{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,3,11]],"date-time":"2026-03-11T16:22:11Z","timestamp":1773246131849,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":51,"publisher":"Cambridge University Press (CUP)","issue":"8","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2018,4,15]],"date-time":"2018-04-15T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1523750400000},"content-version":"unspecified","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/terms"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Robotica"],"published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,8]]},"abstract":"<jats:title>SUMMARY<\/jats:title><jats:p>The field of robotics has received significant attention in our society due to the extensive use of robotic manipulators; however, recent advances in the research on autonomous vehicles have demonstrated a broader range of applications, such as exploration, surveillance, and environmental monitoring. In this sense, the problem of efficiently building a model of the environment using cooperative mobile robots is critical. Finding routes that are either length or time-optimized is essential for real-world applications of small autonomous robots. This paper addresses the problem of multi-robot area coverage path planning for geophysical surveys. Such surveys have many applications in mineral exploration, geology, archeology, and oceanography, among other fields. We propose a methodology that segments the environment into hexagonal cells and allocates groups of robots to different clusters of non-obstructed cells to acquire data. Cells can be covered by lawnmower, square or centroid patterns with specific configurations to address the constraints of magneto-metric surveys. Several trials were executed in a simulated environment, and a statistical investigation of the results is provided. We also report the results of experiments that were performed with real Unmanned Aerial Vehicles in an outdoor setting.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1017\/s0263574718000292","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2018,4,15]],"date-time":"2018-04-15T10:43:17Z","timestamp":1523788997000},"page":"1144-1166","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":55,"title":["Multi-robot coverage path planning using hexagonal segmentation for geophysical surveys"],"prefix":"10.1017","volume":"36","author":[{"given":"H\u00e9ctor","family":"Azp\u00farua","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Gustavo M.","family":"Freitas","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Douglas G.","family":"Macharet","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Mario F. M.","family":"Campos","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"56","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2018,4,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref31","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/MCS.2013.2287568"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref30","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/0278364907085789"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref9","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1002\/rob.4620050202"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref47","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/TIT.1982.1056489"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref21","unstructured":"R. J. Meuth , J. L. Vian , E. W. Saad and D. C. Wunsch , \u201cAdaptive multi-vehicle area coverage optimization system and method,\u201d (2012). US Patent 8,260,485."},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref4","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1515\/9781400841103","volume-title":"The Traveling Salesman Problem: A Computational Study","author":"Applegate","year":"2007"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref7","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/BF02574671"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref1","first-page":"1","volume-title":"Exploring Artificial Intelligence in the New Millennium","author":"Thrun","year":"2002"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref3","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/s16122169"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref10","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1016639210559"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref26","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"N. Hazon , F. Mieli and G. A. Kaminka , \u201cTowards Robust On-Line Multi-Robot Coverage,\u201d Proceedings of the 2006 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation ICRA (2006) pp. 1710\u20131715.","DOI":"10.1109\/ROBOT.2006.1641953"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref15","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"W. H. Huang , \u201cOptimal Line-Sweep-Based Decompositions for Coverage Algorithms,\u201d Proceedings of the 2001 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation ICRA, vol. 1 (2001) pp. 27\u201332.","DOI":"10.1109\/ROBOT.2001.932525"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref25","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1023\/A:1016610507833"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref29","unstructured":"C. Luo , S. X. Yang and D. A. Stacey , \u201cReal-Time Path Planning with Deadlock Avoidance of Multiple Cleaning Robots,\u201d Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation ICRA, vol. 3 (2003) pp. 4080\u20134085."},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref36","volume-title":"The Vehicle Routing Problem","author":"Toth","year":"2001"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref19","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"H. Choset and P. Pignon , \u201cCoverage Path Planning: The Boustrophedon Cellular Decomposition,\u201d In: International Conference on Field and Service Robotics, Canberra, Australia (Springer, 1998) pp. 203\u2013209.","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4471-1273-0_32"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref2","first-page":"28","article-title":"Command control for many-robot systems","volume":"10","author":"Gage","year":"1992","journal-title":"Unmanned Syst. Mag."},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref20","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/TCYB.2014.2309898"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref8","unstructured":"Y. Guo and M. Balakrishnan , \u201cComplete Coverage Control for Nonholonomic Mobile Robots in Dynamic Environments,\u201d Proceedings of the 2006 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation ICRA (2006) pp. 1704\u20131709."},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref48","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"H. I. A. Perez-imaz , P. A. F. Rezeck , D. G. Macharet and M. F. M. Campos , \u201cMulti-Robot 3d Coverage Path Planning for First Responders Teams,\u201d Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Automation Science and Engineering CASE (2016) pp. 1374\u20131379.","DOI":"10.1109\/COASE.2016.7743569"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref12","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/70.59357"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref27","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"N. Agmon , N. Hazon and G. A. Kaminka , \u201cConstructing Spanning Trees for Efficient Multi-Robot Coverage,\u201d Proceedings of the 2006 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation ICRA (2006) pp. 1698\u20131703.","DOI":"10.1109\/ROBOT.2006.1641951"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref11","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.robot.2013.09.004"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref14","unstructured":"E. Peless , S. Abramson , R. Friedman and I. Peleg , \u201cArea coverage with an autonomous robot,\u201d (2003). US Patent 6,615,108."},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref17","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"G. E. Jan , C. Luo , L.-P. Hung and S.-T. Shih , \u201cA Computationally Efficient Complete Area Coverage Algorithm for Intelligent Mobile Robot Navigation,\u201d Proceedings of the International Joint Conference on Neural Networks IJCNN (2014) pp. 961\u2013966.","DOI":"10.1109\/IJCNN.2014.6889862"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref46","unstructured":"T. Xiaochong , B. Jin , J. Song and Z. Yongsheng , \u201cThe Subdivision of Partial Geo-Grid Based on Global Geo-Grid Frame,\u201d Proceedings of the ISPRS Workshop on Updating Geo-spatial Databases with Imagery & The 5th ISPRS Workshop on DMGISs, Urumchi: Xinjiang, China (2007) pp. 229\u2013235."},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref23","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/978-1-4612-0871-6"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref5","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/0166-218X(94)90008-6"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref39","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"K. Easton and J. Burdick , \u201cA Coverage Algorithm for Multi-Robot Boundary Inspection,\u201d Proceedings of the 2005 IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation ICRA (2005) pp. 727\u2013734.","DOI":"10.1109\/ROBOT.2005.1570204"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref6","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"B. Englot and F. S. Hover , \u201cSampling-Based Coverage Path Planning for Inspection of Complex Structures,\u201d In: 22nd International Conference Automated Planning and Scheduling, Sao Paulo, Brazil (Jun. 25\u201329, 2012) pp. 29\u201337, Palo Alto, CA: AAAI Press.","DOI":"10.1609\/icaps.v22i1.13529"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref13","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1177\/027836402320556359"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref22","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1016\/j.adhoc.2012.06.013"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref16","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"P. A. Jimenez , B. Shirinzadeh , A. Nicholson and G. Alici , \u201cOptimal Area Covering Using Genetic Algorithms,\u201d Proceedings of the IEEE\/ASME International Conference on Advanced Intelligent Mechatronics (2007) pp. 1\u20135.","DOI":"10.1109\/AIM.2007.4412480"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref32","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"221","DOI":"10.1007\/978-4-431-35873-2_22","volume-title":"Distributed Autonomous Robotic Systems","author":"Maza","year":"2007"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref34","unstructured":"Y.-S. Jiao , X.-M. Wang , H. Chen and Y. Li , \u201cResearch on the Coverage Path Planning of UAVs for Polygon Areas,\u201d Proceedings of the 5th IEEE Conference on Industrial Electronics and Applications ICIEA (2010) pp. 1467\u20131472."},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref35","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/s151127783"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref37","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10846-016-0348-x"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref38","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"R. Mannadiar and I. Rekleitis , \u201cOptimal Coverage of a Known Arbitrary Environment,\u201d Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation ICRA (2010) pp. 5525\u20135530.","DOI":"10.1109\/ROBOT.2010.5509860"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref40","unstructured":"G. S. C. de Avellar , Navega\u00e7\u00e3o de Ve\u00edculos A\u00e9reos N\u00e3o Tripulados Para Cobertura de \u00c1reas com Minimiza\u00e7\u00e3o de Tempo Master's Thesis, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), CDU: 621.3(043) (2014)."},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref41","unstructured":"X. Zheng and S. Koenig , \u201cRobot Coverage of Terrain with Non-Uniform Traversability,\u201d Proceedings of the IEEE\/RSJ International Conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems IROS (2007) pp. 3757\u20133764."},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref24","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1007\/s10472-009-9120-2"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref44","unstructured":"M. E. Snyder , Foundations of Coverage Algorithms in Autonomic Mobile Sensor Networks Ph.D. Thesis (Missouri University of Science and Technology, 2014)."},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref45","volume-title":"Discrete Global Grids: A Web Book","author":"Clarke","year":"2002"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref49","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1142\/S0218195998000230"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref28","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"A. Breitenmoser , M. Schwager , J.-C. Metzger , R. Siegwart and D. Rus , \u201cVoronoi Coverage of Non-Convex Environments with a Group of Networked Robots,\u201d Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation ICRA (2010) pp. 4982\u20134989.","DOI":"10.1109\/ROBOT.2010.5509696"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref50","first-page":"99","article-title":"On a measure of divergence between two statistical population defined by their population distributions","volume":"35","author":"Bhattacharyya","year":"1943","journal-title":"Bull. Calcutta Math. Soc."},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref51","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.1109\/TCOM.1967.1089532"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref43","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.2307\/2371320"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref18","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"A. Xu , C. Viriyasuthee and I. Rekleitis , \u201cOptimal Complete Terrain Coverage Using An Unmanned Aerial Vehicle,\u201d Proceedings of the IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation ICRA (2011) pp. 2513\u20132519.","DOI":"10.1109\/ICRA.2011.5979707"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref42","first-page":"33","article-title":"Aeromagnetic surveys: Principles, practice and interpretation","volume":"50","author":"Reeves","year":"2005","journal-title":"Course Unit i"},{"key":"S0263574718000292_ref33","unstructured":"E. Santamaria , F. Segor and I. Tchouchenkov , \u201cRapid Aerial Mapping with Multiple Heterogeneous Unmanned Vehicles,\u201d In: Proceedings of the 10th International ISCRAM Conference, Kristiansand, Norway (May 24\u201327, 2015)."}],"container-title":["Robotica"],"original-title":[],"language":"en","link":[{"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/services\/aop-cambridge-core\/content\/view\/S0263574718000292","content-type":"unspecified","content-version":"vor","intended-application":"similarity-checking"}],"deposited":{"date-parts":[[2023,9,2]],"date-time":"2023-09-02T03:45:06Z","timestamp":1693626306000},"score":1,"resource":{"primary":{"URL":"https:\/\/www.cambridge.org\/core\/product\/identifier\/S0263574718000292\/type\/journal_article"}},"subtitle":[],"short-title":[],"issued":{"date-parts":[[2018,4,15]]},"references-count":51,"journal-issue":{"issue":"8","published-print":{"date-parts":[[2018,8]]}},"alternative-id":["S0263574718000292"],"URL":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1017\/s0263574718000292","relation":{},"ISSN":["0263-5747","1469-8668"],"issn-type":[{"value":"0263-5747","type":"print"},{"value":"1469-8668","type":"electronic"}],"subject":[],"published":{"date-parts":[[2018,4,15]]}}}