Decentralized control of autonomous swarm systems using artificial potential functions: analytical design guidelines

This paper presents a framework for decentralized control of self-organizing swarm systems based on the artificial potential functions (APFs). In this scheme, multiple agents in a swarm self-organize to flock and achieve formation control through attractive and repulsive forces among themselves using APFs. In particular, this paper presents a set of analytical guidelines for designing potential functions to avoiding local minima for a number of representative scenarios. Specifically the following cases are addressed: 1) a case that the potential of the goal is overwhelmed by the potential of an obstacle, 2) a case that the potential of the obstacle is overwhelmed by the potential of the goal, 3) a case that the potential of the obstacle is overwhelmed by potential of other robots in a group formation and 4) a case that the potential of the robot in a formation is overwhelmed by potential of the goal.