1. The Role of Time in a Robotic Swarm: A Joint View on Communications, Localization, and Sensing.
- Author
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Staudinger, Emanuel, Zhang, Siwei, Pohlmann, Robert, and Dammann, Armin
- Subjects
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AGGREGATION (Robotics) , *RADIO wave propagation , *SEISMIC waves , *SPATIOTEMPORAL processes , *WIRELESS communications - Abstract
Autonomous robotic swarms are envisioned for a variety of sensing applications in space exploration, search and rescue, and disaster management. An important capability of a swarm is sensing spatio-temporal processes such as radio wave propagation and seismic activities. The spa-tio-temporal properties of these processes dictate the required sensing position and time accuracy, as well as update rate. A dedicated wireless communication system needs to be jointly designed for swarm information exchange, self-localization, and sensing. In this article, we emphasize the role of time in a robotic swarm. We introduce the system ingredients and dive into realistic clock models. Clock models and channel access schemes decisively influence the swarm self-localization and synchronization accuracy, and consequently the swarm sensing performance. Finally, we discuss practical implementation aspects, introduce our developed swarm radio system, and give an outlook on a moon-analog exploration mission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]
- Published
- 2021
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