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Coordination of movement and configuration in robotic swarms is a challenging endeavor. Deciding when and where each individual robot must move is a computationally complex problem. The challenge is further exacerbated by difficulties…

We present a set of metrics intended to supplement designer intuitions when designing swarm-robotic systems, increase accuracy in extrapolating swarm behavior from algorithmic descriptions and small test experiments, and lead to faster and…

We present an experimental and theoretical study of 2-D swarms in which collective behavior emerges from both direct local mechanical coupling between agents and from the exchange and processing of information between agents. Each agent, an…

Living in groups brings benefits to many animals, such as a protection against predators and an improved capacity for sensing and making decisions while searching for resources in uncertain environments. A body of studies has shown how…

The aim of this paper is to study how to apply deep reinforcement learning for the control of aggregates of minimalistic robots. We define aggregates as groups of robots with a physical connection that compels them to form a specified…

Micro- and nanorobots are often controlled by global input signals, such as an electromagnetic or gravitational field. These fields move each robot maximally until it hits a stationary obstacle or another stationary robot. This paper…

Swarms are highly robust systems that offer unique benefits compared to their alternatives. In this work, we propose a bio-inspired and artificial potential field-driven robot swarm control method, where the swarm formation dynamics are…

In this paper we consider the problem of coordinating robotic systems with different kinematics, sensing and vision capabilities to achieve certain mission goals. An approach that makes use of a heterogeneous team of agents has several…

We present a number of powerful local mechanisms for maintaining a dynamic swarm of robots with limited capabilities and information, in the presence of external forces and permanent node failures. We propose a set of local continuous…

Cells control fluid flows with a spatial and temporal precision that far exceeds the capabilities of current microfluidic technologies. Cells achieve this superior spatio-temporal control by harnessing dynamic networks of cytoskeleton and…

The giant single-celled slime mould Physarum polycephalum exhibits complex morphological adaptation and amoeboid movement as it forages for food and may be seen as a minimal example of complex robotic behaviour. Swarm computation has…

This study considers the control of parent-child systems where a parent system is acted on by a set of controllable child systems (i.e. a swarm). Examples of such systems include a swarm of robots pushing an object over a surface, a swarm…

The design of amorphous entangled systems, specifically from soft and active materials, has the potential to open exciting new classes of active, shape-shifting, and task-capable 'smart' materials. However, the global emergent mechanics…

Robotic swarms are decentralized multi-robot systems whose members use local information from proximal neighbors to execute simple reactive control laws that result in emergent collective behaviors. In contrast, members of a general…

Swarm robotics utilises decentralised self-organising systems to form complex collective behaviours built from the bottom-up using individuals that have limited capabilities. Previous work has shown that simple occlusion-based strategies…

This paper focuses on coordinating a robot swarm orbiting a convex path without collisions among the individuals. The individual robots lack braking capabilities and can only adjust their courses while maintaining their constant but…

Active agents can transfer energy to their environment through collective motion, generating accumulation patterns near confining obstacles. Here we investigate how the nature of the microscopic drive-self-propulsion or velocity…

Swarms of self-propelled particles exhibit complex behavior that can arise from simple models, with large changes in swarm behavior resulting from small changes in model parameters. We investigate the steady-state swarms formed by…

In this work, we explore emergent behaviors by swarms of anonymous, homogeneous, non-communicating, reactive robots that do not know their global position and have limited relative sensing. We introduce a novel method that enables such…

Many structural properties of conventional passive materials are known to arise from the symmetries of their microscopic constituents. By contrast, it is largely unclear how the interplay between cell shape and self-propulsion controls the…