Experimental Results of a k-Nearest Neighbor Power Level Controller for Flooding-based Underwater Networks

Systems of heterogeneous underwater vehicles and sensor platforms are being used in various applications. Although these systems are still deployed at a relatively small scale, rapid technological development is in progress, and a significant impact of these systems is approaching. To a large degree, this is driven by a desire to utilize the oceans for sustainable food, energy, and environmental monitoring. Vehicles and platforms in these systems communicate wirelessly using acoustic signals due to the limited range of radio signals. To form underwater networks, the systems must communicate at the same frequency range and use common network protocols. Flooding-type network protocols are easy to implement, robust, and can serve as a baseline for heterogeneous networks. Here, a transmission power controller used in conjunction with a flooding protocol is examined. Results show a great reduction in transmission power and potential for significant energy savings.