[Tyler]

Flying Robots Provide WiFi Mesh in Disaster Areas
     


A VIA
Arena news release clued us in to research being done by Professor
Andreas Mitschele at the Ilmenau University of Technology in Germany.
Researchers at the Mobile
Communications Lab there have developed flying quadrocopter robots
equipped with GPS, a VIA Pico-ITX, and radio hardware
for WiFi and mobile phone networking. The robots are dropped off at a
disaster area, take off, create a self-organizing mesh network, and
locate landing spots to afford maximum coverage. The prototype robot has
only a 20 minute flying time but can power the communications gear much
longer after landing. For more see the research
poster on Self-org (PDF format). There's also video
of the Quadrocopter robot in action (MP4 format).
   

http://robots.net/article/2792.html