ABSTRACT

Current technologies have made it possible for submarines to evade standard sonar detection. Finding solutions to detect intruding submarines therefore becomes important and timely. A viable approach is to deploy magnetic or acoustic sensors in close proximity of possible underwater pathways intruders may pass through. This project seeks to develop a comprehensive theoretical and practical solution to construct undersea sensor networks for intrusion detection. When sensors are randomly deployed, spatial barriers are unlikely to exist, allowing intruders to pass through the bounded 3D space undetected. This motivates the use of mobile sensors to dynamically form sensor barriers. How to minimize the energy consumed by the movement of underwater sensors is a challenging issue. This project tackles the problem via three thrusts: (1) Develop an energy-efficient approach to using mobile sensors to construct a spatial barrier in 3D space; (2) Devise near-optimal practical solutions to reduce computation and communication costs, and develop these algorithms into practical protocols; and (3) Develop simulation modules and test-beds to evaluate the proposed solutions with realistic undersea environment parameters. The project integrates concepts and techniques in auction algorithms, geometry, combinatorial optimization, underwater acoustic communications and networking, software and system development to construct analytical models and practical solutions. The research results are expected to have a substantial impact on the understanding of constructing sensing barriers in underwater environments, and will be integrated into graduate and undergraduate teaching and outreach activities. Efforts will be also proactively pursued to recruit students from under-represented groups to participate in the project.

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