Cooperative behavior based on a subjective map with shared information in a dynamic environment

Abstract

This paper proposes a subjective map representation that enables a multiagent system to make decisions in a dynamic, hostile environment. A typical situation can be found in the Sony four-legged robot league of the RoboCup competition [M. Veloso, et al., 1998]. The subjective map is a map of the environment that each agent maintains regardless of the objective consistency of the representation among the agents. Owing to the map's subjectivity, it is not affected by incorrect information belonging to other agents. For example, it is not affected by non-negligible errors caused by dynamic changes in the environment, such as falling down or being picked up and brought to other places by the referee. A potential field is defined on the subjective map in terms of subtasks, such as approaching and shooting the ball, and the field is dynamically up-dated so that the robot can decide what to do next. This method is compared with conventional methods that involve sharing or not sharing information.