English

Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Multi-Target Tracking using Cellular Sheaves

Systems and Control 2026-01-01 v1 Multiagent Systems Systems and Control Algebraic Topology

Abstract

Multi-agent target tracking in the presence of nonlinear dynamics and agent heterogeneity, where state-space dimensions may differ, is a challenging problem that traditional graph Laplacian methods cannot easily address. This work leverages the framework of cellular sheaves, a mathematical generalization of graph theory, to natively model such heterogeneous systems. While existing coordination sheaf frameworks focus on cooperative problems like consensus, this work extends them to the non-cooperative target-tracking problem. The tracking of multiple, unknown targets is formulated as a harmonic extension problem on a cellular sheaf, accommodating nonlinear dynamics and external disturbances for all agents. A decentralized control law is developed using the sheaf Laplacian, and a corresponding Lyapunov-based stability analysis is provided to guarantee tracking error convergence, with results validated by simulation.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2512.24886,
  title  = {Heterogeneous Multi-Agent Multi-Target Tracking using Cellular Sheaves},
  author = {Tyler Hanks and Cristian F. Nino and Joana Bou Barcelo and Austin Copeland and Warren Dixon and James Fairbanks},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2512.24886},
  year   = {2026}
}

Comments

8 pages

R2 v1 2026-07-01T08:46:57.536Z