Communication Technologies for Swarm Systems: Enabling Collective Intelligence

Sibel Arslan; Melih Yildiz

doi:10.1007/978-3-032-20279-6_15

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Communication Technologies for Swarm Systems: Enabling Collective Intelligence

Sibel Arslan, Melih Yildiz

NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security, 245-255, 2026 · Springer Nature Switzerland

Abstract

Swarm intelligenceSwarm intelligence solutions consist of a group of autonomousAutonomous swarms nodes that work together without central control. Their effective and reliable communication is crucial. These solutions are becoming more significant in areas like disaster relief, precision agriculture, and surveillance. In these applications, communication protocols must meet strict requirements for scalability, low latency, and energy efficiencyEnergy efficiency. Because of varying operational conditions, no single communication solution can meet all needs. Engineers must weigh performance, reliability, and flexibility. This work provides a detailed introduction to the communication technologies that support swarming applications. We look at popular wirelessWireless networks protocols like Wi-Fi, Zigbee, LoRa, and cellular networks, comparing their effectiveness in swarm applications. We also introduce hybrid and adaptive communication methods that improve resilience and responsiveness in changing environments. These methods help systems adjust to varying network conditions. From recent research and practical implementations, we highlight key challenges in swarm communication. These include signal interference in crowded networks, secure mobility management, and energy-efficient data routing. Finally, the paper offers potential solutions and research areas for the future to create more resilient, scalable, and adaptable communication systems for the next generation of swarm intelligenceSwarm intelligence technologies.

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Keywords

Swarm behaviourSwarm intelligenceKey (lock)Resilience (materials science)Communications systemTelecommunications networkSwarm roboticsCommunications protocol

DOI

10.1007/978-3-032-20279-6_15

Cite · BibTeX

@incollection{arslan2026communication,
  title = {Communication Technologies for Swarm Systems: Enabling Collective Intelligence},
  author = {Sibel Arslan and Melih Yildiz},
  booktitle = {NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security},
  year = {2026},
  pages = {245-255},
  publisher = {Springer Nature Switzerland},
  doi = {10.1007/978-3-032-20279-6_15},
}