Architectures for Wireless Sensor Networks

Various architectures have been developed for wireless sensor networks. Many of them leave to the programmer important concepts as the way in which the inter-task communication and dynamic reconfigurations are addressed. In this paper we describe the characteristics of a new architecture we proposed - the data-centric architecture. This architecture offers an easy way of structuring the applications designed for wireless sensor nodes that confers them superior performances

Data-centric architecture for wireless sensor networks

Ad-hoc and sensor networks have gained a lot of attention lately. Due to technological advances, building small-sized, energy-efficient reliable devices, capable of communicating with each other and organizing themselves in ad-hoc networks has become possible. These devices have brought a new perspective to the world of computers as we know it, pushing us into what can be called the third era of computing: intelligent devices can be embedded into the environment, assisting the user in performing various tasks while being invisible to him. The need for reconfiguration and maintenance disappears as the networks organize themselves to adapt to the continuously changing environment and requirements

Applying Spatial Computing to Everyday Interactive Designs

In this position paper, we address the applicability of spatial computing in the field of interactive architecture. The process of designing large-scale interactive systems is cumbersome, due in fact to single design cycles (transforming ideas into prototypes) taking a period of time usually measured in months, most of it dedicated to writing the software controlling the system. As most interactive architecture projects pass through several design cycles interleaved with user studies, speeding up the generation of the needed software becomes of crucial importance. The global-to-local programming approach is in fact a perfect tool for this task. Describing complex behaviors with simple rules is rarely seen in the existing installations, the large majority employing a central computer for the control of the system. Building up on our previous experience in this area, we created HiveKit, a proof of concept allowing bridging between the two fields, giving non-specialists easy access to distributed algorithms. HiveKit is a software package which allows designers to specify the desired behavior and automatically generate and deploy the needed code on networks of embedded devices. We introduce several projects where HiveKit is employed and create an argument, based on user studies, favoring the need for large-scale adoption of such tools

Collaborative communication protocols for wireless sensor networks

In this document, the design of communication within a wireless sensor network is discussed. The resource limitations of such a network, especially in terms of energy, require an integrated approach for all (traditional) layers of communication. We present such an integrated, collaborative approach which is part of current research in the European research project EYES on energy-efficient sensor networks. In particular, energy-efficient solutions for medium access control, clusterbased routing and multipath routing are discussed. As part of the ongoing project, these approaches work together and are designed to support each other

An energy efficient multipath routing algorithm for wireless sensor networks

In this paper we introduce a new routing algorithm for wireless sensor networks. The aim of this algorithm is to provide on-demand multiple disjoint paths between a data source and a destination. Our Multipath On-Demand Routing Algorithm (MDR) improves the reliability of data routing in a wireless mobile network while maintaining the amount of overhead traffic at a low value. An important feature of MDR is that it is very robust against the average speed of the nodes in the network. Even for very high values of the mobility, the algorithm succeeds in delivering the data to the destination

Self-stabilized fast gossiping algorithms

In this article, we explore the topic of extending aggregate computation in distributed networks with selfstabilizing properties to withstand network dynamics. Existing research suggests that fast gossiping algorithms, based on the properties of order statistics applied to families of exponential random variables, are a viable solution for computing functions of the values stored in the network. We focus on the specific case in which network changes and failures occur in batches with a minimum frequency in the order of the diameter of the network. Our contribution consists in two self-stabilizing mechanisms, allowing fast gossiping algorithms to be applicable to dynamic networks with minor increase in resources usage. The resulting algorithms can be deployed in networks exhibiting churn, node stop-failures and resets, and random topological changes. The theoretical results are verified with simulations on synthetic data, showcasing desirable properties for large-scale network designers such as scalability, lack of single points of failure, and anonymity

Design of a low-power testbed for Wireless Sensor Networks and verification

In this document the design considerations and component choices of a testbed prototype device for wireless sensor networks will be discussed. These devices must be able to monitor their physical environment, process data and assist other nodes in forwarding sensor readings. For these tasks, five basic parts are necessary in a sensor node: sensor interface, computational unit, memory, communication interface and energy source. Hardware choices for these\ud components will be discussed, as well as an additional debugging interface. The design has been verified by implementation of a few example applications. The testbed includes a tiny preemptive real time operating system