Value-Based Communication Preservation for Mobile Robots

Value-Based Communication Preservation (VBCP) is a behavior-based, computationally efficient approach to maintaining line-of-sight RF communication between members of robot teams in the context of other tasks. The goal of VBCP is, at each time step, to reactively choose a direction in which to move that provides the best communication quality of service with the rest of the team. VBCP uses information about other robots, real-time quality of service measurements and an a priori map of the environment to approximate an optimal direction in an efficient manner. Here, VBCP maintains communication between members of a robotic team while traversing an urban environment in formation. Quantitative and qualitative results are demonstrated in simulation and physical robot teams.