SUMMARY

This research considers the problem of signal loss on radio frequency communication within Multiple Robot Systems. As more consumer devices utilize wireless communication technology, there are fewer open radio frequencies available. This dissertation will investigate biological visual communication methods and develop an active robotic visual communication system suitable for use within a Multiple Robot System. Humans employ a few different methods active visual communication, but none have been applied to robotic communication. There are numerous active visual communication systems within biology that may be better suited for robotic applications as compared to current human systems. A key component of this research will be investigating and decomposing these communication systems. The decomposition will be used to develop the foundation of the robotic visual communication system. The robotic visual communication system will then be tested and compared to current radio frequency communication systems in a variety of specialized tasks. Lastly, resiliency of the multi robot communication system will be evaluated for radio frequency communication, visual communication, and both working together to evaluate the impact of a visual communication system. The completion of this work will result in establishing a communication protocol that can operate in areas with heavy radio frequency interference. This thesis will support the view that multi robot systems and other collaborative robotic systems do not need to be reliant on radio frequency communication.