Control of Multi-Agent and Networked Systems

ECCS-0725433SpongIntelligence优点：此项目包含一系列问题，不仅涉及自主代理，还涉及人在环中系统。尽管近年来在自主机器人控制方面取得了相当大的进展，但在实践中，即使是一辆无人驾驶车辆通常也需要地面上的一组人类来监测和控制任务。我们的研究旨在扭转这一比例，以便更少的人能够控制更大的代理网络。我们的研究将有助于从根本上理解这种联网的机器人系统，这些系统必须在复杂的、非结构化的环境中运行，并通过彼此之间可能不可靠的通信网络进行通信，以及与人类操作员进行远距离通信。这项研究将以既提高机器人网络中可能的自主性水平，又提高人类和机器人在复杂任务中协同工作的能力的方式，将通信、控制和计算整合在一起。这种复杂系统的健壮性不能仅靠单个组件的健壮性保证来实现，而是需要新的解决方案来解决许多跨学科的研究问题，例如人-机器人交互的稳定性和透明度、对不可靠通信网络的控制以及基于传感器的多代理系统控制。广泛的影响：这里提出的研究将影响许多未来的技术，如改进的远程外科系统、在事故现场协助急救人员的技术、搜索和救援应用，以及许多类型的远程科学研究，如在海底环境、雨林环境或北极环境中进行的实验。远程建筑、危险环境的远程清理、地雷搜索和远程停用，只是半自动人/机器人交互所产生的众多应用中的一小部分。该项目的实验室部分也将吸引并使大量本科生参与到研究中来。

ECCS-0725433SpongIntellectual Merit:This project encompasses a range of issues involving not only autonomous agents but also human-in-the-loop systems. Although there have been considerable advances in control of autonomous robots in recent years, in practice, even a single unmanned vehicle typically requires a team of humans on the ground to monitor and control the mission. Our research is aimed at reversing this ratio so that a smaller number of humans can control a larger network of agents. Our research will contribute to the fundamental understanding of such networked robotic systems that must operate in complex, unstructured environments and communication over possibly unreliable communication networks with one another and over a distance with human operators. This research will integrate communication, control, and computing in ways that will both increase the level of autonomy possible in robot networks and the ability of humans and robots to work together in complex tasks. Robustness in such complex systems cannot be achieved by robustness guarantees for individual components alone but requires new solutions to many interdisciplinary research problems, such as stability and transparency in human-robot interaction, control over unreliable communication networks, and sensor-based control of multi-agent systems.Broader Impacts:The research proposed here will impact numerous future technologies, such as telemedicine, including improved tele-surgical systems, technologies to assist first responders at accident scenes, search and rescue applications, and remote scientific studies of many kinds, such as experiments conducted in undersea environments, rain forest environments, or arctic environments. Remote construction, remote cleanup of hazardous environments,land mine search and remote deactivation, are just a few of the numerous applications that can result from semi-autonomous human/robot interaction. The laboratory component of the project will also attract and enable a significant number of undergraduate students to become involved in the research.