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Stigmergic algorithms for multiple minimalistic robots on an RFID floor

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Abstract

Stigmergy is a powerful principle in nature, which has been shown to have interesting applications to robotic systems. By leveraging the ability to store information in the environment, robots with minimal sensing, memory, and computational capabilities can solve complex problems like global path planning. In this paper, we discuss the use of stigmergy in minimalist multi-robot systems, in which robots do not need to use any internal model, long-range sensing, or position awareness. We illustrate our discussion with three case studies: building a globally optimal navigation map, building a gradient map of a sensed feature, and updating the above maps dynamically. All case studies have been implemented in a real environment with multiple ePuck robots, using a floor with 1,500 embedded radio frequency identification tags as the stigmergic medium. Results collected from tens of hours of real experiments and thousands of simulated runs demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach.

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Notes

  1. Texas Instruments Tag-it® HF-I plus transponders operating at 13.56 MHz.

    Fig. 2
    figure 2

    Snapshots of the test environment. a Four robots during a gas source localization experiment. b A removable obstacle used in the dynamic environment experiment

    Full size image

  2. http://www.e-puck.org/.

  3. SkyeTex SkyeModule® M1 (http://www.skyetek.com).

  4. MiCs-5521 metal oxide gas sensor by e2v Technologies.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. AASS Cognitive Robotic Systems Lab, Örebro University, Örebro, Sweden

    Ali Abdul Khaliq, Maurizio Di Rocco & Alessandro Saffiotti

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  1. Ali Abdul Khaliq
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  2. Maurizio Di Rocco
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  3. Alessandro Saffiotti
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Correspondence to Ali Abdul Khaliq.

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Khaliq, A.A., Di Rocco, M. & Saffiotti, A. Stigmergic algorithms for multiple minimalistic robots on an RFID floor. Swarm Intell 8, 199–225 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11721-014-0096-0

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