Decentralized Control of Distributed Manipulators: An Information Diffusion Approach

This paper introduces a self-organizing decentralized controller employing an information diffusion mechanism to govern the behavior of surface-based distributed manipulators. These systems utilize independently controlled actuators arranged in a grid for precise positioning and orientation of objects. The proposed approach is demonstrated in a simulated virtual environment with a generic distributed manipulator. The system's self-organization capabilities are evaluated through experiments involving objects of varying sizes and shapes. The results show the robustness, fault tolerance, and performance of the system. The approach's high level of abstraction makes it versatile for different actuation principles and sensing devices, focusing on the essential information and module capabilities needed for the task. Code available at [5].