Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Containment Control : Reviving Turtlebot2 for Escort Mission

Summary

The TurtleBot2 was release to the public in 2012 and while capable, outdated software makes them unable to be used for ROS2 research, and although some methods exist to make certain functions possible, there are no readily available examples combining both camera and motor functionality. Our project proves the feasibility of cooperative operation across different robotic platforms and provides a functional foundation for future escort mission research with the TurtleBot2s. With additional sensing and navigation capabilities, the framework we set can be expanded into a more advanced autonomous escort system and greatly benefit issues beyond the university setting.

Our project can influence future teams and graduate students working under our sponsor as well as others currently working with TurtleBot2s. They are now able to build off a functioning physical system of a heterogeneous robot team. Beyond the university environment, our project has potential applications in autonomous escort and convoy operations. With further development, heterogeneous robot teams could be used in research, industrial, public safety, or military settings to safely escort personnel, vehicles, or valuable assets through complex environments while minimizing human intervention and risks.

Technical Approach/Methodology

This project successfully demonstrated an autonomous heterogeneous robot team using the SpiderBot and TurtleBot2, integrating AprilTag tracking, ROS communication, and onboard sensing to achieve leader-follower behavior without human intervention. The primary robot (our spiderbot) acts as the escort leader and navigates through the environment, while a secondary robot (TurtleBot2) tracks and follows the leader using the Kinect Camera and control algorithms. The system maintains a safe following distance and continuously adjusts its motion in response to the leader's movements, illustrating the fundamentals of a cooperative multi-robot operation.

Outcomes

By the conclusion of our project we were able to present a physical demonstration of the leader-follower system with the SpiderBot and a TurtleBot2 respectively. Our system used a combination of April Tag sensing (done by the onboard Kinect camera on the TurtleBot2s) as well as code. The code tracked the size of the April Tags in the camera to ensure consistent distance maintained between the leader and follower. In addition, research was conducted on the capabilities of the TurtleBot3 as well as coding pathways that would allow the TurtleBot2s move respective to a map of their environment. The research that was done suggests success of a future system that would integrate the TurtleBot 3's LiDAR capabilities and TurtleBot2's environment detection through a pathway from onboard sensors to RViz (Robot Visualization) map creation and finally through code that adapts containment system navigation based off the map data.

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