Energy-Optimal Motion Planning for Agents: Barycentric Motion and Collision Avoidance Constraints

TL;DR

This paper introduces barycentric motion and collision avoidance constraints for energy-efficient control of robotic swarms, providing conditions for continuous control inputs during transitions, enhancing safety and performance.

Contribution

It offers a novel analysis of barycentric motion and collision constraints, with necessary and sufficient conditions for energy-minimizing agents in swarm control.

Findings

Derived conditions for continuous control inputs at transition points.

Proposed barycentric motion constraints for swarm safety.

Enhanced understanding of energy-efficient collision avoidance.

Abstract

As robotic swarm systems emerge, it is increasingly important to provide strong guarantees on energy consumption and safety to maximize system performance. One approach to achieve these guarantees is through constraint-driven control, where agents seek to minimize energy consumption subject to a set of safety and task constraints. In this paper, we provide a sufficient and necessary condition for an energy-minimizing agent with integrator dynamics to have a continuous control input at the transition between unconstrained and constrained trajectories. In addition, we present and analyze barycentric motion and collision avoidance constraints to be used in constraint-driven control of swarms.