Patent ID: 8132059

Claim:
A method, comprising: determining that at least one mote device is operating outside normal operational parameters and should be serviced; and indicating, using at least one of a stable shape or a stable change of the stable shape of the at least one mote device, that the at least one mote device is to be serviced at least partially in response to the determining that the at least one mote device is operating outside normal operational parameters and should be serviced, wherein the indicating the at least one mote device is to be serviced comprises: indicating the at least one mote device is to be serviced at least partially using a stable change in conformation of the at least one mote device, wherein the stable change in conformation of the at least one mote device includes at least one of changing a height of at least a portion of the at least one mote device above a surface, extending a signal flag from the at least one mote, or moving two portions of the mote device into an open clam-shell configuration.