Short Title: Int. J. Mech. Eng. Robot. Res.
Frequency: Bimonthly
Professor of School of Engineering, Design and Built Environment, Western Sydney University, Australia. His research interests cover Industry 4.0, Additive Manufacturing, Advanced Engineering Materials and Structures (Metals and Composites), Multi-scale Modelling of Materials and Structures, Metal Forming and Metal Surface Treatment.
2025-04-27
2025-04-02
2025-02-28
Manuscript received December 3, 2024; revised January 15, 2025; accepted February 14, 2025; published April 27, 2025
Abstract—In this study, we present a dynamic robotic formation control algorithm designed to manage multiple nodes of robots that alternate activity in a coordinated manner. The approach leverages a combination of alternating activation, formation maintenance, and collision detection mechanisms to ensure robust performance in environments with multiple robotic units. Specifically, the algorithm activates different nodes of robots in a predefined sequence, allowing them to take turns executing tasks while maintaining a stable formation. Each robot in the active node computes its direction based on a potential field method, balancing attractive and repulsive forces to maintain desired distances from other robots and stationary points. Additionally, our algorithm integrates collision detection to prevent overlap and ensure safe movement of the robots. This framework was implemented and tested in a simulated environment, demonstrating its effectiveness in maintaining formations and preventing collisions. Our results highlight the potential of the proposed method for applications in autonomous multi-robot systems, such as search and rescue, environmental monitoring, and warehouse automation.Keywords—dynamic robot formation, multi-robot system, collision detection, formation algorithm, autonomous robots, alternating activation, simulation Cite: Le Minh Triet and Nguyen Truong Thinh, "Formation Control of Mobile Robots Using a Beacon-Based Algorithm with Alternating Node Activation," International Journal of Mechanical Engineering and Robotics Research, Vol. 14, No. 2, pp. 212-228, 2025. doi: 10.18178/ijmerr.14.2.212-228Copyright © 2025 by the authors. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited (CC BY 4.0).