Multi-Robot Object Transport for Unknown Shapes Without Central Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing robotic systems struggle to safely lift and transport large, arbitrarily shaped objects without prior knowledge of their sizes or shapes, often requiring multiple robots and complex coordination.
Innovation Solution
A decentralized multi-robot system where robots arrange themselves to exert transporting forces on objects, evaluate a transport criterion based on observations of other robots, and collectively lift and carry objects towards a destination without prior knowledge of the object's size or shape.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Force
If multiple robots are used to transport large objects, then the transport capability is improved, but the coordination complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The system segments the transport task among multiple independent robots, where each robot autonomously evaluates local transport criteria rather than requiring centralized coordination. This allows the force capability to scale with the number of robots while avoiding the coordination complexity that would arise from centralized control of all robots.
Solution Approach 2:
Each robot independently evaluates whether it satisfies local transport criteria based on observations of other robots in its vicinity, without requiring explicit coordination commands from a central controller. This self-service approach enables robots to autonomously determine their role in the transport task, improving transport capability while minimizing coordination overhead.
2Adaptability or versatility
If robots transport objects without prior knowledge of size or shape, then the adaptability is improved, but the measurement and detection difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
Robots autonomously evaluate local transport criteria by observing other robots in their vicinity, enabling the system to adapt to objects of unknown size and shape without requiring pre-characterization. Each robot independently determines its contribution to the transport task based on local observations rather than global object knowledge.
Solution Approach 2:
The transport criterion is evaluated locally by each individual robot based on its observations of the immediate vicinity, rather than requiring global knowledge of the object's complete size and shape. This local evaluation approach enables adaptability to arbitrary objects while avoiding the complexity of complete object characterization.
3Productivity
If a decentralized evaluation system is used, then the system scalability is improved, but the communication requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The system extracts the essential transport criterion evaluation from centralized control and distributes it to individual robots. Each robot independently evaluates local criteria based on observations of other robots in its vicinity, eliminating the need for continuous centralized coordination while maintaining system scalability.
Solution Approach 2:
Each robot autonomously evaluates whether it satisfies the transport criterion based on local observations, without requiring extensive communication with other robots or a central controller. This self-service evaluation minimizes communication overhead while enabling the system to scale to large numbers of robots.
Data Source
AI summary
A method of transporting an object using a system comprising a plurality of robots. The method comprises one or more robots of the plurality of robots arranging themselves to each exert a respective transporting force on the object. Each of the one or more robots evaluates whether it satisfies a transport criterion while arranged to exert the respective transporting force on the object. If all of the one or more robots satisfy the transport criterion, the one or more robots exert the respective transporting forces on the object to transport the object towards a destination. At least one of the one or more robots evaluates whether it satisfies the transport criterion based on observations of other robots of the plurality of robots within its vicinity.