Task management in a multi-robot environment

Contemporary computer technology allows robotic cells to communicate and cooperate, However, this expanded functionality requires more intelligence and better management of the cooperating robots. This paper presents a software methodology to accommodate real time constraints imposed by cooperating robots, or any other task related constraint, This methodology is general and is capable of handling a large variety of exceptions such as task failures, sensor interruptions, and equipment failures, The methodology presented treats exceptions as tasks with special features; hence, the methodology expands into task management in a general robotic cell. The methodology can accommodate failures independent of any hardware, In addition to the obvious functional benefits, this approach also allows easier development of robotic tasks, and improved portability of tasks among systems. The methodology is demonstrated using an example with two cooperating robots. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.