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

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