Importance of embodiment towards co-operation in multi robot systems

The work presented in this thesis relates to one of the major ongoing problems in robotics: Developing control architectures for cooperation in Multi Robot Systems (MRS). It has been widely accepted that Embodiment is a prime requirement for Robotics. However, in the case of MRS research, two major shortfalls were identified. First, it was highlighted that no effort had been made into research platforms for Embodied MRS. Second, it was also observed that, generally, the more units in an MRS the lower their capabilities and as a result the poorer their degree of embodiment. These two issues were addressed separately. Firstly, a novel concept for MRS development platform named 'Re-embodiment' is presented. Re-embodiment aims to facilitate research on control systems for MRS by minimising the effort required to ensure that the robots remain embodied and situated. Using Re-embodiment, researchers can implement and test largely different control algorithms at virtually the same time on large fleets of robots. Secondly, an innovative mono vision distance measurement algorithm is presented. The intention is to provide a cheap, yet information rich, sensory input that can be realistically implemented on large fleet of robots. After a 'one off calibration of the image sensor, distances from the robot to objects in its environment can be estimated from single frames.EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

Importance of embodiment towards co-operation in multi robot systems

The work presented in this thesis relates to one of the major ongoing problems in robotics: Developing control architectures for cooperation in Multi Robot Systems (MRS). It has been widely accepted that Embodiment is a prime requirement for Robotics. However, in the case of MRS research, two major shortfalls were identified. First, it was highlighted that no effort had been made into research platforms for Embodied MRS. Second, it was also observed that, generally, the more units in an MRS the lower their capabilities and as a result the poorer their degree of embodiment. These two issues were addressed separately. Firstly, a novel concept for MRS development platform named 'Re-embodiment' is presented. Re-embodiment aims to facilitate research on control systems for MRS by minimising the effort required to ensure that the robots remain embodied and situated. Using Re-embodiment, researchers can implement and test largely different control algorithms at virtually the same time on large fleets of robots. Secondly, an innovative mono vision distance measurement algorithm is presented. The intention is to provide a cheap, yet information rich, sensory input that can be realistically implemented on large fleet of robots. After a 'one off calibration of the image sensor, distances from the robot to objects in its environment can be estimated from single frames