Virtual Field Testing for Performance Evaluation of Cooperative Multiple Robots

Abstract

AbstractThis paper presents the field testing in virtual environments for performance evaluation of cooperative multi-robot systems. Once motions of robots, objects of interests are modeled, a real-like virtual environment is created. Robots are then physically linked to the virtual environment within a simulator and cooperatively operate in the environment. Unlike a real field testing, the virtual testing allows users to evaluate performance of cooperation of robots both in qualitative and quantitative ways. Additionally, due to its easiness of controlling the environmental conditions the virtual testing can be effectively utilized for testing multi robot cooperation under the same or different conditions. In this paper, a team of multiple robots are assigned to one or more missions in the virtual environment, and their cooperative performances are numerically analyzed within the simulator.