2024/07/05 by Martyn Lemon, Yongqiang Wang, Lemon, Martyn +1
Engineering · #FOS: Computer and information sciences #FOS: Electrical engineering #Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence #Robotics (cs.RO) #Systems and Control (eess.SY) #electronic engineering #information engineering
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2407.04832
openalex publication_date 2024/07/05 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/28
Synchronization and desynchronization in networks is a highly studied topic in many electrical systems, but there is a distinct lack of research on this topic with respect to robotics. Creating an effective decentralized synchronization algorithm for a robotic network would allow multiple robots to work together to achieve a task and would be able to adapt to the addition or loss of robots in real-time. The purpose of this study is to improve algorithms implemented developed by the authors for this purpose and experimentally evaluate these methods. The most effective algorithm for synchronization and desynchronization found in a former study were modified to improve testing and vary its methods of calculation. A multi-robot platform composed of multiple Roomba robots was used in the experimental study. Observation of data showed how adjusting parameters of the algorithms affected both the time to reach a desired state of synchronization or desynchronization and how the network maintained this state. Testing three different methods on each algorithm showed differing results. Future work in cooperative robotics will likely see success using these algorithms to accomplish a variety of tasks.