A Case Study in Recovery of Drones using Discrete-Event Systems
Abstract
Discrete-event systems and supervisory control theory provide a rigorous framework for specifying correct-by-construction behavior. However, their practical application to swarm robotics remains largely underexplored. In this paper, we investigate a topological recovery method based on discrete-event-systems within a swarm robotics context. We propose a hybrid architecture that combines a high-level discrete event systems supervisor with a low-level continuous controller, allowing lost drones to safely recover from fault or attack events and re-enter a controlled region. The method is demonstrated using ten simulated UAVs in the py-bullet-drones framework. We show recovery performance across four distinct scenarios, each with varying initial state estimates. Additionally, we introduce a secondary recovery supervisor that manages the regrouping process for a drone after it has re-entered the operational region.
Cite
@article{arxiv.2604.21740,
title = {A Case Study in Recovery of Drones using Discrete-Event Systems},
author = {Liam P. Burns and Dayse M. Cavalcanti and Felipe G. Cabral and Max H. de Queiroz and Melissa Greeff and Publio M. M. Lima and Karen Rudie},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.21740},
year = {2026}
}
Comments
Accepted for publication at WODES 2026; final version will appear in IEEE Xplore