The GRITSBot in its natural habitat - A multi-robot testbed

Abstract

Current multi-agent robotic testbeds are prohibitively expensive or highly specialized and as such their use is limited to a small number of research laboratories. Given the high price tag, what is needed to scale multi-agent testbeds down both in price and size to make them accessible to a larger community? One answer is the GRITSBot, an inexpensive differential drive microrobot designed specifically to lower the entrance barrier to multi-agent robotics. The robot allows for a straightforward transition from current ground-based systems to the GRITSBot testbed because it closely resembles expensive platforms in capabilities and architecture. Additionally, the GRITSBot's support system allows a single user to easily operate and maintain a large collective of robots. These features include automatic sensor calibration, autonomous recharging, wireless reprogramming of the robot, as well as collective control.