Coordination and control of autonomous mobile robot groups using a hybrid technique based on Particle Swarm Optimization and Consensus

A hybrid technique for the control of swarms of robots, based on Particle Swarm Optimisation (PSO) and Consensus algorithms, is presented in this paper. The purpose of this technique is to combine PSO's adaptation skills for the exploration of unknown environments and the ability of the Consensus to maintain a group of robots in a desired formation. The overall control scheme is designed in a distributed form. This fact is particularly suitable for the control of a swarm of robots where one or more agents can experience temporary or permanent communication disconnection from the group, due to various reasons (e.g. malfunctions). Simulations are presented to illustrate the proposed technique.