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Area Coverage Algorithms for Networked Multi-robot Systems

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New Developments and Advances in Robot Control

Part of the book series: Studies in Systems, Decision and Control ((SSDC,volume 175))

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Abstract

The area coverage problem in robotics alludes to the challenge of getting a network of mobile robots to efficiently cover or sense a spatial region of interest in an optimal way. A significant number of coverage algorithms exists, especially from works on sensor networks and related computer science fields, offering a wide range of coverage solutions. However, many of them are not readily applicable to robotic systems due to computational complexity of the theoretical algorithms as well as the physical limitations of the robots in terms of sensing and processing. In this chapter, we take a look at various area coverage algorithms that can be implemented upon a system of networked robots and try to identify the ideal characteristics of an area coverage algorithm whose target application is in mobile robotics. We propose a set of simple flocking-based algorithms which inherently captures the identified characteristics of a good coverage algorithm for a multi-robot system. The proposed algorithm is simulated under various conditions to demonstrate its feasibility. This chapter also gives the reader further direction towards open research problems on this topic.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Step size for the simulation in Fig. 14.7 was different than the one used in obstacle-free environment simulations.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, North South University, Dhaka, Bangladesh

    Lamia Iftekhar

  2. Ceridian HCM, Toronto, ON, Canada

    H. M. Nafid Rahman

  3. The Bradley Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, Blacksburg, VA, USA

    Imran Rahman

Authors
  1. Lamia Iftekhar
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  2. H. M. Nafid Rahman
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  3. Imran Rahman
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Lamia Iftekhar .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Sfax Engineering School, University of Sfax, Sfax, Tunisia

    Nabil Derbel

  2. Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering College of Engineering, Sultan Quaboos University, Muscat, Oman

    Jawhar Ghommam

  3. University of the West of England, Bristol, UK

    Quanmin Zhu

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Iftekhar, L., Rahman, H.M.N., Rahman, I. (2019). Area Coverage Algorithms for Networked Multi-robot Systems. In: Derbel, N., Ghommam, J., Zhu, Q. (eds) New Developments and Advances in Robot Control. Studies in Systems, Decision and Control, vol 175. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-2212-9_14

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