Multi-robot systems have many potential applications, including search and rescue, construction, terrain mapping, hazard detection, and material transport. Some benefits of multi-robot systems are robustness, which is the ability to withstand damage or the loss of several robots; flexibility, coming from the ability to rearrange the system physically and update algorithms; and scalability, the ability to change system size in a cost-effective way. Inspired by natural swarms, some modern robotic systems have large numbers of agents, possibly reaching into the thousands.

Papers:

J. Humann and E. Spero, “Modeling and simulation of multi-UAV, multi-operator surveillance systems,” in 2018 Annual IEEE International Systems Conference (SysCon). IEEE, 2018, pp. 1–8.

M. Gauci, R. Nagpal, and M. Rubenstein, Programmable Selfdisassembly for Shape Formation in Large-Scale Robot Collectives. Springer International Publishing, 2018, pp. 573–586.

E. Ordoukhanian and A. M. Madni, “Human-systems integration challenges in resilient multi-uav operation,” in International Conference on Applied Human Factors and Ergonomics. Springer, 2017, pp. 131–138.

T. J. Goodman, M. E. Miller, C. F. Rusnock, and J. M. Bindewald, “Effects of agent timing on the human-agent team,” Cognitive Systems Research, vol. 46, pp. 40–51, 2017.

R. A. Chadwick, “Operating multiple semi-autonomous robots: Monitoring, responding, detecting,” in Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society Annual Meeting, vol. 50, no. 3. SAGE Publications Sage CA: Los Angeles, CA, 2006, pp. 329–333.

V. F. Mancuso, G. J. Funke, M. B. Eckold, and A. J. Strang, “Human span-of-control in cyber operations: An experimental evaluation of fan-out,” in 18th International Symposium on Aviation Psychology, 2015.