Distance based communication in the surveillance task in a multi-robot system

We investigate communication effects in the surveillance task and compare a communication vs. no-communication condition in a simulated environment using a modified version of an existing tracking algorithm. The modification not only allowed the collective to achieve a steady state of 100% performance in most cases but also reduced both the influence of target-to-robot ratios and the size of the work radius as well as the performance variance. Communication solved an interference effect, rather than create one. The results are discussed from a perspective that focuses on messages that move the collective as a whole from an initial state to a solution state. Such messages provide information about the current task state, rather than information about the state of individual members or the location of attractors.