Phase Transitions in Self-Organising Sensor Networks

In this paper we consider a multi-cellular sensing and communication network, embedded in an ageless aerospace vehicle, that is expected to detect and react to impact location, intensity and damage over a wide range of impact energies. In particular, we investigate self-organization of impact boundaries enclosing critically damaged areas, and measure their spatiotemporal robustness. The presented quantitative information-theoretic techniques clearly identify phase transitions, separating chaotic dynamics from ordered and robust patterns.