Ongoing Experiments in Autonomous 2D Shape Formation, With A View to Developing Autonomous 3D Formations With Unmanned Dirigibles

Abstract

Abstract: This paper reports on the preliminary simulation experiments that have been conducted in the search for a control system design that will allow an unknown number of autonomous dirigibles to manoeuvre into a pre defined three-dimensional formation. In recent years, a large amount of research has been conducted into producing two and threedimensional flocking. This has been accomplished with wheeled robots by Kelly and Keating [1996] & Gulliford [1998], in simulation by Reynolds [1987], and Graves [1997], and with autonomous dirigibles by Welsby [2000]. Spatial self-organisation and team building has also been studied by