ESPACENET: A Framework of Evolvable and Reconfigurable Sensor Networks for Aerospace – Based Monitoring and Diagnostics

There is an increasing need to develop flexible, reconfigurable, and intelligent multi-spacecraft sensing networks for aerospace-based monitoring and diagnostics. Technical advancements in ad hoc networking, MEMS devices, low-power electronics, adaptive and reconfigurable hardware, micro-spacecraft, and micro-sensors have enabled the design and development of such highly integrated space wireless sensor networks. This paper proposes the framework for an evolvable sensor network architecture, investigated as part of the ESPACENET project, collocated at the University of Edinburgh, Essex, Kent and Surrey. The aim is to design a flexible and intelligent embedded network of reconfigurable piconodes optimised by a hierarchical multi-objective algorithm. Although the project is targeted at aerospace applications, the same intelligent network can be used for many earth bound applications such as environmental and medical diagnostics