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Remote inspection of underground infrastructure at CERN increasingly relies on mobile robotic systems to reduce human exposure to hazardous environments and improve operational efficiency. These environments, including detector caverns and accelerator tunnels, present significant challenges for wireless communication due to their complex geometry, confined spaces, and the presence of large metallic structures. Although the CERN Wi-Fi infrastructure provides widespread coverage, signal attenuation caused by distance, multipath effects, and physical obstructions can result in partial or complete communication loss.
Since the CERN Wi-Fi network constitutes the primary interface for teleoperation and data exchange with remote operators, maintaining connectivity is critical. However, robots operating beyond reliable coverage areas risk communication blackouts, potentially compromising mission success and system safety. To address this limitation, a mobile robotic mesh network is proposed. In this architecture, a designated “leader” robot functions as a communication gateway, maintaining a stable link to the CERN Wi-Fi network, while “follower” robots form an ad hoc multi-hop network that extends connectivity into otherwise unreachable regions.
This work presents the current development status of the proposed mobile mesh network, with particular emphasis on the communication protocols and network topology strategies adopted to ensure robustness and low-latency data exchange for real-time operation. Additionally, future developments are outlined, including the integration of network fail-safe mechanisms, autonomous navigation, obstacle avoidance, and distributed swarm intelligence to enhance network reliability and operational autonomy.