Team Orienteering Problem with Communication Constraints

Abstract

Multi-Robot Systems (MRS) are increasingly utilized in applications such as surveillance, environmental monitoring, and search and rescue, where maximizing mission rewards under budget constraints is critical. The Team Orienteering Problem (TOP) provides a framework for optimizing task coverage and resource allocation in such scenarios. However, traditional TOP formulations often overlook real-world constraints, such as limited communication ranges and the necessity of persistent connectivity among robots. These constraints are particularly relevant in environments like disaster zones and remote areas, where communication infrastructure is unreliable or absent. To address this gap, we propose a multi-objective formulation that balances task coverage, communication quality and energy expenditure under a fixed budget. Our approach accommodates teams of any size and heterogeneous vehicles with varying velocities and constant thrust. We validate our approach through extensive experiments across diverse scenarios and team configurations.