CS344A: Sensor Network Systems


Once groups have settled on projects, we'll put them up here. Here are a few ideas:

  • A general storage layer for non-volatile data structures, which would allow packet queues, routing tables, and other important information to exist across complete power-downs and relieve RAM pressure.
  • A collection protocol that generates, maintains, and uses a set of stochastic routes so that different packets pass through different routing nodes. Doing this could enable signature mechanisms that would detect aversarial nodes.
  • A dissemination protocol for disseminating many (e.g., 200) small data items.
  • Build on the SP data link abstraction and design a network manager that arbitrates the shared resources, such as packet scheduling and the neighbor table, evaluating different policies and mechanisms for doing so.
  • Using publically available testbeds, measure the interference characteristics of 802.15.4 radios.
  • Experiment with different CSMA backoff policies (MILD, linear, ethernet, etc.) and evaluate their effects on collisions, fairness, and channel utilization in different circumstances and traffic loads.
  • A dynamically reconfiguring signal processing system that moves computation from in-network to a base station depending on CPU and bandwidth costs.
  • Using RSSI data to select routes that have controlled interference properties in an effort to improve bandwidth.
  • An adaptive CCA detection algorithm that considers the expected RSSI of a packet at its intended receiver.
  • A collection tree management service which maintains an eventually consistent set of dynamically generated trees within the network.
  • A declarative macroprogramming language that enables efficient yet simple programs for a selected application domain.
  • A on-node storage system that can efficiently index complex data traces, such as neural traces, object movement, or home energy use.
  • A hybrid routing/flooding/dissemination algorithm that promises eventual consistency but reduces the time to reception over basic dissemination approaches.
  • A delay- and disconnection-tolerant transport layer.