Survey of containment control in multi-agent systems: concepts, communication, dynamics, and controller design

Abstract

Cooperative robotics has gained considerable traction in the industrial sector with the expeditious use of multi-agent systems. Containment control is an emergent topic in cooperative multi-agent systems, with applications in areas such as warehouse robotics, inventory management, and transportation. Containment control is an amalgamation of formation and consensus control, which predominantly uses groups of multiple agents assigned as leaders and followers. This survey paper provides a comprehensive overview of key topics in containment control of multi-agent systems ranging from containment concepts to controllers. The paper discusses the role of communication and network topologies, the importance of accurate sensor measurements and agent dynamics, and various controller design and stability analysis techniques. The paper concludes by highlighting the promising research directions and challenges in the field along with real-world applications. Overall, this survey paper provides a valuable resource for researchers, practitioners, and students interested in the development of advanced multi-agent systems with containment control.