PhDSupervision:Andreagiovanni Reina

Ph.D. Student:	Andreagiovanni Reina
Ph.D. started on:	1st May, 2011
Phone number (office):	+32-2-650 31 65
Phone number (mobile):	+32 487 403 588
Phone number (Italian):	+39 339 10 36 704
Address (Belgium):	Rue de la Fourche, 51 - Bruxelles 1000
Address (Italy):	Via T. Grossi, 40 - Como 22100

Structure of the page.
Monthly report of activities with indication of percentage of time dedicated to each activity. The percentage is referred to the working time of one month (on average 22 days), that means that for example 10% correspond to 2.2 days, and 23% is one week (5 days). For simplicity I use 25% as one week, 50% as two weeks, and so on.

Sometimes the sum of all the activities exceed the 100%, it means that I worked much more than the regularly 8 hours per day.

May 2011

Project / Time:
5% Starting bureaucracy, setup, integration in the Lab.
50% Validation of the foot-bot's sensors.
25% E-SWARM website.
20% Swarm robotics literature.

Description:
Validation of the foot-bot's sensors. The goal was to model the precision (and the noise) of all the foot-bot's sensors. I was supervised by Carlo. We tried different solutions for the modelling the light sensors. All the attempts for having a reliable automatic method have failed. We abandoned the task.

E-SWARM website. Design, implementation, test and deployment of the E-SWARM website (http://www.e-swarm.org).

Swarm robotics literature. Reading papers and books about swarm robotics.

June 2011

Project / Time:
55% Proving that ARGoS simulates well.
25% Arena tracking system.
20% Swarm robotics literature.

Description:
Proving that ARGoS simulates well. Carlo needed to have an experiment where the simulated robot experiments coincide with the real robot experiments. Carlo needed that the proof of concept experiment contains heterogeneous swarms that collaborate. One of the past (unpublished) experiments of Carlo deals with the collaboration of heterogeneous swarms: A swarm of aerial robots that guide a swarm of ground robots. We decide to use this work for validating the simulator.
I start to collaborate with Carlo in order to perform real robot experiments and, in this way, validate the ARGoS simulator.

Arena tracking system. Learning and practicing with the HALCON software.
2 days of course at DataVision offices in Vlaardingen, Netherlands.

Swarm robotics literature. Reading papers and books about swarm robotics.

July 2011

Project / Time:
60% A ceiling robot guides a swarm of ground robots.
10% Arena tracking system.
15% Swarm robotics literature.
15% Distributed Path Planning.
1 day of holiday taken.

Description:
A ceiling robot guides a swarm of ground robots. We have proved (in June) that on real robot the scenario we are studying can be executed, but we do not have clear the experiments we want to do.
We try to define possible questions we want to answer with our experiments.
We start trying solutions, getting results and thinking on the results.
The main activities were:

• design experiments
  
• implement controllers
  
• run cluster experiments
  
• plot results (statistics and visualization)
  

Arena tracking system. Test of the tracking software. I and Alessandro created the tags to apply on the footbots and we started the first tracking experiments.

Swarm robotics literature. Reading papers and books about swarm robotics.

Distributed Path Planning. Getting ready for the VERY SHORT visiting period at IDSIA. I tried to have everything ready for the real robot experiments. But not enough time. :( Many things still to do.

August 2011

Project / Time:
100% Distributed Path Planning
25% Holiday (5 days taken)

Description:
Visiting IDSIA for 3 weeks (working day and night).
Created a COMPLETE REAL ROBOT DEMONSTRATOR.

1 week holiday.
TAROS Conference in Sheffield, UK. (best poster award)

September 2011

Project / Time:
120% AAMAS paper: A ceiling robot guides a swarm of ground robots (work with Carlo and Mauro).

Description:
I put all my effort in this project. (Unfortunately) Carlo was not in Belgium, due to the combination of the (already planned) conference IROS and holidays. Therefore, I was working mainly alone with the weekly supervision of Mauro.
I did my best to turn the work to a valid scientific contribution. I tried to give a scientific sense to the work. I tried to find an interesting message and to design experiments that give results which support the message.
Unfortunately, one month of intensive work was not enough: the message (and the scientific contribution) was still small for being accepted in a conference of high level like AAMAS.

During the month of September, I carried out a set of activities, among others I list the main ones:

• Problem (re)definition
  
• Design of the experiments
  
• Implementation of the robotic controllers
  
• Execution of large set of experiments on the cluster
  
• Result data analysis (statistics and plots)
  
• Documentation

October 2011

Project / Time:
80% AAMAS paper: A ceiling robot guides a swarm of ground robots (work with Carlo and Mauro).
15% Arena tracking system. + ANTS 2012
5% Distributed Path Planning

Description:
AAMAS paper. Working on the conclusion of the work with Carlo. The writing activity was mainly carried out by Carlo. I took care about all the rest.
Here a brief list of the main activities:

• Writing of the first draft of the paper.
  
• Real robot experiments
  
• Execution of large set of experiments on the cluster
  
• Result data analysis (statistics and plots)
  
• Real robot video

Tracking system. I and Alessandro evaluated the performance of the tracking system and designed the hardware requirements for the new arena.

ANTS 2012. Web sites updates (PC members, CFP, invited talks, ...).

November 2011

Project / Time:
40% Distributed Path Planning
10% Master student supervision + Various tasks @IRIDIA.
50% Holiday (8 days taken + National/ULB holidays)

Description:
Distributed Path Planning. Adding a new small functionality. Restructuring the code. Preparing the code for running on the cluster.

Master student supervision. Started to work with 2 Master students for the 2 projects of master I proposed: Web Community for Robotic Software and A web visualizer for ARGoS.

Various tasks @IRIDIA. Tracking system. ANTS 2012. Marco Dorigo's web pages.

December 2011

Project / Time:
50% Distributed Path Planning
20% FNRS Application
5% Various tasks @IRIDIA
25% Holiday (0 days taken + National/ULB holidays)

Description:
Distributed Path Planning. Restructuring the code. Preparing the code for running on the cluster.

FNRS Application. Starting to clarify the ideas. Selecting the topic. Focus the attention on what I want to study. Started collaboration with Vito and Alexander.

Various tasks @IRIDIA. Master Student's supervision. Tracking system. ANTS 2012. Marco Dorigo's web pages.

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Holiday Summary 2011: 14 days taken (1 day July + 5 days August + 8 days November).
Adding the holidays of beginning of January (4 days), I reach 18 days.

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January 2012

Project / Time:
40% FNRS Application
10% ANTS 2012
25% Holiday (4 days taken + National/ULB holidays)

Description:
FNRS Application. Focusing on the topic. Firsts drafts. Weekly feedback from Vito and Alexander.
ANTS 2012. Publicity and Online Conference System setup.

February 2012

Project / Time:
90% FNRS Application
10% ANTS 2012 + Master Students

Description:
FNRS Application. Writing project proposal. Daily feedbacks from Vito and Alexander. Completion of the application. Submission. Crossed fingers.

March 2012

Project / Time:
25% Distributed Path Planning
30% ANTS 2012
20% Various @IRIDIA
15% Review ANTS 2012
10% Closing the FNRS proposal

Description:
Distributed Path Planning. Restructuring the code. Preparing the code for running on the cluster.
ANTS 2012. Website update. Submission deadline. Assignment to Tech Chairs. Letters to reviewers.
Various @IRIDIA Master Student's Project + Supervision WikiPage creation + Marco website + my website + English course
Review ANTS 2012. Peer review of 3 articles submitted to ANTS 2012.
Closing the FNRS proposal. Storing documents. Recommendation letters.

April 2012

Project / Time:
65% Distributed Path Planning
20% ANTS 2012
10% Various @IRIDIA
5% Course: Distributed Collaboration in Multi-Robot Systems by Andrea Gasparri (Università Roma Tre)
10% Holidays (2 days: 1 day taken + 1 National holidays)

Description:
Distributed Path Planning. Running experiments on the cluster. Analysis of the results (statistics and plots). Main supervisor: Gianni.
ANTS 2012. Review phase. Final decision phase.
Various @IRIDIA Master Student's Project + English course

May 2012

Project / Time:
55% Distributed Path Planning
20% ANTS 2012
5% Various @IRIDIA
25% Holidays (6 days: 3 day taken + 3 National holidays)

Description:
Distributed Path Planning. Running experiments on the cluster. Analysis of the results (statistics and plots). First draft. Main supervisor: Gianni.
ANTS 2012. Camera ready copy phase.
Various @IRIDIA Master Student's Project + English course

June 2012

Project / Time:
95% Distributed Path Planning
10% ANTS 2012
1 day of holiday taken.

Description:
Distributed Path Planning. Running experiments on the cluster. Analysis of the results. Writing Journal Article. Main supervisor: Gianni.
ANTS 2012. Program.

July 2012

Project / Time:
15% Rapport d'avancement des recherches
10% Closing the Distributed Path Planning project
5% ANTS 2012
5% Various @IRIDIA
65% New Research Activity: Phase Transition

Description:
Rapport d'avancement des recherches. Get ready the required documents. Print. Deliver.
Closing the Distributed Path Planning project Organize data. Storing files. Clean machines.
ANTS 2012 Registration issues.
Various @IRIDIA Websites
New Research Activity: Phase Transition literature. Define the question to answer.
Book of R. Solè "Phase Transitions".
Little part of the book of T. Vicsek "Fluctuations and Scaling in Biology".
Various articles (H. Hamann).

August 2012

Project / Time:
35% Phase Transitions
10% ANTS 2012
5% Various @IRIDIA
50% Summer holidays (12 days taken.)

Description:
Phase Transitions. Literature on Complex Systems, Phase Transitions and Non Linear Differential Equations.
First draft of the report "Phase Transitions in Collective Decision Making".
ANTS 2012 Preparation before the conference. Payment issues.
Various @IRIDIA BA2 with Mauro Birattari.

September 2012

Project / Time:
15% Phase Transition
10% ECCS 2012
50% ANTS 2012
15% FRIA
2% Rapport d'avancement de recherches.
5% Various @IRIDIA
9% Holidays (1 day taken + 1 day National holiday)

Description:
Phase Transition. Literature on Complex Systems, Phase Transitions and Non Linear Differential Equations.
Report "Phase Transitions in Collective Decision Making".
Read Dr. H. Hamann's Thesis.
Get experience with NetLogo.
ECCS 2012. 2/3 days at the European Conference on Complex Systems in Building K
ANTS 2012. Preparation. Conference. Post-conference stuff.
FRIA. Submission and related documents.
Rapport d'avancement de recherches. Last minute presentation.
Various @IRIDIA. Master's Thesis co-supervision (student: Jacopo De Stefani)

October 2012

Project / Time:
50% FRIA
35% Phase Transition
15% Various @IRIDIA

Description:
FRIA. Presentation: preparation and actual oral presentation on 25th Oct.
Phase Transition. Literature on Complex Systems, Phase Transitions and Non Linear Differential Equations.
Studied in details the work of H. Hamann. Replicated his latest experiments.
Try to model the work of A. Brutschy et al. 2012 on task partitioning.
Various @IRIDIA. Master students projects. Master's Thesis co-supervision (student: Jacopo De Stefani). English course. Review for BIONETICS 2012 (Vito).

November 2012

Project / Time:
60% Collective decision making in Biology
10% Review on WSN in Swarm Robotics
15% Various @IRIDIA
15% Holidays (1 day taken + 3 days National/ULB holiday)

Description:
Collective decision making in Biology.
Detailed study of the articles:

• On optimal decision-making in brains and social insect colonies. Marshall et al. 2009

• Weber's Law in Decision Making: Integrating Behavioral Data in Humans with a Neurophysiological Model. Deco et al. 2007

• Stop signals provide cross inhibition in collective decision-making by honeybee swarms. Seeley et al. 2012

Get experienced with tools: Mathematica and Matlab.
Analytical study of the models described in the papers.
Main supervisor: Vito.
Collaborations with Michele Pace.
Review on WSN in Swarm Robotics. Retrieved and categorized works in the area: Deployment and Re-deployment of Wireless Sensor Networks in Swarm Robotics.
Various @IRIDIA. Master students projects. Co-supervision of Jacopo De Stefani. English course.

December 2012

Project / Time:
40% Collective decision making in Biology
8% Various @IRIDIA
13% Bersini courses
40% Holidays (3 day taken + 6 days ULB holiday)

Description:
Collective decision making in Biology.
Set of experiments for testing if the biological models of nest selection in rock ants and honeybees follow the Weber's law of perception and decision making.
Report of work progress: "Weber's Law in decision-making of social insect colonies".
Main supervisor: Vito.
Bersini courses. 3 days as tutor in Python and Django.
Various @IRIDIA. Master students projects. Co-supervision of Jacopo De Stefani.

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Holiday Summary 2012: 22 days taken (1 day April + 3 days May + 1 day June + 12 days August + 1 day September + 1 day November + 3 days December).
Adding the holidays of beginning of January (2 days), I reach 24 days.

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January 2013

Project / Time:
50% Collective decision making in Swarm Robotics
20% Review on WSN in Swarm Robotics
7% Distributed Path Planning
5% Travel Scholarship.
5% Various @IRIDIA.
18% Holidays (2 day taken + 2 days ULB holiday) from 1st to 4th.

Description:
Collective decision making in Swarm Robotics.
Selection of the self-propelled particles simulator. Modelling a collective decision making problem with SPP: nest-selection using as quality measure the distance estimation. Deeping my knowledge of SPP models and collective motion (Vicsek).
Review on WSN in Swarm Robotics. First draft of my section (State of Art) of the book chapter Deployment and Re-deployment of Wireless Sensor Networks in Swarm Robotics.
Distributed Path Planning. Fixing the article according to the comments from the reviewers.
Travel scholarship. Preparation and submission of the travel scholarship application.
Various @IRIDIA. Get information on arena tracking system from Alessandro Stranieri.

February 2013

Project / Time:
25% Distributed Path Planning
50% FNRS
25% Various @IRIDIA.

Description:
Distributed Path Planning. Fixing the article according to the comments from the reviewers. Submit it to Robotics and Autonomous Systems.
FNRS. Write the FNRS prject proposal. Submit it.
Various @IRIDIA. Master students projects. Supervision of Jacopo De Stefani. Review of 2 Gecco 2013 papers for Vito.

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Future months plans:

March 2013

Project / Time:
55% Collective decision making in Swarm Robotics
30% Review on WSN in Swarm Robotics
15% Various @IRIDIA.

Description:
Collective decision making in Biology.
From micro to macro model. Study parametrization of the system. Study of collective decision making with multiple (possibly conflicting) metrics.
Review on WSN in Swarm Robotics. Conclude my section (State of Art) of the book chapter Deployment and Re-deployment of Wireless Sensor Networks: a Swarm Robotics Perspective.
Various @IRIDIA. Master students projects. Supervision of Jacopo De Stefani.