Multi-robot motion-formation distributed control with sensor self-calibration: experimental validation

TL;DR

This paper introduces a robust, scalable multi-robot formation control algorithm that operates without sensor calibration or inter-robot communication, validated through experiments with four robots using low-cost sensors.

Contribution

The paper presents a novel distributed control method enabling formation and translation without sensor calibration or communication, suitable for large robot teams in unstructured environments.

Findings

Algorithm successfully formed geometric shapes with four robots

Operates using only local measurements without calibration or communication

Validated through real-world experiments with low-cost sensors

Abstract

In this paper, we present the design and implementation of a robust motion formation distributed control algorithm for a team of mobile robots. The primary task for the team is to form a geometric shape, which can be freely translated and rotated at the same time. This approach makes the robots to behave as a cohesive whole, which can be useful in tasks such as collaborative transportation. The robustness of the algorithm relies on the fact that each robot employs only local measurements from a laser sensor which does not need to be off-line calibrated. Furthermore, robots do not need to exchange any information with each other. Being free of sensor calibration and not requiring a communication channel helps the scaling of the overall system to a large number of robots. In addition, since the robots do not need any off-board localization system, but require only relative positions with respect to their neighbors, it can be aimed to have a full autonomous team that operates in environments where such localization systems are not available. The computational cost of the algorithm is inexpensive and the resources from a standard microcontroller will suffice. This fact makes the usage of our approach appealing as a support for other more demanding algorithms, e.g., processing images from onboard cameras. We validate the performance of the algorithm with a team of four mobile robots equipped with low-cost commercially available laser scanners.