Counter-ant algorithm for evolving multirobot collaboration

Abstract

The use of multirobot systems, is affecting our society in a fundamental way; from their use in hazardous environments, to their application in automated environmental cleanup. In an unknown environment, one of the most important problem related to multirobot systems, is to decide how to coordinate actions in order to achieve tasks in an optimal way. Ant algorithms are proved to be very useful in solving such distributed control problems. We introduce in this paper a modified version of the known ant algorithm, called Counter-Ant Algorithm (CAA). Indeed, the robots' collaborative behaviour is based on repulsion instead of attraction to pheromone, which is a chemical matter open to evaporation and representing the core of ants' cooperation. In order to test the performance of our CAA, we implement, simulate and test our algorithm in a generic multirobot environment. In practical terms, the subdivision of the cleaning space is achieved in emergent and evolving way. A series of simulations show the usefulness of our algorithm for adaptive and cooperative cleanup.