A modified Dendritic Cell Algorithm for on-line error detection in robotic systems

The immune system is a key component in the maintenance of host homeostasis. Key actors in this process are cells known as dendritic cells (DCs). An artificial immune system based on DCs (known as the Dendritic Cell Algorithm: DCA) is well established in the literature and has been applied in a number of applications. Work in this paper is concerned with the development of an integrated homeostatic system for small, autonomous robotic systems, implemented on a resource limited micro-controller. As a first step, we have modified the DCA to operate in both simulated robotic units, and a resource constrained micro-controller that can operate in an on-line manner. Errors can be introduced into the robotic unit during operation, and these can be detected and then circumvented by the modified DCA.