks. The agents sense and react to virtual forces, which are motivated by natural physics laws. Thus, physicomimetics is founded upon solid scientific principles. Furthermore, this framework provides an effective basis for self-organization, fault-tolerance, and self-repair. Three primary factors distinguish our framework from others that are related: an emphasis on minimality (e.g., cost effectiveness of large numbers of agents implies a need for expendable platforms with few sensors), ease of implementation, and run-time efficiency. Examples are shown of how this framework has been applied to construct various regular geometric lattice configurations (distributed sensing grids), as well as dynamic behavior for perimeter defense and surveillance. Analyses are provided that facilitate system understanding and predictability, including both qualitative and quantitative analyses of potential energy and a system phase transition. Physicomimetics has been implemented both in simulation and on a team of seven mobile robots. Specifics of the robotic embodiment are presented in the paper.
Multi-AUV control and adaptive sampling in Monterey Bay
- IEEE Journal of Oceanic Engineering
, 2004
"... Abstract—Operations with multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have a variety of underwater applications. For example, a coordinated group of vehicles with environmental sensors can perform adaptive ocean sampling at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales. We describe a methodology for ..."
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Cited by 103 (19 self)
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Abstract—Operations with multiple autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs) have a variety of underwater applications. For example, a coordinated group of vehicles with environmental sensors can perform adaptive ocean sampling at the appropriate spatial and temporal scales. We describe a methodology for cooperative control of multiple vehicles based on virtual bodies and artificial potentials (VBAP). This methodology allows for adaptable formation control and can be used for missions such as gradient climbing and feature tracking in an uncertain environment. We discuss our implementation on a fleet of autonomous underwater gliders and present results from sea trials in Monterey Bay in August, 2003. These at-sea demonstrations were performed as part of the Autonomous Ocean Sampling Network (AOSN) II project. Index Terms—Adaptive sampling, autonomous underwater vehicles (AUVs), cooperative control, formations, gradient climbing, underwater gliders. I.
Stability analysis of social foraging swarms
- IEEE TRANS. ON SYSTEMS, MAN AND CYBERNETICS
, 2004
"... In this article we specify an-member “individual-based” continuous time swarm model with individuals that move in an-dimensional space according to an attractant/repellent or a nutrient profile. The motion of each individual is determined by three factors: i) attraction to the other individuals on ..."
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Cited by 100 (4 self)
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In this article we specify an-member “individual-based” continuous time swarm model with individuals that move in an-dimensional space according to an attractant/repellent or a nutrient profile. The motion of each individual is determined by three factors: i) attraction to the other individuals on long distances; ii) repulsion from the other individuals on short distances; and iii) attraction to the more favorable regions (or repulsion from the unfavorable regions) of the attractant/repellent profile. The emergent behavior of the swarm motion is the result of a balance between inter-individual interactions and the simultaneous interactions of the swarm members with their environment. We study the stability properties of the collective behavior of the swarm for different profiles and provide conditions for collective convergence to more favorable regions of the profile.
Abstraction and control for groups of robots
- IEEE Transactions on Robotics
, 2004
"... endorsement of any of the University of Pennsylvania's products or services. Internal or personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution m ..."
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Cited by 85 (6 self)
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endorsement of any of the University of Pennsylvania's products or services. Internal or personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution must be obtained from the IEEE by writing to pubs-permissions@ieee.org. By choosing to view this document, you agree to all provisions of the copyright laws protecting it.
Path Coordination for Multiple Mobile Robots: a resolution complete algorithm
"... This paper presents a geometric based approach for multiple mobile robot motion coordination 1 . All the robot paths being computed independently, we address the problem of coordinating the motion of the robots along their path in such a way they do not collide each other. The proposed algorithm i ..."
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Cited by 66 (0 self)
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This paper presents a geometric based approach for multiple mobile robot motion coordination 1 . All the robot paths being computed independently, we address the problem of coordinating the motion of the robots along their path in such a way they do not collide each other. The proposed algorithm is based on a bounding box representation of the obstacles in the so-called coordination diagram. The algorithm is resolution-complete but it is shown to be complete for a large class of inputs. Despite the exponential dependency of the coordination problem, the algorithm solves efficiently problems involving up to ten robots in worst case situations, and more than 100 robots in practical ones.
Swarm aggregations using artificial potentials and sliding mode control
- IEEE Transactions on Robotics
, 2003
"... In this article we build on our earlier results in [1, 2] on swarm stability. In [1, 2] we had considered aggregating swarm model in n-dimensional space based on artificial potential functions for inter-individual interactions and motion along the negative gradient of the combined potential. Here we ..."
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Cited by 52 (4 self)
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In this article we build on our earlier results in [1, 2] on swarm stability. In [1, 2] we had considered aggregating swarm model in n-dimensional space based on artificial potential functions for inter-individual interactions and motion along the negative gradient of the combined potential. Here we consider a general model for vehicle dynamics of each agent (swarm member) and use sliding mode control theory to force their motion to obey the dynamics of the swarm considered in [1, 2]. In this context, the results in [1, 2] serve as a ”proof of concept ” for swarm aggregation, whereas the present results serve as possible implementation method for engineering swarms with given vehicle dynamics. 1
Finding Paths for Coherent Groups using Clearance
- EUROGRAPHICS/ACM SIGGRAPH SYMPOSIUM ON COMPUTER ANIMATION (2004)
, 2004
"... Virtual environment are often populated with moving units and the paths for these units should be planned. When multiple units need to exhibit coherent behavior in a cluttered environment, current techniques often fail, i.e. the resulting paths for the units in the group lack the coherence require ..."
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Cited by 48 (7 self)
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Virtual environment are often populated with moving units and the paths for these units should be planned. When multiple units need to exhibit coherent behavior in a cluttered environment, current techniques often fail, i.e. the resulting paths for the units in the group lack the coherence required. In this paper, we propose a novel approach to motion planning for coherent groups of units. The method
Distributed Motion Planning for Modular Robots With Unit-Compressible Modules
, 2001
"... The ability of self-reconfigurable robots to solve a variety of robot tasks comes in part from their use of a large number of modules. E#ective use of these systems requires parallel actuation and planning, both for e#ciency and independence from a central controller. This paper presents the PacMan ..."
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Cited by 43 (9 self)
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The ability of self-reconfigurable robots to solve a variety of robot tasks comes in part from their use of a large number of modules. E#ective use of these systems requires parallel actuation and planning, both for e#ciency and independence from a central controller. This paper presents the PacMan algorithm, a technique for distributed actuation and planning. This algorithm was developed for systems with unit-compressible modules, such as the crystalline robot. We also describe some analytical properties of the PacMan planning and actuation, and discuss simulation and hardware experiments. 1
