A class of intelligent agents for coordinated control of outdoor terrain mapping UGVs

This article develops a systems- and control-oriented intelligent agent framework called the hybrid intelligent control agent (HICA) and describes its composition into multiagent systems. It is essentially developed around a hybrid control system core so that knowledge-based planning and coordination can be integrated with verified hybrid control primitives to achieve the coordinated control of multiple multi-mode dynamical systems. The scheme is applied to the control of a team of unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) engaged in an outdoor terrain mapping task. Results are demonstrated experimentally.