Precise Formation of Multi-Robot Systems

There are several applications which require high-precision placement of sensors or objects. Unstructured, remote environments make this problem even more complex, where high precision is not attainable using conventional sensors. Some applications have units so sparsely spaced that few options remain. A team of mobile robots can be integrated into such missions, providing a higher level of precision while also removing the human footprint. This paper presents a high-precision, shape-based grid formation scheme for multi-robot systems that can be used in dense or sparse applications. Precision, time, and energy usage are analyzed, and collision risk is briefly discussed.