Models and Algorithms for Wireless Sensor Networks (Smart Dust)

Recent developments in micro-electro-mechanical systems (MEMS), wireless communications and digital electronics have already led to the development of tiny, low-power, low-cost sensor devices. Such devices integrate sensing, data processing and communication capabilities.

Each sensor device individually might have small utility, however the effective distributed co-ordination of large numbers of such devices can lead to the efficient accomplishment of large sensing tasks. Large numbers of sensors can be deployed in areas of interest (such as inaccessible terrains or disaster places) and use self-organization and collaborative methods to form an ad-hoc network. The wide range of applications of such networks (such as in fire detection, telemonitoring of human physiological data, smart environments and home automation, chemical attack detection etc.) is based on the possible use of various sensor types (for temperature, motion, pressure, noise levels etc).

We note however that the efficient and robust realization of such large, highly-dynamic, complex, non-conventional networking environments is a challenging technological and algorithmic task. Features including the huge number of sensor devices involved, the severe power, computational and memory limitations, their dense deployment and frequent failures, pose new design, analysis and implementation challenges.

This talk will present and discuss several aspects of the design, deployment and operation of sensor networks. In particular, we will provide:

• a brief description of the technical specifications of state-of-the-art sensor devices
• a discussion of possible models used to abstract such networks
• a discussion of some key algorithmic design techniques (like randomization, adaptation and hybrid techniques)
• a presentation of representative protocols for sensor networks, for problems including data propagation, collision avoidance and energy balance
• an evaluation of the performance properties (correctness, efficiency, faul-tolerance) of these protocols, both with analytic and simulation means.
• finally, we will discuus some emerging trends and future challenges in the relevant research.