Date of Award
2-26-2009
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Computer Engineering
Department
Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
First Advisor
Gilbert L. Peterson, PhD
Abstract
As the military use of unmanned aerial vehicles increases, a growing need for novel strategies to control these systems exists. One such method for controlling many unmanned aerial vehicles simultaneously is the through the use of swarm algorithms. This research explores a swarm robotic algorithm developed by Kadrovach implemented on Pioneer Robots in a real-world environment. An adaptation of his visual sensor is implemented using stereo vision as the primary method of sensing the environment. The swarm members are prohibited from explicitly communicating other than passively through the environment. The resulting implementation produces a communication free swarming algorithm. The algorithm is tested for performance of the visual sensor, performance of the algorithm against stationary targets, and finally, performance against dynamic targets. The results show expected behavior of the swarm model as implemented on the Pioneer robots providing a foundation for future research in swarm algorithms.
AFIT Designator
AFIT-GCE-ENG-09-03
DTIC Accession Number
ADA500135
Recommended Citation
Gray, Zachary C., "Communication Free Robot Swarming" (2009). Theses and Dissertations. 2534.
https://scholar.afit.edu/etd/2534