Project Overview

Introduction

There have been numerous researches conducted for the development of algorithms that can be used for environment exploration and goal-seeking. A few prominent features in swarm robotics are that the robots used in the swarms are decentralized, cheaper to build, expendable, and have low intelligence on individual robots. One major characteristic which is reduced in the robot when they are built cheaper with less complexity is the processing power. So in environment exploration, the swarm robots should be equipped with algorithms simple enough to be run in primitive robots with low processing power. This research project will focus on the development of a lightweight exploration and goal-seeking algorithm for swarm robots with lower processing power and constrained sensing ability.

Research Questions

·       1. Does the available exploration and goal-seeking algorithms suitable for swarm robots with low processing power?

   2. Exploring the possibility of developing of an exploration and goal-seeking algorithm suitable for robots with low processing power and constrained environmental sensing abilities

Objectives

·         Analysing more existing algorithms for exploration and goal finding in detail.

·         Developing a set of rules, the robots will use during the communication with nearby robots.

·         Developing rules to define how messages will sent throughout the swarm.

     Developing a visualization program to visualize the robots during the testing of the algorithm.

Deliverables 

·         Two dimensional robotic simulator

·         Exploration and goal seeking algorithm

      Thesis report

Evaluation Strategy 

·         Exploration efficiency: Amount of are covered and time spent on searching for a goal

·         Adaptability: Assess the algorithm's ability to handle dynamic changes in the environment

·         Scalability: Measure the performance of the algorithm when the swarm size increases

    Gannt Chart