Formation Alignment of Multiple Autonomous Vehicles

A table-top experiment on formation alignment of three air-levitated robotic vehicles has been performed to demonstrate the feasibility of a more general concept of controlling multiple robotic vehicles to make them move in specified positions and orientations with respect to each other. The original intended application of the concept is in the control of multiple spacecraft flying in formation, as described in “Synchronizing Attitudes and Maneuvers of Multiple Spacecraft” (NPO-20569) on page 64 in this issue of NASA Tech Briefs. In principle, the concept could also be applied on Earth to control formation flying of aircraft or to coordinate the motions of multiple robots, land vehicles, or ships.