Flexible and Scalable Aggregation Behavior Method for Swarm Robots

Abstract

Swarm robotics has emerged as an approach that aims to perform a task with similar robots with limited and simple abilities, unlike a few robots with superior skills. This approach has been revealed by being inspired by living creatures such as ants, termites and bees living in flocks. In Swarm robotics, they must be gathered together so that robots can coordinate between them. For this reason, Aggregation is one of the basic behaviors applied in swarm robotics. In this study, aggregation behavior method is proposed for swarm robots. The proposed aggregation method combines only the limited distance and angle sensing capabilities of the swarm robots with the same characteristics, without a central controller between them. The proposed aggregation method consists of approach and a common directional motion controller, as well as collision and obstacle avoidance controllers. The approach controller allows the robots to move in the direction of the majority of the robots entering the detection area. Because robots have limited detection areas, they are aggregated only with robots they detect. In such a situation, robots form robot groups among themselves. A motion controller is used in a common direction for the robot groups that are formed to join. The motion controller in the common direction allows the grouped robots to move in the same direction, coordinated in a certain direction. With the joint movement of robot groups, robots unite when they meet. A separate controller has been developed for swarm robots to come close enough to hit each other and avoid obstacles and collisions if they encounter an obstacle. Each robot combines with the self organizing aggregation method only by deciding on its own. There is no need for a decentralized control unit. The movement of the robots with the method of aggregation constitutes the self organization organization. In the study, the proposed aggregation method was performed by systematic experiments by changing the arena size and the number of robots where the swarm robots exhibit their behavior in matlab simulation environment. According to the results obtained from systematic experiments, the performance of the proposed aggregation behavior was evaluated.

Keywords

• Aggregation
• Swarm robotic
• Self-organization
• Coordinated movement
• Flocking

Sürü Robotları için Esnek ve Ölçeklenebilir Toplanma Davranışı Metodu

Öz

Sürü robotiği, bir görevi üstün yeteneklere sahip birkaç robotun gerçekleştirmesinden farklı olarak, sınırlı ve basit yeteneklere sahip benzer robotlarla gerçekleştirmeyi amaçlayan bir yaklaşım olarak ortaya çıkmıştır. Bu yaklaşım doğada sürü halinde yaşayan karıncalar, termitler ve arılar gibi canlılardan ilham alınarak ortaya koyulmuştur. Sürü robotiğinde robotların aralarında koordinasyon kurabilmeleri için bir araya toplanmalıdırlar. Bu sebepten toplanma sürü robotiğinde uygulanan temel davranışlardan biridir. Bu çalışmada sürü robotları için toplanma davranışı metodu önerilmiştir. Önerilen toplanma metodu aynı özelliklere sahip sürü robotlarının, aralarında merkezi bir kontrolcü olmadan sadece sınırlı mesafe ve açı algılama sensör verileri ile bir araya toplanmaktadırlar. Önerilen toplanma metodu yaklaşma ve ortak yönde hareket kontrolcüsü ayrıca çarpışmadan ve engelden kaçınma kontrolcülerinden oluşmaktadır. Yaklaşma kontrolcüsü sürü robotlarını algılama alanı içerine giren robotlardan çoğunluğun olduğu yöne ilerlemelerini sağlamaktadır. Robotlar sınırlı algılama alanına sahip olduğundan sadece algıladıkları robotlarla toplanırlar. Böyle bir durumda robotlar kendi aralarında robot grupları oluştururlar. Oluşan robot gruplarının birleşebilmeleri için ortak yönde hareket kontrolcüsü kullanılmaktadır. Ortak yönde hareket kontrolcüsü gruplaşan robotları belirli bir yönde koordineli bir şekilde aynı yönde hareketini sağlar. Robot gruplarının ortak hareketi ile robotlar karşılaştıklarında birleşirler. Sürü robotlarının birbirlerine çarpacak kadar yaklaşmaları ve bir engelle karşılaşması durumunda engelden ve çarpışmadan kaçınmaları için ayrı bir kontrolör geliştirilmiştir. Her bir robot toplanma metodu ile sadece kendi kendine karar vererek bir araya gelmektedir. Bir merkezi kontrol birimine ihtiyaç yoktur. Robotların toplanma metodu ile hareketi öz örgütlenme (self organizing) organizasyonunu oluşturmaktadır. Çalışmada matlab benzetim ortamında sürü robotlarının toplanma davranışını sergiledikleri arena boyutunu ve robot sayısını değiştirerek önerilen toplanma metodu sistematik deneyler yoluyla incelenmiştir. Sistematik deneylerden elde edilen sonuçlara göre önerilen toplanma davranışının performansı değerlendirilmiştir.

Anahtar Kelimeler

• Flocking
• Koordineli Hareket
• Öz örgütleme
• Sürü Robotiği
• Toplanma

Kaynakça

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