Integration of an Autonomous Artificial Agent in an Insect Society: Experimental Validation

In mixed societies of robots and cockroaches, several insect-likerobot (Insbot) and animals interact in order to perform collective decisionmaking. Many gregarious species are able to collectively select a resting site without any leadership. The key process is based on the modulation of the probability of leaving the shelter according to the total population under this shelter and its light intensity. It is important that cockroaches perceive the robot as a “congener”. This recognition is mainly based on a chemical blend. The aim of this study is to validate experimentally (1) the behavioral patterns expressed by the cockroaches in presence of shelters and of an Insbot, and (2) the important role played by the chemical blend on collective decisionmakings.