Swarm-in-Blocks: Simplifying Drone Swarm Programming with Block-Based Language

TL;DR

Swarm in Blocks 2.0 offers a user-friendly, block-based programming interface that simplifies drone swarm management, making it accessible for beginners and expanding educational opportunities in the field.

Contribution

The paper introduces Swarm in Blocks 2.0, a refined block-based platform that simplifies drone swarm programming and management for users with limited technical background.

Findings

Enhanced user interface for swarm control

Facilitates educational use and beginner engagement

Addresses complexities of swarm management

Abstract

Swarm in Blocks, originally developed for CopterHack 2022, is a high-level interface that simplifies drone swarm programming using a block-based language. Building on the Clover platform, this tool enables users to create functionalities like loops and conditional structures by assembling code blocks. In 2023, we introduced Swarm in Blocks 2.0, further refining the platform to address the complexities of swarm management in a user-friendly way. As drone swarm applications grow in areas like delivery, agriculture, and surveillance, the challenge of managing them, especially for beginners, has also increased. The Atena team developed this interface to make swarm handling accessible without requiring extensive knowledge of ROS or programming. The block-based approach not only simplifies swarm control but also expands educational opportunities in programming.