Open Access

Oliver Kosak, Philipp Kastenmüller, Constantin Wanninger, Wolfgang Reif

• Drone formation flights, as performed in the Intel Drone Shows, demonstrate the current state of technology fascinatingly. We revisit this idea using the paradigm of self-organization in the form of swarm behavior. Applying swarm behavior for formation flight promises high scalability, robustness, and flexibility. Swarm behavior allows for impressive patterns where centrally coordinated approaches might reach their limits. In this paper, we propose PROTEASE2.0 as an approach for parametrizable swarm behavior of the next level. Like its predecessor, PROTEASE2.0 enables us to use a single generalized implementation for producing emergent effects by only adjusting parameters for the swarm members. Further, we now facilitate novel formations previously unattainable. New formations include parallel swarms interacting with each other, single swarms using multiple reference points enabling surprising flight patterns, and hierarchical swarm structures extending the possibilities even further.Drone formation flights, as performed in the Intel Drone Shows, demonstrate the current state of technology fascinatingly. We revisit this idea using the paradigm of self-organization in the form of swarm behavior. Applying swarm behavior for formation flight promises high scalability, robustness, and flexibility. Swarm behavior allows for impressive patterns where centrally coordinated approaches might reach their limits. In this paper, we propose PROTEASE2.0 as an approach for parametrizable swarm behavior of the next level. Like its predecessor, PROTEASE2.0 enables us to use a single generalized implementation for producing emergent effects by only adjusting parameters for the swarm members. Further, we now facilitate novel formations previously unattainable. New formations include parallel swarms interacting with each other, single swarms using multiple reference points enabling surprising flight patterns, and hierarchical swarm structures extending the possibilities even further. Our focus in this paper lies in the experimental evaluation of these concepts in simulated environments. In combination with successful pre-evaluations concerning swarm behavior using real drones, we confidently look towards future experiments also applying PROTEASE2.0 in the real world.…