Control of synchronization regimes in networks of mobile interacting agents

We investigate synchronization in a population of mobile pulse-coupled agents with a view towards implementations in swarm robotics systems and mobile sensor networks. Previous theoretical approaches dealt with range and nearest neighbor interactions. In the latter case, a synchronization-hindering regime for intermediate agent mobility was found. In the present work, we investigate the robustness of this intermediate regime under practical scenarios. We show that synchronization in the intermediate regime can be predicted by means of a suitable metric of the phase response curve. Furthermore, we study more realistic K-nearest neighbors and cone of vision interactions, showing that it is possible to control the extent of the synchronization-hindering region by appropriately tuning the size of the neighborhood. To assess the effect of noise, we analyze the propagation of perturbations over the network and draw an analogy between the response in the hindering regime and stable chaos. Our findings reveal the conditions for the control of clock or activity synchronization of agents with intermediate mobility. In addition, the emergence of the intermediate regime is validated experimentally using a swarm of physical robots interacting with cone of vision interactions.