INTRODUCTION

Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs) are a collection of small,

autonomous, low-power devices that are capable of sensing,

processing and transmitting data wirelessly. The sensors are

used for a wide range of applications such as environmental

monitoring, agriculture, healthcare, and military surveillance.

One of the major challenges in WSNs is the limited resources of

the sensor nodes such as memory, processing power, and energy.

Computational Intelligence (CI) is an umbrella term for different

artificial intelligence techniques that are designed to address

complex problems. In recent years, different CI paradigms have

been successfully used in WSNs to address various challenges

such as data aggregation and fusion, energy-aware routing, task

scheduling, security, optimal deployment, and localization. This

paper reviews the different CI paradigms used in WSNs to

address these challenges.

The evolution and advance in micro electro-mechanical systems

(MEMS) has led to the development of reliable, low cost, small

size micro sensors (Rezaei, 2015). Nowadays, hundreds to

thousands of these heterogeneous sensors are deployed over a

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geographic area of interest, and communicate together forming a

wireless sensor network. WSNs are deployed in land,

underground and underwater (Neelam, 2010). They are designed

to work for months and years according to the application. The

sensors deployment need not be centralized, or with fixed

infrastructure. The wireless sensors (nodes) in the network sense

external data from the surrounding environment, process the

sensed data locally, and then send the data to a base station for

further processing through wireless communication.

This paper explain the Paradigms of computational intelligence

(CI) successfully used in recent years to address various

challenges such as data aggregation and fusion, energy aware

routing, task scheduling, security, optimal deployment and

localization. The advantages of Computational Intelligence (CI)

techniques and how they may be used to solve varies problems

associated to WSN is also discussed. This seminar is suitable for

researchers, practitioners, and students who are interested in

exploring the potential of CI in WSNs.

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 BACKGROUND

The use of computational intelligence techniques in WSNs has

opened up new possibilities for their applications in various

fields. CI algorithms can be applied to different aspects of WSNs,

such as data aggregation, localization, routing, and energy

management, to enhance their performance and efficiency.

WSN TECHNOLOGY

Wireless sensor is mainly composed of: sensing unit, processing

unit, transceiver, and a power supply (Senanayake, 2015). The size

of the sensors has decreased dramatically to about 1 inch after

the development of Micro-Electro-Mechanical System (MEMS).

The sensing unit contains at least one sensor that measures data

from its surrounding. Different sensing units exist according to

the application deployed. The processing unit, with the help of

embedded memory, processes the data measured by the sensing

unit as well as data gathered from neighbor sensors. The data is

sent and received by means of a transceiver. The sensors

communicate by laser, infrared, or most commonly radio waves.

Each sensor is equipped with a battery that has limited lifetime.

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The limited-powered sensors are deployed in hostile areas;

making recharging or replacing the battery unfeasible (Kulkarni,

2011).

Recently, some sensors are equipped with renewable energy, or

energy harvesting module. However, their expensive cost almost

ceased their deployment. The death of the node was preferred

economically. Any useful or unuseful operation performed by the

sensor consumes energy. Useful energy consumed includes

sensing, receiving, transmitting, and processing, but idle

listening, collision and overhearing is considered as unuseful

(Ahmed, 2015).

DATA AGGREGATION AND FUSION

Data aggregation and fusion involve collecting data from multiple

sensors and combining it into a single data set. The data is then

processed and analyzed to extract useful information. One of the

popular CI paradigms used in data aggregation and fusion is

Fuzzy Logic (FL) (Mendes et al., 2021). FL is a mathematical

approach that is used to handle uncertainty and imprecision in

data. It is used to aggregate data from multiple sensors to make a

decision about the state of the environment being monitored.

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Another CI paradigm used in data aggregation and fusion is

Swarm Intelligence (SI) (Rao et al., 2020). SI is a collective

intelligence approach that is inspired by the behavior of social

insects. SI is used to aggregate data from multiple sensors and

create a collective decision.

ENERGY AWARE ROUTING

Energy consumption is one of the major challenges in WSNs.

Energy-aware routing is used to minimize the energy

consumption of the sensor nodes. Different CI paradigms have

been used to develop energy-aware routing protocols. Artificial

Neural Networks (ANNs) are a popular CI paradigm used in

energy-aware routing (Islam et al., 2020). ANNs are used to

predict the energy consumption of the sensor nodes and select

the optimal path for data transmission. Another CI paradigm

used in energy-aware routing is Genetic Algorithms (GAs) (Lu et

al., 2018). GAs are used to find the optimal route for data

transmission based on the energy consumption of the sensor

nodes.

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TASK SCHEDULING

Task scheduling is the process of assigning tasks to sensor nodes

in a WSN. Task scheduling is a complex problem due to the

limited resources of the sensor nodes. Different CI paradigms

have been used to develop task scheduling algorithms in WSNs.

Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) is a popular CI paradigm used in

task scheduling (Kaur et al., 2019). ACO is a collective

intelligence approach that is inspired by the behavior of ants.

ACO is used to find the optimal task scheduling solution in

WSNs.

SECURITY

Security is a critical issue in WSNs. Different CI paradigms have

been used to develop security protocols in WSNs. Artificial

Immune System (AIS) is a popular CI paradigm used in security

protocols (Nallagonda et al., 2018). AIS is inspired by the

behavior of the immune system. AIS is used to detect and prevent

attacks on WSNs. Another CI paradigm used in security protocols

is Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) (Alshehri et al., 2018). PSO

is a collective intelligence approach that is inspired by the

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behavior of social insects. PSO is used to detect and prevent

attacks on WSNs.

OPTIMAL DEPLOYMENT AND LOCALIZATION

Optimal deployment and localization are critical issues in WSNs.

Optimal deployment involves the placement of sensor nodes in a

way that maximizes coverage and minimizes energy

consumption. Localization involves the estimation of the location

of the sensor nodes. Different CI paradigms have been used to

address these challenges in WSNs. Particle Swarm Optimization

(PSO) is a popular CI paradigm used in optimal deployment (Shi

et al., 2021). PSO is used to find the optimal placement of sensor

nodes to maximize coverage and minimize energy consumption.

Another CI paradigm used in optimal deployment is Artificial Bee

Colony (ABC) (Sivanandam et al., 2018). ABC is a collective

intelligence approach that is inspired by the behavior of bees.

ABC is used to find the optimal placement of sensor nodes in

WSNs.

For localization, different CI paradigms have been used such as

Support Vector Machines (SVMs) (Zhang et al., 2021). SVMs are

used to estimate the location of the sensor nodes based on the

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received signal strength. Another CI paradigm used in

localization is Artificial Neural Networks (ANNs) (Khan et al.,

2019). ANNs are used to estimate the location of the sensor nodes

based on the received signal strength and the known location of

some of the nodes.

APPLICATIONS OF WIRELESS SENSOR NETWORKS (WSN)

Military Applications

It was the first motivation for development of WSN. In 1980, the

Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) adopted the

Sensor Information Technology (SENSIT) and National Science

Foundation (NSF) Programs explored WSN for more tracking

capabilities (Senanayake, 2015). Other applications included

battle field surveillance, and intrusion detection. The sensors

were programmed to collect measurements, communicate with

each other, and send notification in case of object movement

detection. More recent military projects were the detection of

nuclear, chemical and biological toxins as well as calculation of

their concentration levels.

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Environmental Applications

As sensors are deployed in a natural hostile area, long term

environmental data were gathered either for future research,

monitoring, or disaster detection (as fire, flood or earthquake

forecast, etc.) In 1970s, the earliest real world project founded

was the Automated Local Evaluation in Real Time, (ALERT). It

was designed to detect the existence of flood using sensors that

take measurements as: temperature, humidity, rain, and water

level. The data was transmitted to a station using Laser

technology. In 2002, Intel Research Laboratory and University of

California founded the Great Duck Island, North Atlanta, project

to monitor the behavior of Petrel bird [5]. There are about

hundred well equipped sensors; some of them have cameras for

video monitoring. It was not only beneficiary to monitoring, but it

also reported the network operation and functionality problems

that needed more research.

Home and Office Buildings

Started in late 1980s, Smart buildings are those equipped with

systems that do some intelligent actions, as door opening.

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Wireless sensors are used to study the effect of wind, monitor the

employees and students. In 1990s, research has been adopted to

use smart buildings to disabled people. WSN is recently

incorporated in smart building for more quality of life. Smart

Kindergarten deploys wireless sensors for childhood education

and monitoring (Mani, 2001).

Agriculture Applications

Precision agriculture means applying the right amount of input

(water, fertilizer, etc.) at the right location and at the right time to

enhance production and improve quality, while protecting the

environment. It is accomplished with WSN that monitors

parameters as: soil moisture and air temperature, then calculates

the amount of water and fertilizers needed. Also, irrigation

management, adopted by WSNs, helps farmers to prevent

damages to their crops and increasing crop production. WSN is

also used to control the green house temperature and humidity

levels starting from messaging to using controller.

Health Applications

Health care is considered a potential application of WSN whose

research is dominant. Deployed applications are tele-monitoring

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physiological data, tracking patient locations and patient drug

management. WSN will allow the patient to be under constant

supervision without hospital admission. Two promising

applications are being investigated: glucose level and artificial

retina. The diabetic patient can be implanted with glucose meter

that monitors the sugar level and alerts the patient in case of

serious condition detection. The second project considers

implanting a chip of micro-sensors in the human eye to enhance

vision. Important functional requirements as reliability,

communication, and safety are challenging issues.

Smart Energy

Energy production and consumption is an extremely critical

problem worldwide. Research on producing smart building has

gained great interest. The energy improvement solution

incorporated the use of wireless sensors for improving home

utilities, such as lighting, water and gas. Studies are in-process

to design the network to monitor the energy consumption

parameters, analyze them and finally regulate consumption.

Recent studies are working on controlling the devices

automatically. WSN is expected to be the next generation for

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smart home by improving energy distribution and consumption.

In the United States, it is expected that WSN will be able to save

about 50 billion dollars yearly and reduce 35 million metric tons

of carbon emissions.

OPPORTUNITIES THAT ARISE FROM USING CI TECHNIQUES

IN WSNS

The use of Computational Intelligence (CI) techniques in Wireless

Sensor Networks (WSNs) has opened up new opportunities for

improving the performance and efficiency of these networks.

Some of the significant opportunities that arise from using CI

techniques in WSNs are as follows:

Improved Data Processing: CI techniques can be used for

efficient data processing and analysis, which can lead to better

decision-making in various applications. For example, using CI

techniques such as Artificial Neural Networks and Fuzzy Logic,

WSNs can identify patterns in data and make accurate

predictions.

Energy Efficiency: WSNs are usually powered by batteries and

have limited energy resources. CI techniques can help optimize

the energy consumption of the sensor nodes, thus prolonging the

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lifetime of the network. For example, CI techniques such as

Particle Swarm Optimization and Genetic Algorithms can

optimize the placement of sensor nodes and routing algorithms to

minimize energy consumption.

Improved Localization: Localization is an essential aspect of

WSNs, and accurate location information can improve the

performance of various applications such as surveillance,

environmental monitoring, and healthcare. CI techniques such as

Particle Swarm Optimization and Genetic Algorithms can improve

the accuracy of localization algorithms.

Robustness: WSNs are subject to various types of failures such

as node failures and communication failures. CI techniques such

as Genetic Algorithms and Ant Colony Optimization can help

optimize the network topology and routing algorithms to improve

the robustness of the network.

Recent advances in the field of CI in WSNs include the

following:

 Deep Learning: Deep learning techniques such as

Convolutional Neural Networks (CNNs) and Recurrent

Neural Networks (RNNs) have been applied to various tasks

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 in WSNs such as data classification, prediction, and

anomaly detection.

 Swarm Intelligence: Swarm Intelligence techniques such

as Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) and Ant Colony

Optimization (ACO) have been used to optimize various

aspects of WSNs such as energy consumption, routing, and

localization.

 Edge Computing: Edge computing involves processing data

closer to the sensor nodes, reducing the amount of data

transmitted and improving the response time. CI techniques

such as Fuzzy Logic and Genetic Algorithms can be applied

to edge computing in WSNs to improve data processing and

energy efficiency.

 Security: CI techniques have also been applied to improve

the security of WSNs. For example, CI techniques such as

Artificial Neural Networks have been used for intrusion

detection in WSNs.

CLUSTERING ALGORITHMS

Clustering is an efficient technique used in WSN that can be used

to solve the energy consumption problem by avoiding long

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distance communication. The nodes are divided into disjoint

groups called ’cluster’. The nodes within each cluster can

intercommunicate, or communicate with only one node in the

group, named ’Cluster Head’ (CH). The CH is responsible for

gathering data from all nodes in the group, then sending the data

to the base station, directly or using multi-hop, after processing

it. Since the energy consumed varies exponentially with the

communication distance, sending data to a neighbor node saves

more energy than sending to the base station. Figure 1 shows an

example of clustered WSN.

Fig. 1: Clustered WSN

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 ANALYSIS

Computational Intelligence (CI) is a subfield of Artificial

Intelligence (AI) that deals with the development of intelligent

algorithms inspired by biological and social systems. CI

techniques are increasingly being used in WSNs to improve their

performance. The following are some of the most widely used CI

techniques in WSNs:

Neural Networks: Neural Networks are a type of machine

learning algorithm that is inspired by the biological neurons in

the human brain. Neural Networks can be used in WSNs to

classify data, detect anomalies, and predict events. Neural

Networks can also be used to optimize the energy consumption of

the sensor nodes.

Fuzzy Logic: Fuzzy Logic is a mathematical approach that deals

with uncertainty and imprecision in data. Fuzzy Logic can be

used in WSNs to make decisions based on uncertain or

incomplete data. Fuzzy Logic can also be used to optimize the

routing and data aggregation in WSNs.

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Genetic Algorithms: Genetic Algorithms are a type of

optimization algorithm that is inspired by the process of natural

selection. Genetic Algorithms can be used in WSNs to optimize

the placement of sensor nodes, to optimize the energy

consumption of the sensor nodes, and to optimize the routing of

data.

Swarm Intelligence: Swarm Intelligence is a collective behavior

of decentralized, self-organized systems, such as social insects,

birds, and fish. Swarm Intelligence can be used in WSNs to

optimize the placement of sensor nodes, to optimize the routing

of data, and to detect anomalies.

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 CONCLUSION

In this paper, an overview of WSN applications and technology

was given. Energy consumption problem was outlined. CI

paradigms showed promising results in solving energy

consumption problem in WSN. The use of computational

intelligence techniques in WSNs has enhanced the performance

of WSNs by enabling intelligent decision-making in real-time.

WSNs face various challenges due to the limited resources of the

sensor nodes. Computational Intelligence (CI) is an umbrella term

for different artificial intelligence techniques that are designed to

address complex problems. In recent years, different CI

paradigms have been successfully used in WSNs to address

various challenges such as data aggregation and fusion, energy-

aware routing, task scheduling, security, optimal deployment,

and localization. Some of the popular CI paradigms used in WSNs

include Fuzzy Logic, Swarm Intelligence, Artificial Neural

Networks, Genetic Algorithms, Ant Colony Optimization, Artificial

Immune System, Particle Swarm Optimization, and Artificial Bee

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Colony. The use of CI paradigms in WSNs has significantly

improved the performance and efficiency of these networks.

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