WSN Update

In my last post, I explained how the lack of adoption of Wireless Sensor Network technology was due to the limited amount of money being invested in actual applications of the technology.

It was refreshing to see this article today from the European Commission Research Information Centre. The EU is investing EUR 2.44 million in the WINSOC project which is developing innovative sensor networks that mimic biological systems. With these new sensors, the project partners hope to detect imminent catastrophes in time for action to be taken.

WINSOC, or Wireless Sensor Networks with Self-Organization Capabilities for Critical and Emergency Applications, is a technical science project that is inspired by living organisms around us. The sensors being developed by the project aim to address three areas in environmental monitoring:

1. detection or prediction of landslides


2. detection of gas leakage to prevent hazard situations or simply avoid unnecessary wastes of energetic resources


3. monitoring of temperature fields as a way to detect fires or, even better, to predict the risk of a potential fire in a given area.

I commend the EU for taking the lead in funding these types of projects. This type of technology can have a huge positive impact on our everyday lives, allowing us to be safer, use less energy, and understand more about our environment.

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