Formation Control of Multi-Agent Systems

Preface

As the initial hurdles of unmanned robotic platform development have been passed, focus is now being placed on advancing the behavior of these platforms so they perform coordinated operations in groups with and without human supervision. Over the past several years, a considerable amount of work has been conducted in this area under various names: multi‐agent systems, networked systems, cooperative control, and swarming. Research has evolved from fundamental studies of biological swarms in nature to the development and application of systems theoretical tools for modeling such behaviors to, more recently, the synthesis and experimental validation of engineered multi‐agent systems.

The premise behind engineering multi‐agent systems is that cooperation among group members can lead to the execution of complex functions that are otherwise not possible. Engineering multi‐agent systems have the potential to impact a variety of military, civilian, and commercial applications that involve some of form situational awareness. Examples include patrolling, monitoring, surveying, scouting, and element tracking over large geographical areas with unmanned robotic vehicles or mobile sensor networks.

Decentralization is a key characteristic of biological and engineered multi‐agent systems since it provides adaptability and robustness to the system operation. Several coordination‐type problems have been studied within the robotics, systems, and control research communities that involve ...