Coordination among heterogeneous robotic soccer players

Coordination among multiple robots has been extensively studied, since a number of practical tasks can be performed in a more effective way by employing a fleet of coordinated robotic bases. In particular, distributed coordination among robotic agents has been considered within the framework offered by the robotic soccer competitions. We describe the methods and the results achieved in coordinating the players of the ART team participating in the RoboCup F-2000 league. The team is formed by several heterogeneous robots having different mechanics, different sensors, different control software, and, in general, different abilities for playing soccer. The coordination framework we have developed has been successfully applied during the 1999 official competitions allowing both for a significant improvement of the overall team performance and for a complete interchangeability of all the robots.