TY - GEN
T1 - Underwater short range free space optical communication for a robotic swarm
AU - Fung, Yu Fai
AU - Dai, Mingjun
AU - Ercan, M. Fikret
PY - 2009/3
Y1 - 2009/3
N2 - Communication mechanism is a major design concern for a robotic swarm, as robots exchange data frequently in order to achieve a collective behavior. Communication using radio frequency (RF) is common if the swarm is land based, however, if the swarm operates underwater then a different form of communication mechanism is needed. In this paper, we discuss the implementation of a short-range communication mechanism based on free space optics for a swarm of robot operating underwater. In order to optimize the communication throughput, a multi-channel design is adopted, therefore, a robot can broadcast data to its peers simultaneously and this is based on a processor that supports parallel computing. Our experimental results show that using a 50mW semiconductor laser, a transfer rate of 110Kbps or higher can be achieved; however, transmission quality depends on the clarity and the conditions of the environment.
AB - Communication mechanism is a major design concern for a robotic swarm, as robots exchange data frequently in order to achieve a collective behavior. Communication using radio frequency (RF) is common if the swarm is land based, however, if the swarm operates underwater then a different form of communication mechanism is needed. In this paper, we discuss the implementation of a short-range communication mechanism based on free space optics for a swarm of robot operating underwater. In order to optimize the communication throughput, a multi-channel design is adopted, therefore, a robot can broadcast data to its peers simultaneously and this is based on a processor that supports parallel computing. Our experimental results show that using a 50mW semiconductor laser, a transfer rate of 110Kbps or higher can be achieved; however, transmission quality depends on the clarity and the conditions of the environment.
KW - Free space optical communication
KW - Parallel processing
KW - Robotic swarm
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=66149160396&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1109/ICARA.2000.4804030
DO - 10.1109/ICARA.2000.4804030
M3 - Conference article published in proceeding or book
AN - SCOPUS:66149160396
SN - 9781424427130
T3 - ICARA 2009 - Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Autonomous Robots and Agents
SP - 529
EP - 532
BT - ICARA 2009 - Proceedings of the 4th International Conference on Autonomous Robots and Agents
T2 - 4th International Conference on Autonomous Robots and Agents, ICARA 2009
Y2 - 10 February 2009 through 12 February 2009
ER -