Publication Date

2017-07-13

Availability

Open access

Embargo Period

2017-07-13

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science (MS)

Department

Computer Science (Arts and Sciences)

Date of Defense

2017-06-19

First Committee Member

Ubbo Visser

Second Committee Member

Dilip Sarkar

Third Committee Member

Mei-Ling Shyu

Abstract

We propose an alternative to Wi-Fi for robotic communication, as its increased use in a competition environment has lead to highly overlapping and interfering networks. This interference often causes unreliable transmission of data, which affects teams’ ability to coordinate complex behaviors. Our method uses fixed length Dual Tone Multi Frequency (DTMF) messages and uses a basic packet structure designed to reduce data corruption as a result of noise. We conducted twelve different experiments varying the distance between robots and message format, as well as whether the robots are walking or sitting silently. Methods for scheduling messages to avoid crosstalk were also developed and tested. The results show that while this method appears to be sensitive to motor noise, room reverberation and multipath effects, it has very low data corruption rates, which makes it suitable for use in some applications.

Keywords

DTMF; Autonomous Robots; Audio; Communication; Digital Signal Processing

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