In this paper, we address the large-scale shepherding control problem using a continuification-based strategy. We consider a scenario in which a large group of follower agents (targets) must be confined within a designated goal region through indirect interactions with a controllable set of leader agents (herders). Our approach transforms the microscopic agent-based dynamics into a macroscopic continuum model via partial differential equations (PDEs). This formulation enables efficient, scalable control design for the herders' behavior, with guarantees of global convergence. Numerical and experimental validations in a mixed-reality swarm robotics framework demonstrate the method's effectiveness.
@article{arxiv.2411.04791,
title = {A Continuification-Based Control Solution for Large-Scale Shepherding},
author = {Beniamino Di Lorenzo and Gian Carlo Maffettone and Mario di Bernardo},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2411.04791},
year = {2024}
}