Wireless sensors: an eye for the future

Soon you will begin to hear about wireless sensor networks used everywhere in Asia, from farms to factories.

A wireless sensor network is formed by very small computers called 'motes' - tiny, self-contained, battery-powered computers with radio links.

The radio links enable the motes to self-organise into a network, communicate with each other and exchange information about the physical world.

Wireless sensor technology is just beginning to be embraced by businesses that could not conceive going wireless in the past.

Companies that provide heavy machinery and construction equipment rental can now use wireless sensor nets at active construction sites to monitor and manage the company's tractors.

For example, at the site of a new residential complex, one of the rented tractors had a small tuning problem, resulting in an irregular vibration of the engine.

The vibration is a warning sign of engine breakdown that will result in disruption of work.

Through the wireless sensor technology that the company has in place, a sensor picked up on the irregularity in seconds and sent an email to the company's mechanic.

He arrived and corrected the problem before it became serious and before his customers were even aware that a tune-up was needed.

Intel, along with the University of California at Berkeley, is carrying out research on mote technology.

They have created fully functional sensors that can compute, sense, and communicate even though they are only the size of a bottle cap. This small, they could be placed in paint and used to monitor structural integrity in buildings after an earthquake!

The sensors connect to each other in the same way that wireless laptops, desktops, and PDAs around the world are connected to the internet. They require very little power and, as their price decreases in the coming years, are designed to be disposable.

They are distributed like seeds around a physical location, talk to one another and essentially monitor an environment or collect information.

Sensor networks can tell you when motors need maintenance, watch buildings or forests for fire, or warn whether an old dam is failing.

The sensors are the next step towards proactive computing, where hundreds of small computers work together to anticipate the needs of humans.

In a proactive world, the computers are anticipating needs, and sometimes acting on your behalf.

In San Francisco, 200 networked motes are already positioned on the Golden Gate Bridge. They measure how much the bridge sways from side to side, which can be as much as several feet in a strong wind.

When a mote senses movement, it relays this information through the network of tiny computers. The information is eventually relayed to a more powerful computer for data analysis.

Any strange readings that don't match current weather conditions might indicate a weakness in the bridge, alerting engineers to make repairs that will keep the bridge safe in case of an earthquake or other natural disaster.

Motes can be used to measure light, temperature, humidity, acceleration, magnetism, movement and other physical conditions. There are several obvious applications for motes in industrial production and manufacturing.

In the same way that a car engine sounds 'right' when it is tuned properly, heavy equipment has a signature vibration when it is in normal operation.

Intel is currently testing a wireless network of 210 sensors installed on 40 machines in one of its own factories.

There are about 3000 machines in each of Intel's semiconductor fabrication plants that could eventually benefit from a mote monitoring system.

This same concept could work on almost any assembly line or any engine, reducing the cost of overseeing equipment and, because problems are caught early, reducing downtime, increasing efficiency, and prolonging the life of equipment.

Possible applications reach beyond machinery.

The sensor nets also have applications in hazardous work environments.

Employees on oil rigs, nuclear power plants, and assembly lines can now be constantly monitored. The motes could reveal who is at work on the site, what they are doing and how safe they are.

Although the technology is still in its early stages, motes will likely be widely available and affordable in as soon as five years. Crossbow Technologies was the first to offer motes commercially.

Its latest generation of devices holds a microprocessor, memory, storage, and an internal analog-to-digital converter. These can measure acceleration, magnetism, light, temperature, and other factors.

For further information contact Intel
Level 17/111 Pacific Highway, North Sydney 2060