MANTIS (Multimodal Networks of In-situ Sensors) is a wireless sensor network Operating System that provides an integrated hardware and software platform suitable for a wide variety of sensor network applications. MANTIS is designed to be easy to learn and use, yet sophisticated enough to allow the kind of flexibility that's required for advanced deployment scenarios.

The two central components of the MANTIS platform are the MANTIS Operating System (MOS) (a small, UNIX-like runtime environment) and a wireless sensor node that is specifically designed to take advantage of the advanced capabilities of MOS.


Why "multimodal"?
We say that MANTIS is a multimodal platform because of the wide variety of applications and deployment scenarios in which it can be used. We envision that MANTIS will be used in a broad range of applications, including such diverse areas as weather surveys, biomedical research, embedded interfaces, wireless networking research, and artistic works. Thanks to the fact that both MOS itself and all end user applications are written in ANSI C and compiled using gcc, MANTIS applications can be deployed on multiple hardware platforms for use in heterogeneous environments; for example, a simulation running multiple instances of MOS for x86 (xMOS) can interact with actual sensor nodes, allowing for staged deployment scenarios. We have tried to keep the MANTIS platform very flexible, and have tried to make few assumptions about the nature of the applications that will be built using MOS on a variety of sensor nodes.


Who can use MANTIS?
Anyone who is familiar with the C programming language and has a basic understanding of operating system fundamentals can use MANTIS. There is no specialized programming language to learn, nor is the user required to build or purchase separate circuit boards in order to perform basic sensing tasks.

Why should I chose MANTIS? How does the MANTIS platform compare to other solutions?
Many different wireless sensor platforms are available today, and each has its advantages and disadvantages. No platform can be all things to all people, and there are certainly applications for which MANTIS may not be the best solution. However, MOS offers a unique combination of features that are not currently found on any other single platform.

The MANTIS Operating System (MOS) provides:

• A familiar, UNIX-like development and runtime environment
• Programmability using vanilla ANSI C, with no complex macros or language extensions to learn * True preemptive multithreading using an interface similar to the standard POSIX threads API
• A layered network stack that simplifies communication between nodes
• Support for multiple hardware platforms, including the MANTIS Nymph, the Berkley MICA2 MICA2DOT and MICAZ Motes, Moteiv's Telos RevB and x86 Linux
• A hardware driver system that abstracts the complexity of working in a resource-constrained environment
• Debugging via a remote shell across a wireless link or wired serial connection
• Flexible power management features
• Dynamic reprogramming via wired and wireless connections
• Fast context switching (~200 uS)
• Round robin scheduling (MOS is not event-driven)
• A small memory footprint (can be as little as 500 bytes)

The Xbow sensor node provides:

• A hardware platform that is ideally suited to run MOS
• Wireless communication via 900MHz radio (compatible with Berkley Motes running MOS)
• Slot for sensor board to be attached //An on-board analog to digital converter and three sensor ports--no need to construct a custom sensor board
• On-board serial port connectivity via a seperate programming board //simple adapter cable; a separate programming board is not required
• Support for the AVR JTAG unit for low-level reprogramming and advanced debugging using standard tools such as GDB
• Flexible connections for power sources
• For more information, see the Xbow website.

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