Swarm robot materials handling paradigm for a manufacturing workcell

Abstract

A manufacturing workcell model employing behavior-based swarm robots, i.e. groups of autonomous mobile robots whose sensory-driven state behavior produces emergent group functionality not characteristic of the individual robots is considered. The robots' emergent behavior successfully performs the workcell's required materials handling without central planning. Processing machines within the workcell broadcast load and unload request signals. Robots cannot communicate with each other, but will respond to any detected machine's broadcast signal, which allows the robot to determine the type of service requested and the requesting machine's heading. If the robot's state indicates that the request can be satisfied, it moves along the heading seeking to dock with the calling machine and satisfying the machine's request. A software simulation of this materials handling paradigm illustrates feasibility and establishes a constructive lower bound for autonomous materials handling performance.< <ETX xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">&gt;</ETX>