SWARMS: Scalable sWarms of Autonomous Robots and Mobile Sensors.

摘要

The SWARMS project brings together experts in artificial intelligence, control theory, robotics, systems engineering and biology with the goal of understanding swarming behaviors in nature and applications of biologically-inspired models of swarm behaviors to large networked groups of autonomous vehicles. The main goal is to develop a framework and methodology for the analysis of swarming behavior in biology and the synthesis of bio-inspired swarming behaviors for engineered systems. We are interested in such questions as: Can large numbers of autonomously functioning vehicles be reliably deployed in the form of a 'swarm' to carry out a prescribed mission and to respond as a group to high-level management commands. Can such a group successfully function without a designated leader, with limited communications between its members, and with dynamically changing 'role', for its members. Is there a hierarchy of 'compatibls' models appropriate to swarming/schooling/flocking which is rich enough to explain these behaviors at various 'resolution' ranging from aggregate characterizations of emergent behavior to detailed descriptions which model individual vehicle dynamics.