Sensors: Scalable Coordination for Hybrid Sensor/actuator Networks

一个由大量静态传感器和相对少量移动机器人传感器组成的混合传感器/执行器网络，在各种民用和军事应用以及一些科学学科中开辟了新的领域。无线传感器网络和多机器人系统的结合降低了成本，但显著提高了彼此的能力。静态无线传感器网络为多机器人系统和人类操作员提供协作传感、通信、协调和导航。移动机器人以其机动性和先进的传感、通信和计算能力增强了传感器网络的能力。该项目的目标是解决混合传感器/执行器网络中的两个具有挑战性的研究问题：自主传感器/执行器协调算法和自配置通信协议。本研究项目的具体目标包括：(i)混合传感器/执行器网络的动态建模和组织；（ii）传感器/执行器协调算法，用于重新分配传感、网络和计算资源，以提供所需的覆盖范围和指定的传感精度；（iii）自配置协议，为环境感知、通信、机器人协调和导航提供信息；（iv）传感器网络中的机器人导航算法；(v)为协调算法和通信协议的分析和设计提供一个直观的参考框架。该项目将在密歇根理工大学开发一个有效的传感器网络和多机器人系统教育项目，目的是培养创造性思维和分析能力。该项目将通过开发为期一年的高级设计课程和使用移动机器人和传感器网络系统概念的企业项目，促进竞争驱动的学习。对K-12教育的推广活动包括：(i)参加两个暑期青年项目，工程中的女性和工程中的探索，鼓励女性和弱势群体追求工程职业；（ii）为教师，特别是当地学区的教师提供专业发展方面的领导。主要智力优势和更广泛的影响智力优势是对复杂混合传感器/执行器网络的控制和自组织的理解。本项目的完成将在以下三个领域具有重大的智力价值：(i)多机器人系统：了解如何建模动态和分布式大型系统，以及如何在传感器网络中协调和导航多个移动机器人；（ii）传感器网络：了解如何利用移动性增强传感和通信，以及如何集群传感器网络以实现节能路由和跟踪；（iii）其他前沿：算法在智能交通系统安全控制中的应用，以及生态系统和环境监测方面的研究。这个项目的广泛影响是创新研究和教育计划的自然结果。这项研究活动的结果为混合传感器/执行器网络的快速部署提供了系统的设计方法，这将影响环境监测和生态系统的研究，并找到无数的应用，如战场监视。该教育计划将直接有利于机器人和网络方面预期的教育活动。该教育计划将加强我们的教育目标，通过提高研究生和本科生课程的内容，并为本科生研究人员提供有意义的经验。每年，这些拓展项目都会帮助数百名上大学前的学生（其中许多是少数族裔女性）提高对科学的理解和对工程技术的兴趣。a - 1

A hybrid sensor/actuator network, which consists of a large number of static sensors and relativelysmall number of mobile robotic sensors, opens new frontiers in a variety of civilian and militaryapplications and in some scientific disciplines. The combination of a wireless sensor network anda multi-robot system reduces the cost but significantly enhances each other's capability. The staticwireless sensor network provides collaborative sensing, communication, coordination and navigationto a multi-robot system and human operators. The mobile robots augment sensor networks'capability by their mobility and advanced sensing, communication and computation capability.The objective of this project is to address two challenging research issues in a hybrid sensor/actuator network: autonomous sensor/actuator coordination algorithms and self-configuringcommunication protocols. The specific goals of this research project include: (i) dynamic modelingand organization of hybrid sensor/actuator networks; (ii) sensor/actuator coordination algorithms toreallocate sensing, networking and computing resources to provide required coverage and specifiedsensing accuracy; (iii) self-configuring protocols to provide information for environmental sensing,communication, robot coordination and navigation; (iv) robot navigation algorithms in sensornetworks; and (v) a perceptive reference frame for the analysis and design of the coordinationalgorithms and communication protocols.The PI will develop an effective education program in sensor networks and multi-robot systemsat Michigan Technological University, with the objective to foster creative thinking and analyticalskills. The PI will promote competition-motivated learning by the development of a senior levelone-year design course and an Enterprise program using the concept of networked systems of mobilerobots and sensors. The outreach activities to K-12 education include: (i) participating in two of thesummer youth programs, woman in engineering and explorations in engineering, which encouragewomen and underrepresented groups to pursue engineering careers; (ii) providing leadership inprofessional development for teachers, especially for teachers in local school districts.Major Intellectual Merits and Broader ImpactThe intellectual merit is the understanding of the control and self-organization of a complex hybridsensor/actuator networks. The accomplishment of this project will have substantial intellectual meritsin three areas: (i) multi-robot systems: understanding how to model a dynamic and distributed largescale system, as well as how to coordinate and navigate multiple mobile robots in sensor networks;(ii) sensor networks: understanding how to enhance sensing and communication using mobility,as well as how to cluster a sensor network for energy efficient routing and tracking; (iii) otherfrontiers: application of the algorithms in safety control of Intelligent Transportation Systems, andresearch in ecosystems and environmental monitoring.The broader impact of this project is a natural outcome of the innovative research and educationprograms. The results of this research activity provide systemic design approaches forrapid deployment of hybrid sensor/actuator networks, which will impact research in environmentalmonitoring and ecosystems, and find myriad applications such as battlefield surveillance. Theeducational plan will directly benefit the anticipated education activities in robotics and networks.The educational plan will strengthen our educational objectives by enhancing the content of graduateand undergraduate classes, and by providing meaningful experiences to undergraduate researchers.Every year, the outreach programs help hundreds of pre-college students, many of whom are womenor minorities, to improve scientific understanding and interest in engineering and technology.A-1