Hybrid Vulture-Coordinated Multi-Robot Exploration: A Novel Algorithm for Optimization of Multi-Robot Exploration

Abstract

Exploring unknown environments using multiple robots has numerous applications in various fields but remains a challenging task. This study proposes a novel hybrid optimization method called Hybrid Vulture-Coordinated Multi-Robot Exploration (HVCME), which combines Coordinated Multi-Robot Exploration (CME) and African Vultures Optimization Algorithm (AVOA) to optimize the construction of a finite map in multi-robot exploration. We compared HVCME with four other similar algorithms using three performance measures: run time, percentage of the explored area, and the number of times the method failed to complete a run. The experimental results show that HVCME outperforms the other four methods, demonstrating its effectiveness in optimizing the construction of a finite map in an unknown indoor environment.