Multi-robot coverage on dendritic topologies under communication constraints

Abstract

This paper proposes a novel algorithm for performing multi-robot coverage on networks with dendritic topology where the communication topology is location dependent and where the motion of each robot is constrained by the presence of the other robots in the network. The algorithm provides complete network coverage by the minimum number of robots, maintenance of communication constraints and robot collision avoidance. The minimum number of robots required for coverage is a by-product of the proposed algorithm. The efficiency of the algorithm is demonstrated through simulation studies.