Energy replenishment strategies for robot swarms

The utility of swarms of robots would greatly increase if they could operate over extended periods of time. Here, we consider two strategies for swarms of robots to replenish their energy while performing work in a remote location. In the first, each robot commutes to work and replenishes at its base. In the second, some robots perform work, whereas others commute to provide them with energy. We present results from extensive physics-based simulations. The first strategy performs 92.8% of the work at only 12.6% lower energy efficiency than an optimal strategy. The second strategy is beneficial for low charging rates or if the robots providing energy are permitted increased amounts of storage. We provide proof-of-concept validation using the CapBot swarm robot platform.