BRAVO: Potential field-based routing and network coding for efficient wireless MANETs

In this paper, we address the problem of efficient data transmission in MANETs with high mobility. Our approach combines multipath routing with network coding for efficient and robust communication. Computing efficient multipath routing has been a difficult problem: solutions either are too complex, use resources inefficiently, or have high communication overhead. Our solution models the data flow as an electric current flowing over an electric network, and draws its efficiency, stability and robustness from the properties of potential fields. The fully implemented BRAVO system using potential field-based routing and network coding provides 2x to 4.6x gains in throughput compared to the current state of the art protocols in emulation experiments with highly dynamic wireless MANETs.