Predictive Control for Behavior Generation of Omni-directional Robots

This paper describes the approach developed by the CAMBADA robotic soccer team to address physical constraints regarding omni-directional motion control, with special focus on system delay. CAMBADA robots carry inherent delays which associated with discrete time control results in non-instant, non-continuous control degrading the performance over time. Besides a natural maximum velocity, CAMBADA robots have also a maximum acceleration limit implemented at software level to provide motion stability as well as current peaks avoidance on DC motors. Considering the previous constraints, such as the cycle time and the overall sensor-action delay, compensations can be made to improve the robot control. Since CAMBADA robots are among the slowest robots in the RoboCup Medium Size League, such compensations can help to improve both several behaviours as well as a better field coverage formation.