MQLINK: A Scalable and Robust Communication Network for Autonomous Drone Swarms

This paper presents a novel drone network architecture, MQLINK, for autonomous drone swarms, addressing communication, coordination, and scalability problems. The proposed system utilizes a lightweight, efficient MQTT protocol and incorporates a self-developed UAVLINK module to ensure robust communication in various scenarios, including emergencies and infrastructure failures. The effectiveness of MQLINK in leader-follower formation and proximity detection is demonstrated through real-world experiments on the prototypes. This work advances drone swarm technology, offering a practical solution for enhancing mission efficiency, completion rate, group complementarity, and system flexibility in various applications such as performance, surveying, logistics, inspection, and disaster relief.