On Mobile Ad Hoc Networks for Coverage of Partially Observable Worlds

TL;DR

This paper introduces geometric algorithms for deploying mobile agents in unknown environments to establish connected communication networks, demonstrating that decentralized methods perform comparably to centralized ones across diverse scenarios.

Contribution

It formulates the problem as a partially observable geometric coverage challenge and proposes two algorithms, CADENCE and DADENCE, for effective deployment under partial information.

Findings

Both algorithms successfully form connected networks in simulations.

Decentralized DADENCE performs comparably to centralized CADENCE.

Geometric abstractions effectively guide exploration and coverage.

Abstract

This paper addresses the movement and placement of mobile agents to establish a communication network in initially unknown environments. We cast the problem in a computational-geometric framework by relating the coverage problem and line-of-sight constraints to the Cooperative Guard Art Gallery Problem, and introduce its partially observable variant, the Partially Observable Cooperative Guard Art Gallery Problem (POCGAGP). We then present two algorithms that solve POCGAGP: CADENCE, a centralized planner that incrementally selects 270 degree corners at which to deploy agents, and DADENCE, a decentralized scheme that coordinates agents using local information and lightweight messaging. Both approaches operate under partial observability and target simultaneous coverage and connectivity. We evaluate the methods in simulation across 1,500 test cases of varied size and structure, demonstrating consistent success in forming connected networks while covering and exploring unknown space. These results highlight the value of geometric abstractions for communication-driven exploration and show that decentralized policies are competitive with centralized performance while retaining scalability.