Sensing uncertainty reduction using low complexity actuation

Abstract

The performance of a sensor network may be best judged by the quality of application specific information return. The actual sensing performance of a deployed sensor network depends on several factors which cannot be accounted at design time, such as environmental obstacles to sensing. We propose the use of mobility to overcome the effect of unpredictable environmental influence and to adapt to run time dynamics. Now, mobility with its dependencies such as precise localization and navigation is expensive in terms of hardware resources and energy constraints, and may not be feasible in compact, densely deployed and widespread sensor nodes. We present a method based on low complexity and low energy actuation primitives which are feasible for implementation in sensor networks. We prove how these primitives improve the detection capabilities with theoretical analysis, extensive simulations and real world experiments. The significant coverage advantage recurrent in our investigation justifies our own and other parallel ongoing work in the implementation and refinement of self-actuated systems.

Strategies and techniques for node placement in wireless sensor networks: A survey

“…Sensor mobility has been exploited to boost the performance of WSNs. For example, mobile sensors can re-spread in an area to ensure uniform coverage, move closer to loaded nodes in order to prevent bottlenecks or increase bandwidth by carrying data to the base-station [15,[69][70][71]. Proposed schemes for dynamic sensor positioning in the literature can be categorized into two groups, based on when relocation is exploited, into post-deployment or on-demand relocation.…”

Self-aware distributed embedded systems

“…[9] Specifically, for a broad class of physical phenomena where sensing uncertainty results from the presence of obstacles, then motion enables distributed sensors to circumvent obstacles. This hypothesis has been theoretically and experimentally investigated.…”

“…Results indicate that indeed low complexity mobility may lead to a dramatic reduction in sensing uncertainty for typical natural environments. [9] …”

Networked infomechanical systems: a mobile embedded networked sensor platform

“…Node and system architecture must then address these requirements. The NIMS architecture described here has been shown to address sensing uncertainty [6], adaptive sampling requirements [7,8], and operation in large three-dimensional environments with energy harvesting capability [5]. A series of NIMS architecture classes have been developed and deployed (as shown in Figures 1 and 2).…”

“…Previous work [5][6][7][8] has described the first applications of NIMS. However, this paper describes new embedded platform features that address these new challenges.…”