The Hardware and the Network : Total - System Strategies for Power Aware Wireless Microsensors

The small battery capacity, ubiquity, and operational diversity of wireless microsensor networks create unprecedented energy management challenges. The energy consumption of microsensors is determined not only by the node's physical hardware, but also by the algorithms and protocols that impart functional demands on the hardware. We therefore present design methodologies that foster energy savings through collaboration across the hardware, algorithm, and network layers, in contrast to techniques that have explored only one of these spaces. For instance, dynamic voltage scaling is coupled with the intelligent distribution of within-network computation to extend latency deadlines and decrease supply voltages. The quality of communication is parameterized into metrics that drive the performance and energy consumption of the communication subsystem. Finally, the energy consumption of radios is carefully characterized to improve the efficiency of mul-tihop routes. Collaboration between node software and hardware, and among the distributed nodes of the network, improve energy-efficiency and extend operational lifetime.