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Reports and Surveys

/. Australia Swarm Robot Research. The Australian Research Council has backed a three-year project at Monash University which is designed to investigate and to demonstrate various swarm behaviours that can be implemented using a novel plane of robot control. The grant, worth A$420,000 goes to Professor Ray Jarvis. The project could result in several potential applications such as sorting, cutting, glueing, polishing and assembly. In his application for support from the Council, Professor Jarvis has described the area on which multiple robots will work co-operatively as being limited initially to a one metre square surface. The surface, it is reported, will be a fiat video colour (PAL or NTSC) display. Graphical data projected on this display at the video frame rate of 25 or 30 Hz, will be used to control the actions of the robots. In an example quoted, sensors on the robot could recognise pixel patterns broadcast directly below it. Assuming that a robot could sense a few pixels beneath it, it could automatically change direction or speed on the basis of the shape or colour patterns conveyed by these pixels. Similarly, other data required by the robot to carry out a task could be transmitted in the same way. Professor Jarvis, the report says, plans that the entire 'video plane" and the multiplicity of small robot devices it supports will be monitored by an overhead camera. Each robot will be uniquely markec'-at the top so that the machine vision system will be able to calculate the current whereabouts of each device on the video plane on the basis of the data acquired by this camera. Robots are then capable of receiving and detecting a pattern transmitted to them and acting in an appropriate way, e.g. avoiding collision, etc. . . It is envisaged that ultimately a diversity of robot devices will be working on such a video plane. In due course, it is thought that the size of a video plane might be extended to support a swarm of insect-like complexity, potentially involving thousands of robots. Initially, the swarm would consist of some six devices and the mobility of them limited to the control of two motors, one for each of two wheels which drive the robot and steer differentially. Three light sensors will be mounted under each device in the "mini swarm" to detect the signal pattern broadcast below it. The investigations taking place during the project should lead to the development of appropriate strategies to control swarms of mobile robots.