SWARMS: Scalable sWarms of Autonomous Robots and Mobile Sensors

Abstract : The SWARMS project brings together experts in artificial intelligence, control theory, robotics, systems engineering and biology with the goal of understanding swarming behaviors in nature and applications of biologically-inspired models of swarm behaviors to large networked groups of autonomous vehicles. The main goal is to develop a framework and methodology for the analysis of swarming behavior in biology and the synthesis of bio-inspired swarming behaviors for engineered systems. We are interested in such questions as: Can large numbers of autonomously functioning vehicles be reliably deployed in the form of a swarm to carry out a prescribed mission and to respond as a group to high-level management commands? Can such a group successfully function without a designated leader, with limited communications between its members, and with dynamically changing role? for its members? Is there a hierarchy of compatibls models appropriate to swarming/schooling/flocking which is rich enough to explain these behaviors at various resolution ranging from aggregate characterizations of emergent behavior to detailed descriptions which model individual vehicle dynamics?