Following the leader: A robotic model of tandem running in ants

摘要

Tandem running is a unique behaviour used for the purpose of recruitment in ant colonies. This paper describes the work of building a robotic model of tandem running using Lego robots. The biologically inspired behaviours of the model consist of (1) a leading-following style of communication pattern (2) and a route learning method based on a simple sensory system and little memory. It is claimed this recruitment method could offer swarm robotic systems another form of recruitment, when others, such as trail laying, are not available Experimental results are presented to show the performance of the proposed control algorithm.