Power saving mobile sensor networks by relay communications

Mobile sensor networks are attracting a lot of interests. In these networks, nodes not only have sensing capability but mobility as well. Therefore, a few sensor nodes can a cover larger sensing area by moving around. Additionally, dangerous areas where people cannot access, such as disaster sites or radiation-contaminated areas, can be searched by nodes moving around their sensing positions autonomously. A conventional method was proposed to control node movements by using push-based broadcast. However, in the conventional method, nodes cannot move autonomously without broadcast information, and they consume power unequally. We propose a more efficient power reduction scheme that involves relaying data among nodes on rails.