Adaptive Navigation Control for Swarms of Autonomous Mobile Robots

This paper was devoted to developing a new and general coordinated adaptive navigation scheme for large-scale mobile robot swarms adapting to geographically constrained environments. Our distributed solution approach was built on the following assumptions: anonymity, disagreement on common coordinate systems, no pre-selected leader, and no direct communication. The proposed adaptive navigation was largely composed of four functions, commonly relying on dynamic neighbor selection and local interaction. When each robot found itself what situation it was in, individual appropriate ranges for neighbor selection were defined within its limited sensing boundary and the robots properly selected their neighbors in the limited range. Through local interactions with the neighbors, each robot could maintain a uniform distance to its neighbors, and adapt their direction of heading and geometric shape. More specifically, under the proposed adaptive navigation, a group of robots could be trapped in a dead-end passage,but they merge with an adjacent group to emergently escape from the dead-end passage. Furthermore, we verified the effectiveness of the proposed strategy using our in-housesimulator. The simulation results clearly demonstrated that the proposed algorithm is a simple yet robust approach to autonomous navigation of robot swarms in highlyclutteredenvironments. Since our algorithm is local and completely scalable to any size, it is easily implementable on a wide variety of resource-constrained mobile robots andplatforms. Our adaptive navigation control for mobile robot swarms is expected to be used in many applications ranging from examination and assessment of hazardous environments to domestic applications

Surface coverage in wireless sensor networks

Abstract—Coverage is a fundamental problem in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). Existing studies on this topic focus on 2D ideal plane coverage and 3D full space coverage. In many real world applications, the 3D surface of a targeted Field of Interest is complex, however, existing studies do not provide promising results. In this paper, we propose a new coverage model called surface coverage. In surface coverage, the targeted Field of Interest is a surface in 3D space and sensors can be deployed only on the surface. We show that existing 2D plane coverage is merely a special case of surface coverage. Simulations point out that existing sensor deployment schemes for a 2D plane cannot be directly applied to surface coverage cases. In this paper, we target two problems assuming surface coverage to be true. One, under stochastic deployment, how many sensors are needed to reach a certain expected coverage ratio? Two, if sensor deployment can be planned, what is the optimal deployment strategy with guaranteed full coverage with the least number of sensors? We show that the latter problem is NP-complete and propose three approximation algorithms. We further prove that these algorithms have a provable approximation ratio. We also conduct comprehensive simulations to evaluate the performance of the proposed algorithms. I

An enhanced evolutionary algorithm for requested coverage in wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor nodes with specific and new sensing capabilities and application requirements have affected the behaviour of wireless sensor networks and created problems. Placement of the nodes in an application area is a wellknown problem in the field. In addition, high per-node cost as well as need to produce a requested coverage and guaranteed connectivity features is a must in some applications. Conventional deployments and methods of modelling the behaviour of coverage and connectivity cannot satisfy the application needs and increase the network lifetime. Thus, the research designed and developed an effective node deployment evaluation parameter, produced a more efficient node deployment algorithm to reduce cost, and proposed an evolutionary algorithm to increase network lifetime while optimising deployment cost in relation to the requested coverage scheme. This research presents Accumulative Path Reception Rate (APRR) as a new method to evaluate node connectivity in a network. APRR, a node deployment evaluation parameter was used as the quality of routing path from a sensing node to sink node to evaluate the quality of a network deployment strategy. Simulation results showed that the behaviour of the network is close to the prediction of the APRR. Besides that, a discrete imperialist competitive algorithm, an extension of the Imperialist Competitive Algorithm (ICA) evolutionary algorithm was used to produce a network deployment plan according to the requested event detection probability with a more efficient APRR. It was used to reduce deployment cost in comparison to the use of Multi-Objective Evolutionary Algorithm (MOEA) and Multi-Objective Deployment Algorithm (MODA) algorithms. Finally, a Repulsion Force and Bottleneck Handling (RFBH) evolutionary-based algorithm was proposed to prepare a higher APRR and increase network lifetime as well as reduce deployment cost. Experimental results from simulations showed that the lifetime and communication quality of the output network strategies have proven the accuracy of the RFBH algorithm performance

Survey of Deployment Algorithms in Wireless Sensor Networks: Coverage and Connectivity Issues and Challenges

International audienceWireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) have many fields of application, including industrial, environmental, military, health and home domains. Monitoring a given zone is one of the main goals of this technology. This consists in deploying sensor nodes in order to detect any event occurring in the zone of interest considered and report this event to the sink. The monitoring task can vary depending on the application domain concerned. In the industrial domain, the fast and easy deployment of wireless sensor nodes allows a better monitoring of the area of interest in temporary worksites. This deployment must be able to cope with obstacles and be energy efficient in order to maximize the network lifetime. If the deployment is made after a disaster, it will operate in an unfriendly environment that is discovered dynamically. We present a survey that focuses on two major issues in WSNs: coverage and connectivity. We motivate our study by giving different use cases corresponding to different coverage, connectivity, latency and robustness requirements of the applications considered. We present a general and detailed analysis of deployment problems, while highlighting the impacting factors, the common assumptions and models adopted in the literature, as well as performance criteria for evaluation purposes. Different deployment algorithms for area, barrier, and points of interest are studied and classified according to their characteristics and properties. Several recapitulative tables illustrate and summarize our study. The designer in charge of setting up such a network will find some useful recommendations, as well as some pitfalls to avoid. Before concluding, we look at current trends and discuss some open issues

Graph-theoretic channel modeling and topology control protocols for wireless sensor networks

This report addresses two different research problems: (i) It presents a wireless channel model that reduces the complexity associated with high order Markov chains; and (ii) presents energy efficient topology control protocols which provide reliability while maintaining the topology in an energy efficient manner. For the above problems, real wireless sensor network traces were collected and extensive simulations were performed for evaluating the proposed protocols. Accurate simulation and analysis of wireless networks are inherently dependent on accurate models which are able to provide real-time channel characterization. High-order Markov chains are typically used to model errors and losses over wireless channels. However, complexity (i.e., the number of states) of a high-order Markov model increases exponentially with the memory-length of the underlying channel. In this report, a novel graph-theoretic methodology that uses Hamiltonian circuits to reduce the complexity of a high-order Markov model to a desired state budget is presented. The implication of unused states in complexity reduction of higher order Markov model is also explained. The trace-driven performance evaluations for real wireless local area network (WLAN) and wireless sensor network (WSN) channels demonstrate that the proposed Hamiltonian Model, while providing orders of magnitude reduction in complexity, renders an accuracy that is comparable to the Markov model and better than the existing reduced state models. Furthermore, a methodology to preserve energy is presented to increase the network lifetime by reducing the node degree forming an active backbone while considering network connectivity. However, in energy stringent wireless sensor networks, it is of utmost importance to construct the reduced topology with the minimal control overhead. Moreover, most wireless links in practice are lossy links with connectivity probability which desires that a routing protocol provides routing flexibility and reliability at a minimum energy consumption cost. For this purpose, distributed and semi-distributed novel graph-theoretic topology construction protocols are presented that exploit cliques and polygons in a WSN to achieve energy efficiency and reliability. The proposed protocols also facilitate load rotation under topology maintenance, thereby extending the network lifetime. In addition to the above, the report also evaluates why the backbone construction using connected dominating set (CDS) in certain cases remains unable to provide connected sensing coverage in the area covered. For this purpose, a novel protocol that reduces the topology while considering sensing area coverage is presented

Intelligent deployment strategies for passive underwater sensor networks

Passive underwater sensor networks are often used to monitor a general area of the ocean, a port or military installation, or to detect underwater vehicles near a high value unit at sea, such as a fuel ship or aircraft carrier. Deploying an underwater sensor network across a large area of interest (AOI), for military surveillance purposes, is a significant challenge due to the inherent difficulties posed by the underwater channel in terms of sensing and communications between sensors. Moreover, monetary constraints, arising from the high cost of these sensors and their deployment, limit the number of available sensors. As a result, sensor deployment must be done as efficiently as possible. The objective of this work is to develop a deployment strategy for passive underwater sensors in an area clearance scenario, where there is no apparent target for an adversary to gravitate towards, such as a ship or a port, while considering all factors pertinent to underwater sensor deployment. These factors include sensing range, communications range, monetary costs, link redundancy, range dependence, and probabilistic visitation. A complete treatment of the underwater sensor deployment problem is presented in this work from determining the purpose of the sensor field to physically deploying the sensors. Assuming a field designer is given a suboptimal number of sensors, they must be methodically allocated across an AOI. The Game Theory Field Design (GTFD) model, proposed in this work, is able to accomplish this task by evaluating the acoustic characteristics across the AOI and allocating sensors accordingly. Since GTFD considers only circular sensing coverage regions, an extension is proposed to consider irregularly shaped regions. Sensor deployment locations are planned using a proposed evolutionary approach, called the Underwater Sensor Deployment Evolutionary Algorithm, which utilizes two suitable network topologies, mesh and cluster. The effects of these topologies, and a sensor\u27s communications range, on the sensing capabilities of a sensor field, are also investigated. Lastly, the impact of deployment imprecision on the connectivity of an underwater sensor field, using a mesh topology, is analyzed, for cases where sensor locations after deployment do not exactly coincide with planned sensor locations

Prenos podataka, bezbednost i energetska efikasnost internet stvari (Internet of things) rešenja zasnovanih na tehnologiji bežičnih senzorskih mreža

Glavni doprinos ove doktorske teze jeste model procene potrošnje energije bežičnih senzorskih mreža za zadati skup protokola topologije i kriptografskih algoritama male računske i implementacione zahtevnosti. Predložena metoda procene potrošnje energije analizira se u simulacionom scenariju za nekoliko protokola i kriptografskih algoritama. Matematički model se testira u simulacionom okruženju gde se bežične senzorske mreže primenjuju kao tehnologija za komunikaciju na otvorenom području između senzorskih čvorova i uređaja zasnovanih na tehnologiji internet stvari. Rezultati simulacije potvrđuju formulu predloženu za procenu snage. Model predložen u ovoj tezi može se koristiti za odabir odgovarajućeg protokola topologije i kriptografskog algoritma. Na osnovu definisanog modela i rezultata simulacije predstavljena je sortirana lista kombinacija protokola topologije i algoritma šifrovanja. Najbolji rezultati u smislu potrošnje energije dobijaju se korišćenjem protokola A3 topologije i kriptografskog protokola KATAN64

Système autonome de sécurité lors de la préparation d'un repas pour des personnes cognitivement déficientes dans un habitat intelligent pour la santé

Dans les pays développés tels que le Canada ou la France, la population est vieillissante et le nombre de personnes atteintes de déficiences cognitives augmente en conséquence. Ces troubles ont des conséquences sur les activités de la vie quotidienne pour les personnes qui en souffrent. Selon l’autonomie de ces personnes et la sévérité de leur déficience, un hébergement en centre spécialisé peut être envisagé. Ces centres spécialisés représentent souvent un coût financier énorme tant pour la personne que pour la société. Afin de limiter ces coûts, une solution alternative a émergé : les habitats domotiques. Ce sont des habitats dans lesquels un ensemble de technologies permet de pallier aux déficiences des personnes et de leur donner une autonomie accrue. Pour ces personnes, certaines de ces activités de la vie quotidienne peuvent représenter des obstacles voire être dangereuses. Par exemple, l’activité de préparation d’un repas est une activité complexe qui peut présenter des risques variés pour des personnes atteintes de déficiences. Ces personnes sont alors assistées par des professionnels ou leurs aidants naturels lors de cette activité et peuvent perdre l’envie de préparer à manger. L’objectif de cette thèse est de concevoir un système permettant à ces personnes de réaliser l’activité de la préparation d’un repas en toute autonomie et en toute sécurité. D’une part, on retrouve la personne atteinte, qui selon sa déficience, aura une façon unique pour réaliser cette activité. Ces personnes vivent rarement seules, il faut tenir compte qu’un public varié puisse bénéficier du système pour la préparation d’un repas. D’autre part, cette activité aura lieu dans un environnement différent pour chaque habitat. Le système doit assurer la sécurité lors de l’activité de préparation de repas, par conséquent, la fiabilité du système est un critère important. Ces habitats sont généralement déjà équipés d’appareils, il devient nécessaire pour le système de pouvoir s’adapter à ces appareils existants. L’objectif de ces travaux est la réalisation d’un prototype permettant d’assurer la sécurité lors de l’activité de la préparation d’un repas par des personnes atteintes de la maladie d’Alzheimer et ses aidants (professionnels ou naturels). Ce prototype doit s’adapter aux besoins des usagers, de son environnement et du matériel sur lequel il est déployé. iii Pour ce faire, le système, basé sur un système multi-agents, applique des règles de sécurité qui se personnalisent par le biais du profil médical des usagers. La réalisation de modèles pour chaque objectif a permis de réaliser une architecture d’un système flexible. Ces modèles ont été déployés sur deux applications distinctes. Nos travaux ont été menés au sein de deux laboratoires, qui chacun, disposent d’appareils de cuisine différents dans leurs habitats intelligents pour la santé. Les besoins en termes de capteurs et leur interfaçage avec le système sont présentés. Enfin, le système a pu être testé dans ces deux environnements, son adaptation vis-à-vis d’une clientèle variée et pour plusieurs risques de sécurité à travers des scénarios d’usage. Les résultats de ces expérimentations ont été concluants et ont permis de montrer que le prototype répond bien aux objectifs visés