A novel algorithm acts as a “traffic cop” for a swarm of drones, enabling them to remain focused on their mission and stay organized.

It is essential for drones searching a disaster zone and robots inspecting a building to have the most recent data available in order to find a survivor or identify potential risks. However, when multiple robots attempt to send out time-sensitive information over a wireless network, the data can become congested and any information that is received is too delayed to be of use in real-time.