Energy Consumption-weighted Path Planning for Passive Dual-mode Terrestrial-aerial Multi-robot Systems

This study proposes an energy-aware path planning algorithm for passive terrestrial-aerial dual-mode multi-robot systems that accounts for mode-dependent energy consumption. The proposed method employs a priority-based sequential planning and generates paths using energy consumed per unit distance in each mode. Energy consumption models derived from rotor angular speed are used to define a mode-specific cost function, enabling energy-efficient path generation. An aerial movement weight factor is also introduced to balance energy efficiency against mission completion time. The proposed method is evaluated in a ROS and Gazebo simulation environment with four robots across two scenarios: a cluttered environment and a narrow passage. Simulation results reveal that the proposed path planning method generates collision-free paths while reflecting the mode-specific energy consumption, and that tuning the aerial movement weight enables a trade-off between energy efficiency and mission duration.