Optimal Robust Multihop Routing for Wireless Networks of Mobile Micro Autonomous Systems

This paper develops algorithms to ensure that agents of a mobile micro autonomous system (MMAS) maintain integrity of communication flows as they move to accomplish their task. Due to inherent uncertainties in estimation of wireless channels, we advocate a stochastic approach whereby achievable communication rates of point-to-point links are regarded as random variables with known means and variances. To achieve reliable end-to-end communication flows, terminals route their traffic through various alternative paths to reduce the effect of uncertainty in individual link rates. The proposed algorithms are optimal and robust in that routes are obtained as solutions of optimization problems subject to constraints on minimum required rates and maximum acceptable variances. Algorithms are tested in an event-based simulator that uses an accurate data-driven model of radio communications to model both the structure of code running independently on multiple robots as well as the transmission of messages via a real radio. Simulation results corroborate that rates of end-to-end flows are maintained at target levels despite variations in the rates of individual links.