This paper reports on experiments conducted as part of the DARPA SDR (Software for Distributed Robotics) program. The core challenge for this program is to develop a system capable of carrying out ‘locate-and-protect’ missions: the system must be able to deploy a large number of robots into an unexplored building, map the building interior, locate a valued object, detect and track intruders, and transmit all of the above information to a remote observer/operator. To satisfy these requirements, we have developed a large heterogeneous robot team consisting of approximately 80 robots. This paper sketches the key technical elements of this system, and presents selected results from externally supervised experiments conducted in a 600 m2 indoor environment.
Andrew Howard, Lynne E. Parker, Gaurav S. Sukhatme