Bacterial quorum sensing applied to the coordination of autonomous robot swarms

Abstract

This paper proposes a strategy for the coordination of a swarm of robots in an unknown environment. The basic idea is to achieve the autonomous movement of the group from an initial region to a target region avoiding obstacles. We use a behavior model similar to bacterial Quorum Sensing (QS) as a technique for the coordination of robots. This behavior has been described as a key element in the interaction between bacteria, and we use it as a basic tool for local interaction, both between the robot and between the robot and the environment. The movement of the swarm of robots, or multi-agent robotic system, is shown as an emerging behavior resulting from the interaction of agents (in the context of artificial intelligence) from basic rules of behavior. The proposed strategy was successfully evaluated by simulation on a set of robots.