Simulated environment for wirelessly controlled robots using the natural behavior of radio waves

Abstract

We propose a method for estimating connectable Wi-Fi areas in order to use response robots in stable disaster areas. Robots were used at the site of the World Trade Center (WTC) disaster, and they are also being used to explore the interior of the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Plant (FDNP), which was severely damaged by a tsunami on March 11, 2011. To provide healthy working conditions at the FDNP, Wi-Fi technology is used to control the response robots remotely while the operators remain at a safe location. Robots will continue to be used for several decades at the FDNP as part of the work to decommission the nuclear reactor. Wi-Fi technology is important for the use of robots for a variety of tasks. The next generation of response robots should be designed and evaluated with regard to their Wi-Fi connectivity. Thus, a simulator offers a means of verifying the operation of a response robot when the Wi-Fi connectivity is unstable, which is preferable to performing checks in the field. In this paper, we propose a simple simulation method for checking the Wi-Fi connectivity and creating a map of connectable Wi-Fi areas. We report several measurements of the real Wi-Fi radio-wave power indoors and outdoors to correct our method' s parameters.