Exploring Networked Airborne Computing: A Comprehensive Approach with Advanced Simulator and Hardware Testbed

In recent years, networked airborne computing (NAC) has emerged as a promising paradigm because it can leverage the collaborative capabilities of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) for distributed computing tasks. Despite the burgeoning interests in NAC and UAV-based computing, many existing studies depend on over-simplified simulations for performance evaluation. This reliance has led to a gap in our understanding of NAC's true potential and challenges. To fill this gap, this paper presents a comprehensive approach: the creation of a realistic simulator and a novel hardware testbed. The simulator, developed using ROS and Gazebo, emulates networked UAVs, focusing on resource-sharing and distributed computing capabilities. This tool offers a cost-effective, scalable, and adaptable environment, making it ideal for preliminary investigations across a myriad of real-world scenarios. In parallel, our hardware testbed comprises multiple quadrotors, each equipped with a Pixhawk control unit, a Raspberry Pi computing module, a real-time kinematic (RTK) positioning system, and multiple communication units. Through extensive simulations and hardware tests, we delve into the key determinants of NAC performance, such as computation task size, number of UAVs, communication quality, and UAV mobility. Our findings not only underscore the inherent challenges in optimizing NAC performance but also provide pivotal insights for future enhancements. These insights encompass refining the simulator, reducing computation overheads, and equipping the hardware testbed with cutting-edge communication devices.