Network-based subsumption architecture for multiple mobile robots system

Abstract

In this paper, a unique multiple mobile robots system is proposed to enable students or mechanical engineers to efficiently learn a subsumption architecture for swarm intelligence. The subsumption architecture is known as one of the behaviour-based artificial intelligences. Each of multiple mobile robots has three wheels driven by DC motors and six PSD (Position Sensitive Detector) sensors. A network-based subsumption architecture is considered to realize a schooling behaviour by using only information from the PSD sensors. Further, a server supervisory control is introduced for poor hardware platforms with limitations of software development, i.e., the mobile robots that can only behave based on the most simply subdivided reaction behaviours, i.e., reflex actions, generated from agents. Experimental results show interesting behaviour among the multiple mobile robots, such as following, avoidance and schooling.