Use of mobility models for communication in collaborative robotics

Collaborative Robotics is the use of multiple robotic nodes assisting each other to perform a task that is either too difficult or impossible for one robot to perform alone. Multi-agent systems not only speed-up complex tasks, but also increase robustness and eliminate single-point failures. A search and rescue algorithm is being designed by using a team of collaborative autonomous robots to search an area for a stationary or mobile target. This paper attempts to employ mobility models to search the area in an efficient and organized manner. Two models are simulated, namely, the Random Way Point mobility model and the Manhattan mobility model. The models are evaluated using extensive MATLAB simulations. The target motion and the communication interval are varied during simulation.