László Blázovics

Target Tracking and Surrounding with Swarm Robots

Nowadays the capabilities of autonomous robots have increased rapidly. However there are situations where one robot is not sufficient. In this paper we will introduce a completely distributed algorithm for tracing and surrounding moving objects or targets using homogenous, medium scaled swarm robots based on local sensing. Our new approach is based on the already known concept of basis behaviors as ubiquitous general building blocks for synthesizing artificial group behavior. Our goal was to generate an algorithm based on simple rules in order to protect a territory from a human intruder. In contrast with the common solution which is employing potential fields, we tried to keep our method as simple as possible by utilizing rule-based control mechanism. We will also present our virtual simulation environment and experimental results.

Target Surrounding Solution for Swarm Robots

In this paper we present a distributed algorithm, which enables to follow and surround moving objects by a swarm of homogenous robots that only use local sensing. We introduce the multi orbit surrounding problem and present a solution for it. We prove that our solution always guarantees that the robots enclose the target and circulate around them. We also evaluate our solution by simulations.

Future Cooperative Communication Systems Driven by Social Mobile Networks

In this work we are underlining the importance of social mobile networks for upcoming cooperative communication systems. The assumption of this work is that future mobile communication systems will incorporate user cooperation, i.e. a combination of cellular access in parallel with ongoing short range links to the neighboring devices. It has been shown that user cooperation enables higher data rates, better spectral efficiencies, and reduces the energy consumption of the mobile unit. In this work the social mobile networks are identified to be a fertile ground to facilitate the cooperative use cases. By the example of the Gedda-Headz gaming community, possible links between cooperative mobile communication and social mobile networks are shown.

Area coverage using distributed randomized methods

In this paper, a method is presented to solve distributed coverage using cooperative sensors. These sensors are aware of their surroundings and can act according to their state. Since the capabilities of these sensors are limited a central communication is not possible. Therefore distributed algorithms are provided which can be executed by the sensors independently. These sensors will enter the area through one point and the algorithm has to provide dispersion which will lead to the coverage. In my work several algorithms are presented in order to minimize the number of steps required by the sensors to reach full coverage. To compare these algorithms a simulator is also created which will be able to visualize and test the performance of these methods.

Fast Localized Sensor Self-Deployment for Focused Coverage

We consider the focused coverage self-deployment problem in mobile sensor networks, where an area with maximum radius around a Point of Interest (POI) must be covered without sensing holes. Li et al. [9, 10] described several algorithms solving this problem. They showed that their algorithms terminate in finite time. We present a modified version of the Greedy-Rotation-Greedy (GRG) algorithm by Li et al., which drive sensors along the equilateral triangle tessellation (TT) graph to surround a POI. We prove that our modified GRG (mGRG) algorithm is collision free and always ends up in a hole-free network around the POI with maximum radius in \(O(D)\) steps, where \(D\) is the sum of the initial distances of the sensors from the POI. This significantly improves the previous bound on the coverage time. The theoretical results are also validated by simulations.

Vision Based Area Discovery with Swarm Robots

Nowadays the need for autonomous robots has increased rapidly. These robots should have different types of sensors, thus their functionality can be extended. In order to process the data coming from the sensors, the robots require a proper processing hardware. However, the cost of a unique on-board controller system, which is able to handle advanced algorithms, is relatively expensive. Our proposal is to attach an inexpensive commercial mobile device to the robot, which has a high-resolution camera and advanced processing unit for different types of operations. In this paper we will present a vision-based model for environment discovery using homogeneous, medium scaled swarm of robots by using the on-board camera of the controller-smart phone. We introduce an extended axiom system based on bio-inspired swarm models, which optimizes the energy consumption of the swarm.

Solving the filling problem with the visibility range of 1

This paper discusses new methodologies of discovering areas with inexpensive autonomous robots. Consider a set of robots which has to disperse through the area in order to cover it. The area is divided into smaller cells and each cell has to be occupied by exactly one robot. When the robots are injected into the area one at a time the problem is called Filling. The main challenges arise from the limited capabilities of the robots: in this paper they do not have any means of explicit communication and their sensing range is limited to 1.

Aerial surveillance system with cognitive swarm drones

Due to the increasing computational capacity of embedded systems, the design of aerial surveillance drones became affordable. However individual robots are less efficient than those who are forming a collective. These systems mostly use decentralised algorithms and communication networks. We present a distributed, communication aided solution for a problem in which a group of autonomous mobile robots patrol over a given area and intercept the detected targets. The robots are oblivious, they use local sensing, and they can share information within their neighbourhood. We adopt the Multi-Orbit-Surrounding (MOS) based Aerial Surveillance concept into a square grid graph based environment, and we will prove that the concept can detect and surround an intruder in finite time.

Surrounding Robots – A Discrete Localized Solution for the Intruder Problem –

Decentralized algorithms are often used in the cooperative robotics field, especially by large swarm systems. We present a distributed algorithm for a problem in which a group of autonomous mobile robots must surround a given target. These robots are oblivious, i.e., they have no memory of the past. They use only local sensing and need no dedicated communication among themselves. We introduce, then solve the problem in which the group of autonomous mobile robots must surround a given target – we call it the “discrete multiorbit target surrounding problem” (DMTSP). We evaluate our solution using simulation and prove that our solution invariably ensures that robots enclose the target in finite time.

Mobile Peer-to-Peer Spreading of Content

In areas where Internet access is only sporadically available, or not available at all, delivering content (text, image, video, audio, application, etc.) to the people is not easy. In this paper, we introduce a novel method to spread content in such areas in a mobile peer-to-peer way. First we describe the architecture of the system along with the proposed communication protocol among the nodes. Then we discuss the advantages for the users and some scenarios where such a system may be useful. Finally, we examine the cooperation among the nodes and how users may be motivated to share their resources with others.