Command of a multi-tier robotic network with local decision-making capabilities

This paper presents a distributed system for commanding a collection of multiple heterogeneous craft which have various levels of mobility (orbital, aerial and surface) and visibility. Under this model, goals are defined at a high level and goal-fulfilment is delegated to subordinate craft (or groups of subordinate craft). Each craft is responsible for its own decision-making (based on heuristics and incorporating local information) to determine how to best effect the completion of the goals that it is delegated. A scenario for a resource location and assessment mission is used to demonstrate the utility of the approach presented. This scenario starts with the capture of simulated orbital imagery. Prospective targets are identified and tasked to UAV units for additional data collection and assessment. With this additional data collected, surface robots are deployed to conduct final verification activities. This approach is compared to a top-down command approach, where all decisions are made by the orbital tier. Metrics used for evaluation include data transmission requirements and the level of coverage generated.

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