Uncertainties in adversarial patrol

In this paper, we study the problem of multi-robot perimeter patrol in adversarial environments, under uncertainty. In this problem, the robots patrol around a closed area, where their goal is to patrol in a way that maximizes their chances of detecting an adversary trying to penetrate into the area. Uncertainties may rise in different aspects in this domain, and herein our focus is twofold. First, uncertainty in the robots’ sensing capabilities, and second uncertainty of the adversary’s knowledge of the patrol’s weak points. Specifically, in the first part of the paper, we consider the case in which the robots have realistic, and thus imperfect, sensors. These cannot always detect the adversary, and their detection capability changes with their range. In the second part of the paper, we deal with different possible choices of penetration spots by the adversary, and find an optimal solution for the patrolling robots in each such case.