Kilogrid: A modular virtualization environment for the Kilobot robot

Abstract

We introduce the Kilogrid, a modular and scalable virtualization environment aimed at swarm robotics research with the Kilobot robot. The main purpose of the Kilogrid is to complement the Kilobots by overcoming some of their limitations (i.e., limited sensors and actuators), making it easier to experiment and to collect data with large groups of robots. The Kilogrid allows researchers to study scenarios featuring a level of complexity that cannot be reached using the Kilobots alone. The Kilogrid is composed of several modules, where each module contains four cells of 50×50 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> . The cells allow for bi-directional communication with the Kilobots. Our first version of a Kilogrid is composed of 64 cells and covers a total area of 400×400 mm <sup xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</sup> . We demonstrate the features of the Kilogrid with two case studies in which: (i) we extend the sensory system of the Kilobots, (ii) we allow the Kilobots to modify the environment, and (iii) we collect data (e.g., position, state) from the Kilobots while the experiment is running.