Planning and control of multi-robot-object systems under temporal logic tasks and uncertain dynamics

• Published in: Robotics and autonomous systems 2024-04, Vol.174, p.104646, Article 104646
• Main Authors: Verginis, Christos K., Kantaros, Yiannis, Dimarogonas, Dimos V.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Action planning; Adaptive control; Motion planning; Multi-robot systems; Temporal logics
• ISSN: 0921-8890; 1872-793X; 1872-793X
• DOI: 10.1016/j.robot.2024.104646

We develop an algorithm for the motion and task planning of a system composed of multiple robots and unactuated objects under tasks expressed as Linear Temporal Logic (LTL) constraints. The robots and objects evolve subject to uncertain dynamics in an obstacle-cluttered environment. The key part of the proposed solution is the intelligent construction of a coupled transition system that encodes the motion and tasks of the robots and the objects. We achieve such a construction by designing appropriate adaptive control protocols in the lower level, which guarantee the safe robot navigation/object transportation in the environment while compensating for the dynamic uncertainties. The transition system is efficiently interfaced with the temporal logic specification via a sampling-based algorithm to output a discrete path as a sequence of synchronized actions of the robots; such actions satisfy the robots’ as well as the objects’ specifications. The robots execute this discrete path by using the derived low level control protocol. Numerical experiments verify the proposed framework. •Robot tasks expressed by temporal logics offer great versatility and efficiency.•Simple items/objects often have to undergo processes and tasks.•New algorithm provides robot actions that satisfy theirs and objects’ tasks.•Robot actions consist of robot navigation and cooperative object transportation.•Adaptive control is used to tackle uncertainty in robots’ and objects’ dynamics.