Abstract

Pervasive networks of micro-sensors and actuators offer to revolutionize the ways in which we understand and construct complex physical systems. Sensor networks must be scalable, long-lived and robust systems, overcoming energy limitations and a lack of pre-installed infrastructure. We explore three themes in the design of self-configuring sensor networks: tuning density to trade operational quality against lifetime; using multiple sensor modalities to obtain robust measurements; and exploiting fixed environmental characteristics. We illustrate these themes through the problem of localization, which is a key building block for sensor systems that itself requires coordination.

Date

2001

Authors

Nirupama Bulusu, Deborah Estrin, Lewis Girod, John Heidemann

Journal

International Symposium on Communication Theory and Applications (ISCTA 2001), Ambleside, UK

Volume

12