Motes and Wireless Sensor Networks Mark G. Faust [e-mail]

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Motes and Wireless Sensor NetworksMark G. Faust
faustm_at_ece.pdx.edu
Recent advances in embedded computing have led to
the emergence of wireless sensor networks
consisting of small battery powered motes, each
with a radio transmitter and receiver,
microcontroller, and one or more
sensors. Configured in flexible networks, these
increasingly inexpensive motes can be deployed in
a range of diverse physical environments for a
variety of applications including natural
resources monitoring, health care, industrial
controls, building monitoring, and detection of
biological/chemical hazards.
Networks of low power motes can be deployed in
remote, inhospitable, or dangerous environments
for extended periods of time using battery power
or scavenged power from sunlight, wind, or even
vibration. Once deployed, motes can
self-configure into multi-hop networks to sense
their local environment, coordinate their
activities, and efficiently communicate
information upstream for further
processing. Many projects are interdisciplinary,
drawing upon knowledge of the problem domain as
well as mechanical engineering, electrical and
computer engineering, and computer science. One
application currently under development is remote
pole-top transformer monitoring for electric
utilities. Another is studying airborne
dispersal of pollutants and biohazards in urban
environments. Active areas include -
Hardware platforms - Software and operating
systems - Application development - Sensor
development Related areas include robotics,
nanotechnology, RF/wireless.

Sensor networks deployed for monitoring seismic
activity, mine safety, industrial controls,
agriculture, wildlife habitat, and dispersion in
urban environments