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We are developing an Open Experimental software/hardware Platform for Network Embedded Systems Technology  research that will accelerate the development of algorithms, services, and their composition into challenging applications dramatically.  Small, networked sensor/effector  nodes are developed to ground algorithmic work in the reality of working with numerous, highly constrained devices.

Main elements of the  platform consist of :

• The hardware required for low-cost large-scale experimentation of Network Embedded Systems,
• The nodal OS that supports not just applications, but debugging, visualization, communication, low-power consumption, and remote monitoring and control ,
• The infrastructure services for time synchronization, storage, computing and even large-scale simulations,
• A powerful simulation environment that can effectively explore adversarial situations and worst-case environments,
• A debugging and visualization environment specifically geared toward large numbers of interacting nodes, and support event-centric development
• Mechanisms for composition of finite-state machines that enable modular design, and
• A macrocomputing language that simplifies programming whole collection of nodes.

This platform will benefit the NEST community by allowing algorithmic work to move from theory to practice at a very early stage, without each group developing extensive infrastructure. Combined with these algorithmic elements, the platform will permit demonstration of smart structures and advance control. The framework of efficient modularity it provides will accelerate reuse and sharing of common elements.  The integrated use of testbeds and simulation environment will allow algorithms to be deeply tested.  The execution elements of the platform implicitly define the cost metrics for algorithmic analysis; which differ significantly from traditional distributed computing.  The programming model defines mechanisms for adapting to changing environments.

Critical barriers are scale, concurrency, complexity, and uncertainty.  The nodal system must be of small physical scale, operate under constrained power and bandwidth, support intensive concurrency, and extremely passive vigilance.  Thread-based models perform poorly in this regime, so a FSM based approach is developed.  Algorithms must utilize massive numbers, rather than device power. A fundamental challenge is to understand what an algorithm is doing in a reactive, diffuse network once deployed.  Testbed instrumentation and large-scale simulation attack the understanding issue directly, even searching for Murphy's Law failures.  Many of the techniques used here have proven essential in scalable Internet services.

DARPA Project: Secure Language-Based Adaptive Platform for Network Embedded Systems (Original    Proposal)

Project Meetings

• Project Retreat, June 2002
• Project Retreat, January 2002
• May 18 UCB Pretreat
• June    2001 DARPA Networked Embedded Software Technology Kickoff Meeting

Presentations

• DARPA NEST PI Meeting, Feb 5, 2002
• Networks of Tiny Devices embedded in the Physical World, Computing and Telecommunications Technology Board meetings, 1/25/2002
• EMSOFT 2001 Workshop on Embedded Software, A Network-Centric Approach to Embedded Software for Tiny Devices, Oct 10
• Intel MRL Systems Forum, Language Challenges inspired by Networks of Tiny Devices, Oct 5
• EECS Week: Network day panel: Ubiquitous Networked Devices, Sept 17
• EECS Week: Berkeley labs panel, Intel Berkeley Extreme Interconnected Systems Lab, Sept 19
• EECS Week: Visions and Impact, Extreme Networked Systems: Large Self-Organized Networks of Tiny Wireless Sensors, Sept 20
• Wireless OEP progress, DARPA NEST PI meeting, Sept 11, 2001
• Convergence at the Extremes - HPDC meets Tiny Networked Sensors, HPDC Invited Talk, Aug 2001
• Endeavouring to build Networks of Tiny Devices, June 2001 Endeavour/Citris Retreat
• Emergence of Extreme Networked Devices USC Distinguished Lecture, Feb 28, 2001
• Preview at Jan 2001 Ninja retreat (Brewer, Culler)
• Preretreat May 18, 2001
• Intro
• Platform proposal
• Challenge Application
•  Nest Kickoff Meeting June 5, 2001
• Overview
• Breakout Session
• DARPA NEST PI meeting, Sept 11, 2001
• Wireless OEP Progress

Weekly talks

Publications

• Jason Hill, Robert Szewczyk, Alec Woo, Seth Hollar, David Culler, Kristofer Pister. System architecture directions for network sensors. ASPLOS 2000. (pdf)
• Jason Hill, Philip Bounadonna, David Culler. Active Message Communication for Tiny Network Sensors. (pdf).
• Jason Hill. A Software Architecture Supporting Networked Sensors. Masters thesis, December 2000.(pdf)
• Alec Woo, David Culler. A Transmission Control Scheme for Media Access in Sensor Networks. Mobicom 2001. ( pdf)
• Adrian Perrig, Robert Szewczyk, Victor Wen, David Culler, J.D. Tygar. SPINS: Security Protocols for Sensor Networks. Mobicom 2001. (pdf, ps)
• David E. Culler, Jason Hill, Philip Buonadonna, Robert Szewczyk, and Alec Woo. A Network-Centric Approach to Embedded Software for Tiny Devices. DARPA Workshop on Embedded Software.
• E. Jason Riedy and Robert Szewczyk. Power and Control in Networked Sensors.(pdf)
• Rachel Rubin. Analysis of Wireless Data Transmission Characteristics.(pdf)

In the news

• Tiny Sensors Measure Building Health.  Blanche Shaheen, Tech Live, January 9, 2002
• 800-node live ad hoc sensor network demo at Intel Developers Forum

Links

Related Readings

• NEST Program announcement