Group Coordinated Control of Networked Mobile Robots With Applications to Object Transportation

Inspired by the group activities of natural swarms (e.g., a flock birds, colony ants, etc.), fleet mobile robots can be collaboratively put into work to accomplish complex real-world tasks. Depending on nature and complexity problem, multi-robot system (MRS) may need decomposed several subgroups. This paper proposes unified coordinated control scheme for networked MRSs having multiple targets. A `discontinuous' cooperative law is first developed MRS achieve individual sub-formations surrounding assigned `continuous' protocol then proposed overcome chattering phenomenon often caused discontinuous action during hardware implementation. The closed-loop stability overall guaranteed via Lyapunov theory boundary-layer techniques. Finally, two experiments (target-enclosing object transportation) involving real have been carried out demonstrate usefulness scheme.