Swarm-intelligence-centric routing algorithm for wireless sensor networks

Abstract

The swarm intelligence (SI)-based bio-inspired algorithm demonstrates features of heterogeneous individual agents, such as stability, scalability, and adaptability, in distributed and autonomous environments. The said algorithm will be applied to the communication network environment to overcome the limitations of wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Herein, the swarm-intelligence-centric routing algorithm (SICROA) is presented for use in WSNs that aim to leverage the advantages of the ant colony optimization (ACO) algorithm. The proposed routing protocol addresses the problems of the ad hoc on-demand distance vector (AODV) and improves routing performance via collision avoidance, link-quality prediction, and maintenance methods. The proposed method was found to improve network performance by replacing the periodic “Hello” message with an interrupt that facilitates the prediction and detection of link disconnections. Consequently, the overall network performance can be further improved by prescribing appropriate procedures for processing each control message. Therefore, it is inferred that the proposed SI-based approach provides an optimal solution to problems encountered in a complex environment, while operating in a distributed manner and adhering to simple rules of behavior.