Studying the feasibility of energy harvesting in a mobile sensor network

TLDR

The study investigates whether mobility can extend the lifetime of wireless sensor networks by addressing uneven energy consumption through energy harvesting and an analytical evaluation framework. A small fraction of nodes are autonomously mobile, searching for energy, recharging, and delivering it to depleted stationary nodes—a strategy termed energy harvesting, evaluated with a simple analytical model. Initial feasibility experiments demonstrate promising results for the energy‑harvesting approach.

Abstract

We study the feasibility of extending the lifetime of a wireless sensor network by exploiting mobility. In our system, a small percentage of network nodes are autonomously mobile, allowing them to move in search of energy, recharge, and delivery energy to immobile, energy-depleted nodes. We term this approach energy harvesting. We characterize the problem of uneven energy consumption, suggest energy harvesting as a possible solution, and provide a simple analytical framework to evaluate energy consumption and our scheme. Data from initial feasibility experiments using energy harvesting show promising results.