Subject:
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RE: Robotic Ants [Challenges for multiple robots]
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Newsgroups:
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lugnet.robotics
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Date:
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Sun, 30 Jan 2000 10:20:09 GMT
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Original-From:
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Mihalka, Michael <MihalkaM@marshallcenter{nomorespam}.org>
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Viewed:
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1917 times
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Andre and David:
I would prefer the IR beam not be used for a scent trail since the scent
trail for ants works in the absence of the ant that laid it. However I think
using the IR beam is easier. We have five issues - finding the food, laying
the scent trail, finding home, following the scent trail and passing off the
information to other workers. This challenge could be similar to the one
found in the Baum book but without the line laid down already.
I see two creatures, the pathfinder and the worker which operate separately
(so Andre you need only one RCX). The pathfinder finds the food and lays a
path back to home. The worker follows the path, picks up the food and
returns home.
The food source can be the Baum candy dispenser (perhaps identified by a
flashlight) and home can be a black (green) piece of construction paper
(also perhaps identified by a flashlight)
How can a brick lay a scent trail? Well it could draw a line on the floor.
The creature would then follow this line. The other possibility would be to
drop colored bricks along the floor and the RCX creature would follow these
bricks. Another possibility would be to spool out some string. (Anyone have
any other ideas for scent trails?)
The problem is slightly easier if we use the IR beam for communication. The
pathfinder locates the food (the flashlight) and sends a beam to home that
food is located like David indicated.
To make this challenge even more interesting we could design a soldier robot
to protect the food source against those robotic creatures that are not part
of the colony. (Members of a colony would have a particular IR call sign).
Enough on the challenge, now for some construction and programming (and to
figure out how to use RoboCall).
Michael
PS. For those of you who are interested I am now beta testing PCLogo with
RCX support (this will be taking priority in the next couple of weeks).
Andre Garzia wrote: damn i have only one RCX....
David Leeper wrote: (thinks the RCX's chemical signal is really IR light)
-----Original Message-----
From: andregarzia@openlink.com.br
[mailto:andregarzia@openlink.com.br]
Sent: Saturday, January 29, 2000 10:32 PM
To: lego-robotics@crynwr.com
Subject: Re: Robotic Ants [Challenges for multiple
robots]
On 29 Jan 00, at 19:41, David Leeper wrote:
> Michael,
>
> I've been thinking about ant trails too. It's seems to me
that the RCX would
> not be a good trail laying creature. But what it is good
at is using the IR
> port.
>
> A robot could drive along and possibly store it's trail in
a map. When it
> found its "food", it could send out an IR message to
summon other robots. The
> robots could follow the IR light as a homing becon. Or,
using a messaging
> system that can send big messages, like RoboCall, the
first robot could send a
> map on how to reach the food.
>
> David Leeper (thinks the RCX's chemical signal is really
IR light)
>
to send a map we need to know the current position of the
receiver
or the receiver ant will point out where in the map it is?
damn i have only one RCX....
Andre Garzia
--
Did you check the web site first?:
http://www.crynwr.com/lego-robotics
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