Initial Applications in the Cluster Space-Based Control of Multi-Robot Systems

CHRISTOPHER KITTS; PAUL MAHACEK; THOMAS ADAMEK; IGNACIO MAS

Palo Alto

Congreso; IEEE International Conference on Space Mission Challenges for Information Technology; 2011

IEEE

Over the past five years, researchers at Santa ClaraUniversity have developed the Cluster Space control techniquefor multi-robot formation control. This strategyconceptualizes a group of robots as a virtual kinematicmechanism, allowing full degree-of-freedom control whileenabling simple human specification and monitoring ofautomated formation control. This technique is based on arigorous mathematical framework with formal kinematics andprovable stability. To date, we have experimentally verifiedthis technique on a wide range of land/sea/air robots and witha wide variety of control policies and interfaces. While wecontinue to evolve the control theoretic aspects of the controlarchitecture, we are now also exploring use of this strategy fora variety of multi-robot applications which are enhanced bythe controlled spatial separation of robots. In this brief article,we review the cluster space control approach, summarize someof the applications currently being explored, and comment onthe interaction issues between a human operator and the robotcluster.