Swarm of Aquatic Robots
Posted: Mon Feb 01, 2016 5:42 pm
Video can be seen here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JBrkszUnms8
A team of researchers from the Institute of Telecommunications at University Institute of Lisbon and from University of Lisbon in Portugal are the first to demonstrate a swarm of intelligent aquatic surface robots in a real-world environment. Swarms of robots have the potential to scale to hundreds or thousands of robots and cover large areas, making them ideal for tasks such as environmental monitoring, search and rescue, and maritime surveillance.
The robotic platform was built by the team using digital fabrication techniques and widely available components, in order for the robots to be inexpensive. Each robot costs only €300 in materials. The hull of the robots is built from CNC-machined polystyrene foam, and fitted with 3D-printed components. Each robot is equipped with GPS and compass, it can communicate with neighboring robots using Wi-Fi, and the artificial brain is run on an onboard Raspberry Pi 2 computer. The team is now working on developing the second generation of their aquatic robots, which will be equipped with more advanced sensors and be able to carry out long-term missions at sea.
A team of researchers from the Institute of Telecommunications at University Institute of Lisbon and from University of Lisbon in Portugal are the first to demonstrate a swarm of intelligent aquatic surface robots in a real-world environment. Swarms of robots have the potential to scale to hundreds or thousands of robots and cover large areas, making them ideal for tasks such as environmental monitoring, search and rescue, and maritime surveillance.
The robotic platform was built by the team using digital fabrication techniques and widely available components, in order for the robots to be inexpensive. Each robot costs only €300 in materials. The hull of the robots is built from CNC-machined polystyrene foam, and fitted with 3D-printed components. Each robot is equipped with GPS and compass, it can communicate with neighboring robots using Wi-Fi, and the artificial brain is run on an onboard Raspberry Pi 2 computer. The team is now working on developing the second generation of their aquatic robots, which will be equipped with more advanced sensors and be able to carry out long-term missions at sea.