The Associated Press today has an interesting article about the work going on at UCLA’s Center for Embedded Networked Sensing, which has a big grant from the National Science Foundation to pioneer the deployment of so-called “wireless motes” that can be used to monitor physical spaces. The center’s headquarters is covered with:

“dozens of miniature, low-resolution cameras and sensors. They’re wirelessly linked to computers throughout the 6,000-square-foot space, keeping tabs on traffic flow in public areas and monitoring temperature, humidity and acoustics. The building serves as a testing ground for developing and perfecting wireless sensing technology to connect major chunks of the real world to the Internet.”

The technology is “quickly catching on,” says the article, “attracting the attention of the military, academics and corporations. Just as the Internet virtually connected people with personal computers, the prospect of wireless arrays sprinkled in buildings, farmland, forests and hospitals promise[s] to create unprecedented links between people and physical locations.

The complete article can be read here.

Agile-Link wireless nodes can now stream data at rates up to 4 kHz. This increase in sample rate allows them to be used in automotive testing applications, such as impact and crash testing and vibration monitoring and modal analysis. The sensors use an open serial protocol that enables users to develop high speed applications with LabVIEW, Visual Basic and C++.

Specifications include:

- simultaneous streaming of real-time, high-speed data from up to 16 nodes;
- 2.4 GHz RF communications using the IEEE 802.15.4 standard;
- wireless communications range of 70 meters using standard antennas or 300 meters line-of-sight with high-gain antennas;
- data-logging sample rates up to 2048 Hz; and
- 2 MB flash memory storage of up to 1,000,000 data points.

For more information, visit the MicroStrain website.

The US Army was one of the first to recognise the potential applications for wearable technology and developed the Land Warrior system. This was designed to increase the ability of its fighters on the battlefield with each soldier connected to a wireless network. Relevant information about the battlefield was presented to the soldier on a helmet-mounted display and the system also monitored the vital signs of each soldier via sensors in their clothing. This data enabled field medics to identify troops in need of assistance, and prioritize care. Cross over in to fashionable Wearable computer technology has been less successful and could be considered to be hyped to the hilt, which begs the question. Where is it? Obviously there is no shortage of people with a Bluetooth headset clipped to their ear and although it is hardly haute couture, it does infer the fashionable want to wear the new technologies.

Read the complete story here.

Jennic franchise takes Anglia into wireless applications In its first move into the Industrial Security Medical (ISM) wireless market.

Anglia has signed a franchise agreement with Jennic to distribute their innovative single chip JN5121 2.4 GHz RF microcontroller that is compliant with IEEE802.15.4 and ZigBee standards. The device is targeted at integrated solutions for economical sensor networks. Anglia now offers chips, evaluation kits, modules, network stacks and development tools.

Read more here.