Multi-Robot Collaboration for Robust Exploration

Abstract

This report presents a new sensing modality for multirobot exploration.
The approach is based on using a pair of robots that observe each other's
behavior, acting in concert to reduce odometry errors. We assume the robots
can both directly sense nearby obstacles and see each other. The proposed
approach improves the quality of the map by reducing the inaccuracies that
occur over time from dead reckoning errors. Furthermore, by exploiting
the ability of the robots to see each other, we can detect opaque obstacles
in the environment independently of their surface reflectance properties.
Two different algorithms, based on the size of the environment, are introduced,
with a complexity analysis, and experimental results in simulation and
with real robots.