Swarming intelligence of 1-trailer systems

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a new solution to motion planning and control problem for a flock of 1-trailer systems. A set of artificial potential field functions is proposed for the flock of 1-trailer robots via the Lyapunov-based control scheme for the avoidance of swarm of boids and attraction to their designated targets. The dynamic environment for the first time includes a swarm of boids, which is governed separately by a system of ODE’s. The swarm exhibits collective emergent behaviors in the vicinity of the workspace while the flock of 1-trailer systems safely maneuver from their initial configuration to designated targets. The effectiveness of the control laws is demonstrated via computer simulations. The novelty of the paper lies in the simplicity of the controllers and the ease in the treatment of the dynamic environment.