We introduce a power-aware microsensor architecture supporting a wide operational power range (from10 W). The platform consists of a family of modules that follow a common set of design principles. Each module includes a local power microcontroller, power switches, and isolation switches to enable independent power-down control of modules and module subsystems. Processing resources are scaled appropriately on each module for their role in the collective system. Hard real-time functions are migrated to the sensor and radio modules for improved power efficiency. The optional Linux-based processor module supports high duty cycling and advanced sleep modes. Our reference hardware implementation is described in detail in this paper. Seven different modules have been developed. We utilize an acoustic vehicle tracking application to demonstrate how the architecture operates and report on results from field tests on tracked and wheeled vehicles.

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The mission of the Systems-Level Applications of Adaptive Computing (SLAAC) project is to design and implement a distributed adaptive computing systems architecture. This systems-level focus of SLAAC resulted from the realization that scalability and portability are the two main obstructions preventing innovative Adaptive Computing Systems (ACS) research from being directly useful in deployed real-time environments. Scalability is an issue in that many real-world applications are larger than the modern PCI-based FPGA accelerator. Transitioning from a small proof of concept demonstration to large real-world application is often overlooked in ACS research. Portability has both a hardware and software aspect. Physical form-factor and operating system issues can limit the utility ACS research done in the lab with desktop PCs unless there is a development path to more traditional real-time environments. The SLAAC project seeks to remedy these issues of scalability and portability in ACS systems.