Simulation of Three-Robot Formation Control with Leader-Follower Implementation

Robot formation control represents a typical multi-robot collaboration scenario where algorithms enable multiple robots to maintain specific formations while moving. For three-robot formation control, we can implement the leader-follower pattern to achieve stable formation movement.

In the leader-follower pattern, one robot acts as the leader that follows a predefined trajectory, while the other two robots serve as followers that adjust their movements based on the leader's position and formation requirements. Followers continuously calculate position deviations relative to the leader using distance and angle measurements, then apply PID controllers or potential field methods to adjust their velocity and orientation in real-time, ensuring formation stability.

The animation effect can be achieved by setting robot motion trajectories and implementing real-time position updates. For instance, using rigid body dynamics to simulate robot movement combined with coordinate transformation calculations (through homogeneous transformation matrices) to determine target positions for follower robots. Formations can be triangular, linear, or other geometric shapes depending on application requirements - implemented through formation configuration matrices that define relative positions.

This simulation approach is not only applicable to robotics research but can also be extended to scenarios like UAV formations and autonomous vehicle platoons, demonstrating broad practical application value across various autonomous systems.