Integration of an autonomous artificial agent in an insect society: experimental validation.
Grégory Sempo, Stéphanie Depickère, Claire Detrain, Jose Halloy and Jean-Louis Deneubourg
Simulation of Adaptive Behavior 2006 (SAB 2006)
Rome, Italy, 25-29 September 2006
Summary
In mixed societies, several insect-like-robot (Insbot) and animals interact in order to perform collective decision-making. Many gregarious species are able to collectively select a resting site without any leadership. The key process is based on the modulation of the probability of leaving the shelter according to the total population under this shelter and its light intensity. It is important that cockroaches recognize the robot as a full member of the group. This recognition is mainly based on a chemical blend. The aim of this study is to validate experimentally (1) the behavioral patterns expressed by the cockroaches in presence of shelters and of an Insbot, and (2) the important role played by the chemical blend on collective decision-makings.