Unmanned ground vehicle navigation in coordinate-free and localization-free Wireless Sensor and Acutuator Networks

In this paper, we present an algorithm for navigating an unmanned ground vehicle (UGV) through coordinate-free Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks. The navigation algorithm proceeds in two phases. In the first phase, for each node in the sensor network we compute a hop-level distance from the target node, which indicates the number of communication hops between the node and any destination nodes. In the second phase, sets of nodes are chosen sequentially to induce potential fields that drive the UGV towards the destination. Overall, a hop-distance from the destination nodes is assigned to control main navigation direction while potential fields monitored by listeners on the UGV are employed to determine the UGV's movement. The major contribution of this paper is that our algorithm does not attempt to localize either the UGV or sensor nodes. Therefore, this navigation algorithm overcomes limitations of traditional navigation methods.