Robot Coordination for Energy-Balanced Matching and Sequence Dispatch of Robots to Events

Abstract

Given a set of events and a set of robots, the dispatch problem is to allocate one robot for each event to visit it. In a single round, each robot may be allowed to visit only one event (matching dispatch), or several events in a sequence (sequence dispatch). In a distributed setting, each event is discovered by a sensor and reported to a robot. Here, we present novel algorithms aimed at overcoming the shortcomings of several existing solutions. We propose pairwise distance based matching algorithm (PDM) to eliminate long edges by pairwise exchanges between matching pairs. Our sequence dispatch algorithm (SQD) iteratively finds the closest event-robot pair, includes the event in dispatch schedule of the selected robot and updates its position accordingly. When event-robot distances are multiplied by robot resistance (inverse of the remaining energy), the corresponding energy-balanced variants are obtained. We also present generalizations which handle multiple visits and timing constraints. Our localized algorithm MAD is based on information mesh infrastructure and local auctions within the robot network for obtaining the optimal dispatch schedule for each robot. The simulations conducted confirm the advantages of our algorithms over other existing solutions in terms of average robot-event distance and lifetime.

Adaptive auction protocol for task assignment in wireless sensor and actuator networks

“…Lukic et al 23 describe two distributed dispatch algorithms for the task assignment problem in wireless sensor and robot networks. Auction is used in these algorithms to make better decisions.…”

Competency adjustment and workload balancing framework in multirobot task allocation

“…In the proposed framework, each bidder submits a bid, consisting of task quality, task cost, and yield, to the auctioneer, and the auctioneer generates the utility of each bidder, as shown in Figure 2. Unlike the traditional approaches in which the bidder combines multiple properties with scaling factors, the auctioneer in the proposed approach normalizes the properties of the bidders, as shown in equation (15). Thus, the auctioneer can merge the properties of each bidder without heuristic scaling factors.…”

“…Lukic et al proposed a multirobot task allocation method for dispatch tasks in an energy-balanced way. 15 Their centralized and distributed algorithms attempt to minimize the travel paths of the robots and maximize the number of completed tasks. Although both approaches consider energy balancing in task allocation, they do not consider balancing between the the energy distribution of the robots and the quality of their task performance, such as accuracy and delicacy in task execution, which require high-performance robots to spend longer time and more energy.…”

TDE Based Model-free Control for Rigid Robotic Manipulators under Nonlinear Friction

“…A robotic manipulator is a nonlinear mechanical device and is generally used in processing/manufacturing industries and its applications because it is cost-effective and replaced manual labor for complicated and repetitive tasks [1][2][3][4]. The complex dynamics of robotic manipulators having inherent uncertainties, dynamic coupling between neighboring links, time-varying inertia, gravity, and nonlinear frictions require efficient controlling to obtain high control performance of rapid dynamic convergence, repeatable accuracy, finite-time stability, smooth control input, and minimal vibration at the desired angle [5].…”