Systematic Literature Review on the Application of Controllers Based on Cellular Automata in Robotic Tasks

In recent years, robotics has garnered significant attention from researchers, driven by the desire to develop robots capable of undertaking challenging or laborious tasks traditionally performed by humans. Cellular automata (CA) has emerged as an intriguing solution in this realm, albeit with relatively limited exploration in robotics. Nonetheless, its evolution over time is evident through increasing research interest, propelled by its status as an important artificial intelligence technique. CA operates as an evolutionary system where cells, initially in a defined state, adhere to predefined rules governing interactions with their surroundings. Widely applicable, CA finds utility in simulating natural phenomena, robotic control, and modeling various systems across physical, biological, and sociological domains. This article presents a systematic review of literature on the application of CA in robotics, drawing insights from data generated through the StArt software. Our review, spanning a decade, aimed to identify relevant studies within the extant literature. Following rigorous evaluation, 31 articles were selected, covering themes such as path planning, surveillance, navigation, garbage collection, and foraging. However, our assessment uncovered a notable scarcity of research output in this domain, with only a limited number of authors contributing globally, many of whom are still in early stages of inquiry. Notably, a significant proportion of the selected works originated from Brazilian researchers, underscoring their pioneering contributions to advancing the field.