Multi-Robot Collaborative Hunting in Cluttered Environments With Obstacle-Avoiding Voronoi Cells

This work proposes an online collaborative hunting strategy for multi-robot systems based on obstacle-avoiding Voronoi cells in a complex dynamic environment. This involves firstly designing the construction method using a support vector machine(SVM) based on the definition of buffered Voronoi cells(BVCs). Based on the safe collision-free region of the robots, the boundary weights between the robots and the obstacles are dynamically updated such that the robots are tangent to the buffered Voronoi safety areas without intersecting with the obstacles. Then, the robots are controlled to move within their own buffered Voronoi safety area to achieve collision-avoidance with other robots and obstacles. The next step involves proposing a hunting method that optimizes collaboration between the pursuers and evaders. Some hunting points are generated and distributed evenly around a circle. Next, the pursuers are assigned to match the optimal points based on the Hungarian algorithm.Then, a hunting controller is designed to improve the containment capability and minimize containment time based on collision risk. Finally, simulation results have demonstrated that the proposed cooperative hunting method is more competitive in terms of time and travel distance.

Dynamic Frontier-Led Swarming:Multi-Robot Repeated Coverage in Dynamic Environments

A common assumption of coverage path planning research is a static environment.Such environments require only a single visit to each area to achieve coverage.However,some real-world environments are characterised by the presence of unexpected,dynamic obstacles.They require areas to be revisited periodically to maintain an accurate coverage map,as well as reactive obstacle avoidance.This paper proposes a novel swarmbased control algorithm for multi-robot exploration and repeated coverage in environments with unknown,dynamic obstacles.The algorithm combines two elements:frontier-led swarming for driving exploration by a group of robots,and pheromone-based stigmergy for controlling repeated coverage while avoiding obstacles.We tested the performance of our approach on heterogeneous and homogeneous groups of mobile robots in different environments.We measure both repeated coverage performance and obstacle avoidance ability.Through a series of comparison experiments,we demonstrate that our proposed strategy has superior performance to recently presented multi-robot repeated coverage methodologies.

Multi-Robot Privacy-Preserving Algorithms Based on Federated Learning:A Review

The robotics industry has seen rapid development in recent years due to the Corona Virus Disease 2019.With the development of sensors and smart devices,factories and enterprises have accumulated a large amount of data in their daily production,which creates extremely favorable conditions for robots to perform machine learning.However,in recent years,people’s awareness of data privacy has been increasing,leading to the inability to circulate data between different enterprises,resulting in the emergence of data silos.The emergence of federated learning provides a feasible solution to this problem,and the combination of federated learning and multi-robot systems can break down data silos and improve the overall performance of robots.However,as scholars have studied more deeply,they found that federated learning has very limited privacy protection.Therefore,how to protect data privacy from infringement remains an important issue.In this paper,we first give a brief introduction to the current development of multi-robot and federated learning;second,we review three aspects of privacy protection methods commonly used,privacy protection methods for multi-robot,and Other Problems Faced by Multi-robot Systems,focusing on method comparisons and challenges;and finally draw conclusions and predict possible future research directions.

浮动基多机协调吊运系统的工作空间分析

At present,the cranes used at sea have several shortcomings in terms of flexibility,efficiency,and safety.Therefore,a floating multi-robot coordinated lifting system is proposed to fulfill the offshore lifting requirements.First,the structure of the lifting system is established according to the lifting task,the kinematic model of the system is developed by using the D–H coordinate transformation,and the dynamic model is developed based on rigid-body dynamics and hydrodynamics.Then,the static and dynamic workspace of the lifting system are analyzed,and the solving steps of the workspace are given by using the Monte–Carlo method.The effect of the load mass and the maximum allowable tension of the cable on the workspace is examined by simulation.Results show that the lifting system has limited carrying capacity and a data reference for selecting the structural parameters by analyzing the factors affecting the workspace.Findings provide a basis for further research on the optimal design of structural parameters and the determination of safe configurations of the lifting system.

A Survey of Underwater Multi-Robot Systems

As a cross-cutting field between ocean development and multi-robot system(MRS),the underwater multi-robot system(UMRS)has gained increasing attention from researchers and engineers in recent decades.In this paper,we present a comprehensive survey of cooperation issues,one of the key components of UMRS,from the perspective of the emergence of new functions.More specifically,we categorize the cooperation in terms of task-space,motion-space,measurement-space,as well as their combination.Further,we analyze the architecture of UMRS from three aspects,i.e.,the performance of the individual underwater robot,the new functions of underwater robots,and the technical approaches of MRS.To conclude,we have discussed related promising directions for future research.This survey provides valuable insight into the reasonable utilization of UMRS to attain diverse underwater tasks in complex ocean application scenarios.

A Survey of Multi-robot Regular and Adversarial Patrolling

Multi-robot systems can be applied to patrol a concerned environment for security purposes.According to different goals,this work reviews the existing researches in a multi-robot patrolling field from the perspectives of regular and adversarial patrolling.Regular patrolling requires robots to visit important locations as frequently as possible and a series of deterministic strategies are proposed,while adversarial one focuses on unpredictable robots’moving patterns to maximize adversary detection probability.Under each category,a systematic survey is done including problem statements and modeling,patrolling objectives and evaluation criteria,and representative patrolling strategies and approaches.Existing problems and open questions are presented accordingly.

Gini Coefficient-based Task Allocation for Multi-robot Systems With Limited Energy Resources

Nowadays, robots generally have a variety of capabilities, which often form a coalition replacing human to work in dangerous environment, such as rescue, exploration, etc. In these operating conditions, the energy supply of robots usually cannot be guaranteed. If the energy resources of some robots are consumed too fast, the number of the future tasks of the coalition will be affected. This paper will develop a novel task allocation method based on Gini coefficient to make full use of limited energy resources of multi-robot system to maximize the number of tasks. At the same time, considering resources consumption,we incorporate the market-based allocation mechanism into our Gini coefficient-based method and propose a hybrid method,which can flexibly optimize the task completion number and the resource consumption according to the application contexts.Experiments show that the multi-robot system with limited energy resources can accomplish more tasks by the proposed Gini coefficient-based method, and the hybrid method can be dynamically adaptive to changes of the work environment and realize the dual optimization goals.

Multi-robot hunting strategy based on FIS and artificial immune algorithm

data is gathered to describe the relative location and relative motion state of the robots, which in turn forms the beginning stage of the fuzzy rule. The artificial immune algorithm optimizes and generates the rule data base and adaptive design considers factors in measuring the hunting efficiency. The optimized rules are applied to the hunting task and the results show that the algorithm can effectively actualize hunting of multiple mobile robots.

Theory and Application of Multi-robot Service-oriented Architecture

In order to solve the problem of heterogeneity in multi-robot cooperation, a new service-oriented architecture is proposed for multi-robot cooperation. Service provision and energy consumption are the basic cooperative behaviors. A set of basic concepts of robot service are proposed. A layered multi-robot service-oriented architecture is designed. Finally, the experiments illustrate the superiority of the proposed architecture which makes robot's underlying functional components be transparently encapsulated and the services in upper layer be transparently invoked, which will effectively avoid the impact of heterogeneous characteristics in multi-robot cooperation and facilitate the system construction, expansion, restructuring and maintenance.

Genetic Algorithm Based Combinatorial Auction Method for Multi-Robot Task Allocation

An improved genetic algorithm is proposed to solve the problem of bad real-time performance or inability to get a global optimal/better solution when applying single-item auction （SIA） method or combinatorial auction method to multi-robot task allocation. The genetic algorithm based combinatorial auction （GACA） method which combines the basic-genetic algorithm with a new concept of ringed chromosome is used to solve the winner determination problem （WDP） of combinatorial auction. The simulation experiments are conducted in OpenSim, a multi-robot simulator. The results show that GACA can get a satisfying solution in a reasonable shot time, and compared with SIA or parthenogenesis algorithm combinatorial auction （PGACA） method, it is the simplest and has higher search efficiency, also, GACA can get a global better/optimal solution and satisfy the high real-time requirement of multi-robot task allocation.

Applications and Challenges of Deep Reinforcement Learning in Multi-robot Path Planning

With the rapid advancement of deep reinforcement learning(DRL)in multi-agent systems,a variety of practical application challenges and solutions in the direction of multi-agent deep reinforcement learning(MADRL)are surfacing.Path planning in a collision-free environment is essential for many robots to do tasks quickly and efficiently,and path planning for multiple robots using deep reinforcement learning is a new research area in the field of robotics and artificial intelligence.In this paper,we sort out the training methods for multi-robot path planning,as well as summarize the practical applications in the field of DRL-based multi-robot path planning based on the methods;finally,we suggest possible research directions for researchers.

COLLISION-FREE OF MULTI-ROBOT SYSTEMS IN VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENT

This paper described a new method to plan out welding paths for multiple robots in virtual manufacturing environment. We first distribute welding tasks and priority for multi robots, and then apply corresponding behavior rules to help to plan out welding paths for robots collision free, which is a base fixed problem. Finally, we testify the algorithm to be practical in virtual environment, and output robot programs to direct production process. This new way will help us to find a new development method for multiple robots path planning.

New coordination scheme for multi-robot systems based on state space models

A new coordination scheme for multi-robot systems is proposed. A state space model of the multi- robot system is defined and constructed in which the system＇s initial and goal states are included along with the task definition and the system＇s internal and external constraints. Task accomplishment is considered a transition of the system state in its state space （SS） under the system＇s constraints. Therefore, if there exists a connectable path within reachable area of the SS from the initial state to the goal state, the task is realizable. The optimal strategy for the task realization under constraints is investigated and reached by searching for the optimal state transition trajectory of the robot system in the SS. Moreover, if there is no connectable path, which means the task cannot be performed Successfully, the task could be transformed to be realizable by making the initial state and the goal state connectable and finding a path connecting them in the system＇s SS. This might be done via adjusting the system＇s configuration and/or task constraints. Experiments of multi-robot formation control with obstacles in the environment are conducted and simulation results show the validity of the proposed method.

Flocking of multi-robot systems with connectivity maintenance on directed graphs

Analysis and design techniques for cooperative flocking of nonholonomic multi-robot systems with connectivity maintenance on directed graphs are presented. First, a set of bounded and smoothly distributed control protocols are devised via carefully designing a class of bounded artificial potential fields （APF） which could guarantee the connectivity maintenance, col ision avoidance and distance stabilization simultaneously during the system evolution. The connectivity of the underlying network can be preserved, and the desired stable flocking behavior can be achieved provided that the initial communication topology is strongly connected rather than undirected or balanced, which relaxes the constraints for group topology and extends the previous work to more generalized directed graphs. Furthermore, the proposed control algorithm is extended to solve the flocking problem with a virtual leader. In this case, it is shown that al robots can asymptotically move with the desired velocity and orientation even if there is only one informed robot in the team. Finally, nontrivial simulations and experiments are conducted to verify the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.

Research on Multi-robot Coordination Searching Ignition Sources Approach

For the purpose of study on forecasting forest fire behavior,a probability approach was presented to search ignition sources by multi-robot coordination. Firstly,the environment map is built based on Bayes rules. Then,the probability searching strategy based on the environment map was designed. Every grid of the searching area was assigned searching expectation value, and robots selected the grid with the highest expectation value as its searching target. The simulation results show the search time reduces greatly,which proves the feasibility and validity of the given algorithm under unknown fire condition.

A Control Strategy for Multi-Robot System Navigating in a Dynamic Environment

This paper introduces a new control strategy for heterogeneous multi-robots systems dedicated to industrial logistic setups. This control strategy is based on both distributed intelligence and machine learning and involves three parts: the rigid formation controller, the perception system and the path planner. Our controller is event-based and thus its control-coordination strategy can be self-adaptive and applied to real dynamic environment. During the navigating process, the multi-robots system derives the environment model, performs the path planning process that guaranties both the transportation constraints and the obstacle avoidance. For the validation, both simulation and real robot experiments are performed. The results show that the developed control strategy can be well used for realistic logistics applications.

A Space Unrestricted Multi-Robot Combat Internet of Things System

Multi-robot cooperation problem has received increasing attention in the research community and has been extensively studied from different aspects. Space constrain problem is a major issue for building a multi-robot system. This con- strain is a major hindrance for the efficient cooperation among robots in multi-robot applications. In this paper, we demonstrate a novel architecture of a multi-robot system without space restriction. Our architecture is based on the Internet of Things technology. We validated the proposed architecture using a case study considering a multi-robot combat application.

Identification of Issues in Predicting Multi-Robot Performance through Model-Based Simulations

Predicting the performance of intelligent multi-robot systems is advantageous because running physical experiments with teams of robots can be costly and time consuming. Controlling for every factor can be difficult in the presence of minor disparities (i.e. battery charge). Access to a variety of environmental configurations and hardware choices is prohibitive in many cases. With the eminent need for dependable robot controllers and algorithms, it is essential to understand when real robot performance can be accurately predicted. New prediction methods must account for the effects of digital and physical interaction between the robots that are more complex than just collision detection of 2D or physics-based 3D models. In this paper, we identify issues in predicting multi-robot performance and present examples of statistical and model-based simulation methods and their applicability to multi-robot systems. Even when sensor noise, latency and environmental configuration are modeled in some complexity, multi-robot systems interject interference and messaging latency, causing many prediction systems to fail to correlate to absolute or relative performance. We support this supposition by comparing results from 3D physics-based simulations to identical experiments with a physical robot team for a coverage task.

A review of mobile robot motion planning methods:from classical motion planning workflows to reinforcement learning-based architectures

Motion planning is critical to realize the autonomous operation of mobile robots.As the complexity and randomness of robot application scenarios increase,the planning capability of the classical hierarchical motion planners is challenged.With the development of machine learning,the deep reinforcement learning(DRL)-based motion planner has gradually become a research hotspot due to its several advantageous feature.The DRL-based motion planner is model-free and does not rely on the prior structured map.Most importantly,the DRL-based motion planner achieves the unification of the global planner and the local planner.In this paper,we provide a systematic review of various motion planning methods.Firstly,we summarize the representative and state-of-the-art works for each submodule of the classical motion planning architecture and analyze their performance features.Then,we concentrate on summarizing reinforcement learning(RL)-based motion planning approaches,including motion planners combined with RL improvements,map-free RL-based motion planners,and multi-robot cooperative planning methods.Finally,we analyze the urgent challenges faced by these mainstream RLbased motion planners in detail,review some state-of-the-art works for these issues,and propose suggestions for future research.

Multi-Robot Task Allocation Using Multimodal Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm Based on Deep Reinforcement Learning

The overall performance of multi-robot collaborative systems is significantly affected by the multi-robot task allocation.To improve the effectiveness,robustness,and safety of multi-robot collaborative systems,a multimodal multi-objective evolutionary algorithm based on deep reinforcement learning is proposed in this paper.The improved multimodal multi-objective evolutionary algorithm is used to solve multi-robot task allo-cation problems.Moreover,a deep reinforcement learning strategy is used in the last generation to provide a high-quality path for each assigned robot via an end-to-end manner.Comparisons with three popular multimodal multi-objective evolutionary algorithms on three different scenarios of multi-robot task allocation problems are carried out to verify the performance of the proposed algorithm.The experimental test results show that the proposed algorithm can generate sufficient equivalent schemes to improve the availability and robustness of multi-robot collaborative systems in uncertain environments,and also produce the best scheme to improve the overall task execution efficiency of multi-robot collaborative systems.