Swarm autopilot
First Claim
1. A method for controlling a plurality of robotic agents, the method comprising:
- storing, in each of the robotic agents, a respective first parameter value;
sending, by a first robotic agent of the plurality of robotic agents, the respective first parameter value to each of a plurality of first close neighbor robotic agents of the plurality of robotic agents, each of the first close neighbor robotic agents having a distance, to the first robotic agent, less than a threshold distance,receiving, by the first robotic agent, a respective first parameter value from each of the first close neighbor robotic agents,calculating, by the first robotic agent, a new first parameter value, the calculating comprising calculating an average of;
the first parameter value of the first robotic agent; and
the received first parameter values;
updating the first parameter value of the first robotic agent to equal the new first parameter value;
calculating, by the first robotic agent, an estimated gradient of;
the first parameter value of the first robotic agent; and
the received first parameter values;
calculating, by the first robotic agent, a resultant virtual force vector as a sum of one or more vector quantities including the estimated gradient; and
generating, by the first robotic agent, a net thrust force, on the first robotic agent, parallel to the resultant virtual force vector.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for generating an artificial topography in a distributed array of robotic agents. Each robotic agent stores, and periodically updates a parameter value or “A-value” in accordance with a process including, e.g., averaging neighboring A-values, received from close neighbor robotic agents, biasing the A-value based on external commands or measured environmental parameters, and decreasing the A-value by a cooling rate factor. Averaging among neighboring robotic agents results eventually in a globally smoothed distribution of A-values. A gradient may be estimated for the distribution of A-values, and the robotic agents may be programmed to move in the direction of the gradient, toward increasing A-values. This behavior may be employed to cause the robotic agents to follow a robotic agent with a fixed, relatively large, A-value, or, if the A-values are biased by features (e.g., gradients or steps) in environmental parameters, to converge on such features.
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Citations
13 Claims
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1. A method for controlling a plurality of robotic agents, the method comprising:
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storing, in each of the robotic agents, a respective first parameter value; sending, by a first robotic agent of the plurality of robotic agents, the respective first parameter value to each of a plurality of first close neighbor robotic agents of the plurality of robotic agents, each of the first close neighbor robotic agents having a distance, to the first robotic agent, less than a threshold distance, receiving, by the first robotic agent, a respective first parameter value from each of the first close neighbor robotic agents, calculating, by the first robotic agent, a new first parameter value, the calculating comprising calculating an average of; the first parameter value of the first robotic agent; and the received first parameter values; updating the first parameter value of the first robotic agent to equal the new first parameter value; calculating, by the first robotic agent, an estimated gradient of; the first parameter value of the first robotic agent; and the received first parameter values; calculating, by the first robotic agent, a resultant virtual force vector as a sum of one or more vector quantities including the estimated gradient; and generating, by the first robotic agent, a net thrust force, on the first robotic agent, parallel to the resultant virtual force vector. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13)
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Specification