Minimalist exploration strategies for robot swarms at the edge of chaos

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Sartorio, Vinicius, Feola, Luigi, Estrada, Emanuel, Trianni, Vito, Carvalho, Jonata Tyska
Format: Preprint
Published: 2024
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author Sartorio, Vinicius
Feola, Luigi
Estrada, Emanuel
Trianni, Vito
Carvalho, Jonata Tyska
author_facet Sartorio, Vinicius
Feola, Luigi
Estrada, Emanuel
Trianni, Vito
Carvalho, Jonata Tyska
contents Effective exploration abilities are fundamental for robot swarms, especially when small, inexpensive robots are employed (e.g., micro- or nano-robots). Random walks are often the only viable choice if robots are too constrained regarding sensors and computation to implement state-of-the-art solutions. However, identifying the best random walk parameterisation may not be trivial. Additionally, variability among robots in terms of motion abilities-a very common condition when precise calibration is not possible-introduces the need for flexible solutions. This study explores how random walks that present chaotic or edge-of-chaos dynamics can be generated. We also evaluate their effectiveness for a simple exploration task performed by a swarm of simulated Kilobots. First, we show how Random Boolean Networks can be used as controllers for the Kilobots, achieving a significant performance improvement compared to the best parameterisation of a Lévy-modulated Correlated Random Walk. Second, we demonstrate how chaotic dynamics are beneficial to maximise exploration effectiveness. Finally, we demonstrate how the exploration behavior produced by Boolean Networks can be optimized through an Evolutionary Robotics approach while maintaining the chaotic dynamics of the networks.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2406_13641
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Minimalist exploration strategies for robot swarms at the edge of chaos
Sartorio, Vinicius
Feola, Luigi
Estrada, Emanuel
Trianni, Vito
Carvalho, Jonata Tyska
Robotics
Multiagent Systems
Effective exploration abilities are fundamental for robot swarms, especially when small, inexpensive robots are employed (e.g., micro- or nano-robots). Random walks are often the only viable choice if robots are too constrained regarding sensors and computation to implement state-of-the-art solutions. However, identifying the best random walk parameterisation may not be trivial. Additionally, variability among robots in terms of motion abilities-a very common condition when precise calibration is not possible-introduces the need for flexible solutions. This study explores how random walks that present chaotic or edge-of-chaos dynamics can be generated. We also evaluate their effectiveness for a simple exploration task performed by a swarm of simulated Kilobots. First, we show how Random Boolean Networks can be used as controllers for the Kilobots, achieving a significant performance improvement compared to the best parameterisation of a Lévy-modulated Correlated Random Walk. Second, we demonstrate how chaotic dynamics are beneficial to maximise exploration effectiveness. Finally, we demonstrate how the exploration behavior produced by Boolean Networks can be optimized through an Evolutionary Robotics approach while maintaining the chaotic dynamics of the networks.
title Minimalist exploration strategies for robot swarms at the edge of chaos
topic Robotics
Multiagent Systems
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2406.13641