Uploaded May 2018 | Updated September 2026, 1 week ago
ICRA 2018 Spotlight Video
Interactive Session Thu PM Pod S.5
Authors: Panerati, Jacopo; Gianoli, Luca; Pinciroli, Carlo; Shabah, Abdo; Nicolescu, Gabriela; Beltrame, Giovanni
Title: From Swarms to Stars: Task Coverage in Robot Swarms with Connectivity Constraints
Abstract:
Swarm robotics carries the potential of solving complex tasks using simple devices. To do so, however, one must define distributed control algorithms capable of producing globally coordinated behaviours. We propose a methodology to address the problem of the spatial coverage of multiple tasks with a swarm of robots that must not lose global connectivity. Our methodology comprises two layers: (i) a distributed Robot Navigation Controller (RNC) is responsible for simultaneously guaranteeing connectivity and pursuit of multiple tasks; and (ii) a global Task Scheduling Controller approximates the optimal strategy for the RNC with minimal computational load. Our contributions include: (i) a qualitative analysis of the literature on connectivity maintenance, (ii) our methodology, (iii) simulations in a multi-physics environment, (iv) real-life robot experiments, and (v) the formal assessment of connectivity, coverage optimality, and fault-tolerance.
ICRA 2018 Spotlight Video
Interactive Session Thu PM Pod S.5
Authors: Panerati, Jacopo; Gianoli, Luca; Pinciroli, Carlo; Shabah, Abdo; Nicolescu, Gabriela; Beltrame, Giovanni
Title: From Swarms to Stars: Task Coverage in Robot Swarms with Connectivity Constraints
Abstract:
Swarm robotics carries the potential of solving complex tasks using simple devices. To do so, however, one must define distributed control algorithms capable of producing globally coordinated behaviours. We propose a methodology to address the problem of the spatial coverage of multiple tasks with a swarm of robots that must not lose global connectivity. Our methodology comprises two layers: (i) a distributed Robot Navigation Controller (RNC) is responsible for simultaneously guaranteeing connectivity and pursuit of multiple tasks; and (ii) a global Task Scheduling Controller approximates the optimal strategy for the RNC with minimal computational load. Our contributions include: (i) a qualitative analysis of the literature on connectivity maintenance, (ii) our methodology, (iii) simulations in a multi-physics environment, (iv) real-life robot experiments, and (v) the formal assessment of connectivity, coverage optimality, and fault-tolerance.
