They must be dirt cheap. Large swarms of these disposable robots radically change the paradigm for autonomous missions, requiring a shift from centralized to distributed systems. The applications for this research are immense. They also show promise in the targeting of vulnerable locations where small amounts of damage can destroy huge threats.
Swarms are well suited for exploration missions into hostile or inaccessible territory.
Although these applications depend on mechanically more capable systems than currently available, all depend on large numbers of agents interacting and each individual being truly disposable. This project is developing an integrated development, simulation, and hardware environment to evaluate and demonstrate swarm approaches. The goal of this project is to create a unique software development environment that supports large swarms. Our approach is based on local interactions with no centralized controller. Centralized systems are less scalable and less robust, which are the two most critical elements in heading towards a true swarm.