CoAP-mediated hybrid simulation and visualisation environment for specknets

Abstract

This paper describes an integrated hybrid simulation environment in which physical electronic devices interact in real-time with a discrete-event simulator and a 3D visualisation engine, where the communication between the real devices and the virtual world is mediated by CoAP. The resulting simulation framework is a powerful tool for designers of Internet of Things (IoT) applications to assess design decisions ahead of deployment, based on realistic data from sensors and typical movement of people within built spaces. A motivating example is used to illustrate the capabilities of hybrid simulations based on a multi-residence housing facility intended for elderly people, each wearing an on-body speck with one or more sensors, to monitor their condition such as breathing, heart-rate, and activity, and which transmits this information via a mesh network of base-stations to a central hub. The results demonstrate that design decisions can be made on the choice of routing protocols based on real-time transmission of data from people, which captures their typical movement in a built environment and based on actual data transmitted by on-body devices.