Embedded technique-based formation control of multiple wheeled mobile robots with application to cooperative transportation

The cooperative transportation problem for multiple wheeled mobile robots (WMRs) via formation control is investigated in this paper. A formation control algorithm based on an embedded technique is proposed for cooperative transportation of a shared object using $n$-WMRs. Instead of relying on the conventional design philosophy directly based on formation errors, the proposed algorithm is divided into two parts by considering the communication topology and WMRs’ dynamics “separately”. The first part involves a distributed signal generator that generates desired trajectories for the WMRs based on their initial positions, the formation vector, and the desired trajectory of the object. The second part consists of tracking controllers to enable the WMRs to track their desired trajectories. The proposed algorithm is distributed and differs from the existing cooperative transportation algorithms, as it eliminates the requirement for all WMRs to know the object’s position. Moreover, it exhibits remarkable compatibility and features a concise modular design. With the proposed algorithm, WMRs achieve formation in finite time. Theoretical proof supports the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm, which is further validated through several conducted experiments.