journal article·2024-04-26Open access

Swarm of Drones in a Simulation Environment—Efficiency and Adaptation

Dariusz Marek, Marcin Paszkuta, Jakub Szyguła, Piotr Biernacki, Adam Domański, Marta Szczygieł, Marcel Król, Konrad Wojciechowski

Applied Sciences· Volume 14· Issue 9

Abstract

In the swiftly advancing field of swarm robotics and unmanned aerial vehicles, precise and effective testing methods are essential. This article explores the crucial role of software-in-the-loop (SITL) simulations in developing, testing, and validating drone swarm control algorithms. Such simulations play a crucial role in reproducing real-world operational scenarios. Additionally, they can (regardless of the type of application) accelerate the development process, reduce operational risks, and ensure the consistent performance of drone swarms. Our study demonstrates that different geometrical arrangements of drone swarms require flexible control strategies. The leader-based control model facilitates coherent movement and enhanced coordination. Addressing various issues such as communication delays and inaccuracies in positioning is essential here. These shortcomings underscore the value of improved approaches to collision avoidance. The research described in this article focused on the dynamics of drone swarms in a simulated context and emphasized their operational efficiency and adaptability in various scenarios. Advanced simulation tools were utilized to analyze the interaction, communication, and adaptability of autonomous units. The presented results indicate that the arrangement of drones significantly affects their coordination and collision avoidance capabilities. They also underscore the importance of control systems that can adapt to various situations. The impact of communication delays and errors in positioning systems on the required distance between drones in a grid structure is also presented. This article assesses the impact of different levels of GPS accuracy and communication delays on the coordination of group movement and collision avoidance capabilities.
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Research context

OpenAlex topics: Distributed Control Multi-Agent Systems · UAV Applications and Optimization · Robotic Path Planning Algorithms

SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.

Affiliations

Department of Distributed Systems and Informatic Devices, Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Science, Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 16, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland

Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology, Koszykowa 86, 02-008 Warsaw, Poland

Department of Computer Graphics, Vision and Digital Systems, Faculty of Automatic Control, Electronics and Computer Science, Silesian University of Technology, Akademicka 16, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland

Polish Academy of Sciences, Institute of Theoretical and Applied Informatics, Bałtycka 5, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland

Funding

National Centre operates for Research and Development

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