Coalition formation problem: a capability-centric analysis and general model

Coalition formation (CF) refers to reasonably organizing robots and/or humans to form coalitions that can satisfy mission requirements, attracting more and more attention in many fields such as multirobot collaboration and human-robot collaboration. However, the analysis on CF problems remains limited. To provide a valuable study reference for researchers interested in CF, this paper proposed a capability-centric analysis of the CF problem. The key problem elements of CF are firstly extracted by referencing the concepts of the 5W1H method. That is, objects (who) form coalitions (what) to accomplish missions (why) by aggregating capabilities (how) in a specific environment (where-when). Then, a multi-view analysis of these elements and their correlation in terms of capabilities is proposed through various logic diagrams, structure charts, etc. Finally, to facilitate a deeper understanding of capability-centric CF, a general mathematical model is constructed, demonstrating how the different concepts discussed in this analysis contribute to the overall model.