3D formation control of swarm robots using mobile agents

Abstract

In this paper, we propose a control algorithm to compose a arbitrary three dimensional formations which consists of actual swarm robots. The swarm robots that are composing formations such as specific polyhedrons or spheres coordinate each other by using network communication. Our control algorithm achieves the network communication by mobile software agents. A mobile software agent introduces control programs to each robot that has no initial program. In our formation algorithm, a formation is achieved through moving of a mobile agent called Ant agent to its own location. The movement process results in formation of robots because an Ant agent has to drive a robot in order to reach some specific place. In the process, a mobile agent can exchange a robot to drive through migration to another robot, which enables the agent to move without interference from other robots. This movement property makes formation more efficient, and contributes to formation of shapes filled inside. Also, in our algorithm, each agent does not have to know the absolute coordination of its own location. Instead, it knows the relative coordinates of its neighbor Ant agents, and it attracts them to the coordinates using Pheromone agent. A Pheromone agent repeatedly migrates between robots while adjusting the target coordinate. Once it finds a specific Ant agent to attract, it guides the Ant agent to the target coordinate. The guidance manner attracts neighbors to relative coordinates each other, enabling a shape to be composed without absolute coordinates. Therefore we can compose any formation at any coordinates in a three dimensional space. We have implemented a simulator based on our algorithm and conducted experiments to demonstrate the practical feasibility of our approach.