Simple Model of Collective Decision Making during Nectar Source Selection by Honey Bees

Abstract

Swarm Robotics is an area of active research interest where groups of robots coordinate and perform collective tasks. Existing ap- proaches to Learning and Collective Decision Making amongst a group of robots is complex. In this paper, we propose a simple model of learn- ing and collective decision making in honey bees engaged in foraging for suitable nectar-sites. Our simple model takes into consideration dis- crete numbers of bees and considers a�ects of noise and randomness. We achieve this by using an algorithm for exact stochastic simulation used in physical chemistry. Using this model, we wish to understand the au- tonomous learning and collective decision making process that a swarm of robots might employ.