The Emergence MAC (E-MAC) protocol for wireless sensor networks. (June 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Mickus, Tautvydas; Mitchell, Paul; Clarke, Tim
• Is Part Of: Engineering applications of artificial intelligence. Volume 62(2017:Feb.)
• Page Start: 17
• Page End: 25
• Publication Date: 2017-06
• Subjects: Medium Access Control -- Distributed Artificial Intelligence -- Wireless sensor networks; Engineering -- Data processing -- Periodicals; Artificial intelligence -- Periodicals; Expert systems (Computer science) -- Periodicals; Ingénierie -- Informatique -- Périodiques; Intelligence artificielle -- Périodiques; Systèmes experts (Informatique) -- Périodiques; Artificial intelligence; Engineering -- Data processing; Expert systems (Computer science); Periodicals; 620.00285
• DOI: 10.1016/j.engappai.2017.03.003
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0952-1976

Abstract

Abstract: Large scale biological systems often exhibit emergent properties that are attractive in an engineering context. In this paper, the context is a class of wireless sensor networks for emergency environmental monitoring. The attractive properties are simplicity, self-organisation, adaptiveness to scenario change and a lack of scenario-specific parameter tunings. Emergence Medium Access Control (E-MAC) is a scheme inspired by biological social populations that individually react to environmental stimuli. Using a very simple protocol, it exhibits the desired emergent properties. When compared to a well established practical counterpart, the IEEE 802.11 CSMA/CA standard, it exhibits better throughput, end-to-end delay and fairness. This paper describes the motivation and design of E-MAC, and presents the above comparison.