Abstract
The coordination framework for mobile robots called cluster space control is reviewed and implemented using different robotic platforms to demonstrate specific multirobot cooperative tasks. In particular, results on multirobot object transportation and target patrolling are presented through experimental tests. Additionally, simulations on a marine oil skimming mission performed with two autonomous surface vessels are presented to illustrate the wide range of possible multirobot applications utilizing the cluster space approach. The level of abstraction introduced by this coordination framework facilitates the execution of the tasks, allowing for specification, control and monitoring of formation parameters such as position, orientation and shape of the group, instead of the positions of the individual robot members.
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Acknowledgments
The authors gratefully thank Steve Li and Thomas Adamek for their help developing and maintaining the experimental testbeds and Mike Rasay for improving the Boe-Bot mechanical design. This work has been sponsored through a variety of funding sources to include Santa Clara University Technology Steering Committee grant TSC131 and National Science Foundation Grant No. CNS-0619940. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.
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Mas, I., Kitts, C. (2014). Cooperative Tasks Using Teams of Mobile Robots. In: Kim, H., Ao, SI., Amouzegar, M., Rieger, B. (eds) IAENG Transactions on Engineering Technologies. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, vol 247. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-6818-5_7
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