Mathew Laibowitz, Joseph A. Paradiso

Abstract

Distributed sensor networks offer many new capabilities for contextually monitoring environments. By making such systems mobile, we increase the application-space for the distributed network mainly by providing dynamic context-dependent deployment, continual relocatability, automatic node recovery, and a larger area of coverage. In existing models, the addition of actuation to the nodes has exacerbated three of the main problems with distributed systems: power usage, node size, and node complexity. In this paper we propose a solution to these problems in the form of parasitically actuated nodes that harvest their mobility and local navigational intelligence by selectively engaging and disengaging from mobile hosts in their environment. We analyze the performance of parasitically mobile distributed networks through software simulations and design, implement, and demonstrate hardware prototypes.