Multi-Robot Deployment Using a Virtual Force Approach: Challenges and Guidelines

Abstract

Robotics networks are an emerging technology that has a wide range of applications. Robots are used for many military and civilian applications. Applications such as search-and-rescue operations or area monitoring during an environmental disaster, cannot be effectively carried out by a single robot, but rather are carried out by several robots forming what is called a "robotic network". In rescue operations, for example, robots can be used to help to discover bodies under the rubble or even to assist the injured. One of the main challenges in these applications is how to deploy the robots without central coordination. Virtual force (VF) technique appears to be one of the prominent approaches to perform multi-robot deployment autonomously. However, the effectiveness of this approach depends on how its parameters are calibrated in order to achieve the required deployment. There are two important factors: attractive force (w a ) and repulsive force (w r ). In this work, we investigate the best settings of these two factors in order to accommodate different kinds of scenarios. Additionally, and for the first time, an energy-aware virtual force approach is proposed to balance energy consumption among deployed robots and consequently maximize the network lifetime. Extensive simulation experiments are conducted to study and explore the effectiveness of the proposed settings. Finally, a proof of concept experiment using Lego TM Mindstorm robots is carried out to demonstrate the effectiveness of these settings.

Collaborative Indoor Access Point Localization Using Autonomous Mobile Robot Swarm

“…For obstacle avoidance, a simple and efficient algorithm was designed and implemented in each robot based on both Braitenberg’s concept in vehicles [ 25 ] and the virtual force field mechanism [ 26 ]. A Braitenberg vehicle is an agent that can autonomously move around based on its sensor inputs.…”

A virtual force interaction scheme for multi-robot environment monitoring

“…Different ratios of communication range to sensing range were also considered and the virtual force function was modified to be suitable in both the high communication range and low communication range conditions. In [18], the factors about the virtual force setting were investigated and a virtual force strategy with energy awareness was proposed for balancing agents' energy consumption. Boufares et al [19] utilized VFA to solve a three-dimensional area coverage problem, but agents' travel distance requires further improvement due to the large oscillation of agents.…”

Deployment Techniques in Wireless Sensor Networks, Coverage and Connectivity: A Survey

“…VFA for multi-robot deployment was introduced in [22]. Their research investigated the best setting for factors of the attractive force (W A ) and repulsive force (W R ).…”