LEACH-R: LEACH Relay With Cache Strategy for Mobile Robot Swarms

In the real applications of mobile ad hoc networks (MANETs), mobile robot swarms usually have the obvious task-oriented feature and move in groups. Focusing on the group mobility feature of mobile robot swarms in the wild application scenes that are insensitive to delay, we propose LEACH relay (LEACH-R) with cache strategy to ensure reliable communication links against base station mobility, save energy even for the frequently changing topology of mobile robots, and satisfy the larger workplace requirements. Inspired by the successive approximation approach, each node computes the relative rank of residual energy in its neighborhood. According to these relative energy levels, LEACH-R selects cluster heads to balance energy consumption. Besides, based on the predicted locations, cluster heads select cooperative relays with cache to improve packet delivery ratio. By comparing with four protocols, LEACH-R outperforms others in most cases. Due to the satisfactory performance, LEACH-R could be extended to search and rescue, battlefield communication, disaster relief, drone swarm, and so on.