Picobot - a swarm bot

One of the most interesting small robots on the market is the PicoBot from 4Tronix (http://4tronix.co.uk/blog/?p=708). 

These are small, relatively low-cost robots with a good range of basic sensors based around Arduino. A nice feature is they are quick to put together (5-10 minutes each for the two above).  The size, time to build and the radio modules make them an interesting option for playing with swarm robotics - if only I had the money.

Don't let the swarm robot idea put you off, as small robots to playing with programming they are good in their own right. Being small with the ultrasonic sensors gives them an non-threatening look; add in they have some build it programs to play with (select by buttons on the bot) to get you going without any programming.

Related Links

• Narinder's Swarm Robots
• mbots - graphical programming and Arduino
• Edge following CrumbleBot

All opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.

Narinder's Swarm Robots

This time not my experimentation but by a colleague and student I was supervising.

Some interesting work has been developed by Narinder Singh (MSc Computing student and Technician) in the Department of Computing and Immersive Technology, University of Northampton. The work revolves around investigating the use of relatively simple robots, kilobots, to investigate swarm robotics.

The kilobots (http://www.k-team.com/mobile-robotics-products/kilobot) are relatively low-cost devices specifically designed for work of swarm/collective intelligence experiments.


Example:Dancing Kilobots 

For more examples go to: Kilobot videoss

Supervisor Scott Turner


opinions in this blog are the Author's and should not in any way be seen as reflecting the views of any organisation the Author has any association with.