BIB-VERSION:: CS-TR-v2.0 ID:: ncstrl.dartmouthcs//TR98-332 ENTRY:: June 05, 1998 ORGANIZATION:: Dartmouth College, Computer Science TITLE:: Multiscouting: Guiding distributed manipulation with multiple mobile sensors TYPE:: Technical Report (paper) REVISION:: 1 AUTHOR:: Ross, Michael G. DATE:: June 1998 RETRIEVAL:: For a paper copy, email RETRIEVAL:: For a paper copy, write to Technical Report Librarian Department of Computer Science Dartmouth College 6211 Sudikoff Laboratory Hanover, NH 03755-3510 USA RETRIEVAL:: Compressed Postscript at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/reports/TR98-332.ps.Z RETRIEVAL:: PDF at http://www.cs.dartmouth.edu/reports/TR98-332.pdf ABSTRACT:: This thesis investigates the use of multiple mobile sensors to guide the motion of a distributed manipulation system. In our system, multiple robots cooperatively place a large object at a goal in a dynamic, unstructured, unmapped environment. We take the system developed in [Rus, Kabir, Kotay, Soutter 1996], which employs a single mobile sensor for navigational tasks, and extend it to allow the use of multiple mobile sensors. This allows the system to perform successful manipulations in a larger class of spaces than was possible in the single scout model. We focus on the development of a negotiation protocol that enables multiple scouts to cooperatively plan system motion. This algorithm enhances the previous' system's scalability and adds greater fault-tolerance. Two alternate algorithms for cooperation: a modification of negotiation and a bidding protocol, are also discussed. Finally, an implementation of the negotiation protocol is described and experimental data produced by the implementation is analyzed. NOTE:: Senior Honors Thesis. Advisor: Daniela Rus. Source code available by ftp END:: ncstrl.dartmouthcs//TR98-332