A Surface-based In-House Network Medium for Power, Communication and Interaction

Recent advances in communication and signal processing methodologies have paved the way for a high speed home network Power Line Communication (PLC) system. The development of powerline communications and powerline control as a cost effective and rapid mechanism for delivering communication and control services are becoming attractive in PLC application, to determine the best mix of hard and software to support infrastructure development for particular applications using power line communication. Integrating appliances in the home through a wired network often proves to be impractical: routing cables is usually difficult, changing the network structure afterwards even more so, and portable devices can only be connected at fixed connection points. Wireless networks aren’t the answer either: batteries have to be regularly replaced or changed, and what they add to the device’s size and weight might be disproportionate for smaller appliances. In Pin&Play, we explore a design space in between typical wired and wireless networks, investigating the use of surfaces to network objects that are attached to it. This article gives an overview of the network model, and describes functioning prototypes that were built as a proof of concept. The first phase of the development is already demonstrated both in appropriate conferences and publications. [1] The intention of researchers is to introduce this work to powerline community; as this research enters phase II of the Pin&Play architecture to investigate, develop prototype systems, and conduct studies in two concrete application areas. The first area is user-centric and concerned with support for collaborative work on large surfaces. The second area is focused on exhibition spaces and trade fairs, and concerned with combination of physical media such as movable walls and digital infrastructure for fast deployment of engaging installations. In this paper we have described the functionality of the Pin&Play architecture and introduced the second phase together with future plans. Figure 1 shows technical approach, using a surface with simple layered structure Pushpin connectors, dual pin or coaxial

The design of personal ambient displays

Thesis (S.M.)--Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Program in Media Arts & Sciences, 1999.Includes bibliographical references (leaves 58-59).The goal of this thesis is to investigate the design of personal ambient displays. These are small, physical devices worn to display information to a person in a subtle, persistent, and private manner. They can be small enough to be carried in a pocket, worn as a watch, or even adorned like jewelry. In my implementations, information is displayed solely through tactile modalities such as thermal change (heating and cooling), movement (shifting and vibration), and change of shape (expanding, contracting, and deformation). Using a tactile display allows information to be kept private and reduces the chance of overloading primary visual and auditory activities. The display can remain ambient, transmitting information in the background of a person's perception through simple, physical means. The specific focus of this thesis is to create a number of these tactile displays, to identify and implement applications they can serve, and to evaluate aspects of their effectiveness. I have created a group of small, wireless objects that can warm up and cool down or gently move or shift. Users can reconfigure each display so that information sources like stock data or the activity of people on the internet are mapped to these different tactile modalities. Furthermore, in this thesis I consider the implications that human perception have on the design of these displays and examine potential application areas for further implementations.Craig Alexander Wisneski.S.M

The NASA SBIR product catalog

The purpose of this catalog is to assist small business firms in making the community aware of products emerging from their efforts in the Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. It contains descriptions of some products that have advanced into Phase 3 and others that are identified as prospective products. Both lists of products in this catalog are based on information supplied by NASA SBIR contractors in responding to an invitation to be represented in this document. Generally, all products suggested by the small firms were included in order to meet the goals of information exchange for SBIR results. Of the 444 SBIR contractors NASA queried, 137 provided information on 219 products. The catalog presents the product information in the technology areas listed in the table of contents. Within each area, the products are listed in alphabetical order by product name and are given identifying numbers. Also included is an alphabetical listing of the companies that have products described. This listing cross-references the product list and provides information on the business activity of each firm. In addition, there are three indexes: one a list of firms by states, one that lists the products according to NASA Centers that managed the SBIR projects, and one that lists the products by the relevant Technical Topics utilized in NASA's annual program solicitation under which each SBIR project was selected

SensorTape: Modular and Programmable 3D-Aware Dense Sensor Network on a Tape

SensorTape is a modular and dense sensor network in a form factor of a tape. SensorTape is composed of interconnected and programmable sensor nodes on a flexible electronics substrate. Each node can sense its orientation with an inertial measurement unit, allowing deformation self-sensing of the whole tape. Also, nodes sense proximity using time-of-flight infrared. We developed network architecture to automatically determine the location of each sensor node, as SensorTape is cut and rejoined. Also, we made an intuitive graphical interface to program the tape. Our user study suggested that SensorTape enables users with different skill sets to intuitively create and program large sensor network arrays. We developed diverse applications ranging from wearables to home sensing, to show low deployment effort required by the user. We showed how SensorTape could be produced at scale using current technologies and we made a 2.3-meter long prototype.National Science Foundation (U.S.) (NSF award 1256082

A hybrid sensor network for watershed monitoring

This thesis discusses the Hydrological Hybrid Communication Sensor Network (HHCSN), which is designed for in situ measurement of various hydrological properties of a watershed. HHCSN is comprised of a network of sensor strings, each of which connects up to 100 sensing nodes on a communication line as long as 100 m. Each node includes sensors that measure soil attributes of interest, as well as a microcontroller with basic communication and processing capabilities. A relay point at the surface compresses data from the nodes and wirelessly transmits it to a base station that serves as a gateway to the outside world. The base station compresses data from multiple strings and utilizes the GSM cellular infrastructure to communicate the data to a remote server and to receive software updates to be disseminated to the sensor strings. Ultra-low power design and remote maintenance result in an unattended eld life of over ve years. The system is scalable in area and sensor design modality, as covering a larger area would only entail the addition of sensor strings, and the nodes are designed to facilitate the interfacing of additional sensors. The system is robust, as the only exposed portion is the relay point. Data collection and transmission can be event-driven or time-driven. Battery power, which is supplemented by solar harvesting, and wireless short- and long-range communication, eliminate the need for surface wiring, signicantly reducing the cost of system deployment. Currently, the estimate is a cost of less than $40 for each sensor string, which compares very favorably to the price of existing systems, most of which oer very limited in situ measurement capabilities, yet cost tens of thousands of dollars --Abstract, page iii

SMART FABRICS-WEARABLE TECHNOLOGY

Smart fabrics, generally regarded as smart Textiles are fabrics that have embedded electronics and interconnections woven into them, resulting in physical flexibility that is not achievable with other known electronic manufacturing techniques. Interconnections and components are intrinsic to the fabric therefore are not visible and less susceptible of getting tangled by surrounding objects. Smart fabrics can also more easily adapt to quick changes in the sensing and computational requirements of any specific application, this feature being useful for power management and context awareness. For electronic systems to be part of our day-to-day outfits such electronic devices need to conform to requirements as regards wear-ability, this is the vision of wearable technology. Wearable systems are characterized by their capability to automatically identify the activity and the behavioral status of their wearer as well as of the situation around them, and to use this information to adjust the systems' configuration and functionality. This write-up focused on recent developments in the field of Smart Fabrics and pays particular attention to the materials and their manufacturing techniques