Swarmodroid & AMPy: Reconfigurable Bristle-Bots and Software Package for Robotic Active Matter Studies

Large assemblies of extremely simple robots capable only of basic motion activities (like propelling forward or self-rotating) are often applied to study swarming behavior or implement various phenomena characteristic of active matter composed of non-equilibrium particles that convert their energy to a directed motion. As a result, a great abundance of compact swarm robots have been developed. The simplest are bristle-bots that self-propel via converting their vibration with the help of elastic bristles. However, many platforms are optimized for a certain class of studies, are not always made open-source, or have limited customization potential. To address these issues, we develop the open-source Swarmodroid 1.0 platform based on bristle-bots with reconfigurable 3D printed bodies and simple electronics that possess external control of motion velocity and demonstrate basic capabilities of trajectory adjustment. Then, we perform a detailed analysis of individual Swarmodroids' motion characteristics and their kinematics. In addition, we introduce the AMPy software package in Python that features OpenCV-based extraction of robotic swarm kinematics accompanied by the evaluation of key physical quantities describing the collective dynamics. Finally, we discuss potential applications as well as further directions for fundamental studies and Swarmodroid 1.0 platform development.