Multi-Robot Collaboration for Robust Exploration

This paper presents a new sensing modality and stratagem for multirobot exploration. The approach is based on using pairs of robots that observe each other's behavior, acting in concert to reduce odometry errors. We assume the robots can both directly sense nearby obstacles and see each other. This allows the robots to obtain a map of higher accuracy than would be possible with robots acting independently by reducing inaccuracies that occur over time from dead reckoning errors. Furthermore, by exploiting the ability of the robots to see each other, we can detect opaque obstacles in the environment independently of their surface reflectance properties. Two different algorithms, based on the size of the environment, are introduced with a complexity analysis, and experimental results in simulation and with real robots.

Authors

• Ioannis M. Rekleitis
• Gregory Dudek
• Evangelos E. Milios

Keywords

• Collaboration
• Robustness
• Robot sensing systems
• Orbital robotics
• Reflectivity
• Computational complexity
• Computer science
• Computer errors
• Dead reckoning
• Navigation
• Experimental Simulation Results
• Environment Size
• Straight Line
• Free Space
• Line-of-sight
• Area Of Space
• Position Estimation
• Image Pattern
• Pose Estimation
• Description Of Algorithm
• Position Uncertainty
• Strip Width
• Exploration Strategy
• Contact Line
• Position Of The Robot
• Depth-first
• Number Of Rotations
• Single Exchange
• Triangular Area
• Motor Strategies
• Dual Graph
• Number Of Exchanges