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A liquid sphere‐inspired physicomimetics approach for multiagent formation control
Author(s) -
Wang Xun,
Wang Xiangke,
Zhang Daibing,
Shen Lincheng
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
international journal of robust and nonlinear control
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.361
H-Index - 106
eISSN - 1099-1239
pISSN - 1049-8923
DOI - 10.1002/rnc.4252
Subject(s) - convergence (economics) , scalability , computer science , flexibility (engineering) , controller (irrigation) , multi agent system , function (biology) , mixing (physics) , simple (philosophy) , drop (telecommunication) , stability (learning theory) , control theory (sociology) , topology (electrical circuits) , control (management) , mathematics , physics , artificial intelligence , philosophy , statistics , epistemology , quantum mechanics , database , evolutionary biology , machine learning , combinatorics , agronomy , economics , biology , economic growth , telecommunications
Summary A liquid sphere‐inspired physicomimetics approach is presented for multiagent formation control. The agents are formulated as a liquid sphere, which is modeled by a virtual spring network. Then, a decentralized controller is obtained for each agent. The stability and convergence are proved. The scalability and flexibility are analyzed. Using the proposed approach, arbitrarily shaped formations can be obtained; and an extra agent can be added to a formation like mixing a drop of liquid into a liquid sphere. By designing extra virtual repulsive forces from obstacles, a formation avoids obstacles like a fluid flowing over obstacles or squeezing through narrow passages. The required number of communication links is N for N agents. The use of physicomimetics makes the approach computationally simple, and the physical meanings of the parameters definite. To illustrate the advantages of the proposed approach, a structural potential function‐based approach is selected as the comparative method. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the liquid sphere‐inspired formation control approach.