Cluster space control of autonomous surface vessels utilizing obstacle avoidance and shielding techniques

Multi-robot systems offer many advantages over a single robot system including redundancy, coverage and flexibility. One of the key technical challenges in fielding multi-robot systems for real-world applications is the coordination and relative motion control of the individual units. The cluster space control technique addresses the motion control challenge by providing formation control and promoting the simplified specification and monitoring of the motion of mobile multi-robot systems. Previous work has established this approach and has experimentally verified its use for dynamic marine surface vessels consisting of 2 or 3 robots and with varying implementations ranging from automated cluster trajectory control to human-in-the-loop piloting. In this research program, we apply the cluster space control technique to a larger group of marine vessels and include both obstacle avoidance and threat detection with shielding formations. The resulting system is capable of autonomous navigation utilizing a centralized controller, currently implemented via a shore-based computer, that wirelessly receives ASV data and relays control commands. Using the cluster space control approach, these control commands allow a cluster supervisor to oversee a flexible and mobile perimeter formed by the ASV cluster or to detect a threat and establish a shield between the operation and the threat. Theoretical formulation and simulation results demonstrating these capabilities are provided, and plans for future work are discussed.