Abstract
The present paper develops a novel strategy for the exploration of an unknown environment with a multi-robot system. Communication between the robots is restricted to line-of-sight and to a maximum inter-robot distance. The algorithm we propose is related to methods used for complete coverage of an area, where all free space is physically covered. In the present paper it is required that the entire free space is covered by the sensors of the robots, enabling us to scan more space in less time, compared to complete coverage algorithms. The area to be scanned contains disjoint convex obstacles of unknown size and shape. The geometry of the robot group has a zigzag shape, which is stretched or compressed to adapt to the environment. The robot group is allowed to split and rejoin when passing obstacles. A direct application of the algorithm is mine field clearance.
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Rogge, J.A., Aeyels, D. (2009). A Strategy for Exploration with a Multi-robot System. In: Filipe, J., Cetto, J.A., Ferrier, JL. (eds) Informatics in Control, Automation and Robotics. Lecture Notes in Electrical Engineering, vol 24. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85640-5_15
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-85640-5_15
Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg
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