Gradient-based Taxis Algorithms for Network Robotics

Finding the physical location of a specific network node is a prototypical task for navigation inside a wireless network. In this paper, we consider in depth the implications of wireless communication as a measurement input of gradient-based taxis algorithms. We discuss how gradients can be measured and determine the errors of this estimation. We then introduce a gradient-based taxis algorithm as an example of a family of gradient-based, convergent algorithms and discuss its convergence in the context of network robotics. We also conduct an exemplary experiment to show how to overcome some of the specific problems related to network robotics. Finally, we show how to adapt this framework to more complex objectives.