Navigation and Bearing-only Cascade Formation Control for Robots Using Panel and Leader-Follower Method

Abstract

This paper proposes an autonomous navigation method for a leader robot based on the panel method. Bearing-only cascade formation control for robots are achieved using a leader-follower approach and is found to be effective in complex obstacle environments, which is a single-directional cascade structure for multi-robot queuing. In this formation, each robot serves as both a follower to its predecessor and a leader to its successor, with intermediate robots simultaneously fulfilling both roles. The follower robots are constrained to only perceive the bearing information of their immediate leader. To demonstrate the proposed method, a collision-free path is first planned for the leader robot using the panel method along the streamline direction from the point of departure to the ending point. Next, a cascade multi-robot formation in a complex obstacle environment is established using the leader-follower method. Finally，the effectiveness and feasibility of the leader robot and multi-robot formations are verified through simulation.