A Case Study in Recovery of Drones using Discrete-Event Systems
Liam P. Burns, Dayse M. Cavalcanti, Felipe G. Cabral, Max H. de Queiroz, Melissa Greeff + 2 more
TLDR
This paper presents a hybrid discrete-event system for drone swarms, enabling lost UAVs to safely recover and re-enter controlled regions.
Key contributions
- Proposes a hybrid DES architecture for robust swarm drone recovery.
- Combines a high-level discrete-event supervisor with a low-level continuous controller.
- Enables lost drones to safely re-enter controlled regions after faults or attacks.
- Demonstrated with 10 simulated UAVs across four distinct recovery scenarios.
Why it matters
Applying discrete-event systems to swarm robotics is a novel approach for ensuring robust, correct-by-construction behavior. This work provides a practical method for drone recovery, enhancing safety and reliability in autonomous swarms. It addresses a critical challenge in real-world drone operations.
Original Abstract
Discrete-event systems and supervisory control theory provide a rigorous framework for specifying correct-by-construction behavior. However, their practical application to swarm robotics remains largely underexplored. In this paper, we investigate a topological recovery method based on discrete-event-systems within a swarm robotics context. We propose a hybrid architecture that combines a high-level discrete event systems supervisor with a low-level continuous controller, allowing lost drones to safely recover from fault or attack events and re-enter a controlled region. The method is demonstrated using ten simulated UAVs in the py-bullet-drones framework. We show recovery performance across four distinct scenarios, each with varying initial state estimates. Additionally, we introduce a secondary recovery supervisor that manages the regrouping process for a drone after it has re-entered the operational region.
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