Over-the-air Function Computation in Sensor Networks

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel over-the-air computation method for sensor networks that allows sensors to transmit coherently, enabling direct function computation at the receiver and significantly improving network throughput.

Contribution

It introduces a new over-the-air computation technique for sensor networks, enabling direct function calculation and enhancing data aggregation efficiency.

Findings

Large throughput improvement demonstrated

Coherent transmission enables direct function reception

Preliminary analysis supports effectiveness of the approach

Abstract

Many sensor applications are interested in computing a function over measurements (e.g., sum, average, max) as opposed to collecting all sensor data. Today, such data aggregation is done in a cluster-head. Sensor nodes transmit their values sequentially to a cluster-head node, which calculates the aggregation function and forwards it to the base station. In contrast, this paper explores the possibility of computing a desired function over the air. We devise a solution that enables sensors to transmit coherently over the wireless medium so that the cluster-head directly receives the value of the desired function. We present analysis and preliminary results that demonstrate that such a design yield a large improvement in network throughput.