MochiSwarm: A Testbed for Robotic Micro-Blimps in Realistic Environments

Abstract

Efficient energy management and scalability are critical for aerial robots in tasks such as pickup-and-delivery and surveillance. This paper introduces MochiSwarm, an open-source testbed of light-weight micro robotic blimps designed for multi-robot operation without external localization. We propose a modular system architecture that integrates adaptable hardware, a flexible software framework, and a detachable perception module. The hardware is designed to allow for rapid modifications and sensor integration, while the software supports multiple actuation models and robust communication between a base station and multiple blimps. We showcase a differential-drive module as an example, in which autonomy is enabled by visual servoing using the perception module. A case study of pickup-and-delivery tasks with up to 12 blimps highlights the autonomy of the MochiSwarm without relying on external infrastructures.