Robotic exploration algorithms in simulated environments with Python

Abstract

Swarm Robotics is inspired by the biological swarms of social insects such as ants and bees, where individuals performing basic tasks give rise to complex behavior. It utilizes a team of cooperating robots to perform tasks more efficiently than possible by isolated robots. In this research, we study the exploration of unknown indoor areas using robots that coordinate with each other. In particular, we implement the Reverse Nearest Neighbor coordination algorithm with certain modifications to account for real-world constraints. The library developed as part of this work provides scripts to help with robotic tasks for exploration and robotic arm control that can be used to set up simulation tools like VREP, without much prior experience thereby lowering the barrier for entry and making the robotics projects more accessible.