Abstract

Abstract-The key to utilizing the potential of multirobot systems is cooperation. How can we achieve cooperation in systems composed of failure-prone autonomous robots operating in noisy, dynamic environments? In this paper, we present a novel method of dynamic task allocation for groups of such robots. We implemented and tested an auction-based task allocation system which we call MURDOCH, built upon a principled, resource centric, publish/subscribe communication model. A variant of the Contract Net Protocol, MURDOCH produces a distributed approximation to a global optimum of resource usage. We validated MURDOCH in two very different domains: a tightly coupled multirobot physical manipulation task and a loosely coupled multirobot experiment in long-term autonomy. The primary contribution of this paper is to show empirically that distributed negotiation mechanisms such as MURDOCH are viable and effective for coordinating physical multirobot systems.

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We study the visibility-based pursuit-evasion problem, in which one or more searchers must move through a given environment so as to guarantee detection of any and all evaders, which can move arbitrarily fast. Our goal is to develop techniques for coordinating teams of robots to execute this task in application domains such as clearing a building, for reasons of security or safety. To this end, we introduce a new class of searcher, the φ-searcher, which can be readily instantiated as a physical mobile robot. We present a detailed analysis of the pursuit-evasion problem using φ-searchers. We present the first complete search algorithm for a single φ-searcher, show how this algorithm can be extended to handle multiple searchers, and give examples of computed trajectories.

Abstract-We describe an autonomous robotic system capable of navigating through an office environment, opening doors along the way, and plugging itself into electrical outlets to recharge as needed. We demonstrate through extensive experimentation that our robot executes these tasks reliably, without requiring any modification to the environment. We present robust detection algorithms for doors, door handles, and electrical plugs and sockets, combining vision and laser sensors. We show how to overcome the unavoidable shortcoming of perception by integrating compliant control into manipulation motions. We present a visual-differencing approach to highprecision plug-insertion that avoids the need for high-precision hand-eye calibration.

The next chapter of the robotics revolution is well underway with the deployment of robots for a broad range of commercial use cases. Even in a myriad of applications and environments, there exists a common vocabulary of components that robots share—the need for a modular, scalable, and reliable architecture; sensing; planning; mobility; and autonomy. The Robot Operating System (ROS) was an integral part of the last chapter, demonstrably expediting robotics research with freely available components and a modular framework. However, ROS 1 was not designed with many necessary production-grade features and algorithms. ROS 2 and its related projects have been redesigned from the ground up to meet the challenges set forth by modern robotic systems in new and exploratory domains at all scales. In this Review, we highlight the philosophical and architectural changes of ROS 2 powering this new chapter in the robotics revolution. We also show through case studies the influence ROS 2 and its adoption has had on accelerating real robot systems to reliable deployment in an assortment of challenging environments.

Abstract-Important theoretical aspects of multi-robot coordination mechanisms have, to date, been largely ignored. To address part of this negligence, we focus on the problem of multi-robot task allocation. We give a formal, domainindependent, statement of the problem and show it to be an instance of another, well-studied, optimization problem. In this light, we analyze several recently proposed approaches to multi-robot task allocation, describing their fundamental characteristics in such a way that they can be objectively studied, compared, and evaluated.