Concerning Presentation of a Route for a Mobile Robot Based on Visual Guides

Abstract

One of the widespread approaches to the issues of control in the group robotics is application of the social behavior models in the groups of robots. In this paper the author proposes to use this approach to fulfill the tasks of foraging. As a role model a Formicidae ant is proposed. This task is considered as a combination of three stages: finding food, returning to the ant hill and repeating the way to the place where food was found. It was proven that in order to come back home and repeatedly walk the way the Formicidae ants were navigated predominantly by the visual means using vector navigation (path integration) and landmark-guidance mechanisms. The basis of the proposed method is formed by the principles of memorizing the way by the visual landmarks and fuzzy control. The model of describing the way is introduced to the robot, which can define colors of the landmarks and approximately sense the direction to the landmark in respect to itself. A pattern for formation of a succinct way description was created, with the help of which the scout robot memorizes the way to the "food". certain regulations were developed, which let the follower robot transfer from the description of the route to the actions of its reproduction and in many ways copy an ant's behavior. The actions are presented as elementary behavioral procedures, and each behavioral procedure is realized as a finite state automata. The results of the simulation modeling, which was conducted with the help of the framework of ROS based modeling system, are presented. Experiments were conducted in polygons with barriers and without them, with regular and irregular placing of the landmarks. As a quality criterion for the proposed method the author offers to consider a successful passing of the route by the follower robot, and this indicator in different series of experiments varies from 92 up to 98 %. The proposed method does not require robot's great computation capacity and advanced sensory abilities. The developed method can also be applied to the tasks of reconnaissance and patrolling.