What if you could bring swarms outside of the labs ? What if you could deploy them without any setup time or additionnal equipment ? Octon is a swarm robotics platform designed to provide a flexible and accessible platform for research and education in the field of swarm robotics. Unlike traditional swarm robotics platforms, Octon is both decentralized and interactive, offering a unique combination of features that enable new possibilities for experimentation and exploration.
The Octons can make decisions and create formations based on local information and communication
The robots are equipped with infrared (IR) and ultra-wideband (UWB) sensors, enabling them to localize each other and communicate in a decentralized manner. This eliminates the need for a central controller or external infrastructure, allowing for more robust and scalable swarm behaviors.
They use Infrared measurements from 8 emitters and 8 receivers to localize each other when in vicinity
The robots feature multiple inputs, allowing users to interact with the swarm in real-time through touch, taps, shakes, and more. This interactivity opens up new avenues for human-swarm interaction and collaboration. Additionally, Octon's modular design, based on stacked PCBs connected through board-to-board connectors, provides flexibility and ease of customization.
Octon is an open source project, encouraging community involvement and collaboration. The platform's hardware and software designs are will be freely available, allowing researchers, educators, and enthusiasts to modify, adapt, and extend the platform to suit their specific needs.
Interested ? You can contact us at thomas.juldo@devinci.fr