Ayushman Panda supervised by Prof. Kamalakar Karlapalem received his Master of Science – Dual Degree in Computer Science & Engineering (LCD). Here’s a summary of his research work on Capturing Hiders with Moving Obstacles

This study explores the classic hide-and-seek game as a model for real-world scenarios such as intruder capture in closed spaces and area surveillance. Unlike previous work that focused on static environments, this research investigates pursuit-evasion dynamics in the presence of moving obstacles. Traditionally, mobile entities in robotics are treated primarily as collision hazards. However, this thesis formalizes them as dynamic occlusions—mobile shields that cast dynamic shadows, which adversarial agents (hiders) can actively exploit to systematically contaminate previously cleared zones and stay hidden in the environment.

To neutralize this threat, we propose and rigorously evaluate a progression of novel multiagent search strategies for autonomous seeker agents. We first establish an uncoordinated Baseline model to quantify the inefficiency of random traversal, followed by a Greedy Set-Cover strategy that optimizes initial deployment position of seekers by formulating the environment as a discrete Art Gallery problem1. To achieve continuous spatial clearance, we introduce a systematic Sweep Strategy, a novel geometric traversal algorithm explicitly designed to actively encircle and neutralize the dynamic shadows cast by moving obstacles.

To overcome the topological rigidity and agent “clumping” inherent in strict geometric formations, we further develop the Multi-Sweep Strategy. This advanced algorithmic approach models search as a continuous topological frontier expansion. It utilizes linear sum assignment (the Hungarian algorithm) to dynamically optimize seeker target allocation based on shortest-path routing, ensuring maximum spatial distribution. Furthermore, to resolve the issue of unbounded pursuit when encountering moving obstacles, we introduce a mathematical “Frontier Sealing” mechanism, guaranteeing the neutralization of dynamic shadows without forcing seekers into infinite chase sequences.

Extensive empirical evaluations within a custom simulation environment validate these approaches. The results demonstrate the superior scalability, resource efficiency, and mathematically robust Time-to-Capture (TTC) of the proposed sweep strategies across complex, highly dynamic architectural topologies.

July 2026