Computer science researchers at Cornell University and the École Polytechnique de Montréal have released a new programming language called Buzz which was designed to control robot swarms. Extensible and dynamically typed, Buzz can control a single robot or groups of self-organizing robots.
“We believe that one of the most important aspects of Buzz is its potential to become an enabler for future research on real-world, complex swarm robotics systems,” the researchers said. “Currently, no standardized platform exists that allows researchers to compare, share and reuse swarm behaviors. Inescapably, development involves a certain amount of re-coding of recurring swarm behaviors, such as flocking, barriers, and creation of gradients. The design of Buzz is motivated and nurtured by the necessity to overcome this state of affairs.”
