Multi-Agent Distributed Coordination and Control For Aerial Systems

Abstract

This paper considers distributed multi-agent coordination and control to enable autonomy, tactical-level awareness, cognizance and swarm capabilities of autonomy-capable cyber-physical aerial systems. In complex dynamic environments, distributed algorithms and protocols should ensure robustness to communication and control constraints, such as bandwidth, data rate, latencies, throughput, uncertainties, etc. Decentralized coordination and control of networked nodes are researched. We solve problems in collaborative control, data management and networking of interdependent multi-agent systems. Unmanned aerial systems should ensure autonomy and cyberspace compliance. Adaptive collaborative control between agents and agents-pilot imply high-level hierarchy, distribution, micro- and macro-level decision-making, awareness, continual assurance, etc. Our results contribute to a cyclic observation-orientation-decision-action strategy in adversarial unstructured environments. We research, develop, integrate, test and evaluate practical techniques which are aimed to enable multi-domain aerial capabilities. This paper contributes to information-centric swarm solutions, researches algorithms, performs formative designs, and, experimentally validates fundamental and applied findings.