Area Coverage Optimization using Networked Mobile Robots with State Estimation

Abstract

In this paper, we present a solution to the area coverage problem using a team of mobile robots with state estimation. A group of autonomous mobile robots is deployed in a two-dimensional area of interest, for example, where communication among robots is limited or noisy as expected in a real life scenario. Each robot estimates its own state (position and orientation) using noisy range and bearing information received from other robots in its operating range. The area of interest is then divided into multiple sub-area using a voronoi tessellation. Using the classical Lloyd's algorithm, each robot employs distributed action command to move towards the centroid of the voronoi cell that it belongs yielding the maximum coverage of the area. Here we emphasize that the network of autonomous robots deployed in the environment is unknown a priori. A set of computer experiments is conducted to validate the fact that the area coverage is still possible under noisy communication among robots deployed in a two-dimensional area.