Abstract DGP2026-91

Planetary exploration missions are often limited by non-line-of-sight (NLOS) conditions, where terrain features such as craters, ridges, or cliffs block direct communication between surface robots and mission control. Although relay-based communication concepts are well known, their real operational value is best understood through hands-on experience. This interactive hardware demonstration allows participants to take the role of mission operators and directly explore how communication can be lost and actively restored using a multi-agent rover and drone relay system.

The demonstration is built around a three-part robotic setup that participants can directly control.

1. The Explorer (Rover 1) acts as the primary surface vehicle. Attendees will drive the rover into simulated obstructed terrain where the direct link to the Ground Control Station degrades or fails completely. As the rover moves behind obstacles, participants will experience realistic effects such as increasing latency, video frame drops, and complete signal loss, similar to what occurs during real planetary missions.

2. The Loiter (Relay Drone) is a quadrotor aerial relay used to recover the communication link. In a short live demonstration, the drone will take off from its support platform and hover above the terrain, providing an elevated relay point. To avoid the endurance limitations of conventional drones, the Loiter is continuously powered through a tether connected to the ground system.

3. The Mover (Rover 2) serves as a mobile support unit and tether anchor. Participants can reposition this rover to adjust the relay location and immediately see how relay placement affects link quality and stability.

At the system level, the demo uses a practical frequency separation approach, where the Explorer’s video stream is retransmitted on an offset channel to reduce interference. The technical details remain in the background, allowing participants to focus on the observable effects. Live telemetry and signal quality visualizations show a clear transition from a fragmented, noise-dominated video feed to a stable, high-quality stream once the relay is deployed. Measured improvements exceed 10 dB in both signal strength and signal-to-noise ratio.

This demonstration, which received formal recognition at the European Rover Challenge 2025, provides a practical and intuitive view of how multi-agent communication systems can support future planetary exploration. By driving the rovers, deploying the relay drone, and observing communication recovery in real time, participants gain a clear understanding of why adaptive and self-positioning communication nodes are essential in complex and obstructed environments.