Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Engineering and Applied Science are working on analyzing swarming behavior in biology to inspire a new way for micro-drones to interact with each other.
Researchers are seeking to determine if large numbers of autonomous micro unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) can be reliably deployed in the form of a swarm to carry out prescribed missions and respond as a group to high-level demands.
In the video, researchers send drones in formation to various parts of a room while staying in formation. In another test, the micro drones form a circle and stay in complete formation while circling.
Researchers seek to see if micro drones, aptly named Scalable sWarms of Autonomous Robots and Mobile Sensors (SWARMS), were sent into a potentially hostile environment without a designated leader and with limited communications, would the roles change for the members? The group is using biological groupings such as insects, bird flocks and fish school as the basis for the research.
Learn more about the research by visiting: http://www.kumarrobotics.org/research/
