A novel approach for locating and hunting dynamic targets in unknown environments

Hunting a dynamic target that exhibits random and unexpected behavior in an unknown environment poses significant challenges. In this research paper, we propose a novel method for efficiently localizing and hunting such targets by leveraging collaborative work among a team of hunters. The target provides one type of signal that lacks precise target location data, resembling an unstable GPS, and the hunters are not sophisticated robots, which means they can only exploit this information. The hunting process is divided into four stages: exploration, summoning, encircling, and hunting. During the exploration stage, the hunters actively search for the target. Once a hunter detects the target, the summoning stage is initiated, alerting the other hunters to converge on the target’s location. As more than one robot detects the target, the encircling stage begins, aiming to surround the target for effective capture. Finally, during the hunting stage, multiple robots work together to capture the target. The efficiency and effectiveness of this method are validated through numerical simulations using MATLAB and the ROS-Gazebo simulator. The results demonstrate the promising potential of this method for successfully localizing and hunting dynamic targets in unknown environments.