WSN Update

Many of you may be wondering what all the recent buzz about wireless sensor networks is about. After all, sensors have been around for a long time and wireless networking is nothing new. It is the combination of these two technologies, however, that is truly exciting - and has the potential to drastically change the way we live.

The ultimate potential of this technology is to enable us to have access to a whole new world of information about our environment and the things in it. Many believe this technology will be the next breakthrough use of the Internet by extending networks beyond our desktops to real-world objects and their surroundings. It will allow for a whole new era of computing that can interact with the physical world. The possibilities are enormous. Imaging a computer that can detect a dangerous chemical leak and automatically seal off a section of a building and alert authorities. Or a spy plane that can drop hundreds of tiny motes in hostile territory to track enemy troop movements.

These applications are becoming a reality due to the convergence of three primary technologies - miniaturization and micromachining of sensor devices, low cost and low power microprocessors, and efficient wireless communications. Together, these technologies create what are known as motes or smart dust. Motes are tiny sensor devices that form an ad-hoc mesh network with other motes that are in range. The motes gather sensor information about their environment - such as temperature, vibration, chemical detection, etc., and route relevant information through the mesh network, back to a central computer for additional processing. New advances in distributed computing allow the network of motes to take on a fair amount of intelligence. For example, a network can reside in a remote hostile environment and continually monitor the surroundings. It can perform calculations or other data processing and alert operators only when conditions fall outside of acceptable thresholds. For this reason, this technology is likely to become a "disruptive technology" and change the way we work and live.

This technology will likely have a great impact on our future. The philosophical and ethical "Big Brother" discussion can be reserved for a later date. For now, here are a number of interesting links that provide more detail on this exciting and emerging technology.

• C|Net Article on Wireless Sensor Networks - Discusses the impact this technology could have on our daily lives.


• How Motes Work - Article from HowStuffWorks.com that describes how motes work.


• Discovery Channel Video - on the use of motes for monitoring vineyard growing conditions.


• U.C. Berkeley's WEBS Project - Where much of this technology got its start. Includes TinyOS which is embedded in many of today's motes.


• WSN FAQ - FAQ from Octave Technology that discusses sensor networks and the company's software.