Crossbow’s new eKo system has not only brought wireless sensor networks into the heart of precision agriculture, the system now also offers a quick and easy solution for anyone wanting to incorporate wireless sensor networks into their own outdoor monitoring solution. Whether they are looking to use eKo for environmental monitoring and research, urban monitoring, pollution detection, etc., this system is on its way to being the wireless sensor networking solution for any outdoor sensing requirement regardless of sensor type. eKo is fully packaged for the elements, solar-powered and ready to use out-of-the-box. This platform now provides users with a solution that requires little effort for complete customization with the newESB developer’s kit. The first phase of this kit has now been released to all eKo users.

More info on Crossbow’s blog.

In a paper from ICRA 2008 there are details on the construction of a 60cm x 60 cm surface that provides wireless (battery-free) power and bidirectional communication to an initial swarm consisting of five line-following robots, each consuming 200 mW. Power transmission in the system was achieved through magnetic flux coupling between a high Q L-C resonator placed beneath the operating surface and a non-resonant pickup coil on each robot. The average power density demonstrated was 4.1mW/cm2 for a static load, and the paper demonstrates much greater peak power for dynamic loads via capacitor storage and power conditioning circuitry.

See the paper (and related blog post) for additional details. The slides from the ICRA 2008 presentation are also available here.  Finally, a video of the swarm operating battery-free on the surface is available here.

Someday soon, older adults may not need to move into nursing homes because they’ll have a household of technological wonders to keep an eye on them when they become frail.

Sensors embedded throughout the seniors’ homes will detect when the residents have sleepless nights or forget to take their medication. Web-based computer software will notify caregivers.

“This is the future of aging,” said Fillia Makedon, a professor of computer science and engineering at the University of Texas at Arlington. “Technology will let people grow old at home.”

More info here.

In the framework of Holst Centre, IMEC has developed an ambulatory arousal monitor. The new research concept uses a combination of body parameters to monitor a person’s arousal level. The compact form factor and the long battery lifetime allow the use of the arousal monitor in new application domains such as mobile gaming and clinical trials. 

IMEC’s approach within its Human++ program at Holst Centre uses a body-area network that measures four body parameters to detect a person’s emotional state. The body-area network consists of two small wireless sensor nodes that communicate to a PC acting as a base station. 

The wireless sensor nodes take care of ultra-low power digital signal processing and wireless communication of the measured data. The first wireless sensor node is integrated in a chest belt and measures respiration and ECG (electrocardiogram or heart activity) based on IMEC’s proprietary single-channel biopotential ASIC. 

More info here.

Libelium has launched a survey to ask developers and companies which sensors they would find useful a mote to bring. They are currently working on the development of the sensor integration board for Waspmote and they want to take into account your opinion. Think in a WSN project you would like to develop and tell them which sensors the motes should have to bring. There will be a prize draw for a Waspmote Developer Kit among all the
participants. The survey: http://www.waspmote.com/survey/.

Researchers from Iowa State University are developing wireless soil sensors that will improve farming and may help grow our understanding of the increasingly important carbon and nitrogen cycles. The sensors could also help determine the effects of biochar added to soils. Interestingly, the sensors can be buried deep in the soil and transmit data without above-ground antennas. The technology could play an important role in precision farming.

Researcher Ratnesh Kumar leads the team that’s developing transceivers and sensors designed to collect and send data about soil moisture within a field. The scientists are tweaking the sensors in such a way that they will also collect data about soil temperature and nutrient content.

More info here.

CISCO, ATMEL and SICS have announced the availability of uIPv6. It is one of the world’s smallest open-source, IPv6-ready protocol stack, which could enable every device, no matter how limited by power or memory to have an IP address.

For more information see the news items on Yahoo! Finance and the Inquirer.

Two new modules for the SquidBee mote have been developed by the Wireless Sensor Network Research Group (http://www.sensor-networks.org).  The first one let the motes to be able to store up to GB of data in a SD card located inside the case. This feature is specially interesting is some WSN deployments where connection is not always possible. Another interesting device is the solar panel module which can be used to recharge a lithium battery which powers the SquidBee motes. Complete information about the SD and solar modules can be found here
http://www.sensor-networks.org/index.php?page=0827727742 and here http://www.sensor-networks.org/index.php?page=0828028040

Unmanned helicopters could soon be a key part of emergency relief operations, as well as bringing a new dimension to filmmaking, thanks to some innovative work done by European researchers. When natural disasters happen one of the first casualties is often the communications network. As a result, rapid response crews can be working virtually blind, cut off from each other and the victims they are trying to help.

Where there are transport arteries, such as roads, rivers and railways, they are also very often damaged or disrupted, which makes getting medical and relief supplies to survivors extremely difficult. When such disasters happen in remote areas with little in the way of communications or transport infrastructure to start with, the problem is exacerbated.

A solution for both the communications and delivery of supplies problems is now being researched in an EU-funded project, called AWARE, which comprises academic and commercial partners from five European countries.