Search and rescue with sparsely connected autonomous drone swarms

Search and Rescue with Sparsely Connected Swarms

Decentralized search, belief sharing, and communication relay formation for robot swarms with intermittent connectivity.

This research project addressed search and rescue scenarios where robots must spread over large areas while maintaining only sparse and intermittent communication. The system allowed robots to coordinate exploration through a distributed belief map and to form a communication relay after detecting a target.

My contribution was as an equal-contribution researcher on the algorithmic design, simulation validation, and real-world drone experimentation. The work combined swarm intelligence, decentralized decision making, robot networking, simulation, and hardware-in-the-loop testing with aerial robots.

Role Equal-Contribution Researcher
Period 2021 to 2022
Organization MIST Lab, Polytechnique Montréal
Focus Swarm Robotics and Decentralized Coordination
Swarm Robotics Search and Rescue Decentralized Coordination Distributed Belief Maps Sparse Connectivity Communication Relay Buzz ROSBuzz ROS ARGoS Hardware-in-the-Loop DJI Matrice 300 RTK DJI Manifold 2 B.A.T.M.A.N. Mesh Network Python C++

My Contributions

My work focused on research development, simulation, experimental validation, and integration of the swarm coordination approach with real aerial robot platforms.

  • Co-developed the decentralized search and rescue approach with equal research contribution.
  • Implemented and evaluated distributed belief-map coordination for target search under sparse and intermittent communication.
  • Integrated swarm behaviors using Buzz and ROSBuzz within a ROS-based robotic workflow.
  • Developed ARGoS simulation scenarios for multi-robot search, information sharing, and relay formation.
  • Implemented hardware-in-the-loop validation using DJI Matrice 300 RTK drones and DJI Manifold 2 onboard computers.
  • Conducted real-world flight experiments with three autonomous drones at the CEPSUM soccer field.
  • Analyzed system behavior across simulation and outdoor experiments, including search coordination, belief sharing, communication behavior, and relay formation.

System Architecture

The system used a decentralized role-based swarm architecture. Each drone ran the same behavior logic and changed role depending on target discovery, rendezvous updates, relay requirements, and communication state.

1 Search and Belief Update
2 Rendezvous Check
3 Target Discovery
4 Networker Assignment
5 Relay Formation

Swarm Coordination Logic

Robots searched independently using a distributed belief map and exchanged updates opportunistically when they came within communication range. Periodic rendezvous checks allowed the swarm to share target information without requiring continuous connectivity.

Relay and Communication Strategy

After a target was found, the swarm assigned robots to networker roles and formed a communication relay from the rendezvous point toward the target location, allowing target information to reach the operator.

Deployment Stack

The implementation combined Buzz, ROSBuzz, ROS, DJI OSDK, DJI Matrice 300 RTK drones, DJI Manifold 2 onboard computers, and a B.A.T.M.A.N. ad-hoc mesh network.

Validation

The work was validated through simulation, hardware-in-the-loop testing, and outdoor experiments with three DJI Matrice 300 RTK drones.

Simulation Evaluation

ARGoS simulations were used to evaluate the decentralized search strategy, distributed belief-map updates, sparse communication behavior, and relay formation across different swarm configurations.

Hardware-in-the-Loop Validation

The swarm logic was validated with DJI Matrice 300 RTK drones and DJI Manifold 2 onboard computers, connecting the Buzz and ROSBuzz behavior layer to realistic aerial robot hardware and communication interfaces.

Outdoor Drone Experiments

Real-world experiments were conducted with three drones at the CEPSUM soccer field to validate the system beyond simulation and demonstrate relay formation with physical UAVs.

Publication and Code

Search and Rescue with Sparsely Connected Swarms

Autonomous Robots, 2023

ROSBuzz

ROS package connecting the Buzz Virtual Machine with the ROS ecosystem for mobile robot and swarm robotics experiments.

Technical References

External tools and documentation related to the swarm programming, drone control, and ad-hoc networking components used in this project.