The Robotarium: A remotely accessible swarm robotics research testbed
This addresses the problem of expensive and complex multi-robot research for researchers and students by offering remote access, though it is incremental as it builds on existing testbed concepts.
The paper tackles the problem of limited access to multi-robot testbeds by introducing the Robotarium, a remotely accessible swarm robotics facility, which provides users with a state-of-the-art test environment to overcome resource constraints.
This paper describes the Robotarium -- a remotely accessible, multi-robot research facility. The impetus behind the Robotarium is that multi-robot testbeds constitute an integral and essential part of the multi-robot research cycle, yet they are expensive, complex, and time-consuming to develop, operate, and maintain. These resource constraints, in turn, limit access for large groups of researchers and students, which is what the Robotarium is remedying by providing users with remote access to a state-of-the-art multi-robot test facility. This paper details the design and operation of the Robotarium and discusses the considerations one must take when making complex hardware remotely accessible. In particular, safety must be built into the system already at the design phase without overly constraining what coordinated control programs users can upload and execute, which calls for minimally invasive safety routines with provable performance guarantees.