Surrounding robots -- A discrete localized solution for the intruder problem

Decentralized algorithms are often used in the cooperative robotics field, especially by large swarm systems. We present a distributed algorithm for a problem in which a group of autonomous mobile robots must surround a given target. These robots are oblivious, i.e., they have no memory of the past. They use only local sensing and need no dedicated communication among themselves. We introduce, then solve the problem in which the group of autonomous mobile robots must surround a given target – we call it the “discrete multiorbit target surrounding problem” (DMTSP). We evaluate our solution using simulation and prove that our solution invariably ensures that robots enclose the target in finite time.