One important task in cooperative robotics is the self–organization of robotic chain formations in unknown environments. Surveillance and reconnaissance in sewers, ducts, tunnels, caves or narrow passageways, in general, are some of the applications for this type of formation. In Hettiarachchi et al. (2008) we provided simulation results for a novel chain formation algorithm that addresses this...

The ergastoplasm (granular endoplasmic reticulum) of parotid acinous cells of the mouse is described with special emphasis on unusual forms of this membranous system. In the majority of the acinous cells the ergastoplasm appeared in sections to consist of a large number of separate flattened cisternae. In some acinous cells, however, the ergastoplasm was disposed as a very small number of large...

In this paper, the stability of equilibrium formations for multiple unicycle systems in cyclic pursuit is studied in detail. The cyclic pursuit setup is particularly simple in that each unicycle i pursues only one other unicycle, unicycle i + 1 (modulo n), where n is the number of unicycles. This research is principally motivated by the historical development of pursuit problems found in the ma...

This paper considers formation shape control of a team of four point agents, for the most part in the plane. Control laws based on specified interagent distances are used. For a complete graph, specification of all interagent distances determines the formation shape uniquely. Krick, Broucke and Francis showed that for a now almost standard control law, there may exist equilibrium formation shap...

In this paper, we provide a graph theoretical framework that allows us to formally define formations of multiple vehicles and the issues arising in graph realizations and unicity and their connections to stability of formations. The notion of graph rigidity is crucial in identifying the shape variables of a formation. This eventually leads to tools for formation stabilization, tacking, and form...

Michigan's first commercial oil field was discovered at Port Huron, St. Clair County, in 1886. By 1910, 21 shallow wells had been completed in the Dundee formation at depths of about 500 to 650 feet. In 1910 the daily production from this field amounted to about 10 barrels of oil per day, all of which was used locally in the manufacture of lubricants. However, it was not until 1925 when the Sag...

We study the problem of achieving global behavior in a group of distributed robots using only local sensing and minimal communication, in the context of formations. The goal is to have N mobile robots establish and maintain some predetermined geometric shape. We report results from extensive simulation experiments, and 40+ experiments with four physical robots, showing the viability of our appr...

A set of structural cohesiveness issues raised in control of autonomous multi-vehicle formations is analysed, using a recently developed theoretical framework of graph rigidity and persistence. The general characteristics of rigid and persistent formations and some operational criteria to check the rigidity and persistence of a given formation from the aspect of their use in cohesive motion of ...