Self-organizing Formations Control for a Large Number of Autonomous Mobile Robots

Formations required to move to given destinations can be controlled to arrive to a predefined geometric shape or to self-organize. For a large number of autonomous mobile robots, geometric formations pose too many constraints to achieving inter-robot positions. Self-organizing formations are more suitable for a large number of robots and generate formation shapes while avoiding robots collisions. In this paper are investigated approaches for self-organizing formations of large number of robots. The approach, inspired by hydrodynamic flow, results in an artificial velocity field approach that avoids local minima due to a combination of normal and tangential velocity commands associated to obstacles. These commands, for the formation of a large number of robots that are all subject to a velocity vector command to move to the goal, avoid inter robots collisions. In this paper is investigated the efficiency of this control approach in generating a formation shape and maintaining it during motion while moving toward a goal. Experimental and simulation results confirm the applicability of this control approach.