Abstract: The research goal of collective construction is to develop autonomous
multi-robot systems that build large-scale structures according to user
specifications. I will discuss issues in the design of such systems,
and present TERMES, a system of climbing robots and passive building
blocks inspired by the construction activities of termites. Robots act
independently under decentralized control, using local information,
onboard sensing, and implicit coordination through manipulation of a
shared environment. A user can specify a target structure using a
high-level representation, and robots follow simple rules that
guarantee the correct completion of that structure. I will close with
a discussion of experimental studies of African termites, aimed at
better understanding their behaviors and how these affect the
structures they produce.
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