Work

BICLARE: bio-inspired collaborative lightweight algorithm for robust swarm exploration

Year: 2026

Type: article

Abstract: Having access to a floor plan upon arrival enables first responders to act swiftly and efficiently. This study investigates the use of robotic swarms for autonomous environment mapping, with the aim of generating maps before emergency personnel arrive at the scene. We introduce BICLARE, a lightweight exploration algorithm inspired by ant-colony pheromone-based communication and navigation. BICLARE employs a confidence model to estimate cell occupancy within a map and optimizes target selection based on travel time and battery estimates to improve efficiency. The algorithm is designed to run efficiently on low-cost hardware. The performance of BICLARE is validated through simulated experiments in diverse and dynamic environments, demonstrating accurate mapping and robust coverage even in the presence of noise and uncertainty. Field trials further confirm the feasibility of the approach on low-cost COTS devices.

Source: Scientific Reports

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-026-71833-3

Authors: Hugo van Dijk, Suryansh Sharma, R. R. Venkatesha Prasad, Leszek Ambroziak

Institutions: Delft University of Technology, Bialystok University of Technology

Language: English

Topic: Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence

Subfield: Mechanical Engineering

Field: Engineering

Domain: Physical Sciences

SDG: Industry, innovation and infrastructure

Open Access status: gold

Estimated APC paid: $2,690