Path Planning Optimisation for SParse, AwaRe and Cooperative Networked Aerial Robot Teams (SpArC-NARTs): Optimisation Tool and Ground Sensing Coverage Use Cases

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Conceição, Maria, Grilo, António, Basiri, Meysam
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Conceição, Maria
Grilo, António
Basiri, Meysam
author_facet Conceição, Maria
Grilo, António
Basiri, Meysam
contents A networked aerial robot team (NART) comprises a group of agents (e.g., unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), ground control stations, etc.) interconnected by wireless links. Inter-agent connectivity, even if intermittent (i.e. sparse), enables data exchanges between agents and supports cooperative behaviours in several NART missions. It can benefit online decentralised decision-making and group resilience, particularly when prior knowledge is inaccurate or incomplete. These requirements can be accounted for in the offline mission planning stages to incentivise cooperative behaviours and improve mission efficiency during the NART deployment. This paper proposes a novel path planning tool for a Sparse, Aware, and Cooperative Networked Aerial Robot Team (SpArC-NART) in exploration missions. It simultaneously considers different levels of prior information regarding the environment, limited agent energy, sensing, and communication, as well as distinct NART constitutions. The communication model takes into account the limitations of user-defined radio technology and physical phenomena. The proposed tool aims to maximise the mission goals (e.g., finding one or multiple targets, covering the full area of the environment, etc.), while cooperating with other agents to reduce agent reporting times, increase their global situational awareness (e.g., their knowledge of the environment), and facilitate mission replanning, if required. The developed cooperation mechanism leverages soft-motion constraints and dynamic rewards based on the Value of Movement and the expected communication availability between the agents at each time step. A ground sensing coverage use case was chosen to illustrate the current capabilities of this tool.
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id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_14247
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Path Planning Optimisation for SParse, AwaRe and Cooperative Networked Aerial Robot Teams (SpArC-NARTs): Optimisation Tool and Ground Sensing Coverage Use Cases
Conceição, Maria
Grilo, António
Basiri, Meysam
Robotics
Systems and Control
A networked aerial robot team (NART) comprises a group of agents (e.g., unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), ground control stations, etc.) interconnected by wireless links. Inter-agent connectivity, even if intermittent (i.e. sparse), enables data exchanges between agents and supports cooperative behaviours in several NART missions. It can benefit online decentralised decision-making and group resilience, particularly when prior knowledge is inaccurate or incomplete. These requirements can be accounted for in the offline mission planning stages to incentivise cooperative behaviours and improve mission efficiency during the NART deployment. This paper proposes a novel path planning tool for a Sparse, Aware, and Cooperative Networked Aerial Robot Team (SpArC-NART) in exploration missions. It simultaneously considers different levels of prior information regarding the environment, limited agent energy, sensing, and communication, as well as distinct NART constitutions. The communication model takes into account the limitations of user-defined radio technology and physical phenomena. The proposed tool aims to maximise the mission goals (e.g., finding one or multiple targets, covering the full area of the environment, etc.), while cooperating with other agents to reduce agent reporting times, increase their global situational awareness (e.g., their knowledge of the environment), and facilitate mission replanning, if required. The developed cooperation mechanism leverages soft-motion constraints and dynamic rewards based on the Value of Movement and the expected communication availability between the agents at each time step. A ground sensing coverage use case was chosen to illustrate the current capabilities of this tool.
title Path Planning Optimisation for SParse, AwaRe and Cooperative Networked Aerial Robot Teams (SpArC-NARTs): Optimisation Tool and Ground Sensing Coverage Use Cases
topic Robotics
Systems and Control
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.14247