Robust Wireless Sensor Network Featuring Automatic Function Alternation

A function alternation mechanism is proposed. It enables sensor nodes to take over the damaged functions of their neighboring sensor nodes automatically. By introducing the mechanism in a wireless sensor network (WSN), we can realize a WSN that never stops monitoring, and does not require maintenance after it is deployed, even if some sensor nodes suddenly die. In this paper, after explaining the details of the function alternation mechanism along with some evaluation results, we introduce a mission-critical application that utilizes the proposed function alternation mechanism for monitoring disaster-hit regions.