Coordination Latency under Multi-Robot Communication in Factory Transport Systems: Protocol Evaluation

Miki Nakamura; Leon Frank; Miki Nakagawa

Authors

Miki Nakamura Division of Human Mechanical Systems and Design, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaidô, Japan Author
Leon Frank Faculty 4 Mechanical Engineering, RWTH Aachen University, Aachen, North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany Author
Miki Nakagawa Division of Human Mechanical Systems and Design, Faculty of Engineering, Hokkaido University, Sapporo, Hokkaidô, Japan Author

Keywords:

Multi-Robot Systems, Communication Protocols, Latency Evaluation, Factory Automation, Multi-Robot Communication

Abstract

The rapid paradigm shift toward Industry 4.0 has fundamentally transformed traditional manufacturing floors into highly dynamic cyber physical systems. Central to this transformation is the deployment of multi robot systems for automated material handling and logistics. As these transport systems scale in size and complexity, the efficiency of their operations becomes critically dependent on the underlying communication protocols that facilitate inter robot coordination and fleet management. This paper presents a comprehensive evaluation of communication and coordination latency across various industrial protocols utilized in multi robot factory transport systems. By systematically analyzing the performance of publish subscribe architectures, client server models, and decentralized data distribution services, this study isolates the critical factors contributing to network latency, jitter, and packet loss in high density robotic environments. We investigate how varying payload sizes, transmission frequencies, and network topologies impact the real time responsiveness required for collision avoidance, path planning, and task allocation. Furthermore, the evaluation provides an in depth analysis of edge computing integration and its role in mitigating queuing delays during peak operational loads. The findings offer crucial insights for industrial engineers and system architects, highlighting the trade offs between protocol overhead, reliability, and synchronization accuracy, thereby guiding the future design of scalable and deterministic communication frameworks for next generation autonomous factory operations.

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