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A Multi-Level Architecture for Solving the Multi-Robot Task Allocation Problem Using a Market-Based Approach

Ali B. Bahgat, Omar M. Shehata, and El Sayed I. Morgan
Multi-Robot Systems (MRS) Research Group, German University in Cairo, Cairo, Egypt

Abstract— Several applications have been implemented since the advent of mobile robots. Such applications include, but are not limited to, performing search and rescue missions and optimizing the material handling process in automated warehouses. This high interest in the field of cooperative Multi-Robot Systems is due to their robustness and flexibility, in addition to their high performance and affordability. In this study, an algorithm for the Multi-Robot Task Allocation problem has been developed to incubate the two well-known approaches for system architectures which are centralized and decentralized approaches. The algorithm utilizes the advantages of both approaches in a Multi-level structure and uses an economic, Market-Based Approach, to solve the problem. Several attributes have been considered and encapsulated in the robots and tasks such as the energy levels of the robots, which play an important role in solving the task allocation problem. The algorithm has been tested on three different known environments with different complexities and sizes. Several scenarios have been tested by varying the number of robots and tasks. Results show high performance of the algorithm and its applicability in solving the Multi-Robot Task Allocation Problem. 

Index Terms—multi-robot systems, cooperative robots, auctioning, market-based approach, multi-level architecture, multi-robot task allocation

Cite: Ali B. Bahgat, Omar M. Shehata, and El Sayed I. Morgan, "A Multi-Level Architecture for Solving the Multi-Robot Task Allocation Problem Using a Market-Based Approach" International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol. 9, No. 2, pp. 293-298, February 2020. DOI: 10.18178/ijmerr.9.2.293-298

Copyright © 2020 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided that the article is properly cited, the use is non-commercial and no modifications or adaptations are made.