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Swarm robotics reviewed

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  03 July 2012

Jan Carlo Barca  and
Y. Ahmet Sekercioglu
Jan Carlo Barca*
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
Y. Ahmet Sekercioglu
Affiliation:
Department of Electrical and Computer Systems Engineering, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria 3800, Australia
*
*Corresponding author. E-mail: Jan_carlobarca@hotmail.com
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Summary

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We present a review of recent activities in swarm robotic research, and analyse existing literature in the field to determine how to get closer to a practical swarm robotic system for real world applications. We begin with a discussion of the importance of swarm robotics by illustrating the wide applicability of robot swarms in various tasks. Then a brief overview of various robotic devices that can be incorporated into swarm robotic systems is presented. We identify and describe the challenges that should be resolved when designing swarm robotic systems for real world applications. Finally, we provide a summary of a series of issues that should be addressed to overcome these challenges, and propose directions for future swarm robotic research based on our extensive analysis of the reviewed literature.

Keywords

State-of-the-artSwarmRoboticsReview
Type
Articles
Information
Robotica , Volume 31 , Issue 3 , May 2013 , pp. 345 - 359
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2012

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