ActorNet: An Actor Platform for Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

We present an actor platform for wireless sensor networks (WSNs). A typical WSN may consist of hundreds to tens of thousands of tiny nodes embdedded in an environment. Hence, manual reprogramming of nodes for development, fixing bugs and updating features is an arduous process; moreover, in some cases physical access to nodes is simply out of the question. In an attempt to address this problem, network reprogramming tools such as Deluge and MNP have been developed. Unfortunately, these bulk reprogramming services incur significant costs in terms of energy usage, latency, and loss of sensing coverage when nodes are rebooted into a new program image. ActorNet, in contrast, provides an environment for lightweight concurrent object-oriented mobile code on WSNs. As such, actorNet enables a wide range of new dynamic applications on WSNs, including support for fully customizable queries and aggregation functions, in-network interactive debugging facilities, and high-level concurrent programming on the inherently parallel sensor network platform. Moreover, actorNet cleanly integrates all of these features into a fine-tuned, multi-threaded embedded Scheme interpreter which supports compact, maintainable programs -- a significant advantage over primitive stack-based virtual machines