Decentralized control of mobile three-dimensional sensor networks for complete coverage self-deployment and forming specific shapes

In this paper, we study the problem of complete coverage in 3D environments by a group of mobile sensors. We present a decentralized random algorithm to drive a group of mobile sensors on the vertices of a truncated octahedral grid for complete coverage of a bounded 3D area. Moreover, we develop the algorithm for self deployment of mobile sensors to form a desired 3D geometric shape. These algorithms are developed based on some consensus rules that only rely on local information. The effectiveness of the proposed coverage algorithms are validated by numerical simulations.