Robomote: a tiny mobile robot platform for large-scale ad-hoc sensor networks

This paper introduces Robomote, a robotic solution developed to explore problems in large-scale distributed robotics and sensor networks. The design explicitly aims at enabling research in sensor networking, adhoc networking, massively distributed robotics, and extended longevity. The platform must meet many demanding criteria not limited to but including: miniature size, low power, low cost, simple fabrication, and a sensor/actuator suite that facilitates navigation and localization. We argue that a robot test bed such as Robomote is necessary for practical research with large networks of mobile robots. Further, we present a preliminary analysis of Robomotes' success to this end.