Dynamic Adaptation of Communication Topology in Robotic Swarms Based on Local Graph k-Connectivity

Abstract

Ensuring the stability of the communication structure in robotic swarms with limited communication range requires the development of effective mechanisms for adapting the interaction topology between agents. In dynamically changing environments, conventional fixed-topology approaches prove inadequate, necessitating adaptive solutions that function without comprehensive network knowledge. This study investigates a dynamic connectivity graph management method grounded in local node k-connectivity metrics, which quantify the minimum number of agents whose removal would isolate a given node from the network. We propose an algorithm for selecting control agents based on degree centrality criteria while accounting for the structure of connected graph components, implemented within a modular software environment for reproducible testing on double integrator and quadcopter models. Computations proceed in a decentralized manner using local measurements, minimizing communication channel load and enabling scalability as group size increases. Experimental evaluation on systems ranging from 10 to 100 agents demonstrates that the adaptive approach improves connectivity preservation probability from 64 % to 88 % under conditions with 20 % malicious agents in sparse topologies, while the average local k-connectivity increases from 2.3 to 3.8 for k-nearest neighbor scenarios with k = 3. Computational complexity analysis confirms the method’s scalability, with graph update times of 15—45 ms for systems up to 100 agents at a 20 Hz sampling frequency. The low latency of topology calculations enables integration into real-time control loops for micro-UAV and ground platform onboard controllers. Future work may incorporate data transmission delay models and kinematic constraints of physical robots to facilitate field testing. These findings advance decentralized control theory for distributed systems and provide a foundation for designing fault-tolerant robotic swarm architectures.