 |
|
Favorites: |
What is your main research area?
'My research primarily focuses on wireless sensor networks (WSNs). WSNs are made up of a large number of tiny, coin-sized devices. These battery-operated devices usually have attached sensors for sensing various environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity or light. If the WSNs only sensed the data then the system would require a central server to analyze the vast amount of data. This would involve too much communication and also waste lots of energy. Since the devices have a limited amount of energy and it is not possible to manually recharge them, it is essential to have an energy efficient design.'
What are the advantages of using this system?
`My research aims to take advantage of the intelligence inherently present in the system. By using the built-in computational power of the devices, the need for data transmission is brought down to a minimum, and the whole system is made more energy efficient Furthermore, as the devices may be deployed in inaccessible areas, the entire network needs to continue proper operation in the event that certain devices fail. So my work also focuses on how to make the network have inherent self-healing and self-organizing characteristics.'
What sort of applications could benefit from your research and have you actually carried out any real-life experiments?
`WSNs are used in a wide variety of applications where some form of monitoring is required. For example, they could be used in office buildings or warehouses where the climate needs to be carefully monitored and controlled. WSNs could also be used to monitor the structural conditions of buildings and bridges by notifying the relevant authorities in case any abnormal conditions are detected. In areas in the world where water resources are scarce, crops could be watered only at times when dry conditions are detected by a WSN, therefore the system allows for precision agriculture. NASA is thinking of deploying WSNs on the surface of Mars to study climatic conditions on the planet. In order to test our research ideas, we are working together with the Australian Institute of Marine Science (AIMS) to deploy a sensor network on the Great Barrier Reef.'
What is the purpose of using wireless sensor networks to monitor the Great Barrier Reef?
`The beautiful colors of the coral reefs are due to the zooxanthellae, a type of microalgae that lives symbiotically within the coral reefs. These organisms are extremely sensitive to temperatures and changes in water conditions. When the zooxanthellae die, the corals will get a bleached-white appearance. Coral reef bleaching has been increasing over the past 20 years and this could result in the extinction of many coral species. A large-scale WSN will allow various parameters on the reef, including temperature changes to be monitored in real-time at a high spatial resolution. Chemical sensors will alert the authorities if dangerous levels of fertilizers are detected in the reefs. All this information can then be relayed to the authorities, who in turn can take the appropriate measures to minimize the impact on the environment.'
Are there any difficulties in carrying out actual deployments of the sensors?
`Definitely! We have had to deal with curious kangaroos `stealing' our sensor nodes when we carried out testing of the network on land. We also found out that in water, sharks are curious to find out what our sensors are all about. So whether or not we carry out deployments on land or in water, it is essential to take appropriate protective measures to make sure that the animals are not harmed in any way.'
