A Real-time Continuous Sweeping Strategy for Multiple Cleaning Robots

Abstract

As mobile robots have a great potential of supporting human-kind, opportunities arise for their usage in current severe Covid-19 pandemic. In this paper, we propose a methodology that could help in fighting corona virus and all other infections that are still there. We present continuous area sweeping and disinfecting task wherein a squad of cleaning robots should visit all points in an environment repeatedly having fixed area and perform disinfection in minimum possible time. Our proposed method builds the roadmap to perform partitioning of an area and then estimating the minimum number of cleaning robots required to quickly execute the task, in order to combat the spread of any virus. The technique will also eliminate the need for cleaners to be in contact with surfaces and thereby reducing risk of picking up the virus from potentially contaminated areas. We characterize, both theoretically and in simulation, the efficiency of this proposed negotiation-based approach.