Safe and Energy-Aware Multi-Robot Density Control via PDE-Constrained Optimization for Long-Duration Autonomy
For multi-robot systems operating in long-duration autonomy, this work provides a novel method to simultaneously enforce safety and energy constraints at the density level.
This paper introduces a density control framework for multi-robot systems that ensures spatial safety and energy sustainability by integrating control Lyapunov and barrier functions with Fokker-Planck PDEs. The approach enables real-time command adjustment and is validated through multi-robot experiments and simulations under uncertainties.
This paper presents a novel density control framework for multi-robot systems with spatial safety and energy sustainability guarantees. Stochastic robot motion is encoded through the Fokker-Planck Partial Differential Equation (PDE) at the density level. Control Lyapunov and control barrier functions are integrated with PDEs to enforce target density tracking, obstacle region avoidance, and energy sufficiency over multiple charging cycles. The resulting quadratic program enables fast in-the-loop implementation that adjusts commands in real-time. Multi-robot experiment and extensive simulations were conducted to demonstrate the effectiveness of the controller under localization and motion uncertainties.