Energy-Efficient Bacterial Controller for Pollutant Source Localization Using Mobile Sensor Networks

This letter proposes an energy-efficient approach to pollutant source localization using a mobile sensor network. In our solution, an adaptive control strategy based on bacterial chemotaxis is designed to enable mobile sensor nodes to quickly search the pollutant source. As sensor nodes move toward the pollutant source, the movement direction will be adjusted accordingly by the variation of pollutant concentration. Meanwhile, the movement velocity and duration are controlled by integrating the concentration difference and the residual energy of mobile nodes. Besides, pollutant distribution can be modeled based on positions and concentration measurements of mobile nodes. The results of simulation and practical application demonstrate that our approach can locate the pollutant source accurately while reducing and balancing the energy consumption of nodes.