Researchers from the Mälardalen University in Sweden, including Hiep Hong Trinh, Marjan Sirjani, Federico Ciccozzi, Abu Naser Masud, and Mikael Sjödin, have made significant strides in the field of multi-robot systems with their work on modelling and model-checking using Timed Rebeca. This research is poised to revolutionize the way autonomous systems are designed, verified, and implemented, offering a robust framework for ensuring the reliability and efficiency of complex robotic interactions.
The study focuses on the application of model-based development and formal verification techniques to multi-agent systems, particularly those involving multiple robots. Model-based development accelerates prototyping and allows for early validation of design intentions, which is crucial for systems with intricate asynchronous interactions and concurrency. Formal verification, specifically model-checking, provides an automated way to verify desired properties, ensuring that the system behaves as intended under various conditions.
Timed Rebeca, an actor-based modelling language, is at the heart of this research. It supports reactive, concurrent, and timed semantics, making it an ideal tool for modelling ROS2 node topographies, recurring physical signals, motion primitives, and other timed and time-convertible behaviors. The researchers have successfully demonstrated how to use Timed Rebeca to model and verify a multi-robot system, addressing the challenges of abstracting complex information and bridging the gap between discrete models and continuous systems.
One of the primary challenges in modelling multi-robot systems is the abstraction of complex information. The researchers developed various discretization strategies to handle different types of information, identifying the appropriate thresholds of abstraction to maintain model accuracy while compacting the state space. This approach ensures that the model remains manageable and computationally efficient, allowing for effective model-checking.
Efficient optimization techniques were also employed to enhance computational performance. These techniques help in boosting computations, making the model-checking process more feasible and practical for real-world applications. The researchers demonstrated the effectiveness of their methods through a round-trip engineering flow between the model and the implementation, showcasing how models can be used to design and verify multi-robot systems.
The released Rebeca and ROS2 codes serve as a foundation for modelling multiple autonomous robot systems. This work not only advances the field of robotics but also provides a valuable resource for researchers and developers working on similar projects. By leveraging model-based development and formal verification, the researchers have set a new standard for ensuring the reliability and efficiency of multi-robot systems, paving the way for future advancements in autonomous technologies. Read the original research paper here.