Energy Efficient Routing and Networking in DoD Sensor Networks

"The Army's Future Combat System (FCS) will include a distributed network-centric communications system that will link small-unit Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), robotic sensors, unattended ground-sensors, robotic "direct-fire" assets, robotic"indirect-fire" assets, and advanced C2-capable Troop carriers. FCS will allow U.S. soldiers to dominate a large battlespace while minimizing their causalities and collateral civilian damage. FCS will use remote unattended sensors for targetidentification, perimeter defense, and tele-operation of robotic fires vehicles in hostile environments. Since those sensors may be air-dropped, arm-launched or deployed via artillery, they must self organize into highly-adaptive ad hoc networks that canoperate on self-contained power for up to 60 days. As such, this SBIR will focus on the development of a highly energy-efficient routing protocol that is applicable to sensor networks within FCS. However, SRC's Phase 1 effort will also considerenergy-efficient networking techniques at other protocol layers such as the application and Media Access Control (MAC) layers. SRC's proposed effort will leverage our existing work on ad hoc routing for DARPA and Air Force Research Lab (AFRL) and ourmicrosensor projects for the Office of Secretary of Defense (OSD). SRC's existing software for MANET routing and wireless networking has found extensive interest at DARPA, AFRL, the Army's Simulation, Training and Instru