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Francesco Bullo
University of California at Santa Barbara
Title: Synchronized Motion and Partitioning Problems for Gossiping Robots
Abstract: Motion coordination and space partitioning problems are fundamental tasks in robotic networks. In previous work on deployment, these tasks are formalized as locational optimization problems and are achieved in a distributed way the critical assumptions of synchronous communication and network connectivity. The aim of today's talk is twofold. First, we propose a novel deployment and partitioning algorithm that requires only pairwise asynchronous gossip communication. Which robot pair communicates at a given time may be selected randomly or deterministically. A key novel idea is the description of the coverage control problem as a dynamical system on the space of partitions - in other words, we study the evolution of the regions assigned to each robot, rather than of the robot's positions. Second, we propose a novel synchronization algorithm for agents swinging on a ring. In a analogy with classic impact dynamics, robots change direction of motion and communicate only upon encountering each other. Periodic orbits are stabilized for both even and odd numbers of robots. Based on joint works with Paolo Frasca, Ruggero Carli, Sara Susca, and Sonia Martinez.