Swarm robotics and ADABOX 2

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kewms
 
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Swarm robotics and ADABOX 2

Post by kewms »

I was at a robotics workshop based around ADABOX 2 yesterday, and the question of swarm robotics came up. In theory, at least, it should be possible to equip a group of basic 3-layer robots with proximity sensors and program them with boid-style swarming algorithms.

That raises two questions.

First, has anyone already done it? The swarm robotics projects that I've seen seem to be university-based, rather than hobbyist-driven, with bigger budgets than I'm willing to consider.

Second, what is the simplest robot that could possibly work? The 3-layer ADABOX 2 robot is pretty simple, but is there a way to strip it down even further? A less capable/more specialized controller than an Arduino, say?

Thanks,

Katherine

PS Intro to boids and swarm robotics here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Boids

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adafruit_support_bill
 
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Re: Swarm robotics and ADABOX 2

Post by adafruit_support_bill »

Swarm robotics is an interesting topic. But as you say, the cost can quickly get out of hand if you want to build a non-trivial sized swarm. I don't know of any existing projects outside of a university setting.

It is possible to build a lower-cost robot using a simpler controller. The Trinket Rover is one example:
https://learn.adafruit.com/trinket-powe ... r?view=all
But pins on the Trinket are limited, which limits the possibilities for sensors.

The Circuit playground robot is another low-cost chassis - but using a Circuit Playground which has more processing power and some built-in sensors.

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