A solution with multiple robots and Kinect systems to implement the parallel coverage problem

The coverage problem has been traditionally solved for a given number of robots with randomly generated positions. However, our recent work presented a solution to the parallel coverage problem that optimizes the number of robots starting at the same location. The motivations are: (i) the number of involved robots affects the total coverage cost, and (ii) it requires extra effort to place them at real-world locations. In this work we present a control algorithm for multiple robots with Kinect systems to implement the solution to the parallel coverage problem. Our algorithm utilizes a multi-robot formation. Robots need to localize themselves to know where they are within a map. To localize the robots and to reduce inter-communication, we introduce a technique to place only certain robots in a team. This work also presents an algorithm on how to manage dynamic changes of a group of formations in order to solve the coverage problem. This paper demonstrates the mission, which is to visit every desired position to cover an indoor environment, with a team of real robots and the Kinect system.