Radio IC enables PDAs for conference organisation

State-of-the-art wireless handheld devices are designed for supporting meeting and event management to ensure optimised information flow and conference productivity.

Swiss-based Shockfish is using the 2.4GHz nanoLOC TRX CSS radio chip from Nanotron Technologies in its new generation Spotme PDA handheld devices.

Spotme features state-of-the-art wireless handheld devices that are designed for supporting meeting and event management to ensure optimised information flow and conference productivity.

With the integration of Nanotron's robust nanoLOC TRX transceiver, the Spotme PDA enables conference participants to reliably locate business partners in a time-pressured, fast-paced business environment.

It is now possible, for example, to track who is attending individual sessions at a conference to correctly distribute continuous education credits.

Thus, both conference delegates and event hosts benefit from the streamlined process flow originating from the implementation of real time location systems (RTLS).

Precise real time indoor ranging is a unique nanoLOC feature which cannot be achieved by conventional positioning techniques such as GPS systems.

The devices have been successfully operated at several events with more than 100 people in an indoor conference environment.

Accuracy of about 1-2m with a range up to about 100m have been achieved.

The Spotme devices include an RFID card reader, a colour screen, a sliding keyboard, a wireless microphone and speaker in order to provide a range of services from participant networking to live voting as well as managing electronic feedback forms.

"The first generation of Spotme has been successfully used at conferences worldwide since 2001", says Dr Frank Schlichting, Director Application Engineering at Nanotron Technologies.

"However, with the ranging and location features from Nanotron's nanoLOC TRX its successor has enabled rapid growth of Spotme's business, convincing customers such as the high profile World Economic Forum, ICBI or Alstom".

"Participants simply expect the newest and best innovations in the world in order to plan their conference activities most efficiently", explains Banz Ledin, Managing Director at Shockfish.

"Spotme uses the latest advances in wireless communication technology to provide on-site communication services that facilitate real time networking and idea exchange".

"The advent of nanoLOC's ranging capabilities provides a benchmark for modern wireless location techniques".

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