Distributed object manipulation using a mobile multi-agent system

This paper presents a collaborative formation holding that translates and rotates an oversized object to a predefined reference location, utilizing a swarm of robots. Geometric equations and guidance feedback laws were derived for the swarm members to autonomously transport the object to its final location and orientation. Previous research in the field of cooperative robotics has been limited by the cost and space requirements of the swarm's individual agents. Our developed Arachne System provides a reconfigurable platform that is both low-cost and small-scale. The system consists of centimeter-scale mobile robots able to communicate wirelessly and interact with their environment. The entire configuration consists only of a webcam, laptop, and the robots themselves. The Arachne System was employed in the solution and implementation of the group box pushing challenge. Experimental results illustrate the capabilities of the system and the applicability of our approach.