A Java-Based Agent Platform for Programming Wireless Sensor Networks

Abstract

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are emerging as powerful platforms for distributed embedded computing supporting a variety of high-impact applications. However, programming WSN applications is a complex task that requires suitable paradigms and technologies capable of supporting the specific characteristics of such networks which uniquely integrate distributed sensing, computation and communication. Mobile agents are a distributed computing paradigm based on code mobility that has already demonstrated high effectiveness and efficiency in IP-based highly dynamic distributed environments. Due to their intrinsic characteristics, mobile agents may provide more benefits in the context of WSNs than in conventional distributed environments. In this paper we present the design, implementation and experimentation of MAPS (Mobile Agent Platform for Sun SPOT), an innovative Java-based framework for wireless sensor networks based on Sun SPOT technology which enables agent-oriented programming of WSN applications. The MAPS architecture is based on components that interact through events. Each component offers a minimal set of services to mobile agents that are modeled as multi-plane state machines driven by ECA rules. In particular, the offered services include message transmission, agent creation, agent cloning, agent migration, timer handling and easy access to the sensor node resources (sensors, actuators, input switches, flash memory and battery). Agent programming with MAPS is presented through both a simple example related to mobile agent-based monitoring of a sensor node and a more complex case study for realtime human activity monitoring based on wireless body sensor networks. Moreover, a performance evaluation of MAPS carried out by computing micro-benchmarks, related to agent communication, creation and migration, is illustrated.

A scalable distributed architecture for client and server-side software agents

“…Along with the more recent trends, there have been several proposals of using mobile agents within the so-called Internet of Things (IoT) concept [13], in smart objects [21,22] and in smart cities [23]. The role of Siebog in these practical applications is possible and feasible and would be in providing a standards-compliant, platform-independent, and efficient [4] multiagent middleware.…”

Complex Adaptive Systems Modeling: A multidisciplinary Roadmap

“…Other examples include graph-based models for mobility by Tian et al in (Tian et al 2002) and models of internet topology by Calvert et al in (Calvert et al 1997). Another interesting aspect of using agents is as a means of programming Wireless Sensor Networks presented by Aiello et al in (Aiello et al 2011).…”

Resource-efficient wireless monitoring based on mobile agent migration

“…The mobile multi-agent system is designed based on the "MAPS" agent architecture as proposed by Aiello et al [30,41,42]. The MAPS architecture is characterized by components offering a set of services to the agents such as message transmission, agent creation, agent cloning, agent migration, timer handling and, also, access to sensor node resources including, e.g., sensors, actuators, flash memory, battery or radio.…”