ArticleHardwareX2026
Mercator: A modular swarm-dedicated robot platform.
Article in HardwareX, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
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Authors and funding
8 authors.
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Abstract
Despite decades of research, swarm robotics still lacks realistic applications. A primary obstacle is the absence of modern, reliable, and affordable robot platforms for experimentation. Existing commercial robots are often outdated or too limited in sensing, computation, and communication. We introduce Mercator, a modular mobile robot purpose-built for contemporary swarm studies in both laboratory and indoor environments. Mercator integrates on-board object and people recognition, short- and long-range obstacle detection, ceiling-based tracking, and local, decentralized communication. By combining these capabilities in a low-cost and extensible package, Mercator enables swarm robotics research to align with modern mobile robotics standards, supporting navigation, mapping, and advanced perception in laboratory settings. This design promotes closer alignment between laboratory swarm experiments and contemporary robotic systems used in real-world settings. The platform has already been used in peer-reviewed scientific work and several master's theses, and we plan to expand its use in future research and teaching.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.