Next Article in Journal
Indoor Localization Using 6G Time-Domain Feature and Deep Learning
Previous Article in Journal
Comparative Analysis of Post Hoc Explainable Methods for Robotic Grasp Failure Prediction
Previous Article in Special Issue
Observer-Based Fixed-Time Consensus Tracking for a Class of Nonlinear Multi-Agent Systems
 
 
Search for Articles:
Title / Keyword
Author / Affiliation / Email
Journal
Article Type
 
 
Advanced Search
 
Section
Special Issue
Volume
Issue
Number
Page
 
Journals
Electronics
Volume 14
Issue 9
10.3390/electronics14091869
electronics-logo
Submit to this Journal Review for this Journal Propose a Special Issue
► Article Menu

Article Menu

share Share announcement Help format_quote Cite
first_page
settings
Order Article Reprints
Font Type:
Arial Georgia Verdana
Font Size:
Aa Aa Aa
Line Spacing:
Column Width:
Background:
This is an early access version, the complete PDF, HTML, and XML versions will be available soon.
Article

Cyber–Physical Multi-Robot Formation with a Communication Delays and a Virtual Agent Approach

by
Huber Giron-Nieto
1,
Eduardo Gamaliel Hernandez-Martinez
2,*,
Guillermo Fernandez-Anaya
3,
Enrique D. Ferreira-Vazquez
4,
José-Job Flores-Godoy
5,
Mario Ramírez-Neria
2 and
Andres Molano-Jimenez
6
1
Departamento de Ciencias e Ingenierias, Universidad Iberoamericana Puebla, Puebla 72820, Mexico
2
Instituto de Investigación Aplicada y Tecnología, Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de México, Mexico City 01219, Mexico
3
Departamento de Física y Matemáticas, Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de México, Mexico City 01219, Mexico
4
Engineering Department, Universidad Católica del Uruguay, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay
5
Departamento de Ciencias Exactas y Naturales, Universidad Católica del Uruguay, Montevideo 11600, Uruguay
6
Departamento de Estudios en Ingenieria para la Innovación, Universidad Iberoamericana Ciudad de México, Mexico City 01219, Mexico
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Electronics 2025, 14(9), 1869; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14091869 (registering DOI)
Submission received: 23 February 2025 / Revised: 10 April 2025 / Accepted: 30 April 2025 / Published: 3 May 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Advancements in Autonomous Agents and Multi-Agent Systems)
Versions Notes

Abstract

A cyber–physical multi-robot system integrates robotic agents that share data over communication networks in real time to achieve common objectives by making decisions collectively based on the knowledge of their surroundings. This work introduces a formation control strategy for two groups of mobile robots placed in two separate workspaces connected by a communication network. The control technique generates two similar formations on each workspace using virtual agents that mirror the behavior of the corresponding physical robot in the opposite workspace. Control laws are derived for a single integrator and unicycle-type real and virtual robots that converge to the desired formation, even in the presence of communication delays. The numerical simulations performed show the convergence of the control strategy. A low-cost cyber–physical micro-robot platform was developed to run experiments with real robots. The setup uses a camera as a position and orientation sensor and the MQTT protocol for server communication and data exchange. Results obtained on this platform show the feasibility of the approach in an actual physical setting.
Keywords: cyber–physical; formation control; mobile robots; unicycles; multi-agent systems; communication delays cyber–physical; formation control; mobile robots; unicycles; multi-agent systems; communication delays

Share and Cite

MDPI and ACS Style

Giron-Nieto, H.; Hernandez-Martinez, E.G.; Fernandez-Anaya, G.; Ferreira-Vazquez, E.D.; Flores-Godoy, J.-J.; Ramírez-Neria, M.; Molano-Jimenez, A. Cyber–Physical Multi-Robot Formation with a Communication Delays and a Virtual Agent Approach. Electronics 2025, 14, 1869. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14091869

AMA Style

Giron-Nieto H, Hernandez-Martinez EG, Fernandez-Anaya G, Ferreira-Vazquez ED, Flores-Godoy J-J, Ramírez-Neria M, Molano-Jimenez A. Cyber–Physical Multi-Robot Formation with a Communication Delays and a Virtual Agent Approach. Electronics. 2025; 14(9):1869. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14091869

Chicago/Turabian Style

Giron-Nieto, Huber, Eduardo Gamaliel Hernandez-Martinez, Guillermo Fernandez-Anaya, Enrique D. Ferreira-Vazquez, José-Job Flores-Godoy, Mario Ramírez-Neria, and Andres Molano-Jimenez. 2025. "Cyber–Physical Multi-Robot Formation with a Communication Delays and a Virtual Agent Approach" Electronics 14, no. 9: 1869. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14091869

APA Style

Giron-Nieto, H., Hernandez-Martinez, E. G., Fernandez-Anaya, G., Ferreira-Vazquez, E. D., Flores-Godoy, J.-J., Ramírez-Neria, M., & Molano-Jimenez, A. (2025). Cyber–Physical Multi-Robot Formation with a Communication Delays and a Virtual Agent Approach. Electronics, 14(9), 1869. https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics14091869

Note that from the first issue of 2016, this journal uses article numbers instead of page numbers. See further details here.

Article Metrics

Back to TopTop