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Nature-inspired dynamic control for pursuit-evasion of robots
KTH, School of Engineering Sciences (SCI), Mathematics (Dept.).
KTH, School of Architecture and the Built Environment (ABE), Urban Planning and Environment, Transport and Systems Analysis.ORCID iD: 0009-0005-1869-3495
Department of Mechanical and Automation Engineering, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong.
KTH, School of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science (EECS), Intelligent systems, Decision and Control Systems (Automatic Control).ORCID iD: 0000-0002-1927-1690
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2026 (English)In: Automatica, ISSN 0005-1098, E-ISSN 1873-2836, Vol. 183, article id 112629Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]

The pursuit-evasion problem is widespread in nature, engineering, and societal applications. It is commonly observed in nature that predators often exhibit faster speeds than their prey but have less agile maneuverability. Over millions of years of evolution, animals have developed effective and efficient strategies for pursuit and evasion. In this paper, we provide a dynamic framework for the pursuit-evasion problem of unicycle systems, drawing inspiration from nature. First, we address the scenario with one pursuer and one evader by proposing an Alert-Turn control strategy, which consists of two efficient ingredients: a sudden turning maneuver and an alert condition for starting and maintaining the maneuver. We present and analyze the escape and capture results at two levels: a lower level of a single run and a higher level with respect to parameters’ changes. In addition, we provide a theorem with sufficient conditions for capture. The Alert-Turn strategy is then extended to more complex scenarios involving multiple pursuers and evaders by integrating aggregation control laws and a target-changing mechanism. By adjusting a ‘selfish parameter’, the aggregation control commands produce various escape patterns of evaders: cooperative mode, selfish mode, and their combinations. The influence of the selfish parameter is quantified, and the target-changing mechanism is explored from a statistical perspective. Our findings align closely with observations in nature. Finally, the proposed strategies are validated through numerical simulations that replicate some chasing behaviors of animals in nature.

Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Elsevier BV , 2026. Vol. 183, article id 112629
Keywords [en]
Maneuverability, Nature-inspired control, Predator–prey, Pursuit-evasion, Unicycle systems
National Category
Other Mathematics Control Engineering Robotics and automation
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:kth:diva-371178DOI: 10.1016/j.automatica.2025.112629ISI: 001584510500002Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-105016785662OAI: oai:DiVA.org:kth-371178DiVA, id: diva2:2004631
Note

QC 20251008

Available from: 2025-10-08 Created: 2025-10-08 Last updated: 2025-12-05Bibliographically approved

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Zhou, PanpanLi, SiruiWahlberg, BoHu, Xiaoming

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Mathematics (Dept.)Transport and Systems AnalysisDecision and Control Systems (Automatic Control)Numerical Analysis, Optimization and Systems Theory
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Other MathematicsControl EngineeringRobotics and automation

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