The Snap! toolkit for developing sensor networks and application to XC skiing

Abstract

Athletes, health professionals, animal specialists, meteorologists, and other investigators increasingly employ small, human-scale sensor networks in their disciplines. The sensor networks used by each field and study have unique requirements. Regardless, these networks all collect and store data, and often display or transmit them. The Snap! toolkit takes advantage of the similarities among sensor networks to make prototyping them fast and easy. Simultaneously, it acknowledges their inherent differences, remaining flexible in order to accommodate the needs of different systems. Snap! specifies the behavior of the nodes on a sensor network and describes the logical structure of each node and of the network as a whole. The Snap! design places emphasis on the reusability of hardware and software, rather than on the creation of an optimal solution for a given application. One Snap! platform and system has thus far been constructed and tested: a cross-country ski system to gather information on the environment and from the skis and skier. The data collected from the ski system make it possible to quantitatively describe the skier's stride and the effects of a ski's design.