Pioneering Fuzzy-Based Energy-Efficient Routing for Underwater Sensor Networks

Underwater Wireless Sensor Networks (UWSNs) have garnered significant attention due to their potential in oceanographic research, seismic monitoring, environmental protection, and seabed mapping applications. However, these networks face unique challenges, such as high interference, long propagation times, reduced bandwidth, and dynamic network topologies. Routing protocols play a critical role in overcoming these issues. This paper proposes an enhanced fuzzy-based routing protocol, UWF-RPL, which optimizes decision-making through dynamic path selection and distributed traffic balancing. Our approach builds on the RPL framework, incorporating fuzzy logic to evaluate parameters such as depth, energy consumption, RSSI/ETX ratio, and latency. Simulation results demonstrate that the proposed protocol significantly outperforms existing methods, offering improved energy efficiency, higher packet delivery rates, reduced delay, and minimized queue overflows. The protocol also ensures greater scalability and resilience in dynamic underwater environments, contributing to the efficient operation and extended lifetime of UWSNs.