An Effective Simple Shepherding Algorithm Suitable for Implementation to a Multi-Mmobile Robot System

In this paper, a simple and effective shepherding algorithm is presented. The shepherding is to guide or control a flocking behavior by one or more external agents which called shepherds. In general, a complex strategy is necessary for treating with a flock which has a lot of members. We propose a simple scheme using only simple rules like boid´s rule proposed by C. Raynolds. Behavior of the shepherd is derived from only simple rules. The validity of the proposed method is confirmed for demonstrations a flock with a lot of members which is herded by single to two shepherds and the limitations are discussed. The computer simulations show that the proposed method is possible to control a flock with about 25 members by single shepherd and about 30 members by two shepherds. Furthermore, the autonomous cooperation for two shepherds can be generated by the proposed rules