Shape capture assisted by traditional tools
VAST'07 Proceedings of the 8th International conference on Virtual Reality, Archaeology and Intelligent Cultural Heritage
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This thesis addresses rigid formations of autonomous agents. A key element in all future multi-agent systems will be the role of sensor and communication networks as an integral part of coordination. Network topologies are critically important for autonomous systems involving mobile underwater, ground and air vehicles and for sensor networks. This thesis focuses on developing techniques and strategies for the analysis and design of sensor and network topologies required to achieve a rigid formation for cooperative tasks. We address using different types of information, such as distances, directions, bearings, and angles between agents, to maintain rigid formations. Energy efficiency and communication bandwidth are critically important in formations of mobile autonomous agents, and hence strategies that make efficient use of power and energy are beneficial. Therefore, we develop topologies for providing sensing and communications with the minimum number of links, and propose methods requiring the minimum number of changes in the set of links in dynamic missions and maneuvers, including agent departure from a rigid formation, splitting a rigid formation and merging rigid sub-formations. To do this in a systematic manner, it is necessary to develop a framework for modeling agent formations that characterizes the communication/sensing links needed to maintain the formations. The challenge is that a comprehensive theory of such topologies of formations with sensing/communication limitations is in the earliest stage of development. We propose to use triangulations for creating sensing/communication links between agents. We address their local properties in rigidity. In particular, we propose to use the Delaunay triangulations. We address their geometric properties that are useful in formations. We also address and formulate the localization problem in sensor networks and formations of multiple mobile autonomous agents. Then we propose to use global rigidity in the study of this problem. Central to the development of these techniques and strategies will be the use of tools from rigidity theory, discrete and computational geometry, CAD programming and graph theory.