3 research outputs found
A Decentralized Mobile Computing Network for Multi-Robot Systems Operations
Collective animal behaviors are paradigmatic examples of fully decentralized
operations involving complex collective computations such as collective turns
in flocks of birds or collective harvesting by ants. These systems offer a
unique source of inspiration for the development of fault-tolerant and
self-healing multi-robot systems capable of operating in dynamic environments.
Specifically, swarm robotics emerged and is significantly growing on these
premises. However, to date, most swarm robotics systems reported in the
literature involve basic computational tasks---averages and other algebraic
operations. In this paper, we introduce a novel Collective computing framework
based on the swarming paradigm, which exhibits the key innate features of
swarms: robustness, scalability and flexibility. Unlike Edge computing, the
proposed Collective computing framework is truly decentralized and does not
require user intervention or additional servers to sustain its operations. This
Collective computing framework is applied to the complex task of collective
mapping, in which multiple robots aim at cooperatively map a large area. Our
results confirm the effectiveness of the cooperative strategy, its robustness
to the loss of multiple units, as well as its scalability. Furthermore, the
topology of the interconnecting network is found to greatly influence the
performance of the collective action.Comment: Accepted for Publication in Proc. 9th IEEE Annual Ubiquitous
Computing, Electronics & Mobile Communication Conferenc
Tracking Multiple Fast Targets With Swarms: Interplay Between Social Interaction and Agent Memory
The task of searching for and tracking of multiple targets is a challenging
one. However, most works in this area do not consider evasive targets that move
faster than the agents comprising the multi-robot system. This is due to the
assumption that the movement patterns of such targets, combined with their
excessive speed, would make the task nearly impossible to accomplish. In this
work, we show that this is not the case and we propose a decentralized search
and tracking strategy in which the level of exploration and exploitation
carried out by the swarm is adjustable. By tuning a swarm's exploration and
exploitation dynamics, we demonstrate that there exists an optimal balance
between the level of exploration and exploitation performed. This optimum
maximizes its tracking performance and changes depending on the number of
targets and the targets' movement profiles. We also show that the use of
agent-based memory is critical in enabling the tracking of an evasive target.
The obtained simulation results are validated through experimental tests with a
decentralized swarm of six robots tracking a virtual fast-moving target
Adaptivity: a path towards general swarm intelligence?
The field of multi-robot systems (MRS) has recently been gaining increasing popularity among various research groups, practitioners, and a wide range of industries. Compared to single-robot systems, multi-robot systems are able to perform tasks more efficiently or accomplish objectives that are simply not feasible with a single unit. This makes such multi-robot systems ideal candidates for carrying out distributed tasks in large environments—e.g., performing object retrieval, mapping, or surveillance. However, the traditional approach to multi-robot systems using global planning and centralized operation is, in general, ill-suited for fulfilling tasks in unstructured and dynamic environments. Swarming multi-robot systems have been proposed to deal with such steep challenges, primarily owing to its adaptivity. These qualities are expressed by the system’s ability to learn or change its behavior in response to new and/or evolving operating conditions. Given its importance, in this perspective, we focus on the critical importance of adaptivity for effective multi-robot system swarming and use it as the basis for defining, and potentially quantifying, swarm intelligence. In addition, we highlight the importance of establishing a suite of benchmark tests to measure a swarm’s level of adaptivity. We believe that a focus on achieving increased levels of swarm intelligence through the focus on adaptivity will further be able to elevate the field of swarm robotics