AvroraZ

AvroraZ is an exceptional research project by the AWS center, that has been designed as an extension of the Avrora emulator. It is an AVR Simulation and Analysis Framework that facilitates the emulation of Atmel AVR microcontroller-based sensor node platforms. In particular, AvroraZ enables emulation of sensor nodes such as Crossbow's MicaZ, which are designed with IEEE 802.15.4 compliant radio chips.

Avrora is an extensive kit of simulation and analysis tools that have been developed to support programs written for the AVR microcontroller that Atmel produces as well as the Mica2 sensor nodes. The simulation framework that Avrora offers is incredibly flexible and has been designed to scrutinize assembly programs. Additionally, Avrora delivers an immaculate Java API that offers a great deal of convenience for the user.

AvroraZ has been developed based on the design, implementation, and verification of a few extensions to the Avrora emulator. These include an address recognition algorithm, an indoor radio model, and the clear channel assessment along with the link quality indicator of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard.

The primary objective of the development of AvroraZ was to enable precise emulation of IEEE 802.15.4 based protocols without the need to modify the code developed for the actual hardware. To achieve this objective successfully, AvroraZ is being tested and evaluated using the implementation of the beacon-enabled mode of the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol stack developed in nesC operating under the TinyOS operating system for the CrossBow MICAz motes known as Open-zb, as well as new add-ons that enable mesh topology. Overall, AvroraZ is an incredible software tool that offers a great deal of convenience for software developers.