RF communication between surface and underwater robotic swarms

In order for underwater robots to communicate with land and air based robots on an equal basis, high speed communications is required. If the robots are not to be tethered then wireless communications is the only possibility. Sonar communications is too slow. Unfortunately radio waves are rapidly attenuated under water due to phenomena such as skin depth. These experiments attempt to extend the range of underwater radio communications.<br /

Applications and prototype for systems of systems swarm robotics

In order to develop a robotic system of systems the robotic platforms must be designed and built. For this to happen, the type of application involved should be clear. Swarm robots need to be self contained and powered. They must also be self governing. Here the authors examine various applications and a prototype robot that may be useful in these scenarios. <br /

Control and simulation of robotic swarms in heterogeneous environments

Simulation provides a low cost method of initial testing of control for robotic swarms. The expansion of robotic swarms to heterogeneous environments drives the need to model cooperative operation in those environments. The Autonomous Control Engineering center at The University of Texas at San Antonio is investigating methods of simulation techniques and simulation environments. This paper presents results from adapting simulation tools for diverse environments.<br /