Phd Position: Dynamics Of A Robot Swarm

FPI grant associated with project PID2023-146422NB-I00 "Dynamics of many particle systems: from passive grains to macroscopic active matter". Funded by: Proyectos de Generación de Conocimiento 2023 (Spanish Government).
We are offering excellent working conditions in a highly stimulating research environment at the Granular Lab (Dpto. de Física y Mat. Apl., Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de Navarra, Pamplona, Spain).
Duration: 4 years
Working hours: Full time
Gross salary: Approximately 24,000 euros per year. The grant also covers the possibility of short stints abroad.
Project summary:
Dynamics of a robot swarm. Systems consisting of a large number of interacting self-propelled agents are known as active matter. They include live beings such as pedestrians or bacteria, vehicles, and artificial particles. A collection of robots that interact with each other is a smart way to study active matter, as they offer both flexibility and repeatability. We have an ensemble of small wheeled robots modified by us that carry a nanocomputer (Raspberry Pi), a video camera, and several sensors. They have been recently used to simulate traffic.
The goal now is to analyse the equivalent of an evacuation drill, meaning, to make the robot swarm go through a bottleneck. The candidate will design and execute experiments with this robot swarm, as well as numerical simulations to test concepts and check the universal validity of the results. Furthermore, data-driven machine learning models, such as artificial neural networks (ANNs), support vector machines (SVMs), and Bayesian networks (BNs), among others, will be employed to assist and expedite the research and discovery process.
The main challenge when dealing with robot swarms is to define the interaction among units. These can range from simple actions (such as just stopping and remaining idle) to smart operations, such as moving sideways or backwards after a contact has taken place, and even more complex exploratory behaviour. Deciding how to model a particular situation will need extensive testing. The ultimate goal of a robot swarm is to perform a collective task better than individuals alone would do on their own.
Candidate profile:
- Required: Master degree in physics, mathematics, engineering, or equivalent. Admission to the doctoral school.
- Research experience, fluency in English, and programming skills will be valued.
Further information requests:
Email to ****** or *********
Applications: Send your C.V. and résumé with grades to ****** or *********.
An online interview with candidates will be scheduled.
Application deadline: November 30th, 2024

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