University Events

Description: Topic: Network-less Wireless Sensing for Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) of Bridges: Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) Investigations

Location: Lester W. Cory Conference Room, Science & Engineering Building (SENG), Room 213A

Zoom Conference Link: https://umassd.zoom.us/j/93281343753
Meeting ID: 932 8134 3753 Passcode: 518247

Abstract:
The Internet of Things (IoT) has significantly advanced the application of Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) in Structural Health Monitoring (SHM), particularly for civil engineering infrastructure such as bridges. Despite the advancements, the widespread application of WSNs in SHM remains hindered by their limited network lifetime, posing a significant hurdle to their adoption. Furthermore, IoT and WSNs open a new attack surface. Designing SHM systems with wireless sensors utilizing no network allows system resiliency to cyber-attacks. Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) have been heralded for their potential to overcome these limitations through secure and efficient data collection. This thesis expands on the existing UAV application by proposing a novel UAV-assisted WSN system that employs Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) as the communication protocol for synchronized data gathering in SHM systems. Our design diverges from traditional multi-hop WSNs by leveraging UAVs as mobile data sinks, reducing the energy burden on individual sensor nodes, and significantly prolonging the sensor's operational life. Through an analytical study, we demonstrate that our UAV-BLE system offers a remarkable improvement in network lifetime in comparison to conventional network routed WSNs. Additionally, the use of BLE facilitates a lightweight authentication scheme, providing secure wireless communication between sensor nodes and the UAV. Thus, this novel approach enhances the overall robustness and longevity of SHM systems. A proof-of-concept implementation utilizing a PASCO bridge kit equipped with wireless load cell sensors, demonstrates the feasibility of our approach. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first exploration of a BLE-centric synchronization scheme in the context of SHM, marking a significant leap toward secure, safe, reliable, and efficient monitoring of civil engineering structures.

Co-Advisor(s):
Dr. Hong Liu, Commonwealth Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth

Committee Members:
Dr. Liudong Xing, Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth;
Dr. Ruolin Zhou, Associate Professor, Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering, UMASS Dartmouth;
Dr. Tzuyang Yu, Professor, Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, UMASS Lowell

NOTE: All ECE Graduate Students are ENCOURAGED to attend.
All interested parties are invited to attend. Open to the public.

*For further information, please contact Dr. Hong Liu via email at hliu@umassd.edu