Mathematical modelling of turning delays in swarm robotics

Abstract

We investigate the effect of turning delays on the behaviour of groups of differential wheeled robots and show that the group-level behaviour can be described by a transport equation with a suitably incorporated delay. The results of our mathematical analysis are supported by numerical simulations and experiments with E-Puck robots. The experimental quantity we compare with our revised model is the mean time for robots to find the target area in an unknown environment. The transport equation with delay better predicts the mean time to find the target than the standard transport equation without delay.