We present the Kilogrid, an open-source virtualization environment and data logging manager for the Kilobot robot, Kilobot for short. The Kilogrid has been designed to extend the sensory-motor abilities of the Kilobot, to simplify the task of collecting data during experiments, and to provide researchers with a tool to fine-control the experimental setup and its parameters. Based on the design of the Kilobot and compatible with existing hardware, the Kilogrid is a modular system composed of a grid of computing nodes, or modules, that provides a bidirectional communication channel between the Kilobots and a remote workstation. In this paper, we describe the hardware and software architecture of the Kilogrid system as well as its functioning to accompany its release as a new open-hardware tool for the swarm robotics community. We demonstrate the capabilities of the Kilogrid using a 200-module Kilogrid, swarms of up to 100 Kilobots, and four different case studies: exploration and obstacle avoidance, site selection based on multiple gradients, plant watering, and pheromone-based foraging. Through this set of case studies, we
Current implementations of decentralized multi-robot construction systems are limited to construction of rudimentary structures such as walls and clusters, or rely on the use of blueprints for regulation. Building processes that make use of blueprints are unattractive in unknown environments as they can not compensate for heterogeneities, such as irregular terrain. In nature, social insects coordinate the construction of their nests using stigmergy, a mechanism of indirect coordination that is robust and adaptive. In this paper, we propose the design of a multi-robot construction platform called the Swarm Robotics Construction System (SRoCS). The SRoCS platform is designed to leverage stigmergy in order to coordinate multi-robot construction in unknown environments.
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