In this paper we examined the possibility of having a groupof robots arranged in an open chain formation to adapt toa an external force profile using general curve evolutiontheory as abstraction. We also derived an alternative dis-tributed controller based on simple geometry and basic re-quirements on formation control and task accomplish-ment. Here, we complement the controller with variousnon-linear gains to ensure formation integrity. Thesetypes of formations have numerous applications in the un-derwater world, including adaptation to plume bounda-ries and isoclines of concentration fields, flock shepherd-ing, and shape formation.

Paper (pdf) | other publications