PhD Student Paul Trodden, supported by EPSRC and BAE Systems
Decentralized Model Predictive Control solves a separate planning problem for separate subsystems but ensures satisfaction of coupled constraints. Breaking up the problem results in a five-fold reduction in computation time, compared to solving a single planning problem for the team. In the figure on the right, eight aircraft use DMPC to solve a conflict situation and all reach their goals successfully without colliding. Thanks to a new cooperation strategy, no one aircraft takes a "greedy" route that would disadvantage all others.
