Communication and coordination for drone networks

Abstract

Small drones are being utilized in monitoring, delivery of goods, public safety, and disaster management among other civil applications. Due to their sizes, capabilities, payload limitations, and limited flight time, it is not far-fetched to expect multiple networked and coordinated drones incorporated into the air traffic. In this paper, we describe a high-level architecture for the design of a collaborative aerial system that consists of drones with on-board sensors and embedded processing, sensing, coordination, and communication & networking capabilities. We present a multi-drone system consisting of quadrotors and demonstrate its potential in a disaster assistance scenario. Furthermore, we illustrate the challenges in the design of drone networks and present potential solutions based on the lessons we have learned so far.