Controlling wild mobile robots using virtual gates and discrete transitions

We present an approach to controlling multiple mobile robots without requiring system identification, geometric map building, localization, or state estimation. Instead, we purposely design them to execute wild motions, which means each will strike every open set infinitely often along the boundary of any connected region in which it is placed. We then divide the environment into a discrete set of regions, with borders delineated with simple markers, such as colored tape. Using simple sensor feedback, we show that complex tasks can be solved, such as patrolling, disentanglement, and basic navigation. The method is implemented in simulation and on real robots, which for many tasks are fully distributed without any mutual communication.

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