Mobile sensor networks (MSNs) are complex wireless networks of mobile agents equipped with a variety of sensors including infrared, ultrasonic, cameras, sonar, and radar. MSNs have broad applications in scientific data gathering; performing search and rescue operations; real-time information processing for disaster response; and surveillance and security. The objective of the proposal is to develop innovative methods for multi-agent coordination and distributed estimation for mobile sensor networks operating in uncertain environments.
Intellectual Merit:
The research includes (1) detection and tracking of events using networked mobile robots with short-range directional sensors and (2) crowd control during disasters in complex infrastructures. Some key challenges distinguish mobile sensor networks from static ones: (1) the network topology of MSNs is "dynamic" due to motion of the sensors and this tremendously complicates design and analysis of the algorithms, (2) maintaining network connectivity is hard, (3) mobile sensors cannot simply roam at random; motion coordination algorithms are needed to achieve better tracking performance. The main "research objectives" of this project are (a) development, analysis, and implementation of scalable algorithms for estimation, tracking, and inference and motion coordination for mobile sensor networks and (b) control of multi-agent swarms (crowds) in complex infrastructures with sensor and control networks.
Broader Impact:
The educational plan leads to development of two new courses: a Networked Systems (Grad) and Distributed Robotics (Undergrad). The outreach aspect of the educational plan is implemented by hiring undergraduate students through the Women in Science Project (WISP) at Dartmouth. This educational plan allows female students to be exposed to exciting engineering projects involving interacting robots and sensors. Moreover, holding multidisciplinary workshops is proposed.
