Recent advances in wireless technologies now allow microcontrollers with low-power wireless radios to integrate with sensor and actuator systems. Using such devices to perform automation tasks is referred to as Networked Embedded Automation (NEA). In NEA, devices perform local actions based on local sensing and communications with neighboring devices. Traditional automation systems use networks of Programmable Automation Controllers wired to each other to regulate system behavior. NEA represents a change in direction for automation systems as they are poised to leverage existing wireless sensor network technologies and distributed algorithm advances.
A challenge with integrating NEA into automation systems is understanding predictability and safety issues that are inherent in these enhanced systems. This thesis proposes a set of primitives that are suitable for developing composable automation systems that are regulated by embedded devices interacting over wireless links. A node level architecture and design that helps realize these primitives is presented. Using a robust platform called FireFly, the temporal performance of these primitives is profiled. Experimental results demonstrate that the latency and jitter associated with these primitives are promising and useful for a class of automation systems. In the future, this work can be extended to larger scale systems with tighter temporal constraints.