Issues in multi-robot coalition formation

Abstract

Numerous coalition formation algorithms exist in the Distributed Artificial Intelligence literature. Algorithms exist that form agent coalitions in both super additive and non-super additive environments. The employed techniques vary from negotiation-based protocols in Multi-Agent System (MAS) environments to those based on computation in Distributed Problem Solving (DPS) environments. Coalition formation behaviors have also been discussed in the game theory literature. Despite the plethora of multi-agent coalition formation literature, to the best of our knowledge none of these algorithms have been demonstrated with an actual multiple-robot system. There exists a discrepancy between the multiagent algorithms and their applicability to the multiple-robot domain. This work aims to correct that discrepancy by unearthing issues that arise while attempting to tailor these algorithms to the multiple-robot domain. A well-known multiple-agent coalition formation algorithm has been studied in order to identify the necessary modifications to facilitate its application to the multiple-robot domain. © 2005 Springer.