Pseudoseeds : investigating long-distance, ocean seed dispersal with wireless sensors

Recent theoretical research has shown that ocean currents and wind interact to disperse seeds over long distances among isolated landmasses. Dispersal of seeds among isolated oceanic islands, by birds, oceans and man, is a well-known phenomenon, and many widespread island plants have traits that facilitate this process. Crucially, however, there have been no mechanistic vector-based models of long-distance dispersal for seeds among isolated oceanic islands based on empirical data. Here, we propose a plan to develop seed analogues, or pseudoseeds, fitted with wireless sensor technology that will enable high-fidelity tracking as they disperse across the ocean. The pseudoseeds will be precisely designed to mimic actual seed buoyancy and morphology enabling realistic and accurate, vector-based dispersal models of ocean seed dispersal over vast geographic scales.

Antenna tuning for wearable wireless sensors

When miniaturized wireless sensors are placed on or close to the human body, they can experience a significant loss inperformance due to antenna detuning, resulting in degradationof wireless performance as well as decreased battery lifetime.Several antenna tuning technologies have been proposed formobile wireless devices but devices suitable for widespread integration have yet to emerge. This paper highlights the possible advantages of antenna tuning for wearable wireless sensors and presents the design and characterization of a prototype 433MHz tuner module.

Trade-off between minimum number of wireless sensors and the accuracy of temperature profile in cold rooms: a model-based framework

Evaluation of temperature distribution in cold rooms is an important consideration in the design of food storage solutions. Two common approaches used in both industry and academia to address this question are the deployment of wireless sensors, and modelling with Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD). However, for a realworld evaluation of temperature distribution in a cold room, both approaches have their limitations. For wireless sensors, it is economically unfeasible to carry out large-scale deployment (to obtain a high resolution of temperature distribution); while with CFD modelling, it is usually not accurate enough to get a reliable result. In this paper, we propose a model-based framework which combines the wireless sensors technique with CFD modelling technique together to achieve a satisfactory trade-off between minimum number of wireless sensors and the accuracy of temperature profile in cold rooms. A case study is presented to demonstrate the usability of the framework.

Self-organizing Routing Algorithm fo Wireless Sensors Networks (WSN) using Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) with Tinyos.

This paper describes the basic tools to work with wireless sensors. TinyOShas a componentbased architecture which enables rapid innovation and implementation while minimizing code size as required by the severe memory constraints inherent in sensor networks. TinyOS's component library includes network protocols, distributed services, sensor drivers, and data acquisition tools ? all of which can be used asia or be further refined for a custom application. TinyOS was originally developed as a research project at the University of California Berkeley, but has since grown to have an international community of developers and users. Some algorithms concerning packet routing are shown. Incar entertainment systems can be based on wireless sensors in order to obtain information from Internet, but routing protocols must be implemented in order to avoid bottleneck problems. Ant Colony algorithms are really useful in such cases, therefore they can be embedded into the sensors to perform such routing task.

Advanced characterization of a coffee fermenting tank by multi-distributed wireless sensors: spatial interpolation and phase diagrams.

In coffee processing the fermentation stage is considered one of the critical operations by its impact on the final quality of the product. However, the level of control of the fermentation process on each farm is often not adequate; the use of sensorics for controlling coffee fermentation is not common. The objective of this work is to characterize the fermentation temperature in a fermentation tank by applying spatial interpolation and a new methodology of data analysis based on phase space diagrams of temperature data, collected by means of multi-distributed, low cost and autonomous wireless sensors. A real coffee fermentation was supervised in the Cauca region (Colombia) with a network of 24 semi-passive TurboTag RFID temperature loggers with vacuum plastic cover, submerged directly in the fermenting mass. Temporal evolution and spatial distribution of temperature is described in terms of the phase diagram areas which characterizes the cyclic behaviour of temperature and highlights the significant heterogeneity of thermal conditions at different locations in the tank where the average temperature of the fermentation was 21.2 °C, although there were temperature ranges of 4.6°C, and average spatial standard deviation of ±1.21ºC. In the upper part of the tank we found high heterogeneity of temperatures, the higher temperatures and therefore the higher fermentation rates. While at the bottom, it has been computed an area in the phase diagram practically half of the area occupied by the sensors of the upper tank, therefore this location showed higher temperature homogeneity

Advanced Characterisation of a Coffee Fermenting Tank by Multi-distributed Wireless Sensors: Spatial Interpolation and Phase Space Graphs

The fermentation stage is considered to be one of the critical steps in coffee processing due to its impact on the final quality of the product. The objective of this work is to characterise the temperature gradients in a fermentation tank by multi-distributed, low-cost and autonomous wireless sensors (23 semi-passive TurboTag® radio-frequency identifier (RFID) temperature loggers). Spatial interpolation in polar coordinates and an innovative methodology based on phase space diagrams are used. A real coffee fermentation process was supervised in the Cauca region (Colombia) with sensors submerged directly in the fermenting mass, leading to a 4.6 °C temperature range within the fermentation process. Spatial interpolation shows a maximum instant radial temperature gradient of 0.1 °C/cm from the centre to the perimeter of the tank and a vertical temperature gradient of 0.25 °C/cm for sensors with equal polar coordinates. The combination of spatial interpolation and phase space graphs consistently enables the identification of five local behaviours during fermentation (hot and cold spots).

Self-adaptive strategy based on fuzzy control systems for improving performance in wireless sensors networks

The solutions to cope with new challenges that societies have to face nowadays involve providing smarter daily systems. To achieve this, technology has to evolve and leverage physical systems automatic interactions, with less human intervention. Technological paradigms like Internet of Things (IoT) and Cyber-Physical Systems (CPS) are providing reference models, architectures, approaches and tools that are to support cross-domain solutions. Thus, CPS based solutions will be applied in different application domains like e-Health, Smart Grid, Smart Transportation and so on, to assure the expected response from a complex system that relies on the smooth interaction and cooperation of diverse networked physical systems. The Wireless Sensors Networks (WSN) are a well-known wireless technology that are part of large CPS. The WSN aims at monitoring a physical system, object, (e.g., the environmental condition of a cargo container), and relaying data to the targeted processing element. The WSN communication reliability, as well as a restrained energy consumption, are expected features in a WSN. This paper shows the results obtained in a real WSN deployment, based on SunSPOT nodes, which carries out a fuzzy based control strategy to improve energy consumption while keeping communication reliability and computational resources usage among boundaries.

Multi-distributed wireless sensors for monitoring a long distance transport in a reefer container

The study of the temperature gradients in cold stores and containers is a critical issue in the food industry for the quality assurance of products during transport and for minimising losses. This work presents an analysis of the temperatures during the refrigerated transport of 4,320 kg of blueberries in a reefer (set point temperature at ?1ºC) on a container ship from Montevideo (Uruguay) to Verona (Italy). The monitoring was performed by using semi-passive RFID loggers (TurboTag cards). The objective was to carry out a multi-distributed supervision using low-cost, wireless and autonomous sensors for the characterisation of the distribution and spatial gradients of temperatures during a long distance transport. Data analysis shows spatial (phase space) and temporal sequencing diagrams and reveals a significant heterogeneity of temperature at different locations in the container, which highlights the ineffectiveness of a temperature control system based on a single sensor, as is usually done.

A secure authentication and key management scheme for Wireless Sensors Network

In recent years, the adaptation of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) to application areas requiring mobility increased the security threats against confidentiality, integrity and privacy of the information as well as against their connectivity. Since, key management plays an important role in securing both information and connectivity, a proper authentication and key management scheme is required in mobility enabled applications where the authentication of a node with the network is a critical issue. In this paper, we present an authentication and key management scheme supporting node mobility in a heterogeneous WSN that consists of several low capabilities sensor nodes and few high capabilities sensor nodes. We analyze our proposed solution by using MATLAB (analytically) and by simulation (OMNET++ simulator) to show that it has less memory requirement and has good network connectivity and resilience against attacks compared to some existing schemes. We also propose two levels of secure authentication methods for the mobile sensor nodes for secure authentication and key establishment.