Automated Formation Control Synthesis from Temporal Logic Specifications

Abstract: In many practical scenarios, multi-robot systems are envisioned to support humans in executing complicated tasks within structured environments, such as search-and-rescue tasks. We propose a framework for a multi-robot swarm to fulfill complex tasks represented by temporal logic specifications. Given temporal logic specifications on the swarm formation and navigation, we develop a controller with runtime safety and convergence guarantees that drive the swarm to formally satisfy the specification. In addition, the synthesized controller will autonomously switch formations as necessary and react to uncontrollable events from the environment. The efficacy of the proposed framework is validated with a simulation study on the navigation of multiple quadrotor robots.