Heterogeneous robot swarms: state of the art and future perspectives

This thesis offers a comprehensive view on the state of the art of current research on heterogeneity in swarm robotics systems. A classification of heterogeneous robot swarms is proposed, followed by reporting on metrics that can be used to accurately describe and quantify heterogeneity in robot swarms. Finally, results from experimental studies on different implementations of heterogeneous robot swarms are analysed to evaluate the usefulness of introducing heterogeneity to swarm robotics systems. It is observed that heterogeneous robot swarms are a promising tool for the realization of robust systems able to exhibit complex behaviour in unsupervised environments; however, further research is needed to facilitate their use in practical applications.