RF-Modulated Adaptive Communication Improves Multi-Agent Robotic Exploration

Fuente: arXiv
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Hauptverfasser: Achey, Lorin, Crockett, Breanne, Heckman, Christoffer, Hayes, Bradley
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
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author Achey, Lorin
Crockett, Breanne
Heckman, Christoffer
Hayes, Bradley
author_facet Achey, Lorin
Crockett, Breanne
Heckman, Christoffer
Hayes, Bradley
contents Reliable coordination and efficient communication are critical challenges for multi-agent robotic exploration of environments where communication is limited. This work introduces Adaptive-RF Transmission (ART), a novel communication-aware planning algorithm that dynamically modulates transmission location based on signal strength and data payload size, enabling heterogeneous robot teams to share information efficiently without unnecessary backtracking. We further explore an extension to this approach called ART-SST, which enforces signal strength thresholds for high-fidelity data delivery. Through over 480 simulations across three cave-inspired environments, ART consistently outperforms existing strategies, including full rendezvous and minimum-signal heuristic approaches, achieving up to a 58% reduction in distance traveled and up to 52% faster exploration times compared to baseline methods. These results demonstrate that adaptive, payload-aware communication significantly improves coverage efficiency and mission speed in complex, communication-constrained environments, offering a promising foundation for future planetary exploration and search-and-rescue missions.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_12074
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle RF-Modulated Adaptive Communication Improves Multi-Agent Robotic Exploration
Achey, Lorin
Crockett, Breanne
Heckman, Christoffer
Hayes, Bradley
Robotics
Reliable coordination and efficient communication are critical challenges for multi-agent robotic exploration of environments where communication is limited. This work introduces Adaptive-RF Transmission (ART), a novel communication-aware planning algorithm that dynamically modulates transmission location based on signal strength and data payload size, enabling heterogeneous robot teams to share information efficiently without unnecessary backtracking. We further explore an extension to this approach called ART-SST, which enforces signal strength thresholds for high-fidelity data delivery. Through over 480 simulations across three cave-inspired environments, ART consistently outperforms existing strategies, including full rendezvous and minimum-signal heuristic approaches, achieving up to a 58% reduction in distance traveled and up to 52% faster exploration times compared to baseline methods. These results demonstrate that adaptive, payload-aware communication significantly improves coverage efficiency and mission speed in complex, communication-constrained environments, offering a promising foundation for future planetary exploration and search-and-rescue missions.
title RF-Modulated Adaptive Communication Improves Multi-Agent Robotic Exploration
topic Robotics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.12074