Self-coordinating mobile robots using a specialized image processor

A system for autonomously coordinating the paths of a mobile robot in a multiple robot environment is described. It is based on a specialized image processor for recognizing structured environments. The image processing gives the position of one robot and the position of other robots that are in its field of view in real-time. Self-coordination is obtained for each robot by making a local analysis of positions and velocities of the mobile robots that appear in its field of view. The control system models the robots situations as a force field, and commands the necessary orders for navigation in a structured environment, adapting dynamically the trajectory to new situations