Periodic Formation Within a Large Group of Mobile Robots in Conditions of Limited Communications

Abstract

This paper shows the prospects and areas of application of groups of mobile robots. The implementation of many practical tasks by groups of robots requires the formation of a specific configuration. Different approaches to solving the formation task in groups of mobile robots are considered. It is shown that the complexity of group’s control increases with the number of robots. Moreover, in large groups of robots, the linear dimensions of the system may exceed the range of direct communication between robots using onboard communication devices. A formal statement of the formation task in a large group of mobile robots is given. The features of the periodic formation consisting of repeating geometric patterns are considered. A new method for the formation of a periodic system in a large group of mobile robots in conditions of limited communications has been proposed. The proposed method is based on the principles of decentralized control and swarm intelligence. The possibility of forming a complex periodic formations and multi-level formations in large groups of mobile robots is considered. The formation of such a system can be used in the tasks of monitoring, mapping, data collection and other applications.