Algorithm for distributed heterogeneous robot-human teams

Abstract

This dissertation presents a set of three closely related studies conducted by me during my Doctoral studies. The studies focus on two immensely important aspects of Robotics; control of the cooperative multi-robot system and human-robot interactions. I have taken several attempts to understand these two aspects. In particular, I have investigated the autonomous control of the multi-robot system which uses a distributed algorithm for autonomous decision making and also facilitating human interaction with the robots. I have found that it could provide a lot of insights from the field of robotic perception and control. I have also used these examples to apply them in different heterogeneous multi-robot systems. The result of my research work is an integrated control model for a human and multi-robot team system. My study discovered an important knowledge gap. My research also innovated novel tools with a good theoretical foundation to address the research gap. My study also validated the result with real-world data collected during different thoroughly executed experiments. My research can be carefully organized into three major studies that have been well documented and published in renowned scientific venues. These three studies together cover a multitude of dimensions of control of multi-robot systems and human-robot interactions with multi-robot systems. These studies involve extensive research, application design, engineering, and development of heterogeneous multi-robot systems with a focus on human-robot interaction. In this dissertation, I have comprehensively documented my studies. Therefore, I firmly believe my research has been contributed to the field of Robotics and improved our understanding of multi-robot teams and human interaction.