• Start date: 01.01.2001
• End date: 31.08.2010
• Funded by: Universität Augsburg
• Local head of project: Prof. Dr. Theo Ungerer

Abstract

Sensor networks consist of multiple sensor nodes exchanging data per wired or wireless connection. Each sensor node can collect, process and transfer local environmental information. This opens a wide range of applications, not only in the military field, but also in environment and habitat monitoring, healthcare systems, home automation, traffic control, and early disaster detections. Many sensor nodes depend on battery energy that should preferably last a long time.

Description

Sensor networks consist of multiple sensor nodes exchanging data per wired or wireless connection. Each sensor node can collect, process and transfer local environmental information. This opens a wide range of applications, not only in the military field, but also in environment and habitat monitoring, healthcare systems, home automation, traffic control, and early disaster detections. Many sensor nodes depend on battery energy that should preferably last a long time.

Sensor networks differ from traditional computer networks regarding capacity, energy sources, and ressources on each node. Furthermore, data centric approaches are highly important for sensor networks. For this reason, traditional distributed algorithms are not feasible in this area. Sensor networks aim for the development of more specific algorithms.

Energy Efficiency

In most applications battery replacements are not feasible because of the great number of sensor nodes or the unknown or unaccessible location. Imagine a scenario where sensor nodes are spread out from an airplane. In order to achieve a long lifetime of the sensor network and the application it is important to save energy. Our research in this topic concentrates on the development of energy efficient MAC protocols and routing. 

Security Architectures

In recent years, the potential range of applications for sensor networks is expanding. Their use has been considered for safety critical areas such as: hospitals or power plants. The security comes more to the fore. A security concept should follow basic requirements like confidentiality, authenticity, integrity, timeliness, scalability, availability, and accessibility. Our research interest in this area is the development of a security architecture for sensor networks. Main focus lies on robust and secure routing protocols and protection against data manipulation.

Mobile Agents

Developing services on basis of sensor nodes and limited devices is an arduous task. A program running on such a device is static and limited to a single service. If a new service needs to be performed, devices have to be fundamentally reprogrammed and reloaded. For dynamic service distribution a mobile agent system is devised and services are distributed by mobile agents. Agents in general can be defined as software units with certain autonomy. They perform services by order of a user or other agents. Mobile agents have an additional property: they can autonomously migrate, i.e. they can transfer program code, data and continuation pointer to a remote computer and resume with the program execution. Beside this physical mobility, mobile agents have the possibility to communicate with each other in order to exchange information.