Swarm robotics takes inspiration from biological collective systems to create decentralized solutions for the coordination of large groups of robots. An important, yet understudied class of problems in swarm robotics deals with coordinating robots with physical connections to each other that can accomplish tasks that exceed the physical capabilities of any individual robot. However, hardware that allows for physical connections is not commercially available, and research is typically conducted in simulations or with custom hardware designed for specific research applications. The project aims to supply a commercially available mobile robot, the Khepera IV, with an extension that enables research in collective transport, self-assembly, and collaborative navigation. To this end, we identified three basic functionalities our extension must offer: (i) a gripper that latches onto objects or other robots; (ii) a gripper that rotates independently of the drive base, for gripping while moving in arbitrary directions; and (iii) provide a form of simple communication to other robots and humans. To meet these requirements, we created four custom rotating turret extensions, capable of rotating 360° continuously, independently of the chassis. We designed a ring compatible with the extension’s gripper which allows the Khepera IV to attach to other robots or objects for transport. A string of LEDs adorns the ring which can be used to convey robot status.

• This report represents the work of one or more WPI undergraduate students submitted to the faculty as evidence of completion of a degree requirement. WPI routinely publishes these reports on its website without editorial or peer review.

Creator

• Aoua, Yasmine
• Poindexter, Gabrielle
• Rivernider, Zachary
• Garcia, Chandler
• Stanley, William

Publisher

• Worcester Polytechnic Institute

Identifier

• 106111
• E-project-042723-122451

Keyword

• ARGoS
• Self-Assembly
• Khepera IV
• Swarm Robotics
• Collective Transport
• Multi-Robot Collaboration

Advisor

• Bitar, Stephen John
• Bloom, Joshua
• Pinciroli, Carlo
• Lewin, Greg

Year

• 2023

Date created

• 2023-04-27

Resource type

• Major Qualifying Project

Major

• Mechanical Engineering
• Robotics Engineering

Source

• E-project-042723-122451

Rights statement

• In Copyright

Last modified

• 2023-06-14