Multi-robot, multi-rendezvous recharging paradigm: An opportunistic control strategy

This paper presents an opportunistic control approach to address the multi-robot, multi-rendezvous recharging problem. The control strategy adapted attempts to take advantages of both centralized as well as distributed methodologies while addressing the problem. Every robotic agent of the group is equipped with a decision engine that scores available rendezvous locations that are obtained via communicating with mother robot that is in-charge of recharging the robotic agents in search of energy. While such decision engine provides autonomy to individuals to finalize their corresponding choice of rendezvous locations, the central rendezvous estimation mechanism that is performed by mother robots prevents system failure that may incur due to out-of-charge agents and/or uneven distribution of agents over available recharging rendezvous locations. Properties that might be attributed to agents´ decision engine are demonstrated. Simulation results and performance analysis of the proposed approach along with comparisons to alternative recharging methodologies and techniques have been presented.