APPLICATION OF THE LENNARD-JONES POTENTIAL IN MODELLING ROBOT MOTION

• Main Authors: Piotr Wójcicki, Tomasz Zientarski
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Lublin University of Technology 2019-12-01
• Series: Informatyka, Automatyka, Pomiary w Gospodarce i Ochronie Środowiska
• Subjects: swarm; Lennard-Jones potential; molecular dynamics simulation
• Online Access: https://ph.pollub.pl/index.php/iapgos/article/view/45

The article proposes a method of controlling the movement of a group of robots with a model used to describe the interatomic interactions. Molecular dynamics simulations were carried out in a system consisting of a moving groups of robots and fixed obstacles. Both the obstacles and the group of robots consisted of uniform spherical objects. Interactions between the objects are described using the Lennard-Jones potential. During the simulation, an ordered group of robots was released at a constant initial velocity towards the obstacles. The objects’ mutual behaviour was modelled only by changing the value of the interaction strength of the potential. The computer simulations showed that it is possible to find the optimal value of the potential impact parameters that enable the implementation of the assumed robotic behaviour scenarios. Three possible variants of behaviour were obtained: stopping, dispersing and avoiding an obstacle by a group of robots.