Robot-based computing systems: recent advances for Pattern Formation

21^st February 2017, 13:00 Ashton Lecture Theater
Dr. Alfredo Navarra
University of Perugia
Italy

Abstract

In the last years a considerably effort in the area of distributed computing has been devoted to the study of models and algorithmic approaches for the so called robot-based computing systems. In this kind of systems, a set of mobile entities, usually referred to as robots, collaborate in a distributed fashion in order to perform global tasks.

We survey on the latest achievements for one of the most studied and general task, the Pattern Formation problem within variants of the 'weakest' and most investigated model. Given a set F of points in the Euclidean plane and a set R of robots such that |R|=|F|, the Pattern Formation problem asks for a distributed algorithm that moves robots so as to reach a configuration similar to F. Similarity means that robots must be disposed as F regardless translations, rotations, reflections, uniform scalings.