My research interests have revolved around formation control and motion planning in multi-agent systems. The focus of my research has been the analysis and synthesis of distributed control laws for reaching variety of formations through activity consensus. The use of consensus algorithms for achieving coordination in a group of mobile agents is inspired by diverse areas such as statistical physics and dynamical systems, biology, ecology and in computer graphics. The main underlying theme of this line of research is to analyze and synthesize spatially distributed control architectures that can be used for motion coordination of large groups of autonomous vehicles. A distinguishing approach in our studies of motion coordination in a multi-agent system is that the information flow/neighboring relationship of agents is represented by appropriate graphs. As part of my PhD thesis I have focused on the following problems: (a) designing biologically inspired control laws for formation control of mobile robots, and (b) coordination and control of under-actuated systems with nonholonomic constraints. Many tools from algebraic graph theory, nonlinear control theory and differential geometry can then be used for stability analysis and synthesis of control laws to reach the desired global objectives.

Biologically Inspired Control

Coordination of Under-actuated Systems

 

[ Home ] [ Project 1 ] [ Project 2 ]

Last modified: 01/12/08