2023 Author: Bryan Walter | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-05-21 22:24
The self-organizing systems research group at Harvard University has presented a method of collective interaction in a swarm, in which "extra" robots leave the group. The report was presented at the DARS 2016 conference, reports Motherboard.
Controlling a swarm or flock of robots that independently interact with each other is a relatively new challenge in robotics, so developers are constantly experimenting with different approaches. As a rule, if a swarm of robots is required to form a shape given by the program, they come together, taking up space. However, researchers from Harvard University decided to try the opposite approach, in which a swarm of robots is initially assembled into an ordered array, which, after starting the program, “crumbles” and some of the robots leave, and the rest form the required figure.
The researchers used Kilobots, a swarm of 1,024 robots that move with vibrating motors. Each Kilobot is equipped with a photodiode, an indicator LED and an infrared transmitter, with which robots can communicate with each other within a short distance of three neighboring robots. Initially, only one Kilobot, which is located in the center of the array, has information about the future figure, but then the robots independently exchange data and figure out their own location, the desired shape of the final figure and, based on this, determine their own role.
To demonstrate their approach, the authors of the report built a few simple shapes using a swarm of Kilobots. At the same time, a single source of light was used to control the swarm - after all the robots had decided on their role in shaping the figure, unnecessary robots determined whether to run from or to the light source, and the swarm scattered, leaving the desired shape in the center of the working area.
At the moment, most often, under the control of a swarm or flock of robots, they usually mean unmanned aerial vehicles, but there are other uses for self-organizing groups of robots. At the UIST 2016 conference, for example, an I / O interface was presented, which is a swarm of small autonomous robots.
