A hybrid sensor/actuator network, which consists of a large number of static sensors and relatively small number of mobile robotic sensors, opens new frontiers in a variety of civilian and military applications and in some scientific disciplines. The combination of a wireless sensor network and a multi-robot system reduces the cost but significantly enhances each other's capability. The static wireless sensor network provides collaborative sensing, communication, coordination and navigation to 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-configuring communication protocols. The specific goals of this research project include: (i) dynamic modeling and organization of hybrid sensor/actuator networks; (ii) sensor/actuator coordination algorithms to reallocate sensing, networking and computing resources to provide required coverage and specified sensing accuracy; (iii) self-configuring protocols to provide information for environmental sensing, communication, robot coordination and navigation; (iv) robot navigation algorithms in sensor networks; and (v) a perceptive reference frame for the analysis and design of the coordination algorithms and communication protocols. The PI will develop an effective education program in sensor networks and multi-robot systems at Michigan Technological University, with the objective to foster creative thinking and analytical skills. The PI will promote competition-motivated learning by the development of a senior level one-year design course and an Enterprise program using the concept of networked systems of mobile robots and sensors. The outreach activities to K-12 education include: (i) participating in two of the summer youth programs, woman in engineering and explorations in engineering, which encourage women and underrepresented groups to pursue engineering careers; (ii) providing leadership in professional development for teachers, especially for teachers in local school districts. Major Intellectual Merits and Broader Impact The intellectual merit is the understanding of the control and self-organization of a complex hybrid sensor/actuator networks. The accomplishment of this project will have substantial intellectual merits in three areas: (i) multi-robot systems: understanding how to model a dynamic and distributed large scale 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) other frontiers: application of the algorithms in safety control of Intelligent Transportation Systems, and research in ecosystems and environmental monitoring. The broader impact of this project is a natural outcome of the innovative research and education programs. The results of this research activity provide systemic design approaches for rapid deployment of hybrid sensor/actuator networks, which will impact research in environmental monitoring and ecosystems, and find myriad applications such as battlefield surveillance. The educational 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 graduate and 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 women or minorities, to improve scientific understanding and interest in engineering and technology. A-1
