RECORDS: A remote control framework for underwater networks

We present an open source framework that makes it possible to remotely monitor and control a heterogeneous network of underwater acoustic nodes. The framework exploits acoustic communications to deliver control messages, and thus avoids the need to deploy cabled or wireless connections to control each node. The framework has been developed with the goal to provide a ready-to-use, lightweight, robust and reliable tool for real field trials. The framework is very cheap in terms of hardware resources and is easily portable on several embedded systems because it is not necessary to recompile it. Furthermore, RECORDS embeds features developed to manage in real time network experiments by using the DESERT Underwater framework, based on the well-known ns2/NS-MIRACLE network simulator. RECORDS has been validated successfully in several laboratory experiments and sea trials involving different embedded systems arranged into several network topologies, including one major sea trial conducted in collaboration with the NATO STO CMRE.