New and Ongoing Research



A Resource Measurement Tool for Linux and Windows Laptops
The goal of this project is to extend an existing resource measurement tool, implemented for Mac OSX, to support Windows and Linux laptops and also to support additional functionality. The tool currently collects information about energy usage, CPU usage, and user patterns, and reports the data collected to a server. Desired extensions include support for automatic installation of newer versions of the tool, improved bandwidth measurement, and location tracking. There is also a possibility to implement a version of the tool that will support PDA devices or mobile phones.

An Energy-aware RSS Prefetching Application
The goal of this project is to integrate an existing algorithm that predicts energy usage of laptop computers into an RSS prefetching application. Unlike existing RSS applications that periodically fetch RSS feeds when a device is already on, this application will adaptively determine how aggressively to prefetch and may wake a laptop from suspended mode to perform prefetching.

An Energy-aware Data Backup Application
The goal of this project is to integrate an existing algorithm that predicts energy usage of laptop computers into an application that performs data backup. The application will determine, based on amount of energy a device will likely have to spare, when a device should back up data to a central server and how much data can be backed up.

An Energy-aware Application to Automatically Adjust Laptop Screen Brightness
The goal of this project is to integrate an existing algorithm that predicts energy usage of laptop computers into an application that automatically adjusts the screen brightness of a laptop computer. Typically, laptops support two screen brightness modes; when the laptop is plugged in the brightness of the screen is at its maximum, and when the laptop is running on battery the screen dims to conserve energy. This application will determine when a laptop can be less conservative about energy usage and support brighter screen modes during periods when the devices is running on battery.

An Energy-aware Peer-to-Peer Data Backup Application
The goal of this project is to implement a data backup application for a peer-to-peer network of mobile devices. The application will enable peer devices to replicate data on other peers. A key element of the project will be to extend an existing energy management algorithm, implemented for a single device, to support system-wide energy management. Decisions regarding which peers will be used to store data on behalf of other peers will consider predicted energy usage of each participating device.

A Tool to Monitor Data Access Patterns
The goal of this project is to implement a tool to monitor data access patterns on a laptop computer. The information will be used to determine which files should be replicated to support improved reliability.

A Simulator for Mobile Environments
The goal of this project is to implement a simulator that will model energy usage in a network of mobile devices. The simulator will be used to model predicted performance of the peer-to-peer data backup application described above.

An Exploration of Availability Prediction Techniques for Mobile Systems
The goal of this project is to investigate techniques for predicting availability in a network of mobile devices. Using data collected from 13 laptops, the project will evaluate the performance of techniques that attempt to predict when particular devices will be available. Ultimately, the result of this project will be a recommendation for which technique(s) would be most useful in an application such as the peer-to-peer data backup application described above.

A Web-based Visualization Tool
The goal of this project is to provide a web interface to access and view data collected by the resource measurement tool described above. Users will be able to view graphs and other visualizations of the data collected.