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News Release from: DTI Global Watch Service
Edited by the Electronicstalk Editorial Team on 13 March 2006
Mission learns US
wireless sensor secrets
A recent DTI Global Watch Mission to the USA aimed to give the UK a sense of state-of-the-art and future technology developments in wireless sensor networks
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Wireless sensor network pioneers predict a future in which tiny microprocessors are embedded into everyday objects and the environment, sensing everything from our body's health to our home's heating. A DTI Global Watch Mission to the USA aimed to give the UK a sense of state-of-the-art and future technology developments.
Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) - made up of many single-chip computers with in-built power supply and sensing and communication capabilities - could have as great an impact on society as the microprocessor 30 years ago.
'These networks of tiny devices can extract and share data - on temperature, pressure, acceleration or pollutants for example - and perform certain actions as a result', says Dr DK Arvind, Director of Research Consortium in Speckled Computing at the University of Edinburgh, the mission's academic leader.
'Research into miniaturisation is moving fast, bringing forward the day when these devices can be dispersed into the environment - and this is when the technology will become really exciting'.
To see some of the most exciting WSN work underway in the USA, the mission team, including representatives from Selex, Blast Theory, BT, Nesta Futurelab, Sira Technology, Toumaz Technology and co-ordinating body the National Physical Laboratory (NPL), visited the West Coast.
California is the home of the original 'Smart Dust' miniature sensor programme funded by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA), the results of which led to many military applications and civilian spinouts.
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The state is investing heavily in innovative new institutes and commercialisation strategies to secure a lead in key emerging technologies.
The California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2), which opened a week before the mission arrived, was hugely impressive on two fronts: its $400 (GBP 225) million budget and its determined approach to interdisciplinary futuristic research.
'Artists, performers and computer games designers will work alongside engineers and computer scientists', says Paul Garner of BT.
'I believe that exciting new opportunities for WSNs in pervasive computing will emerge through this combination of creatives and technologists'.
The Wireless Research Center at Berkeley has designed a radio with the lowest power consumption yet seen by team members.
'Minimising power consumption is a fundamental requirement for the future of WSN', says Dr Arvind.
'With low power needs the sensors' batteries can operate for longer periods, so this was quite an exciting discovery'.
The team's visit to Sun Microsystems revealed another development that will help drive progress: the use of high-level computer languages such as Java to program the sensors.
According to Dr Arvind: 'This means that a specialist programmer will no longer be needed, which will help to lower barriers and enable more people to start using the technology'.
The team learned of near-term applications in environmental and seismic monitoring, condition-based maintenance in industrial plants and infrastructure such as bridges, dams and pipelines and precision agriculture.
'California is interested in using WSNs to optimise use of scarce resources such as water and energy', says Dr Arvind.
'With sensors in their fields, for example, farmers could be alerted to the right time to irrigate their land'.
Also being explored is the potential of WSN in assisted-living applications, based on the use of sensors to monitor people's daily routines and confirm that all is well.
Paul Garner of BT was particularly interested in Cardionet's telemedicine system.
'The company has focused on a very specific subset of cardiac care, namely optimisation of treatment plans', he says.
The mission team met Kris Pister, the inventor of Smart Dust and the cofounder of Dust Networks, who outlined his view of the WSN future.
He says that by 2010 every valuable item you own will know that it is yours and will check in if it is taken out of your house, alerting you to unauthorised removal.
Your house and office will be aware of your presence, enabling lighting, heating and other comforts to be adjusted accordingly.
A speck of dust on your fingernail will continuously transmit fingertip motion to your computer, which will understand when you type, point, click or gesture.
Everything you own could have its own set of sensors letting you know when your tyre pressure is low, your water heater is about to break down or your milk is off.
And sensor implants could monitor all the major circulatory systems in your body, providing early warning of impending flu or cancer.
This article is based on one which appeared in Global Watch, the monthly magazine of the DTI Global Watch Service.
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