23,678 research outputs found
Optimal View Angle in Collective Dynamics of Self-propelled Agents
We study a system of self-propelled agents in which each agent has a part of
omnidirectional or panoramic view of its sensor disc, the field of vision of
the agent in this case is only a sector of a disc bounded by two radii and the
included arc. The inclination of these two radii is characterized as the view
angle. Contrary to our intuition, we find that, the non-omnidirectional-view
for swarm agents with periodic boundary conditions in noiseless Vicsek model
can accelerate the transient process of the emergence of the ordered state. One
consequent implication is that, there are generally superfluous communications
in the Vicsek Model, which may even obstruct the possible fast swarm emergence.
This phenomenon may invoke further efforts and attentions to explore the
underlying mechanism of the emergence in self-propelled agents.Comment: 4 pages, 6 figure
Low-cost embedded system for relative localization in robotic swarms
In this paper, we present a small, light-weight, low-cost, fast and reliable system designed to satisfy requirements of relative localization within a swarm of micro aerial vehicles. The core of the proposed solution is based on off-the-shelf components consisting of the Caspa camera module and Gumstix Overo board accompanied by a developed efficient image processing method for detecting black and white circular patterns. Although the idea of the roundel recognition is simple, the developed system exhibits reliable and fast estimation of the relative position of the pattern up to 30 fps using the full resolution of the Caspa camera. Thus, the system is suited to meet requirements for a vision based stabilization of the robotic swarm. The intent of this paper is to present the developed system as an enabling technology for various robotic tasks
The Role of Projection in the Control of Bird Flocks
Swarming is a conspicuous behavioural trait observed in bird flocks, fish
shoals, insect swarms and mammal herds. It is thought to improve collective
awareness and offer protection from predators. Many current models involve the
hypothesis that information coordinating motion is exchanged between neighbors.
We argue that such local interactions alone are insufficient to explain the
organization of large flocks of birds and that the mechanism for the exchange
of long-ranged information necessary to control their density remains unknown.
We show that large flocks self-organize to the maximum density at which a
typical individual is still just able to see out of the flock in many
directions. Such flocks are marginally opaque - an external observer can also
just still see a substantial fraction of sky through the flock. Although
seemingly intuitive we show that this need not be the case; flocks could easily
be highly diffuse or entirely opaque. The emergence of marginal opacity
strongly constrains how individuals interact with each other within large
swarms. It also provides a mechanism for global interactions: An individual can
respond to the projection of the flock that it sees. This provides for faster
information transfer and hence rapid flock dynamics, another advantage over
local models. From a behavioural perspective it optimizes the information
available to each bird while maintaining the protection of a dense, coherent
flock.Comment: PNAS early edition published online at
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/doi/10.1073/pnas.140220211
- …