NetSE: Small:Autonomous Wireless Swarms: Integrating Science and Engineering

University Of Delaware, Newark DE

Investigators

Abstract

This project will advance the understanding of swarms of simple vehicles that can collectively accomplish complex tasks. Prof. Rossi and Shen take their inspiration from social animals such as flocks of birds and schools of fish that communicate using simple rules to coordinate motion and make decisions for the entire group. There can be significant differences between rules found in biology and technological applications. For instance, birds coordinate motion with visual cues whereas networked robots coordinate activities using wireless communication. These two types of communication provide different kinds of information and have different limitations. Profs. Shen and Rossi are particularly interested in autonomous underwater vehicles because they face the challenge of low or irregular communication quality and poor position information. Profs. Shen and Rossi will combine mathematical modeling and analysis with engineering applications to study specific problems. First, they will explore leadership within swarms to understand how small numbers of individuals within a swarm can shape decision making for the entire group. Second, they will study swarm behavior in the presence of background flows to understand how currents can distort or disassemble swarms that would be effective in calm conditions. Third, they will study threat avoidance strategies to understand how complex motion can protect a swarm when individual evasion is impossible. Finally, they will study coordinated detection of a scalar field such as nutrients or contaminants in the ocean. Profs. Shen and Rossi will create an interdisciplinary research team around these problems involving students from both mathematics and computer science.