Optimal Beamforming with Mobile Robots

Detection using distributed networks have received significant attention in the space-time adaptive processing literature. The paper examines the use of a new dimension - the mobility of robots to improve the output signal-to-interference-plus-noise- ratio (SINR) of an array of antennas. It is proposed that by optimizing over the positions of the antennas in the plane, the SINR can be significantly improved, extending the well-known method of beamforming using optimal complex weights. Initial simulations using a simplistic system scenario show that large gains in SINR are indeed possible when combining the optimal weights and local optimal positions of the receiving antennas.