Assessing Information Utility in Cooperation-based Robotic Systems

In this article we propose a measure of information utility that can be used to enable more effective cooperation in multi-robot systems (MRS). After giving some background in the area and making some references to the state of the art, we present an observation model for a MRS, based on which we devise a formal method to assess the information utility. The method puts on emphasis the optimization of the balance between performance gain and cost increasing due to resources usage, including communication. Then, the proposed method is used to simulate and assess information utility on a MRS performing a consume mission. We conclude with a discussion and directions for future research.