Modular Robotics - Distributed Control Algorithm for a Multicellular Robotic Organism

Project: This modular robotics project is my MSc. thesis work, under the EU sponsored SYMBRION [Contract No: 216342] research project. The project was developed at the Collective and Micro Robotics [CoMiRo] group, Institute for Process controll and Robotics [IPR], Universität Karlsruhe, Germany.

Objective: To develop a framework for controlling individual modules in a distributed fashion such that the the global behavior [of an organism, like locomotion] emerges as a result of local action of individual modules.

Approach: The framework is developed based on the Digital Hormone Method (DHM), proposed by Shen et al. (2004), according to whom, DHM is a way of controlling agents in a multi agent system, in a distributed fashion, based on the topological location of individual agents, environmental variables and local communication among nearby agents.

Evaluation: Locomotion and simple obstacle avoidance behaviors were tried on three different two dimensional robotic organisms [Caterpillar, 'V' and Scorpion], the results of which are as seen in the video. Irrespective of which of the three organism a module belongs to, all modules have identical software code in them. The local action of each module is decided based on which organism it is a part of. So if modules from one organism is reconfigured to form another organism, then the modules will change their local action accordingly.

Category:

Science & Technology

Tags:

• modular robotics
• swarm robotics
• robotics
• digital hormone
• symbrion
• replicator
• university of edinburgh
• school of informatics
• universität karlsruhe

[joseftran]

boring !

[nash911]

@joseftran This video is not under the Entertainment section. This is a demonstration of self-organizing behavior in multi robotic systems using biologically inspired methods, and not meant for entertainment.

[nash911]

The simulator is developed over the open source Delta3D game engine, which is written completely in C++. This simulator is the work of Lutz Winkler from IPR, University Karlsruhe.

[FishBowl911]

@nash911 They why the music and coolness sounds in the background. Not trying to be entertaining? I think not !

[epokh64]

What software did you use for the simulations?

[logicraju]

See your orkut scrapbook