AUTONOMOUS MULTI-AGENT ROBOTIC SYSTEMS

机器人的使用已经从制造业的主要基地扩展到服务业，医疗保健以及地球和行星探索。在这种情况下，多智能体协作解决了部署，任务规划和控制的一组自主代理（传感器和/或操纵器安装在移动的平台）在一个共同的环境中运行，以实现一个全球性的目标，经常需要有效的人机交互。 正如最近政府和工业界资助的合作倡议所强调的那样，这种以人为本的机器人技术有很大的增长空间，这将使加拿大人口和许多关键行业受益。 我们提出的关于自主多智能体智能系统和相关机器人应用基础的变革性研究是创新的，具有许多预期的尖端，首次在该领域的贡献。 我们期望在两个协同主题上取得显着的进展：（1）多智能体跟踪，传感和操纵变形对象，（2）多智能体移动的团队的部署和运动协调。 总的来说，这些形成了宏观，毫米和微观机器人融合的重要一步。 子主题1： 本次主题的全球目标是在我们过去工作的基础上（即，主动视觉系统和超精密机器人），用于开发离线和实时方法，用于视觉跟踪，形状恢复和操纵先验未知的（可跟踪的）可变形物体。 这一分主题的三个长期目标是：（A）具有可变形表面的动态目标的在线视觉跟踪技术;（B）通过主动视觉进行可变形物体形状恢复的方法;以及（C）机器人操作规划的方法，包括响应检测到的物体形状变化的在线重新规划。 两个基于应用的短期计算机视觉项目的例子是：（D）操纵微型可变形物体，（E）辅助机器人。另一些将来自我们关于长期目标的工作。 分主题二： 本次主题的全球目标是在我们过去工作的基础上（即，多机器人和群机器人系统），用于开发多机器人团队部署和协调方法，用于在非结构化、杂乱和无边界环境中拦截（不可跟踪的）移动的目标。 这个子主题的三个长期目标是开发：（A）多机器人部署和协调的方法;（B）传感器网络部署的技术;（C）群机器人定位，形成和人机界面的方法。 四个基于应用的短期多机器人项目的例子是：（D）荒野搜索和救援（SAR），（E）城市SAR，（F）用于群体机器人的millli-robots，以及（G）用于群体机器人的AI。另一些将来自我们关于长期目标的工作。

The use of robots has been expanding from their principal base of manufacturing toward service industries, healthcare, and terrestrial and planetary exploration. In this context, multi-agent collaboration addresses the deployment, task planning, and control of a team of autonomous agents (sensors and/or manipulators mounted on mobile platforms) operating in a common environment to achieve a global goal, frequently, requiring effective human-robot interaction. As highlighted by recent collaborative Government- and Industryfunded initiatives, there exists significant room for growth in such human-centred robotics that would benefit the Canadian population in general and numerous key industries in specific. Our proposed transformative research on fundamentals of autonomous multi-agent intelligent systems and pertinent robotic applications is innovative, with numerous anticipated cutting-edge, first-in-the-field contributions. We expect to make notable advancements on two synergetic themes: (1) multi-agent tracking, sensing, and manipulation of deformable-objects, and (2) deployment and motion coordination of multi-agent mobile teams. Collectively, these form an important step in the convergence of the macro-, milli-, and micro-robotics. Sub-Theme 1: Our global objective for this Sub-Theme is to build on our past work (i.e., on active-vision systems and ultra-precision robots) for the development of off-line and real-time methods for the visual tracking, shape-recovery, and manipulation of a priori unknown, (trackable) deformable objects. The three long-term objectives of this Sub-Theme are to develop: (A) techniques for the on-line visual tracking of dynamic targets with deformable surfaces; (B) methods for deformable-object shape-recovery through active-vision; and, (C) approaches for robotic manipulation planning, including on-line re-planning in response to detected object-shape variability. Two example short-term application-based computer-vision projects are: (D) manipulation of micro-sized deformable objects, and (E) assistive robotics. Others will derive from our work on the long-term objectives. Sub-Theme 2: Our global objective for this Sub-Theme is to build on our past work (i.e., on multi-robot and swarm-robot systems) for the development of multi-robot team deployment and coordination methods for the interception of (untrackable) mobile targets in unstructured, cluttered, and boundless environments. The three long-term objectives of this Sub-Theme are to develop: (A) approaches for multi-robot deployment and coordination; (B) techniques for sensor-network deployment; and, (C) methods for swarm-robotics localization, formation, and human interfaces. Four example short-term application-based multi-robot projects are: (D) wilderness search and rescue (SAR), (E) urban SAR, (F) millli-robots for swarm robotics, and (G) AI for swarm robotics. Others will derive from our work on the long-term objectives.