Automated Deployment of IoT Networks in Outdoor Scenarios using an Unmanned Ground Vehicle

Latest research in the integration of robotics and Internet of Things (IoT) systems paved the way for the development of new and potentially disruptive technologies, with applications in critical domains such as surveillance, environmental monitoring, smart agriculture and ambient intelligence in general. In this work, a robotic-aided IoT system for the automatic deployment of sensor networks is developed. Specifically, an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) is used to look for the best suitable deploying positions of the IoT nodes in extensive environments, such as in outdoor settings, based on the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) value measured between IoT devices. The system exploits accurate robot localization information obtained by integrating odometry, inertial and Global Position System (GPS) measurements. IoT nodes implement an IPv6 protocol, with IEEE 802.15.4 (6TiSCH) technology and make use of multi-hop communications, so as to guarantee an IoT network topology that provides wide coverage. Experimental results carried out in a real outdoor context are presented to demonstrate the feasibility of the system. It is shown that compared to a manual deployment, the proposed robotic-aided approach leads to higher performance, thus increasing communication efficiency between nodes and attaining stable IoT network topology.