Autonomous robotic bridging using distributed swarm control without inter-agent communication
Authors: Vishwaak C. Thamaraiselvan, Cody L. Lundberg, Michail Theofandis, Suhas Chelian, Nicholas R. Gans
Organizations: The University of Texas at Arlington Research Institute (UTARI), Fort Worth, TX
Abstract
We describe SCARAB--Swarm-Capable Autonomous Robotic Aquatic Bridging. Using distributed swarm control and multi-model sensing of agents and docking targets, agents can localize themselves, join into formations and proceed to desired target locations. Our technologies would eventually allow the Army to perform unpredictable, dispersed river crossings, enhance crew survivability, and minimize the logistics footprint compared to the current Improved Ribbon Bridge. Our methods operate without GPS or RF communications, though these can be used in non-contested environments (e.g., civilian disaster relief for flooding, etc.). We demonstrate our system via physics-engine-based simulation of several agents using unmanned surface vehicles (USVs) in the presence of currents and wind.