Effect of Formation Size on Flocking Formation Performance for the Goal Reach Problem

• Main Authors: Almuhaideb, S. (Author), Alshraihi, R. (Author), Altwaijry, N. (Author), Qasem, S. (Author), Touir, A. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: MDPI 2022
• Subjects: flocking agents; flocking rules; formation control; goal reach problem; sensing power; simulation; swarm
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher

 Flocking is one of the swarm tasks inspired by animal behavior. A flock involves multiple agents aiming to achieve a goal while maintaining certain characteristics of their formation. In nature, flocks vary in size. Although several studies have focused on the flock controller itself, less research has focused on how the flock size affects flock formation and performance. In this study, we address this problem and develop a simple flock controller for goal-zone-reaching tasks. The developed controller is intended for a two-dimensional environment and can handle obstacles as well as integrate an additional invented feature, called sensing power, in order to simulate the natural dynamics of migratory birds. This controller is simulated using the NetLogo simulation tool. Several experiments were conducted with and without obstacles, accompanied by changes in the flock size. The simulation results demonstrate that the flock controller is able to successfully deliver the flock to the goal zone. In addition, changes in the flock size affect multiple metrics, such as the time required to reach the goal (and, consequently, the time required to complete the flocking task), as well as the number of collisions that occur. © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland.