The article presents a distributed algorithm, called Prediction-based Opportunistic Sensing for Resilient and Efficient Sensor Networks (POSE.R), where the sensor nodes utilize predictions of the targets' positions to probabilistically control their multi-modal operating states to track the targets. There are two desired features of the algorithm: energy efficiency and resilience. If the target is traveling through a high-node-density area, then an optimal sensor selection approach is employed that maximizes a joint cost function of remaining energy and geometric diversity around the target’s position. This provides energy efficiency and increases the network lifetime while preventing redundant nodes from tracking the target. However, if the target is traveling through a low-node-density area or in a coverage gap (e.g., formed by node failures or non-uniform node deployment), then a potential game is played amongst the surrounding nodes to optimally expand their sensing ranges via minimizing energy consumption and maximizing target coverage. This provides resilience, that is, the self-healing capability to track the target in the presence of low node densities and coverage gaps. The algorithm is comparatively evaluated against existing approaches through Monte Carlo simulations that demonstrate its superiority in terms of tracking performance, network-resilience, and network-lifetime.

This paper presents an algorithm called ε*, for online coverage path planning of unknown environment. The algorithm is built upon the concept of an Exploratory Turing Machine (ETM), which acts as a supervisor to the autonomous vehicle to guide it with adaptive navigation commands. The ETM generates a coverage path online using Multiscale Adaptive Potential Surfaces (MAPS), which are hierarchically structured and dynamically updated based on sensor information. The ε*-algorithm is computationally efficient, guarantees complete coverage, and does not suffer from the local extrema problem. Its performance is validated by 1) high-fidelity simulations on Player/Stage and 2) actual experiments in a laboratory setting on autonomous vehicles.