Large scale multi-agent-based simulation using NetLogo for the multi-robot exploration problem

Abstract

Multi-robot systems consist in a set of autonomous mobile robots which collaborate to perform a mission. Exploration of an unknown environment is one of the major applications of Multi-Robot Systems. Few works have proposed multi-robot coordination algorithms to accomplish exploration missions based on multi-agent techniques using distributed constraints. Modelling and simulation are essential tools in many areas of science and engineering, including computer science. The purpose of this article is to present an open-source solution for implementation and evaluation of the multi-robot exploration problem in NetLogo, for a great number of agents, model that can be run on a cluster of computers. Such a tool allows the use of various search techniques and also the evaluation and analysis of performances of the techniques for the case of the multi-robot exploration problem.