Design of Simulator Test Interfaces for Wireless Sensor Networks

This paper describes the setup of the interface between the physical nodes of the wireless sensor network and the virtual sensors in the simulation environment.The wireless sensor network comprises WiFi modules, configured in a grid, to transmit and receive radio frequency signal data.The interface between the actual network and the simulator enables the signal data from the actual wireless sensor network to be assigned to virtual sensor nodes in the simulation environment.In this manner, the actual network is replicated on the simulator.The creation of the virtual sensor network facilitates the virtual modeling of the actual sensor grid.Test interfaces are designed to compare actual and virtual network performance.CupCarbon is the wireless sensor network design and simulation tool used to interface with the WiFi modules used in the actual wireless sensor network.In addition to displaying key information from the actual network, one of the functions of the virtual sensor network is to compute the change in the received signal strength at each node.The grid configuration, both actual and simulated, yields received signal strengths arranged as a matrix of values from each transmitter to each receiver.Each matrix constitutes a frame with a specific time stamp.The change in the received signal strengths at each receiver of the network is observed in the actual network and processed in the virtual environment.The change, an attenuation or an accentuation, is used to detect the obstruction within the network by solving the inverse problem.One of the virtual models will assign binary weights to the cells in the space occupied by the grid and solves for the shade of gray to be assigned to each cell.It is expected that as the obstruction passes through the real sensor network, the virtual sensor network determines the location and shape of the obstruction.The platform is being developed to test and model wireless sensor network grids at different geometric scales and with distinct spatial topologies.Its effectiveness to deliver STEM components across K-12 and advanced degree programs is summarized.Although platforms based on wireless sensors such as the TelosB modules have been designed, these cannot be easily integrated with the virtual environment for modeling and simulation studies.The platform is cost effective (approximately $200 for a 10x10 grid) and the CupCarbon software is accessible as a free download.Section 1: Introduction Rapid technological advances are constantly impacting the engineering landscape.Consequently, educational institutions must restructure the content and delivery of engineering courses to prepare the student for the vagaries of the work environment.Project-based activities which instill selfdriven and just-in-time learning experiences [1]-[3] are incorporated to promote system-level thinking and reinforce the technical, communication, and leadership skills of each student.Engineering project platforms [4] offer an effective approach to integrate the curriculum across courses and academic level of the student.This paper provides the framework of an engineering project which integrates the hardware environment with the simulation environment.Each