Self-Organised Collision-Free Flocking Mechanism in Heterogeneous Robot Swarms

Abstract

Flocking is a social animals’ common behaviour observed in nature. It has a great potential for real-world applications such as exploration in agri-robotics using low-cost robotic solutions. In this paper, an extended model of a self-organised flocking mechanism using heterogeneous swarm system is proposed. The proposed model for swarm robotic systems is a combination of a collective motion mechanism with obstacle avoidance functions, which ensures a collision-free flocking trajectory for the followers. An optimal control model for the leader is also developed to steer the swarm to a desired goal location. Compared to the conventional methods, by using the proposed model, the swarm network has less requirement for power and storage. The feasibility of the proposed self-organised flocking algorithm is validated by realistic robotic simulation software.

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“…, indicating the velocity vector, u ϖ i ∈ R 3 denotes the control input acting on; m ϖ i is the quality, −ξ||v ϖ i || 2 v ϖ i is the friction against air, and ξ is the damping factor of air. The majority of internal interactions between agents adhere to the cohesion alignment [22] and separation rules [21]. A prototypical implementation is outlined as follows:…”

“…The majority of internal interactions between agents adhere to the cohesion alignment [22] and separation rules [21]. A prototypical implementation is outlined as follows:…”

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