A geometric condition for robot-swarm cohesion and cluster–flock transition
Mathias Casiulis, Eden Arbel, Charlotte van Waes, Yoav Lahini, Stefano Martiniani, Naomi Oppenheimer, Matan Yah Ben Zion
Abstract
We present a geometric design rule for size-controlled clustering of self-propelled particles. We show that active particles that tend to rotate under an external force have an intrinsic, signed parameter with units of curvature which we call curvity, that can be derived from first principles. Experiments with robots and numerical simulations show that properties of individual robots (radius and curvity) control pair cohesion in a binary system, and the stability of flocking and self-limiting clustering in a swarm, with applications in metamaterials and in embodied decentralized control.
Topics & Concepts
CurvatureCluster analysisRobotCohesion (chemistry)Binary numberMathematicsStability (learning theory)Statistical physicsComputer scienceMetamaterialClassical mechanicsFlocking (texture)Control theory (sociology)Theoretical physicsTopology (electrical circuits)PhysicsTransition pointSPHERESGeometryMathematical analysisGeometric shapeKinematicsStability conditionsMicro and Nano RoboticsModular Robots and Swarm IntelligenceDistributed Control Multi-Agent Systems