The Future Of Wireless Sensor Networks 122
Frisky070802 writes "In the 12/03 Wired, Intel's Tiny Hope for the Future describes a fundamental transformation as Intel's Research director David Tennenhouse realized the importance of sensor networks. He saw a Berkeley project on 'motes,' little sensors that communicate on ad-hoc wireless networks. 'The company now foresees networks consisting of thousands of motes, located wherever there's a need for data collection, streaming real-time data to one another and to central servers. Intel imagines the day when every assembly line, soybean field, and nursing home on the planet will be peppered with motes, prodding factory foremen to replace faulty machines, farmers to water fields, and nurses to check on something unusual in room E214.' Intel was impressed enough with the technology to fund a whole 'lablet' to develop it. Intel sees a huge potential market in developing both the sensors and the computation to process the huge amounts of sensor information. If this rings any bells, note that the Intel lablets are also behind the Planetlab Internet emulator, previously discussed in Slashdot."
originality? (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:originality? (Score:1)
Not really, the hard part is to make these devices really, really small which is useful for a lot of applications (especially in bio sciences). That's where the innovation comes in.
Re:originality? (Score:5, Informative)
Having said that, it's not quite as cut-and-dried as you mention. The primary differences from conventional wireless networks like 802.11 are (1) miniaturization, (2) strict power constraints, (3) disposable nature (i.e. ultra-low cost components req'd), and (4) self-organizing. AFAIK it's still an area of active and open research.
Re:originality? (Score:4, Interesting)
- The Berkeley lablet was *not* created because of excitement over sensor networks. The Berkeley (and the other) lablets were created as part of a new approach to industrial research labs, in close collaboration with universities. Sensor networks was the first project undertaken at the Berkeley lablet (and, given that it was mentioned, PlanetLab was the second).
- The UC Berkeley project in question is (currently) the NEST project (http://webs.cs.berkeley.edu), funded by DARPA. This project was inspired by the Smart Dust project, but its emphasis has mostly been on the software (operating systems, languages, networking, applications, etc) rather than the hardware.
David Gay - not speaking for Intel
Dust Inc. (Score:5, Informative)
Some researchers from UC Berkeley's Smart Dust project have founded a startup in Berkeley called Dust, Inc [dust-inc.com].
Re:originality? (Score:5, Insightful)
These things have not really been comprehensively explored before.
Heck, we're still waiting for cell phone / WiFi mesh networks, and this is much more aggressive than that.
RD
Re:originality? (Score:1, Interesting)
Re:originality? (Score:5, Interesting)
I beg to differ. A group at Oak Ridge National Labs has been working on this kind of thing for several years now. They were also trying to work on low cost, very low power consumption, self organizing. Their intent was to have the sensors operating in an industrial enviroment and they've done a lot of work optimizing the RF section for minimal susceptibility to interference.
The big draw for industrial users is that adding wiring is expensive and that they hope the sensors will cost about the same as a few inches of wiring (with all of the associated costs).
Similar work has been done for several years in respect to the self healing mine fields - having a bunch of mobile mines that will fill in the gap left when a mine disappears. This also requires low power consumption and self organization.
Re:originality? (Score:2)
Sounds like a great idea. Kudos to intel.
Daniel
Re:originality? (Score:5, Insightful)
Not at all. Our body has sensors all over it - we can feel when something touches us with a pretty precise resolution. We also sense heat/cold, wind, wetness, and so on. Amazing.
We are the ultimate "machine." Emulating ourselves and nature is a smart way to go.
Where we seek to overcome our weaknesses will turn into specialization. Computers can crunch numbers and correlate raw data faster than we can, but that's their specialized purpose. We, on the other hand, could be dropped on Mars with sufficient of supplies and automatically adapt and survive. We might stub our toes sometimes, but for that weakness we gain in other areas. Someday computers may stub their "toes", too, in order to gain some of our special qualities.
Re:originality? (Score:1)
Re:originality? (Score:1)
Wireless Sensor Network Applications (Score:3, Interesting)
Lots of prior work in the field (Score:3, Informative)
Wireless sensor networks are not new; there is even a textbook published recently on them (Wireless Sensor Networks: Architectures and Protocols [crcpress.com]). Many corporations have active WSN programs, including:
Motorola [motorola.com]
Ember [ember.com] and
Figure 8 Wireless [figure8wireless.com].
University research programs, in addition to Berkeley, include:
UCLA WINS [ucla.edu]
MIT uAMPS [mit.edu]
plus those sposored by DARPA [darpa.mil].
The IEEE 802.15.4 standard, available here [ieee.org], was designed to support such networks. The ZigBee Alliance [zigbee.org], an industrial consortium of over 60 compani
Re:originality? (Score:1)
Network radiation (Score:4, Interesting)
I hope large amounts of radiation/activity in whatever spectrum these networks will use for cross-node and network-to-server communication won't adversely affect things around it. My gut tells me it probably, unfortunately will.
RD
Re:Network radiation (Score:5, Insightful)
Here's an analogy: think about the visible-spectrum radiation emitted by an LED. Are you concerned about sunburns or skin-cancer from LED radiation? (If so, I'd like to see your computer room...) These motes will be capable of transmitting similar amounts of power. I doubt very much that they'll adversely affect anything with their radiation.
Their bigger impact will probably be the damage done by the adhesives or fasteners used to stick them to their monitoring posts, or by the hazardous wastes left behind when they're done using them.
Re:Network radiation (Score:1)
Then its gonna be a cast iron bitch changing them when they go flat
Re:Network radiation (Score:2)
I included an optional "dis" in there because that means abandoning dead sensors in place is also the che
Re:Network radiation (Score:4, Insightful)
Doesn't the whole concept seem kind of Orwellian? Doesn't the following quote from the article disturb you?:
Deployed the way Tennenhouse envisions, the networks will require zero human input. We'll reap the benefits without having to interact with the networks, and Intel will eliminate a long-standing obstacle to its growth: the feebleness of the human brain. "Sensor nets let us relieve the human being of the responsibility of drawing information out of the physical world," says Tennenhouse. "We need to have computers anticipating our needs and sometimes taking action on our behalf."
It bothers me - sounds like SkyNet or something. Not to even mention the environmental waste/radio interference for all these machine.
Well... (Score:4, Insightful)
Also, I think you're right about the orwellian aspect; but I figure this is going to happen anyways. Technology is powerful. There are those who wish to hold power over others. If you look at history, you'll find a hell of a lot of the buggers! And those who want power, will find these wonderful new tools, and put them to their uses. I don't like it, but I think it's the other edge of that double-edged sword called Technology.
The only solution is to (a) put into place systems to keep those people from abusing the technology or (b) wait until they abuse it, and hopefully a structure will come into place through intense struggle that will keep it from happening again.
Re:Network radiation (Score:2, Funny)
Re:The key phrase in this... (Score:5, Insightful)
That's the beauty of an off-beat R&D lab. They're given free rein to develop just about anything without regard to need OR profit.
AT&T and IBM both funded labs like these for years. They were responsible for developing such novel and diverse things as transistors and scanning tunnelling microscopes. The goal is, of course, that they will develop a product that fills a real need, which in turn will create a demand for their product appeasing their shareholders.
I think it's absolutely terrific that some industries are able to risk investing in the totally unknown. It was truly a shame when Bell Labs dropped their unfettered research. It was also disappointing to see IBM drop research for all but computer-related work. But even so, their Zurich labs have recently come up with some novel storage mechanisms leveraging their decade-old scanning tunnelling work.
Regardless of whether these labs prove to be duds or if one of them creates the transistor of the 21st century, the money is being well spent. Exploring the unknown is always of value.
Unfettered research (Score:3, Insightful)
Unfortunately, these companies were under "market attack" by companies like Dell, which does no technical research at all. They're also under "analyst attack" by Wall Street types measuring progress one quarter at a time, with little eye to the long term.
The logical consequence of this is that research gets "focused," unfortunately.
Potential application (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Potential application (Score:1)
Good point. I don't think it'd be a problem, since the transmitting frequency would be much higher than the frequencies of interest. Currently they have to deal with radiation from mains power, for which they currently use a notch filter, although this is not a huge problem as most of the signals are well below 50 Hz.
IEEE Spectrum article: smart fabrics (Score:2)
This was covered Ready to Ware [216.239.39.104] in the October 2003 issue of IEEE Spectrum, now only available in the Google cache linked in this sentence.
It specifically covers "[a]n e-textile shirt from New York City-based Sensatex, Inc. [which] promises to put an end to SIDS by alerting parents the moment a baby stops breathing." Other bits of the article talk about the U.S. Navy's Wearable Motherboard project, and other smart fabrics capable of accomplishing the tasks of which you speak.
If your lab has a grant appl
Another take on a common idea. (Score:3, Interesting)
A deepness in the sky (Score:5, Interesting)
It discuss, amongts other topics, the consequences of total information awarness brought by a technology similar to this (but better, because its sci-fi, not sci-fact).
Re:A deepness in the sky (Score:2, Interesting)
Vinge's two novels in this space (Deepness in the Sky, Fire in the Deep) are absolutely outstanding, and yes, they envision that level of interconnected sensors. But for that matter, so do many SF novels and shows. The key here, as other posters have commented, is tackling the difficult challenges of scale, unreliable components, environments (imagine what a heavy windstorm does to motes scattered on the ground)
Re:A deepness in the sky (Score:1)
Re:A deepness in the sky (Score:2)
Diamond Age (Score:2)
Like in Neil Stephenson's book. The "toner" wars and the ensuing asthmatic deaths.
Yeah, I'm a sci-fi geek, not a techno geek : )
Re:A deepness in the sky (Score:2)
Re:A deepness in the sky (Score:1)
Re:A deepness in the sky (Score:2)
Jason
Re:A deepness in the sky (Score:3, Informative)
I went to a presentation by the principals of Aether Wire about eight years ago, at that point they had working localizers that were about the size of a stack of two or three quarters. These devices use Ultra-Wide-Band signalling for extremely low-power low-probability-of-intercept communication. The UWB pulse-trains they were using were remarkably able to penetrate thin metal walls
Re:A deepness in the sky (Score:2, Informative)
It is actually quite opposite. UWB is very difficult to build, that's why it does not work outside of a lab. Any RF engineer will give you ten most obvious reasons why it is difficult, starting from the antenna's inability to operate in such a wide band.
Re:A deepness in the sky (Score:2)
Still, I recall reading in Aviation Week quite a number of years ago about a demonstration of UWB radios for the defense department. Of the four companies that presented radios, only the one from Time Domain actually worked. But it was amazing -- it had a range of about 100 miles on about 100 milliwatts of power. [timedomain.com]
thad
Re:A deepness in the sky (Score:1)
Stanislaw Lem was the first (Score:2, Interesting)
But his first insight of power of self-regulated networks of micro-robots is provided in his novel "The Invincible", written as early as in 1964.
Too bad that Lem is known in the USA mainly by Hollywood's bastardisation
Great Stuff - Like 'Deepness in the Sky' (Score:1)
Re:Dupe Posts - Copycat or pure chance? (Score:1)
Assuming that anyone does check for a previous post, close postings started in the same time window would be more likely.
Locators (Score:3, Interesting)
Re:Spoke too soon... a trupe post (Score:1)
Diamond Age, anyone? (Score:1)
Who will be securing these networks? (Score:4, Interesting)
Looks like another dream world to me, even less real than IPv6 is.
Re:Who will be securing these networks? (Score:2, Informative)
Re:Who will be securing these networks? (Score:2, Interesting)
If the mote can receive transmissions from other motes, then the kiddie only needs to hack a mote to get a set of working receiver and transmitter. For example, a regular fire alarm mote can be used to send a "Fire Alarm" message when the teacher asks him where is his homework :-)
With low cost and widespread usage of mote
Re:Who will be securing these networks? (Score:2, Informative)
You could build an interesting mesh out of all those WiFi boxes. Hopefully for better uses than this idiot [canoe.ca].
Re:Who will be securing these networks? (Score:1)
But if so, odds are that the 2.4 GHz spectrum will become so saturated with clueless users' useless networks, it will deny access to anyone, and then things just break down.
This is not a guess, this is already a fact where I work. 2.4 GHz telephones are useless here (nothing but clicking and noise), and 2.4 GHz networks work in short bursts, and very unreliably. We stopped using 802.11G already, so useless it became.
Re:Who will be securing these networks? (Score:1)
Re:Who will be securing these networks? (Score:1)
With regard to "statistics", probably a wireless network that measures rainfall in some field is indeed a low value target. However what would you say about building access controls, door locks, cameras, card readers, store inventory controls, payment mechanisms? It all depends on how much the technology will be misused. Given that humanity
Re:Who will be securing these networks? (Score:3, Informative)
Exactly right. Security, in wireless sensor networks, means more than just encryption (for privacy), however. In many applications it's more important to have message integrity and sender authentication, meaning that the recipient is guaranteed that the message hasn't been altered, and that it was from who it says it was from. For example, having an encrypted message from a short-range wireless light switch is often of little utility; people around can see the light come on (perhaps through a window), so
Also at ETCon 2003 (Score:5, Informative)
http://conferences.oreillynet.com/cs/et2003/view/
They are doing amazing sci-fi type stuff with their Motes already, it was a pretty amazing presentation, touching on swarm behavior, conspiracy theories, technical deployment issues, and just plain good-old fun hackery. The wired article really should have mentioned that serious hobbyists can purchase a mote starter kit and other stuff here:
http://www.xbow.com/Products/Wireless_Sensor_Netw
Note that there is a classroom starter kit. I would think this sort of stuff would get high-schoolers really excited about science. A great stocking stuffer for your local high-school (although at $1,000 or more maybe a little out of my budget).
Imagine a Beowulf cluster of..... never mind.
"Something unusual in room E14?" (Score:2, Insightful)
Re:"Something unusual in room E14?" (Score:2)
Re:"Something unusual in room E14?" (Score:1)
Re:"Something unusual in room E14?" (Score:1)
They should read more Vernor Vinge. (Score:2)
Maybe if more CEOs and 'Directors' read more science fiction they'd have more "ideas" on where to go with their research.
Nursing homes being done (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Nursing homes being done (Score:1)
CNA? So Novell are retaining their market share in the hospices ?
Let's not forget the military applications (Score:5, Interesting)
Re:Let's not forget the military applications (Score:5, Interesting)
Sensor networks would have a lot of difficulties in an urban setting because of buildings. Buildings present challenges to localization of the sensor network. Two sensors can be right next to each other but still can't communicate because a wall is in the way. Furthermore, GPS is hard to receive in an urban setting. Thus, the network must first localize relative to each other then hope that a few of the nodes can recieve GPS to serve as "beacons" to localize the rest of the network.
In other words, sensor networks are more likely to succeed in an non-urban environment first than an urban environment.
Localization is a major problem for these networks because of the lack of processing power and lower transmission radius. However, localization will inevitably involve graph theory and graphs are not the easiest thing to solve. Thus, you can see the trade-offs as the nodes get smaller and smaller and have less resources available.
FYI (Score:4, Informative)
the Planetlab Internet emulator
Planet-Lab is not an emulator. It is a group of computers distributed across the globe that use the real internet. People write distributed apps and run them on different vantage points spread out on the net to measure real internet performance, test their app etc.
Re:FYI (Score:1)
How convenient... (Score:4, Insightful)
Re:How convenient... (Score:1)
As far as how many processors you 'need', already the number of PC based 32 (&64) bit processors around you are totally swamped by embedded processors (>99% of processors sold are 8 or 16 bit), many of which require zero human input and may operate for 10 years or more. A large commerial building may have >> 10^4 embedded processors in it (light fittings, t
motes (Score:5, Informative)
ATMega128 7.3 MHz microcontroller
4 KB RAM, 128 KB PROGRAM EEPROM,
512 KB flash memory for measurements
433 MHz wireless radio, CC1000 transciver,
30 messages per second, 29 bytes in each message
radio range is about 100-300 feet
runs on two AA batteries for 3 days continuously
various pluggable sensor boards
The motes run the TinyOS, freely available from sourceforge [sourceforge.net]
The Berkeley guys are working on the dust mote, 1 mm2 target size including the radio chip. The biggest limitation now is the battery power and the radio range. Even if they can get the size down to "dust", the antenna HAS TO BE 1/4 of the radio wave length. For the 433 MHz version this is around 8-10 inches! So these dust motes will have "tails". Eventually, these could painted on the wall, or dumped from the air for millitary applications. Lot's of unsolved problems. For sensor networks, how do you obtain large amount of data through a few base stations? Smart aggregation and routing protocols need to be employed, and the network must process the data by itself.
Just my 2c.
Re:motes (Score:1, Funny)
What would happen if I inhale one of these?
Re:motes (Score:2)
"ATMega128 7.3 MHz microcontroller" -- The MICA has an ATMega128 clocked at 4MHz (and the original version had an ATMega103).
"433 MHz wireless radio, CC1000 transciver" -- The MICA has a 433MHz RFM radio. The MICA2 comes with either a 433MHz or 916MHz Chipcon 1000 radio.
Though, corrections with respect to the MICA are not especially significant, since you'd really rather be working with the MICA2.
Even if they can get the size down to "dust", the antenna HAS TO BE
Batteries remain a big problem (Score:5, Insightful)
Wireless power transmission is a possibility. At low power levels, it's quite feasible. That's how RFID tags work, after all. In controlled spaces, like hospitals, airports, aircraft, and prisons, it could work.
Re:Batteries remain a big problem (Score:2)
It has been developed using bluetooth, then modified for power-conservation and better realtime characteristics. It stays longer in hibernation then sends important sensor data on several of the bluetooth bands for a higher probability of success with less time for link negotiations.
Their "standard" is called WISA (Wireless interface for sensors and actuators), here's an article in swedish [nyteknik.se], though the magnetic p [abb.com]
Re:Batteries remain a big problem (Score:2)
A more practical alternative is energy scavenging--the use of alternative energy sources available in the node's environment.
One example is the use of piezoelectric techniques to recover energy from vibration (the famous shoe generator [computer.org]). (Electromechanical and magnetomechanical conversion means may also be used.) Others have already suggested photoelectrics. Other possibilities include changes in air temperature and pressure (which powers the Atmos clock [clockmaker.com]) and even consumption of sugar [uwe.ac.uk].
A book on energy
more useful (Score:1)
it will be the next ui. accelerometers built into gloves, arm, all that. real gesture reckognition.
unless of course neural systems break first.
i hate how age makes me worried about whether or not i should post supposedly obvious things like this. capitalism bites.
Convenience vs. privacy... (Score:5, Interesting)
Law enforcement could use these motes for cheap surveillance and community monitoring. Just think of it - some of the motes would be equipped with mics and DSPs and could be easily enabled by the consumer and/or law enforcement. Other motes would register heat/cool (for A/C & heat control) and could also track people and animals. Heck, specialized motes could be built to detect illegal drug use (pot/crack fumes). Detectives wouldn't even have to get next to your house seeing how you bought that slick wireless router (you had to since owning a wired router would brand you a terrorist with something to hide).
Madison Ave marketing would also love motes. Advertisers could use motes to determine the best time to call you (when you are home) and the best time customize your commercials (when you watch tv). How about a great rate on home insurance - only it will be terminated the moment the sensors pickup impending doom (water leak, structural damage, etc). With consumer electronics going wireless advertisers could have a field day tracking what you buy and how you act to determine what they should market to you.
Then think about the convenience - the A/C-heater could adjust the temp for the room you are in, the whole house, or some pattern possibly based on your behavior. Lights that turn on only for the rooms that are occupied, and to the level the person in that room wants. How about motes that detect that you haven't moved in 24 hours and alerts rescue/coroner. Hey, motes that listen for and act upon your command - "computer - music - light jazz - New Orleans bar after 2am" (motes play recording of bartender telling you the bar is closing and to get the hell out - only not that politely). Motes could tell you your oldest son is smoking in his room, daughter has lit some candles, teenage son is 'enjoying himself', the baby could use changing, and the wife is cheating on you (that wasn't your stain on the bed sheets). All that and more...
The motes could make your life great - in exchange for some privacy. What the heck, you have nothing to worry about as long as you are a law abiding, patriotic (to the current admin, not to the Constitution), well-adjusted citizen...
Re:Convenience vs. privacy... (Score:1)
DUST TECHNOLOGY (Score:1)
Don't forget the MIT uAMPS project! (Score:5, Informative)
http://www-mtl.mit.edu/research/icsystems/uamps/u
The uAMPS project will involve designing integrated circuits that realize wireless sensor networks. There are students researching low power integrated circuits - both analog and digital. I'm doing the wireless stuff.
You have to be careful to separate the hype from reality regarding sensor networks, but there are definitely some cool applications. One thing that I think will definitely help things progress is the new 802.15.4 standard (Zigbee).
doodles
TinyOS and NesC (Score:2, Interesting)
Over the last couple of days I downloaded [berkeley.edu] and installed TinyOS 1.1.0 for windows (146Mb!) which includes nesC, an emulator, a tutorial
Doomed from the start if.... (Score:1)
From the Intel at Berkeley site, the page about e-mailing Mars. Tt says planets getting in the way is one problem. As far as I know, no planets come between Earth and Mars!
Re:Doomed from the start if.... (Score:2)
Re:Doomed from the start if.... (Score:1)
Telemetry and control (Score:2, Insightful)
Miles to go.... (Score:1)
An interesting company (Score:1)