Collective Energy Foraging of Robot Swarms and Robot Organisms

TL;DR

This paper explores how robot swarms and symbiotic robot organisms can improve collective energy foraging and survival, demonstrating autonomous aggregation and disaggregation to enhance system fitness.

Contribution

It introduces a novel approach to collective energy foraging using robot organisms, showcasing autonomous aggregation and disaggregation in microrobots.

Findings

Aggregation improves collective energy efficiency

Robot organisms exhibit enhanced functional fitness

Prototype demonstrates autonomous aggregation/disaggregation

Abstract

Cooperation and competition among stand-alone swarm agents increase collective fitness of the whole system. A principally new kind of collective systems is demonstrated by some bacteria and fungi, when they build symbiotic organisms. Symbiotic life forms emerge new functional and self-developmental capabilities, which allow better survival of swarm agents in different environments. In this paper we consider energy foraging scenario for two robotic species, swarm robots and symbiotic robot organism. It is indicated that aggregation of microrobots into a robot organism can provide better functional fitness for the whole group. A prototype of microrobots capable of autonomous aggregation and disaggregation are shown.