An Economics-based Power-aware Protocol for Computation Distribution in Mobile Ad-Hoc Networks

In this paper, we present a new economics-based poweraware protocol, called the distributed economic subcontracting protocol, that dynamically distributes task computation among mobile devices in an ad-hoc wireless network. Mobile computation devices may be energy buyers, contractors, or subcontractors. Tasks are transferred between devices via distributed bargaining and transactions. When additional energy is required, buyers and contractors negotiate energy prices within their local markets. Contractors and subcontractors spend communication and computation energy to relay or execute buyers’ tasks. Buyers pay the negotiated price for this energy. Our experimental results indicate that markets based on our protocol and decision-making algorithms fairly and effectively allocate energy resources among different tasks in both cooperative and competitive scenarios.