Autonomous Mobile Sensor Placement in Complex Environments

Abstract

In this article, we address the problem of autonomously deploying mobile sensors in an unknown complex environment. In such a scenario, mobile sensors may encounter obstacles or environmental sources of noise, so that movement and sensing capabilities can be significantly altered and become anisotropic. Any reduction of device capabilities cannot be known prior to their actual deployment, nor can it be predicted. We propose a new algorithm for autonomous sensor movements and positioning, called DOMINO (DeplOyment of MobIle Networks with Obstacles). Unlike traditional approaches, DOMINO explicitly addresses these issues by realizing a grid-based deployment throughout the Area of Interest (AoI) and subsequently refining it to cover the target area more precisely in the regions where devices experience reduced sensing. We demonstrate the capability of DOMINO to entirely cover the AoI in a finite time. We also give bounds on the number of sensors necessary to cover an AoI with asperities. Simulations show that DOMINO provides a fast deployment with precise movements and no oscillations, with moderate energy consumption. Furthermore, DOMINO provides better performance than previous solutions in all the operative settings.