Search for Rescue: an Application for the SWARM-BOT Self-Assembling Robot Concept
Mondada Francesco, Floreano Dario, Guignard André , Deneubourg Jean-Louis, Gambardella Luca Maria, Nolfi Stefano, Dorigo Marco

Abstract:

Semi-autonomous search for rescue in post-catastrophic environments is a typical example where self-assembling and self-reconfigurable robots can be quite efficient. In this paper we present the SWARM-BOT concept of a self-assembling robot along with the characteristics that make it well adapted to search for rescue after catastrophic events. SWARM-BOT has been designed for robust operation in rough terrain, based on the self-assembling capability of a swarm of simple and small mobile robots. These characteristics, together with the cost of the system, fit well with those needed for exploration in unstructured and unstable environments. After presenting the SWARM-BOT concept, we compare it with other families of robots that claim to address robust exploration of all-terrain environments, that is self-reconfigurable and collective robotics. We show that SWARM-BOT, combining the features of these two families of robots, has several interesting advantages over existing concepts.