Optimisation Of Extra-Terrestrial Planetary Surface Exploration Tasks Using Behavioural Patterns of Ant Colonies

£5.00

A. Tarodi. (2021), JBIS, 74, pp.101-106

Refcode: 2021.74.101

Abstract:

In extra-terrestrial planetary surface exploration rovers must face numerous difficulties arising from the conditions on extra-terrestrial bodies and the complexity of their missions. These include coping with extreme weather conditions, a dust storm for instance and overcoming obstacles in their way. This problem is analogous to the one that ants have to tackle in order to get through hilly terrain, find food and collect it. Therefore, it would be handy to implement solutions to surface exploration inspired by ant colonies as nature has already tested and revised their solutions over the course of evolution. Furthermore, this approach could be useful because in nature simplicity and efficiency are of key importance, which is also true for designing rovers. In the paper various tasks of rovers and their optimization was investigated aided by the behavioural patterns of ants. Computer simulations were made in Python to model the processes under conditions that are set to mimic the collective behaviour of ants. The overall aim was to show that even with relatively simple rules taken from ant colonies’ behaviour, it would be possible to increase the efficiency of rovers on a mission.