  Wireless sensor-actuator networks offer flexibility for control design. One
novel element which may arise in networks with multiple nodes is that the role
of some nodes does not need to be fixed. In particular, there is no need to
pre-allocate which nodes assume controller functions and which ones merely
relay data. We present a flexible architecture for networked control using
multiple nodes connected in series over analog erasure channels without
acknowledgments. The control architecture proposed adapts to changes in network
conditions, by allowing the role played by individual nodes to depend upon
transmission outcomes. We adopt stochastic models for transmission outcomes and
characterize the distribution of controller location and the covariance of
system states. Simulation results illustrate that the proposed architecture has
the potential to give better performance than limiting control calculations to
be carried out at a fixed node.
