The RUNES Architecture for Reconfigurable Embedded and Sensor Networks

We present the RUNES architecture for reconfigurable embedded networked systems and wireless sensor networks. It is the first systems-level architecture for such networks to explicitly deal with heterogeneity in hardware platforms, link-layer technologies and networking protocols while offering a simple programming language independent set of APIs together with a component-oriented middleware for the application developers to work on. The solutions developed are particularly appropriate for use in various emergency response scenarios, in which reconfigurability is often a key requirement. We also report on an example realisation of our architecture in a prototypical demonstration environment in a particular emergency scenario. The evaluation of architectural aspects such as reconfigurability shows that great programming flexibility can be achieved at low implementation overhead. The experience gained from RUNES modular architecture are very promising both in academic and industry projects context.