2025/04/11 by Alessia Loi, Loona Macabre, Loi, Alessia +18 · 1 citation
Computer Science · Engineering · #Artificial Intelligence (cs.AI) #FOS: Computer and information sciences #Modular Robots and Swarm Intelligence #Multiagent Systems (cs.MA) #Robotic Locomotion and Control #Robotic Path Planning Algorithms #Robotics (cs.RO)
paper · pdf · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2504.08686
openalex publication_date 2025/04/11 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/30
This paper describes the Pogobot, an open-source platform specifically designed for research at the interface of swarm robotics and active matter. Pogobot features vibration-based or wheel-based locomotion, fast infrared communication, and an array of sensors in a cost-effective package (approx. 250euros/unit). The platform's modular design, comprehensive API, and extensible architecture facilitate the implementation of swarm intelligence algorithms and collective motion. Pogobots offer an accessible alternative to existing platforms while providing advanced capabilities including directional communication between units and fast locomotion, all with a compact form factor. More than 200 Pogobots are already being used on a daily basis in several Universities to study self-organizing systems, programmable active matter, discrete reaction-diffusion-advection systems and computational models of social learning and evolution. This paper details the hardware and software architecture, communication protocols, locomotion mechanisms, and the infrastructure built around the Pogobots.