Sensor Expo goes wireless

Aiming to present recent advances in detection, measurement, monitoring, and control, Sensor Expo 2007 will commence next month in Rosemont, IL. In an intense three days, the program will cover a wide range of innovations, with a major focus on wireless sensor networking and new sensing techniques.

The show’s keynote speeches literally put sensing technology in a universal and global perspective. On Tuesday, June 11, Steve Squyres, principal investigator for the science payload on the Mars Exploration Rover (MER) Project, looks at how a team of more than 4,000 engineers and scientists overcame a host of technical challenges on a tight schedule to launch Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. On Wednesday morning, June 12,, Gregory W. Withee, NOAA Senior Advisor to Administrator, will present NOAA’s vision for the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), which will link satellites, buoys, weather stations, and future observation instruments around the globe so we can take Earth’s “pulse.”

Measurement and detection

The technical conference has been divided into four two-day tracks and two one-day tracks that cover the broad range of sensing issues. Two-day tracks include measurement and detection (MD), wireless sensing (WS), systems and embedded intelligence (SEI), and emerging technologies and applications (ETA), while one-day tracks are low-power sensing (LPS) and the sensor and automation portfolio review (SRM). Track sessions are held in parallel during the two days.

The nine sessions of the measurement and detection (MD) track look at practical application of the latest sensing technologies. In the first MD session, (MD1, 10:15 to 11 a.m. on Tuesday) Derek Weber of Inprox Sensors (Boston, MA) looks at the advantages of digital frequency-based sensing for pressure, linear-position, acceleration, angle, and temperature measurement. Following Derek, Roman Budek of Martan (Schaumburg, IL) looks at using Hall-effect sensors reliably (MD2, 11:15 to noon).

After lunch, starting at 2 p.m. MD sessions 3, 4, and 5 provide in depth looks, respectively, at smart piezoresistive pressure sensing, magnetoresistive sensors, and 3-D optical sensing of strain and deformation. Wednesday’s sessions focus on ultrasonic sensor fundamental, temperature sensing based on precise ultrasonic timing, a solid-state gas sensor, and fiber-optic vibration sensing.

Wireless everywhere

Although an entire two-day tracks is devoted to wireless sensing, the technology makes its way into all of the tracks. Rob Conant of Dust Networks (Hayward, CA) opens the WS track on Tuesday with a look at the ROI on wireless sensor networking (WS1, 10:15 to 11 a.m.) followed by Peter Hauser of the Bluetooth SIG looking at Bluetooth’s entry into the medical and automotive wireless sensing arena (WS2, 11:15 to noon.) Tuesday afternoon sessions then look at the interoperability and coexistence of various wireless network standards Gene Yon, Accutech, WS3, 2:00 to 2:45 p.m.), real-world deployment of networks (Joerg Berthodt, Crossbow Technology, San Jose, CA, WS4, 3 to 3:45 p.m.), and efficient network deployment (Steve Thomas, Wirefree, Columbus, OH, WS5, 4 to 4:45 p.m.)

The WS sessions on Wednesday begin with an examination by David Culler, Arch Rock (San Francisco, CA) of building sensor applications as wireless Web service for easy access (WS6, 11:15 to noon). Post lunch, in WS7 (1:30 to 2:15 p.m.), Joel Young, Digi International, (Minnetonka, MN) looks at mixing multiple wireless technologies on a single network, and in WS8 (2:30 to 3:15 p.m), Jeff Raimo, Siemens (Munich, Germany,) examines the benefits of wireless mesh technology in real-life projects. One of the most interesting sessions is held to last: in WS9 (3:30 to 4:15), Thienne Johnson and Mauro Margalho of the University of Amazonia (Brazil) examine the effects of climate variables on the performance of wireless networks used for environmental monitoring.

Wireless sensing is also makes its way into other tracks. In the emerging technologies and applications track, Wirefree’s James Moore looks at the “nuts and bolts” of pushing mote technology to the edge (ETA3, Tuesday, 2 to 2:45 p.m.), and Mark McNerney, Boeing Aircraft (Seattle, WA) discusses the use of time-deterministic wireless smart sensor networks in harsh airborne environments. And SEI sessions 5, 7, 8, and 9 all address wireless networks.

Low power

Wireless sensor networking demands more efficient use of energy, and the topic starts with the LPS1 session on Tuesday from 10:15 to 11:00 a.m., when Seunghi Hong of the Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute (Daejeon, South Korea) discusses how to use transmission power can be adjusted to and energy efficient network topology.

Following Hong’s session, Omar Abed and Calin Miclaus of Kavilco/Schneider (Moorpark, CA) examine energy harvesting in LPS2 (11:15 to noon), and Wolfgang Heller, EnOcean (Salt Lake City, UT) also discusses the topic in LPS4 (3:00 to 3:45 p.m.). Steve Simon, mPhase Technologies, looks at a new battery architecture for powering networks and sensors in LPS3 (2:00 to 2:45 p.m.).

—Richard Comerford

* Sensor Expo 2007 will be held at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, Rosemont, IL, from June 11-13, 2007. To attend, register on line at http://www.sensorsexpo.com/ or contact the Customer Contact Center from 8 am to 5 p.m. EST, Monday through Friday, 508-743-0517.