Corresponding author: Man'ko Sergei V., D. Sc., Professor Moscow Technological University, Moscow, 119454, Russian Federation, e-mail: cpd@mirea.ru

Accepted on July 04, 2017

The article discusses a number of strategies intended to support and maintain informational interactions between a group of robots functioning as a collective of autonomous agents. The article demonstrates advantageousness of utilization of technology of mesh-networks building for the realization of wireless connections in multi-agent robotic systems. Also, the article substantiates importance and actuality of the connectivity maintenance, whose preservation in frames of the group asks for each of the agents to be in an area of reach of communication devices of at least one another agent of the group. An algorithm of control of the connectivity loss is proposed. Models and algorithms of planning of actions and control of the movement of the robot group taking maintenance of connectivity between agents into account are discussed. Two key problems are considered, the solution of which is necessary to ensure the reliable network inside MARS. The first task is the preservation or recovery
of the unity of the information space by reconfiguring the group of robots and assigning appropriate robots to the role of repeaters. The second task is maintaining of the unity of the information space of MARS in the process of its purposeful movement. To realize the first task, we propose an algorithm for the control for loss of the connectivity maintenance. It is based on finite state machines technology enabling change of the robot group’s configuration in an autonomous mode for providing the permanent presence of all agents in the area of the receiving and transmitting devices, at least for one agent in the group. To realize the second task, we propose an algorithm for maintaining a specified distance between the agents moving in a non-deterministic environment. This algorithm is based on potential field method and the A-star pathfinding algorithm.
Keywords: multi-agent robotic system, group control, wireless networking technology, group connectivity