Heterogeneous Multi-Robot Teams

Complicated tasks may be too difficult for a single robot to accomplish alone or a team of homogenous robots to dexterously accomplish. Thus, coordination of a heterogeneous team of robots can allow the completion of a complicated task that a team of only one sub-group would be incapable of achieving. For example, aerial robots exhibit several advantages over ground robots, including the ability to maneuver through complex three-dimensional environments and gather data from vantages inaccessible to ground robots. However, aerial robots also have several limitations that reduce their applicability, such as the need for wireless communication and a limited onboard power supply that restricts the platform’s payload capacity and flying time. On the other hand, ground robots can carry large payloads and requisite computing power and communications hardware. In this project, we are investigating how heterogeneous teams of ground and aerial robots can work together to in efficient ways to accomplish various tasks that would not be possible with a single or homogenous team of robots.