Multi-robot task planning and control under spatiotemporal specifications
Multi-robot task planning and control under temporal logic specifications has been gaining increasing attention in recent years due to its applicability among others in autonomous systems, manufacturing systems, service robotics and intelligent transportation. Initial approaches considered qualitative logics, such as Linear Temporal Logic, whose automata representation facilitates the direct use of model checking tools for correct-by-design control synthesis. In many real world applications however, there is a need to quantify spatial and temporal constraints, e.g., in order to include deadlines and separation assurance bounds. This led to the use of quantitative logics, such as Metric Interval and Signal Temporal Logic, to impose such spatiotemporal constraints. However, the lack of automata representations for such specifications hinders the direct use of model checking tools. Motivated by this, the use of transient control methodologies that fulfil the aforementioned qualitative constraints becomes evident. In this talk, we review some of our recent results in applying transient control techniques, and in particular Model Predictive Control, Barrier Certificates based design and Prescribed Performance Control, to distributed multi-robot task planning under spatiotemporal specifications. The results are supported by relevant experimental validations.