Colias: an autonomous micro robot for swarm robotic applications

Robotic swarms that take inspiration from nature are becoming a fascinating topic for multi-robot researchers. The aim is to control a large number of simple robots enables them in order to solve common complex tasks. Due to the hardware complexities and cost of robot platforms, current research in swarm robotics is mostly performed by simulation software. Simulation of large numbers of these robots which are used in swarm robotic applications is extremely complex and often inaccurate due to poor modelling of external conditions. In this paper we present the design of a low-cost, open-platform, autonomous micro robot (Colias) for swarm robotic applications. Colias employs a circular platform with a diameter of 4 cm. It has a maximum speed of 35 cm/s that gives the ability to be used in swarm scenarios very quickly in large arenas. Long-range infrared modules with adjustable output power allow the robot to communicate with its direct neighbours from a range of 0.5 cm to 3 m. Colias has been designed as a complete platform with supporting software development tools for robotics education and research. It has been tested in individual and swarm scenarios and the observed results demonstrate its feasibility to be used as a micro sized mobile robot as well as a low-cost platform for robot swarm applications.