Extended Virtual Spring Mesh (EVSM): The Distributed Self-Organizing Mobile Ad Hoc Network for Area Exploration

Mobile Ad hoc NETworks (MANETs) are distributed self-organizing networks that can change locations and configure themselves on the fly. This paper focuses on an algorithmic approach for the deployment of a MANET within an enclosed area, such as a building in a disaster scenario, which can provide a robust communication infrastructure for search and rescue operations. While a virtual spring mesh (VSM) algorithm provides scalable, self-organizing, and fault-tolerant capabilities required by a MANET, the VSM lacks the MANET´s capabilities of deployment mechanisms for blanket coverage of an area and does not provide an obstacle avoidance mechanism. This paper presents a new technique, an extended VSM (EVSM) algorithm that provides the following novelties: 1) new control laws for exploration and expansion to provide blanket coverage, 2) virtual adaptive springs enabling the mesh to expand as necessary, 3) adapts to communications disturbances by varying the density and movement of mobile nodes, and 4) new metrics to assess the performance of the EVSM algorithm. Simulation results show that EVSM provides up to 16% more coverage and is 3.5 times faster than VSM in environments with eight obstacles.