Robust routing and Multi-Confirmation Transmission Protocol for connectivity management of mobile robotic teams

Abstract

Providing reliable end-to-end communication for teams of robots requires the integration of novel routing techniques, motion planning algorithms, and transport level communication protocols. In this paper we look at existing robust routing solutions that provide redundancy at the routing layer and develop the Multi-Confirmation Transmission Protocol (MCTP) to take advantage of that redundancy at the transport level. The resulting system that integrates robust routing and MCTP is evaluated in experiments performed in complex environments. The integrated system is observed to provide a robust architecture that allows for near lossless communication while operating in a complex environment with less traffic than standard confirmation protocols.