Collective robotics

越来越多的人希望通过多机器人系统(MRS)来解决偏远(月球或火星)和危险环境(水下或灾区)中的一些挑战，而单机器人系统无法充分解决这些挑战。与单机器人相比，MRS具有巨大的优势，因为它通过并行执行提高了效率，通过冗余实现了健壮性，并且通过空间分布和异构性实现了多功能性。该方案中描述的研究将集中于通过检查两个重要任务来开发多机器人系统(MRS)的分散控制算法：集体决策和集体构造。由于MRS的集中式控制算法在数学上是已知的，因此目前的大多数研究都是针对分散式解决方案。幸运的是，大自然为我们提供了各种感兴趣的问题的存在证明和具体的算法，以建立分散的MRS算法。该提案概述了两个MRS算法的发展步骤：集体决策算法(CDMA)-受蚂蚁物种的巢穴重新定位算法的启发-以及信息素辅助集体构建(PACC)，灵感来自社会昆虫在筑巢时使用的两种基本机制：耻辱和信息素。研究活动将涉及一些研究生。

Increasingly, people are looking to multi-robot systems (MRS) for solutions to some of the challenges in remote (Moon or Mars) and dangerous environments (underwater or disaster zones) that can not be adequately addressed by single-robot systems. A MRS enjoys tremendous advantages over its single-robot counterpart due to its efficiency through parallel execution, its robustness through redundancy, and its versatility through spatial distribution and heterogeneity. The research described in this proposal will focus on developing decentralized control algorithms for a multi-robot system (MRS) through the examination of two important tasks: collective decision making and collective construction. Because centralized control algorithms for a MRS are known to be mathematically intractable, most of the current research is directed toward decentralized solutions. Fortunately, nature has provided us with both existence proof and specific algorithms to follow for various problems of interest on which to build decentralized MRS algorithms.  This proposal outlines the steps toward the development of two MRS algorithms: Collective Decision Making Algorithm (CDMA) - motivated by the nest relocation algorithm of an ant species - and Pheromone Assisted Collective Construction (PACC) inspired by the two basic mechanisms used by social insects in building their nests: stigmergy and pheromone.  The research activities will involve a number of graduate students.