Multi-robot coalition formation

As the community strives towards autonomous multi-robot systems, there is a need for these systems to autonomously form coalitions to complete assigned missions. Numerous coalition formation algorithms have been proposed in the software agent literature. Algorithms exist that form agent coalitions in both super additive and non-super additive environments. The algorithmic techniques vary from negotiation-based protocols in multi-agent system (MAS) environments to those based on computation in distributed problem solving (DPS) environments. Coalition formation behaviors have also been discussed in relation to game theory. Despite the plethora of MAS coalition formation literature, to the best of our knowledge none of the proposed algorithms have been demonstrated with an actual multi-robot system. There exists a discrepancy between the multi-agent algorithms and their applicability to the multi-robot domain. This paper aims to bridge that discrepancy by unearthing the issues that arise while attempting to tailor these algorithms to the multi-robot domain. A well-known multi-agent coalition formation algorithm has been studied in order to identify the necessary modifications to facilitate its application to the multi-robot domain. This paper reports multi-robot coalition formation results based upon simulation and actual robot experiments. A multi-agent coalition formation algorithm has been demonstrated on an actual robot system

[1]  Lovekesh Vig,et al.  Issues in Multi-Robot Coalition Formation , 2005 .

[2]  Sarit Kraus,et al.  Formation of overlapping coalitions for precedence-ordered task-execution among autonomous agents * , 1996 .

[3]  Lynne E. Parker,et al.  ALLIANCE: an architecture for fault tolerant multirobot cooperation , 1998, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[4]  M. Padberg,et al.  Solving airline crew scheduling problems by branch-and-cut , 1993 .

[5]  Tim Lüth,et al.  A distributed control architecture for autonomous mobile robots - implementation of the Karlsruhe Multi-Agent Robot Architecture (KAMARA) , 1997, Adv. Robotics.

[6]  M. Fisher,et al.  Optimal solution of set covering/partitioning problems using dual heuristics , 1990 .

[7]  Ronald C. Arkin,et al.  When good communication go bad: communications recovery for multi-robot teams , 2004, IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation, 2004. Proceedings. ICRA '04. 2004.

[8]  John J. Leonard,et al.  Cooperative concurrent mapping and localization , 2002, Proceedings 2002 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.02CH37292).

[9]  Daniel R. Ilgen,et al.  TEAMS EMBEDDED IN ORGANIZATIONS : SOME IMPLICATIONS , 1999 .

[10]  J. Beasley,et al.  A genetic algorithm for the set covering problem , 1996 .

[11]  Claude E. Shannon,et al.  A mathematical theory of communication , 1948, MOCO.

[12]  Anatol Rapoport,et al.  Theories of Coalition Formation , 1998 .

[13]  Sebastian Thrun,et al.  Parallel Stochastic Hill- Climbing with Small Teams , 2005 .

[14]  Pádraig Cunningham,et al.  Software agents: A review , 1997 .

[15]  Tony White,et al.  Towards multi-swarm problem solving in networks , 1998, Proceedings International Conference on Multi Agent Systems (Cat. No.98EX160).

[16]  Norman M. Sadeh,et al.  Variable and Value Ordering Heuristics for the Job Shop Scheduling Constraint Satisfaction Problem , 1996, Artif. Intell..

[17]  A. Bandura.  Social Foundations of Thought and Action , 1986 .

[18]  Shang-Hua Teng,et al.  Smoothed analysis of algorithms: why the simplex algorithm usually takes polynomial time , 2001, STOC '01.

[19]  A. Chella,et al.  Metaphor of Politics: A Mechanism of Coalition Formation , 2004 .

[20]  Louis Vuurpijl,et al.  A framework for using multiple classifiers in a multiple-agent architecture , 1998 .

[21]  Maja J. Mataric,et al.  Sold!: auction methods for multirobot coordination , 2002, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[22]  Sarit Kraus,et al.  Methods for Task Allocation via Agent Coalition Formation , 1998, Artif. Intell..

[23]  C R Paris,et al.  Teamwork in multi-person systems: a review and analysis , 2000, Ergonomics.

[24]  Mark S. Fox,et al.  Agent-Oriented Supply-Chain Management , 2000 .

[25]  Reuven Bar-Yehuda,et al.  A Linear-Time Approximation Algorithm for the Weighted Vertex Cover Problem , 1981, J. Algorithms.

[26]  Tuomas Sandholm,et al.  Algorithm for optimal winner determination in combinatorial auctions , 2002, Artif. Intell..

[27]  Maja J. Matarić,et al.  A Framework for Studying Multi-Robot Task Allocation , 2003 .

[28]  Maja J. Mataric,et al.  Pusher-watcher: an approach to fault-tolerant tightly-coupled robot coordination , 2002, Proceedings 2002 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.02CH37292).

[29]  Eduardo Salas,et al.  Toward a Definition of Teamwork: An Analysis of Critical Team Behaviors , 1989 .

[30]  Anthony Stentz,et al.  Complex Task Allocation For Multiple Robots , 2005, Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[31]  Lovekesh Vig,et al.  Market-Based Multi-robot Coalition Formation , 2006, DARS.

[32]  Sang Joon Kim,et al.  A Mathematical Theory of Communication , 2006 .

[33]  Anthony Stentz,et al.  Traderbots: a new paradigm for robust and efficient multirobot coordination in dynamic environments , 2004 .

[34]  Karl Heinz Borgwardt,et al.  Some Distribution-Independent Results About the Asymptotic Order of the Average Number of Pivot Steps of the Simplex Method , 1982, Math. Oper. Res..

[35]  L. S. Wu,et al.  A Dynamic Theory for the Class of Games with Nonempty Cores , 1977 .

[36]  Stephanie M. Doane,et al.  The Role of Individual Differences in Dynamic Team Performance , 2005 .

[37]  R. Arkin,et al.  Behavioral diversity in learning robot teams , 1998 .

[38]  Maja J. Mataric,et al.  Reinforcement Learning in the Multi-Robot Domain , 1997, Auton. Robots.

[39]  E. Balas,et al.  Set Partitioning: A survey , 1976 .

[40]  Victor R. Lesser,et al.  Advantages of a Leveled Commitment Contracting Protocol , 1996, AAAI/IAAI, Vol. 1.

[41]  Lynne E. Parker.  The effect of action recognition and robot awareness in cooperative robotic teams , 1995, Proceedings 1995 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Human Robot Interaction and Cooperative Robots.

[42]  H. P. Smith,et al.  A simulator study of the interaction of pilot workload with errors, vigilance, and decisions , 1979 .

[43]  Milind Tambe,et al.  The Communicative Multiagent Team Decision Problem: Analyzing Teamwork Theories and Models , 2011, J. Artif. Intell. Res..

[44]  Victor R. Lesser,et al.  Coalition Formation among Bounded Rational Agents , 1995, IJCAI.

[45]  Kian Hsiang Low,et al.  Task Allocation via Self-Organizing Swarm Coalitions in Distributed Mobile Sensor Network , 2004, AAAI.

[46]  Mark Yim,et al.  Indoor automation with many mobile robots , 1990, EEE International Workshop on Intelligent Robots and Systems, Towards a New Frontier of Applications.

[47]  Leen-Kiat Soh,et al.  Investigating reinforcement learning in multiagent coalition formation , 2004, AAAI 2004.

[48]  Linda C. Angell,et al.  Personality Heterogeneity in Teams , 2003 .

[49]  Alexander Zelinsky,et al.  Grounded Symbolic Communication between Heterogeneous Cooperating Robots , 2000, Auton. Robots.

[50]  Tucker R. Balch,et al.  Communication in reactive multiagent robotic systems , 1995, Auton. Robots.

[51]  Lynne E. Parker,et al.  Cooperative Robotics for Multi-Target Observation , 1999, Intell. Autom. Soft Comput..

[52]  Oren Etzioni,et al.  A scalable comparison-shopping agent for the World-Wide Web , 1997, AGENTS '97.

[53]  Anthony Stentz,et al.  A Free Market Architecture for Coordinating Multiple Robots , 1999 .

[54]  Tucker Balch.  Clay: Integrating Motor Schemas and Reinforcement Learning , 1997 .

[55]  Yoav Shoham,et al.  An overview of agent-oriented programming , 1997 .

[56]  Norman M. Sadeh,et al.  Backtracking Techniques for the Job Shop Scheduling Constraint Satisfaction Problem , 1995, Artif. Intell..

[57]  Alexander Schrijver,et al.  Theory of linear and integer programming , 1986, Wiley-Interscience series in discrete mathematics and optimization.

[58]  E. A. Fleishman,et al.  Toward a taxonomy of team performance functions. , 1992 .

[59]  Eduardo Salas,et al.  TRAINING AND RESEARCH FOR TEAMWORK IN THE MILITARY AIRCREW. , 1993 .

[60]  Sarit Kraus,et al.  Feasible Formation of Coalitions Among Autonomous Agents in Nonsuperadditive Environments , 1999, Comput. Intell..

[61]  Reid G. Simmons,et al.  First Results in the Coordination of Heterogeneous Robots for Large-Scale Assembly , 2000, ISER.

[62]  Lynne E. Parker,et al.  ASyMTRe: Automated Synthesis of Multi-Robot Task Solutions through Software Reconfiguration , 2005, Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[63]  George B. Dantzig,et al.  Linear programming and extensions , 1965 .

[64]  Katia P. Sycara,et al.  Coordination of Multiple Intelligent Software Agents , 1996, Int. J. Cooperative Inf. Syst..

[65]  Sarit Kraus,et al.  Task Allocation Via Coalition Formation Among Autonomous Agents , 1995, IJCAI.

[66]  Onn Shehory,et al.  Coalition structure generation with worst case guarantees , 2022 .

[67]  R. J. Aumann,et al.  Cooperative games with coalition structures , 1974 .

[68]  Morton D. Davis,et al.  The kernel of a cooperative game , 1965 .

[69]  V. Srinivasan.  A hybrid algorithm for the one machine sequencing problem to minimize total tardiness , 1971 .

[70]  Howie Choset,et al.  Coverage for robotics – A survey of recent results , 2001, Annals of Mathematics and Artificial Intelligence.

[71]  K. Al-Sultan,et al.  A Genetic Algorithm for the Set Covering Problem , 1996 .

[72]  Reid G. Simmons,et al.  Learning Opportunity Costs in Multi-Robot Market Based Planners , 2005, Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[73]  Nicholas R. Jennings,et al.  Intelligent agents: theory and practice , 1995, The Knowledge Engineering Review.

[74]  Moshe Tennenholtz,et al.  An Algorithm for Multi-Unit Combinatorial Auctions , 2000, AAAI/IAAI.

[75]  Rodney A. Brooks,et al.  A Robust Layered Control Syste For A Mobile Robot , 2022 .

[76]  Victor R. Lesser,et al.  Organization-based cooperative coalition formation , 2004, Proceedings. IEEE/WIC/ACM International Conference on Intelligent Agent Technology, 2004. (IAT 2004)..

[77]  Avrim Blum,et al.  Fast Planning Through Planning Graph Analysis , 1995, IJCAI.

[78]  Richard S. Sutton,et al.  Reinforcement Learning: An Introduction , 1998, IEEE Trans. Neural Networks.

[79]  Dorin Marcu,et al.  Design Principles for Learning Agents , 2004 .

[80]  Tuomas Sandholm,et al.  An Implementation of the Contract Net Protocol Based on Marginal Cost Calculations , 1993, AAAI.

[81]  Maja J. Mataric,et al.  Murdoch: publish/subscribe task allocation for heterogeneous agents , 2000, AGENTS '00.

[82]  Anatol Rapoport,et al.  N-Person Game Theory , 1970 .

[83]  Zhiqiang Zheng,et al.  Combinatorial Bids based Multi-robot Task Allocation Method , 2005, Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation.

[84]  Martin Shubik,et al.  Game Theory in Economics , 1972 .

[85]  Vasek Chvátal,et al.  A Greedy Heuristic for the Set-Covering Problem , 1979, Math. Oper. Res..

[86]  Gaurav S. Sukhatme,et al.  Multi-robot task-allocation through vacancy chains , 2003, 2003 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.03CH37422).

[87]  Eduardo Salas,et al.  Principles for Measuring Teamwork Skills , 1992 .

[88]  R. Stearns.  Convergent transfer schemes for $N$-person games , 1968 .

[89]  Andrzej Bieszczad,et al.  Application-oriented network modeling with mobile agents , 1998, NOMS 98 1998 IEEE Network Operations and Management Symposium.

[90]  Tucker Balch.  Taxonomies of Multirobot Task and Reward , 2002 .

[91]  J. Hackman.  A Normative Model of Work Team Effectiveness , 1983 .

[92]  Bruce Randall Donald,et al.  Information Invariants for Distributed Manipulation , 1995, Int. J. Robotics Res..

[93]  Rajiv Vohra,et al.  Coalitional Non-Cooperative Approaches to Cooperation , 1997 .

[94]  Martin E. Dyer,et al.  Formulating the single machine sequencing problem with release dates as a mixed integer program , 1990, Discret. Appl. Math..

[95]  Sarit Kraus,et al.  Multiagent Negotiation under Time Constraints , 1995, Artif. Intell..

[96]  Rachid Alami,et al.  M+: a scheme for multi-robot cooperation through negotiated task allocation and achievement , 1999, Proceedings 1999 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (Cat. No.99CH36288C).

[97]  Miguel A. Salido,et al.  Heuristic Methods for Solving Job-Shop Scheduling Problems , 2000, PuK.

[98]  V. Klee,et al.  HOW GOOD IS THE SIMPLEX ALGORITHM , 1970 .

[99]  Nicholas R. Jennings,et al.  Generating coalition structures with finite bound from the optimal guarantees , 2004, Proceedings of the Third International Joint Conference on Autonomous Agents and Multiagent Systems, 2004. AAMAS 2004..

[100]  Brian P. Gerkey,et al.  Are ( explicit ) multi-robot coordination and multi-agent coordination really so different ? , 2004 .

[101]  Robin R. Murphy,et al.  Emotion-based control of cooperating heterogeneous mobile robots , 2002, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[102]  Daniele Nardi,et al.  Multirobot systems: a classification focused on coordination , 2004, IEEE Transactions on Systems, Man, and Cybernetics, Part B (Cybernetics).

[103]  Anand R. Tripathi,et al.  Robustness and security in a mobile-agent based network monitoring system , 2004 .

[104]  Li Pheng Khoo,et al.  The Potential of Intelligent Software Agents in the World Wide Web in Automating Part Procurement , 1998 .

[105]  Andrew Jennings,et al.  A Personal News Service Based on a User Model Neural Network , 1992 .

[106]  Patrick D. Ulam,et al.  When Good Comms Go Bad: Communications Recovery For Multi-Robot Teams , 2003 .

[107]  Maja J. Mataric,et al.  Broadcast of local eligibility: behavior-based control for strongly cooperative robot teams , 2000, International Conference on Autonomous Agents.

[108]  Rodney Fort,et al.  “Competitive Balance in Sports Leagues: An Introduction” , 2003 .

[109]  Yoram Koren,et al.  The vector field histogram-fast obstacle avoidance for mobile robots , 1991, IEEE Trans. Robotics Autom..

[110]  Reid G. Smith,et al.  The Contract Net Protocol: High-Level Communication and Control in a Distributed Problem Solver , 1980, IEEE Transactions on Computers.

[111]  Fang Tang,et al.  Coalescent multi-robot teaming through ASyMTRe: a formal analysis , 2005, ICAR '05. Proceedings., 12th International Conference on Advanced Robotics, 2005..

[112]  Hiroaki Kitano,et al.  The RoboCup Synthetic Agent Challenge 97 , 1997, IJCAI.

[113]  Gaurav S. Sukhatme,et al.  Most valuable player: a robot device server for distributed control , 2001, Proceedings 2001 IEEE/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems. Expanding the Societal Role of Robotics in the the Next Millennium (Cat. No.01CH37180).

[114]  Sarit Kraus,et al.  Cooperative Goal-satisfaction without Communication in Large-scale Agent-Systems , 1996, ECAI.