Adaptive communication in multi-robot systems using directionality of signal strength
Author(s)
Gil, Stephanie; Suresh Kumar, Swarun; Katabi, Dina; Rus, Daniela L.
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We consider the problem of satisfying communication demands in a multi-agent system where several robots cooperate on a task and a fixed subset of the agents act as mobile routers. Our goal is to position the team of robotic routers to provide communication coverage to the remaining client robots. We allow for dynamic environments and variable client demands, thus necessitating an adaptive solution. We present an innovative method that calculates a mapping between a robot’s current position and the signal strength that it receives along each spatial direction, for its wireless links to every other robot. We show that this information can be used to design a simple positional controller that retains a quadratic structure, while adapting to wireless signals in real-world environments. Notably, our approach does not necessitate stochastic sampling along directions that are counter-productive to the overall coordination goal, nor does it require exact client positions, or a known map of the environment.
Date issued
2015-05Department
Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory; Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer ScienceJournal
The International Journal of Robotics Research
Publisher
Sage Publications
Citation
Gil, S., S. Kumar, D. Katabi, and D. Rus. “Adaptive Communication in Multi-Robot Systems Using Directionality of Signal Strength.” The International Journal of Robotics Research 34, no. 7 (May 18, 2015): 946–968.
Version: Author's final manuscript
ISSN
0278-3649
1741-3176