## 1 Introduction
### Contributions  
In an attempt to address these limitations, this paper proposes a versatile MANET experimentation platform, which is characterized by a modular architecture and can be flexibly employed in a wide range of experimentation scenarios, as demonstrated by its use in the scope of the ATLAS research project [35], on UxV-based mobile networks. The platform includes clearly defined modules for: the signaling between peer mobile nodes within communication range, according to a beacon-based mechanism; the localization/tracking of each mobile node's location and motion over time; the routing protocol functionality, including the evaluation and selection of next-hop nodes; and the management of communication messages at each node, including message reception, storage, and next-hop forwarding. All signaling and data exchanges occur at the application layer, decoupling the operation of the platform from the intricacies of the actual wireless technologies employed. The software of the MANET platform has been implemented in Python and runs on standard Raspberry Pi-based commodity hardware, using one board computer per network node. It is straightforward to mount the boards on robotic devices, which are used for moving the network nodes in accordance with controlled mobility patterns. With this arrangement, it becomes possible to completely decouple the operation of the attached boards from the intricacies of the robotic devices realizing mobility, thus maximizing the compatibility between the two sets of entities. Nevertheless, a controllable degree of coupling is still possible, if so desired. For example, the localization module of the MANET platform may take input from GPS facilities on the robotic devices, alternatively, disregard these facilities and perform the localization through other independent means. The modular structure of the platform facilitates the adaptation of the software to enable experiments involving a variety of different routing protocols. Moreover, through an appropriate tuning of certain modules, it becomes possible to precisely control a number of important operational and environmental conditions through the software. In particular, by jointly exploiting input from the beacon-based signaling module and from the localization module, a reduced communication range between peer nodes can be emulated. This feature enables experiments that can address a wider range of network densities. In another direction, instead of mounting the MANET boards on actual robotic devices, it is possible to interface the localization module of some or all of the boards with another software module, providing input according to simulated mobility patterns. By leveraging these features, the operation of the proposed platform can span the range between emulated and real-world experiments, trading repeatability and control for realism, as required. All these aspects are highlighted through the presentation and analysis of results from a comprehensive set of experiments on the performance of selected routing protocols under diverse conditions. These results not only demonstrate the effectiveness and versatility of the platform also yield additional insight into the performance impact of real-world imperfections, such as inaccurate location information or restricted mobility patterns. In summary, the paper makes the following contributions:  
* It proposes a MANET experimentation platform with a modular architecture that includes clearly defined modules for the functions associated with localization, nodal interactions, and ad hoc networking. The architecture can accommodate a variety of different routing protocols and supports mechanisms for controlling, through software, a number of operational and environmental conditions. * It discusses a lightweight implementation of the design on inexpensive Raspberry Pi-based commodity hardware, using one board computer per network node.