Layered mode selection logic control for border security

Abstract

Challenges in border security may be resolved through a team of autonomous mobile robots configured as a flexible sensor array. The robots will have a prearranged formation along a section of a border, and each robot will attempt to maintain a uniform distance with its nearest neighbors. The robots will carry sensor packages which can detect a signature that is representative of a human (for instance, a thermal signature). When a robot detects an intruder, it will move away such that it attempts to maintain a constant distance from the intruder and move away from the border (i.e. into its home territory). As the robot moves away from the border, its neighbors will move away from the border to maintain a uniform distance with the moving robot and with their fixed neighbors. The pattern of motion in the team of robots can be identified, either algorithmically by a computer or by a human monitor of a display. Unique patterns are indicative of animal movement, human movement, and mass human movement. To realize such a scheme, a new control architecture must be developed. This architecture must be fault tolerant to sensor and manipulator failures, scalable in number of agents, and adaptable to different robotic base platforms (for instance, a UGV may be appropriate at the southern border and a UAV may be appropriate at the northern border). The Central Arkansas Robotics Consortium has developed an architecture, called Layered Mode Selection Logic (LMSL), which addresses all of these concerns. The overall LMSL scheme as applied to a multi-agent flexible sensor array is described in this paper.