Binary consensus in sensor motes

Abstract

Background and Objectives: In this work, we explore the implementation of the binary consensus algorithm in wireless sensor networks. Binary consensus is used to allow a collection of distributed entities to reach consensus regarding the answer to a binary question. Existing work on the algorithm focuses on simulation of the algorithm under the assumption of a fully connected network topology and unlimited messaging capabilities. In this new work, we adapt the algorithm to function in wireless sensor networks where the topology might not be fully connected and the number of messages sent should be minimized in order to save power. Methods: We are deploying and testing our implementation in a hardware embedded systems, mainly IRIS Motes. Our implementation of the binary consensus algorithm is written in NesC and runs on the Tiny Operating System (TinyOS). The implementation was tested on 11 sensor nodes, with current plans to test it on far more. Results: To support our hardware implementation results, a simulation using the Tiny Operating System SIMulator (TOSSIM) was done. Our results in hardware implementation and simulation are consistent with the original binary consensus algorithm. Conclusion: In this work, we adapted the binary consensus algorithm for use in wireless sensor networks. Our implementation for a small number of IRIS motes shows correct results consistent with those of simulation. In future work we will evaluate the effectiveness of the algorithm when scaled to hundreds of sensor motes.