Implementation of Unmanned Ground Vehicle Navigation in Wireless Sensor and Actuator Networks

We present implementation and experimental results of an Unmanned Ground Vehicle (UGV) navigation in a coordinate-free Wireless Sensor and Actuator Network (WSAN) environment. The UGV communicates with the network of sensors and actuators and receives the real-time feedback from the network, which navigates the UGV towards target(s). The control objective is to navigate the UGV towards fixed targets in the network. The Cricket system is used as a platform for the WSAN. The UGV is equipped with an on-board computer and an array of sensor listeners that communicate with the network of actuator beacons. Presented solution and algorithms are distributed where the UGV receives the feedback only from the neighboring sensor and actuator nodes. The results are compared with an optimal navigation path between starting point and the final destination.