Distributed vector field improves safe multi-robot curved path following
Distributed Safe Cooperative Vector Field for Trajectory Curvature Constrained Multi-Robot Systems
Robotics
Summary
Many robots cannot turn sharply, which makes following planned paths harder and can cause collisions. The authors offer a way for multiple robots to safely follow curved paths while avoiding collisions, by combining cooperative movement rules with special collision avoidance rules that respect the robots’ turning limits. Their method uses simple information shared between nearby robots to coordinate actions. They tested this approach with simulations and real robots, showing it helps keep the robots on safe, feasible trajectories.
What this means in practice
- •For industrial automation teams: Coordinate multiple factory robots with limited turning ability to follow safe paths without collisions in shared workspaces.
- •For robotics logistics operators: Enable fleets of delivery robots to move cooperatively along constrained routes while avoiding obstacles and each other safely.
Authors
Zhouru Xiao, Tao Teng, Weijia Yao, Hui Zhang, Xiangke Wang, Yaonan Wang
Abstract
Trajectory curvature constraints are inherent in practical multi-robot systems due to the limited turning capabilities of the robots. Without properly accounting for these constraints, robots may fail to accomplish assigned tasks, and their trajectories may diverge from the intended paths. This paper proposes a distributed safe cooperative vector field approach for multi-robot systems subject to trajectory curvature constraints. The proposed approach is composed of a cooperative vector field and a safety-oriented collision avoidance vector field, aiming to address the problems of cooperative motion and safe collision avoidance in multi-robot path-following tasks. A safety-oriented collision avoidance vector field with adaptively adjustable reactive boundary is developed to accommodate the kinematic curvature constraints of robots, thereby ensuring the physical feasibility of collision avoidance maneuvers. The proposed vector field requires only a single virtual variable from each neighboring robot to achieve cooperative motion and ensure both obstacle avoidance and inter-robot collision avoidance. The effectiveness of the proposed approach is validated through both simulations and real-world experiments on an actual multi-robot platform.