Leveraging area bounds information for autonomous decentralized multi-robot exploration

• Published in: Robotics and autonomous systems Vol. 74; pp. 66 - 78
• Main Authors: Liu, Tsung-Ming, Lyons, Damian M.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier B.V 01-12-2015
• Subjects: Autonomous systems; Multi-robot exploration; Potential field path-planning; Potential field path-planning; Autonomous systems; Multi-robot exploration
• ISSN: 0921-8890; 1872-793X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.robot.2015.07.002

This paper proposes a simple and uniform, decentralized approach to the problem of dispersing a team of robots to explore an area quickly. The Decentralized Space-Based Potential Field (D-SBPF) algorithm is a potential field approach that leverages knowledge of the overall bounds of the area to be explored. It includes a monotonic coverage factor in the potential field to avoid minima, realistic sensor bounds, and a distributed map exchange protocol.
The D-SBPF approach yields a simple potential field control strategy for all robots but nonetheless has good dispersion and overlap performance in exploring areas with convex geometry while avoiding potential minima. Both simulation and robot experimental results are included as evidence, and performance, speedup and efficiency metrics for each are presented.
•A uniform, decentralized, potential-field based approach to dispersing a team of robots to explore an area quickly.•Leverages knowledge of the overall bounds of the area to be explored and includes a monotonic coverage factor in the field equations to avoid minima.•Allows robot team members to become disconnected from and reconnected with the team and ongoing dispersion strategy.•Introduces performance metrics for team speedup and efficiency in the case of adding members to teams.•Presents both simulation and experimental robot results.