Autonomous Deployment and Restoration of Sensor Network using Mobile Robots

This paper describes an autonomous deployment and restoration of a Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) using mobile robots. The authors have been developing an information-gathering system using mobile robots and WSNs in underground spaces in post-disaster environments. In our system, mobile robots carry wireless sensor nodes (SN) and deploy them into the environment while measuring Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) values to ensure communication, thereby enabling the WSN to be deployed and restored autonomously. If the WSN is disrupted, mobile robots restore the communication route by deploying additional or alternate SNs to suitable positions. Utilizing the proposed method, a mobile robot can deploy a WSN and gather environmental information via the WSN. Experimental results using a verification system equipped with a SN deployment and retrieval mechanism are presented.