ABSTRACT

Networked robot systems are ensembles of robots that enhance

their individual capabilities by sharing perception, computation,

and actuation capabilities with each other to solve problems that

an individual robot could not solve alone. In this chapter, we

focus on architectures and control of autonomous networked robot

systems that communicate wirelessly. We will first provide an

overview of current networked robot platforms that span three

orders of magnitude in size (from millimeters to meters); operate

on the ground, in the air, and underwater; and are networked

using light, sound, and radio. We will then describe classes of

algorithms and their analysis used for coordination of teams of

robots, focusing on reactive and deliberative algorithms for sharing

perception, computation, and actuation. The chapter is concluded

with a summary of current challenges and promising directions.