Swarm Robotics: Dynamic and self-organising mobile robot systems

移动机器人正日益成为创造更具活力的制造系统的推动者。预计这些系统将迅速适应不断变化的要求，并对干扰做出更具弹性的反应。这对于大型结构、高度复杂的产品组装流程尤其有趣，这些流程传统上依赖于具有非常严格的高成本结构的专用且僵化的自动化解决方案。预计成群结队的移动机器人将允许对组装、物流和检查活动进行更动态的调度。然而，这类动态系统的复杂相互作用和涌现特性还没有被完全理解，需要深入研究。该博士项目将为优秀的候选人提供机会来探索新的分布式控制方法，以管理越来越多具有各种不同技能(处理能力)的交互移动机器人。将探索群体机器人的最新算法，以设计具有高度弹性的新兴行为的移动系统，这是航空航天和汽车应用所需的。动态任务规划(中央一级)与当地自力更生(独立移动机器人控制)相结合，可能会在该项目中发挥关键作用。基于代理的技术以及Robot操作系统将被用于为未来的动态制造控制系统提供信息。

Mobile robots are increasingly emerging as enablers to create more dynamic manufacturing systems. These systems are expected to quickly adjust to changing requirements and respond more resiliently to disturbances. This is particularly interesting for large structures, highly complex product assembly processes that traditionally rely on dedicated and inflexible automation solutions with very rigid high cost structures. Swarms of mobile robots are expected to allow more dynamic scheduling of assembly, logistics and inspection activities. However, the complex interactions and emergent properties of such dynamic systems have not yet been fully understood and need in depth investigation.This PhD project will provide the opportunity for an excellent candidate to explore new distributed control methods to manage an increasingly larger fleets of interacting mobile robots with various different skills (process capabilities). Latest algorithms from swarm robotics will be explored to design mobile systems with highly resilient emerging behaviours required for aerospace and automotive applications. A combination of dynamic mission planning (central level) with local self-reliance (independent mobile robot control) will likely play a key role in this project. Agent-based technology as well as the Robot Operating System will be used to inform future dynamic manufacturing control systems.