Description

This updated book provides an introduction to Swarm Robotics, which is the application of methods from swarm intelligence to robotics. The author presents methods that allow readers to understand how to design large-scale robot systems by going through many example scenarios on topics such as aggregation, coordinated motion (flocking), task allocation, self-assembly, collective construction, and environmental monitoring. The author explains the methodology behind building multiple, simple robots and how the complexity emerges from the multiple interactions between these robots such that they are able to solve difficult tasks. The book can be used as a short textbook for specialized courses or as an introduction to Swarm Robotics for graduate students, researchers, and professionals who want a concise introduction to the field. New topics to this edition include human-swarm interaction, energy efficiency in field swarm robotics, and water-surface-vehicle swarms, among other topics.