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--- teaching:mfe:ia [2016/03/14 16:12]
mdorigo Birattari: I removed old subjects
+++ teaching:mfe:ia [2017/04/20 18:29]
stuetzle [Automatic configuration of hybrid algorithms]
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 Ces sujets sont prêt à être encadrer, mais il va s'en dire qu'ils ne sont pas uniques. Les étudiants sont vivement encouragés à prendre contact avec Hugues Bersini (bersini AT ulb.ac.be) ou Marco Dorigo (mdorigo AT ulb.ac.be) afin de discuter de l'une ou l'autre initiative inspirée pouvant faire l'objet dun autre sujet de MFE ou de préciser le cadres, le contenu et les attentes relatives au sujets présentés.
+===== Swarm construction: Development of remote monitoring software for intelligent structures =====
+S-blocks are dynamically reconfigurable blocks used for autonomous construction applications. When two or more S-blocks are assembled they are capable of communicating with each other over a near field communication (NFC) wireless interface. The goal of this master thesis is to develop software to monitor (and control) the blocks in an intelligent structure remotely over the auxiliary Zigbee-based wireless interface. As only one block in the structure is fitted with this wireless interface, it is required that the other blocks communicate with the PC, via routing messages through the block-to-block NFC interfaces. This will require the software on the S-Blocks to be enhanced to use preemptive task swapping, to allow multiple blocks to communicate with each other simultaneously.
+Required skills: The candidates should understand low level computer concepts such as: interrupts, timers, and registers, have some experience with C/C++ programming, and have a working knowledge of the English language.
+* Contact: [[http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~mdorigo|Marco Dorigo]] (IRIDIA)
+===== Design of a holonomic drive system for autonomous robots in a swarm =====
+Unlike a differential drive system, a holonomic drive system has the advantage of being able to move in any direction at a given instant. The goal of this master thesis is to design and evaluate the performance of a holonomic drive system. The drive system will be assembled from a combination of off-the-shelf components and 3D printed parts. In order to evaluate the drive system, close loop controllers need to be designed and evaluated in C/C++.
+Required skills: The candidates should have some experience with programming in C/C++, and some experience with 3D modelling (preferably Solidworks). The candidates should be able to use basic kinematics to solve simple physics problems, and have a working knowledge of the English language.
+* Contact: [[http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~mdorigo|Marco Dorigo]] (IRIDIA)
+===== Automatic design of communication protocols in swarm robotics =====
+Automatic design methods are a promising approach to the development of control software of robot swarms. In previous research, we have developed AutoMoDe, a method that automatically generate a finite state machine to control each individual robot of the swarm. AutoMoDe automatically assembles the finite state machine starting from pre-defined behavioral modules and transition criteria.  In this project, the goal is to extend AutoMoDe so as to enable the automatic generation of communication protocols.
+Required skills: The candidate should have good programming skills and previous experience with C++ programming under UNIX.
+* Contact: [[http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~mbiro|Mauro Birattari]], Lorenzo Garattoni, Gianpiero Francesca (IRIDIA)
+===== Intelligent interactive console for swarm of robots =====
+The goal of this project is to design and implement an interactive tool for monitoring, debugging and controlling experiments in swarm robotics. Through the interface of this tool, the user can pause the experiment, monitor the state of the robots, select a robot to check the values of sensors and actuators, and modify them if needed. The tool will be integrated in ARGoS (the simulator for robot swarms developed at IRIDIA) and will feature the existing debug facilities featured by ARGoS, which currently work only in simulation. The tool will also use the IRIDIA arena's tracking system, which is equipped with 16 ceiling-mounted cameras. Finally, the tool will integrate an existing console software to monitor and control the state of the robots.
+* Contact: [[http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~mbiro|Mauro Birattari]], Lorenzo Garattoni (IRIDIA)
+===== Efficient chain formation in a robot swarm =====
+The goal of this project is to study and design techniques to efficiently create and maintain robust chains of robots. Chain formation is a known collective behavior in swarm robotics. In chain formation, robots place themselves in the environment to create a chain that connects two locations. The chain can be used by other robots as navigation support. Chain formation behaviors are often inspired by ants, which form chains of individuals that connect their nest to foraging sites. Although chain formation has been implemented in several different configurations (e.g., chains of moving robots, chains of aerial robots that aid the navigation of ground robots, directional chains, etc.), the definition of efficient methods to build, use, and maintain chains of robots is still missing. The ultimate goal of the project is therefore the definition of a efficient and robust chain formation behaviour.
+* Contact: [[http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~mbiro|Mauro Birattari]], Lorenzo Garattoni (IRIDIA)
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-===== Collective Decision Making with Heterogeneous Agents =====
-Swarm robotics is an interesting approach to the coordination of hundreds of robots as it promotes the realization of systems which are scalable, robust and flexible.
-The master thesis will study how to provide a swarm system with the cognitive capability of collective decision making.
-Each agent has partial knowledge of the available alternatives and of their quality estimate, however the swarm, as a whole, is able to decide for the best option. Recently, numerous works have studied strategies and algorithms to implement this process in distributed systems (often taking inspiration from biology, e.g., bees or cockroaches behaviour). One of the common characteristic of these works is that all the agents of the swarm has the same behaviour. In the Master Thesis project, the student will study how heterogeneity influences the global outcome. We will consider heterogeneity both in the individual behaviour (for instance, robots can estimate diﬀerent option characteristics) and in the interaction network.
-In practice, the student is supposed to (i) model the collective decision making problem
-(ii) design and implement multi-agents simulations, and (iii) analyse and discuss the obtained
-results. Depending on the student skills and preferences, the work can focus more on theoretical
-aspects, thus favouring the modelling and analysis of the problem, or can be more practical,
-thus centring the thesis on the multi-agent implementation part. Possibly, a more practical
-thesis could result (depending on the student skills) in the implementation of a real world
-demonstrator with a swarm of up to 100 robots.
-* Contacts : [[http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~mdorigo|Marco Dorigo]] and Andreagiovanni Reina (IRIDIA)
-===== Development of remote monitoring software for intelligent structures =====
-S-blocks are dynamically reconfigurable blocks used for autonomous construction applications. When two or more S-blocks are assembled they are capable of communicating with each other over a near field communication (NFC) wireless interface. The goal of this master thesis is to develop software to monitor (and control) the blocks in an intelligent structure remotely over the auxiliary Zigbee-based wireless interface. As only one block in the structure is fitted with this wireless interface, it is required that the other blocks communicate with the PC, via routing messages through the block-to-block NFC interfaces. This will require the software on the S-Blocks to be enhanced to use preemptive task swapping, to allow multiple blocks to communicate with each other simultaneously.
-Required skills: The candidates should understand low level computer concepts such as: interrupts, timers, and registers, have some experience with C/C++ programming, and have a working knowledge of the English language.
-* Contact: [[http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~mdorigo|Marco Dorigo]] (IRIDIA)
-===== Evolution of Modular Controllers for Simulated and Real Robots =====
-The goal of this master thesis is investigating how modularity in a robot controller can influence the quality of the behaviours obtained through artificial evolution.
-Similarly to the nervous system that can be divided in central and peripheral, the project will study a modular architecture for neural network controllers. The peripheral modules encode the information coming from the sensory subsytems or going to the motor apparatus. The central system encodes the behavioural rules that map sensations to actions. The project will study methods to develop the peripheral modules by maximising the information transfer from the sensory input and to the motor output, on the basis of measures derived from Information Theory.
-The project will involve experimental activities with both simulated and real robots, and will investigate both individual and collective behaviours.
-Required skills: The candidates should be acquainted with C/C++ programming and have a working knowledge of the English language.
-* Contact: [[http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~vtrianni|Vito Trianni]], Marco Dorigo (IRIDIA)
-===== Localisation and tracking of components in self-assembling systems =====
-The goal of this project is to apply computer vision techniques to track the growth of structures in self-assembling systems. The ability to track the growth of structures will shed light on the dynamics of self-assembly; an aspect of self-assembly that has not been well researched in the macroscopic context.
-As part of the project, the student will have to: (a) find suitable hardware (combination of camera, lens, lighting, etc.), (b) localise multiple components in an environment, (c) track the components in the environment, and (d) track the assembly of components in the environment.
-Required skills: the candidates should be able to program in C++ and have a working knowledge of the English language.
- * Contacts : [[http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~mdorigo/HomePageDorigo/ | Marco Dorigo]] and Dhananjay Ipparthi (IRIDIA)
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-===== Applications of a hybrid SLS algorithm framework =====
+===== Automated configuration of hybrid algorithms =====
-We have recently developed a software framework from which hybrid stochastic local search algorithms can be designed automatically. This framework has only been applied to a few problems. The goal of this project would be to extend this framework to other problems and compare its results with the methods proposed in the literature. The student will learn to solve combinatorial optimization problems with SLS algorithms, automatic configuration of optimization algorithms, and analysis and comparison of optimization algorithms.
+We have recently developed a software framework from which hybrid local search algorithms can be designed automatically. This framework has only been applied to a few problems. The goal of this project would be to extend this framework to other problems, in particular, vehicle routing problems and to compare the results that can be obtained with the methods proposed in the literature. The student will learn to solve combinatorial optimization problems with heuristic algorithms, automatic configuration of optimization algorithms, and the analysis and comparison of optimization algorithms.
   * Contacts :
     * [[http://iridia.ulb.ac.be/~stuetzle|Thomas Stützle (IRIDIA)]]
     * [[http://code.ulb.ac.be/iridia.people.php?id=1388|Federico Pagnozzi (IRIDIA)]]