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04__ISSN_1392-1215_Smart Dust Motes in Ubiquitous Computing Scenarios
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Anthony F. Hillen-1-
Wireless Sensor Networks
Technology OverviewThe individual nodes that constitute a wireless sensor network are generally smallin size and use power-efficient batteries to extend their operational longevity. Dependingon its function, each node has a sensor board that facilitates the detection andmeasurement of heat, vibrations, air-pressure and magnetic fields (among other things).
The “
motes”
developed at UC Berkeley are a typical example of such devices. Moteshave a range of about 100 feet and feature a 7Mhz processor, 4Kb of RAM, 128Kb of programmable memory space, and utilize a ChipCon CC1000 radio for communication.Due to their deployment simplicity and low cost of about $200 per unit, motes can bedistributed in spatially dense configurations within a given area. Motes make use of
TinyOS
, an operating system designed from scratch to be as power-efficient as possible.Using less than half the capacity of an AA battery, Tiny OS can effectively runapplications for months at a time. (Hellerstein, Hong, Madden, 2003)Motes within a given geographic location use networking software to self-assemble into ad-hoc networks, allowing data to be transferred to and from any node inits network, or if necessary, to a proxy (but unauthorized, non-peer/client) in closeproximity (like a random cell-phone or laptop), thereby serving as a conduit to a widernetwork (like the internet).The nodes in wireless sensor networks can be employed to capture data abouttheir geographic environment while seamlessly and instantly communicating thatinformation with surrounding nodes, impervious to temporal or spatial limitation.Wireless sensor networks circumvent the hindrances of collecting information from
Anthony F. Hillen-2-geographic locations otherwise inaccessible by human beings; from the nether ocean toenemy occupied territory. (Kumar, 2003)Sensor networks are amenable to both civilian and military deployment. Incivilian scenarios, sensors used to monitor traffic, pollution, or infrastructure can bepositioned by hand. In terms of the most basic military applications, such networks canbe used to detect, classify, and track targets in a given territory (other applications will bediscussed later). Civilian use of wireless sensor networks range from environmentalpurposes such as pollution and ecosystem analysis to law-enforcement activity like trafficmonitoring and criminal surveillance. In their military context, discommodious or threat-rich environments can be accurately and safely reconnoitered, determining sensorplacement a priori is unnecessary as random and widespread sensor deployment can beachieved via aircraft. (Clouqueur, Veradej, Ramanathan, Saluja, 2003)Development StatusSensor technology has made substantial advancements thanks to innovative newresearch efforts. Some recent developments have been academic in nature, like trackingand monitoring animal migrations, bird habitats, or vineyards, while private-sectordevelopments have included efficiency improvements like
“
condition-based
”
equipmentmaintenance. There are numerous examples of how wireless sensor networks arecurrently being used, for instance, biologists at UC Berkeley interested in studying howtrees affect the temperature and humidity in their surrounding canopy use a network of trunk-attached motes to monitor the microclimates around the redwood trees in theirbotanical garden. (Hellerstein, Hong, Madden, 2003)
Anthony F. Hillen-3-One of the most promising research endeavors currently underway is thedevelopment of a flexible and interference-resistant communication technology. Insteadof being restricted to transmitting and receiving information on a pre-assigned block of spectrum, these radio
devices would utilize “
opportunistic spectrum access
”. Such
systems would facilitate faster and more efficient communication since static allotmentwould be complemented by instantaneous and opportunistic spectrum access. Sensornodes utilizing such technology would access unused spectrum, detect, authorize andnetwork surrounding nodes in a manner that reduces inter-node communication
interference. (DARPA “neXt Generation” program)
A second area of research worthy of mentioning employs
“
mobile swarm
” sensor
networks to facilitate asset management and multimedia streaming. Mobile swarms areclusters of sensor nodes located in close physical proximity to each other and possesssimilar mobility patterns. For example, a group of tanks or UAVs could constitute aswarm, presumably equipped with qualitatively superior sensors like hi-res cameras, andlonger range radios with higher channel bandwidths than conventional motes. Sensornodes attached to the swarm members can gather information about that individualmember, like location or operating status, but it can also relay data captured by i
ts “host”
to other nodes in the swarm, other mobile swarms, or to a command center through abackbone network or satellite. (Gerla, Xu)There are three primary motivations supporting research and development in thefield of wireless sensor networks: academic interest, corporate profit, civil value, and of course, military application. These strong and mutually supportive driving forces suggesta promising future for the technology. Although motes currently cost about $200 per unit,
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Wireless Sensor Networks
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