Swarm robot materials handling paradigm for a manufacturing workcell

A manufacturing workcell model employing behavior-based swarm robots, i.e. groups of autonomous mobile robots whose sensory-driven state behavior produces emergent group functionality not characteristic of the individual robots is considered. The robots´ emergent behavior successfully performs the workcell´s required materials handling without central planning. Processing machines within the workcell broadcast load and unload request signals. Robots cannot communicate with each other, but will respond to any detected machine´s broadcast signal, which allows the robot to determine the type of service requested and the requesting machine´s heading. If the robot´s state indicates that the request can be satisfied, it moves along the heading seeking to dock with the calling machine and satisfying the machine´s request. A software simulation of this materials handling paradigm illustrates feasibility and establishes a constructive lower bound for autonomous materials handling performance