A multi-radio architecture for neighbor-to-neighbor communication in modular robots

Abstract

Decentralized control of modular robots requires reliable inter-module communication. Communication links must tolerate module misalignment and implement the neighbor-to-neighbor communication model. We propose a wireless system based on multiple radios per module that addresses these challenges. Our system scales to large robots because available bandwidth is independent of the number of modules. In this paper, we present our multi-radio single-channel architecture and validate its performance through hardware experiments. Results show that radios can provide reliable neighbor-to-neighbor communication suitable for modular robots.