Mesh Networks with Interconnected Li-Fi and Wi-Fi Communications Applied to Telepresence Robots for Medical Emergency Situations

Telepresence robots are a real solution for remote interaction with the physical environment. During the emergency situation created by the COVID-19 pandemic, telepresence robots were one of the useful solutions for the physical interaction of medical staff or relatives of patients with infected people. In this paper we analyze the possibility of creating mesh networks based on Li-Fi communications among telepresence robots, as a solution for emergencies with large-scale disasters, when the existing telecommunications infrastructure is down. We are analyzing the possibility of mobile telepresence robots to use, for data communications, a mesh network based on both Wi-Fi and Li-Fi technologies. We start from previous research in which data communications for mobile robots were made in the first stage via Bluetooth, then via Wi-Fi, and later Li-Fi technology was tested. It is also analyzed the possibility of medical telepresence robots to cover the need for technical equipment for post-disaster medical emergencies.