A bar magnet approach to controlling multirobot systems

In this paper, we present a novel strategy for organizing groups of robots into a formation utilizing artificial potentials which behave like a bar magnet. A mathematical surface is defined that will ldquopullrdquo the robots into formation controlling the overall geometry. Nonlinear limiting functions are defined to attract and hold members in a geometric formation. By adjusting control parameters, the shape and the extent of the formation is controlled. Formations can dynamically change and adapt accordingly by making the control parameters time varying. This approach is computationally efficient and scales well to large team sizes. Simulation studies are presented for ten robots in wedge, inverted dasiaveepsila, and column formations.