Multiple UAV Task Assignment using Descriptor Functions

The paper presents a preliminary application of a new methodology to the problem of task assignment, for a large number of unmanned vehicles operating in a cooperative and coordinated fashion. The proposed methodology uses the general concept of Descriptor Functions, to establish a relationship between tasks, their priority, and agents or groups of agents forming a large interconnected system. A bio-inspired model of the division of labor in colonies of social agents is used to derive a set of rules at the individual level that gives rise to agent specialization. Preliminary simulations show interesting results, and the potential of the proposed technique.