Advancements and Challenges of Information Integration in Swarm Robotics
Tan Jian Ding, Chia Chao Kang, Han Wang, Mohammadmahdi Ariannejad, Lee Yan Kang, Cheng Ren
Abstract
Collaborative control methods employed in swarm robotic systems often deal with bulks of information from the local interactions among agents and between the agents and the environment. The efficiency of overall information integration between decentralized and distributed agents can show major impacts on the collective behaviour of the swarm. It is crucial to establish an approach that bridges an existing gap present between realistic swarm robotic system and real-world enforcements. Therefore, this review paper vividly captures the challenges faced in control and information integration mechanisms within swarm robotic systems, and how recent developments enable tangible benefits to multiple industries as a whole. A comprehensive overview on the current advancements and challenges faced in effective sharing of important information via Pheromonal Communication is also presented. Besides, this paper also discusses the recent advancements pertaining to the information integration systems in one of the major swarm robotic system applications, namely the Autonomous Underwater Vehicles. Forthcoming promising applications with good potential to surpass the recent dilemmas were also explored and analyzed at the end of this paper, with discussions on possible gaps to close in order to enable further enhancements on the efficiency of information integration in swarm robotic systems.