Potential Function Based Formation Control of Mobile Multiple-Agent Systems

In recent years, a great deal of interest has been focused on the control of mobile multi-robot systems. The primary reason for this interest in mobile multi-robot systems within the robotics research community is that such systems hold several advantages over single-robot systems. For example, these systems have the capability to quickly explore a large area, and for transporting heavy objects which may exceed the capacity of a single robot. One method of accomplishing these and other tasks is by controlling the formation of the system. In the research reported in this paper, the formation of a group of differential drive robots was controlled using a potential field strategy. Control methods were designed incorporating potential functions, and the results were validated in a physical arena. A group of three Khepera-II mobile robots was deployed using an OptiTrack motion tracking system, and experiments were successfully conducted to transport a box along the length of an arena, and to change the formation to avoid obstacles while maintaining group cohesiveness.