TRUSS: Tracking Risk with Ubiquitous Smart Sensing

We present TRUSS, or Tracking Risk with Ubiquitous Smart Sensing, a novel system that infers and renders safety context on construction sites by fusing data from wearable devices, distributed sensing infrastructure, and video. Wearables stream real-time levels of dangerous gases, dust, noise, light quality, altitude, and motion to base stations that synchronize the mobile devices, monitor the environment, and capture video. At the same time, low-power video collection and processing nodes track the workers as they move through the view of the cameras, identifying the tracks using information from the sensors. These processes together connect the context-mining wearable sensors to the video; information derived from the sensor data is used to highlight salient elements in the video stream. The augmented stream in turn provides users with better understanding of real-time risks, and supports informed decision-making. We tested our system in an initial deployment on an active construction site.Intel CorporationMassachusetts Institute of Technology. Media LaboratoryEni S.p.A. (Firm

Use of wireless, ad-hoc networks for proximity warning and collision avoidance in surface mines

Despite the record of progress achieved in the United States with respect to reducing fatal and non-fatal injuries in surface mines, both the number and severity of these injuries remain unacceptable. A large fraction of these injuries in surface mines are caused by collisions involving large haulage equipment such as trucks, dozers, and front-end loaders. There are two main contributing factors for these collisions: (i) the massive size of these vehicles, which causes several blind spots surrounding the vehicle for the driver, and (ii) the sheer momentum of these vehicles, which makes it hard to maneuver these vehicles and often necessitates a long response time to avoid collisions. The objective of this work is to investigate the use of different kinds of wireless networks in a distributed ad-hoc mode for providing timely warning about nearby personnel and vehicles, and to evaluate their performance using tests in an actual surface mine.;The contributions of this work are as follows: (i) A zone-based proximity warning system was developed and tested using low power IEEE 802.15.4 radios for detecting obstacles and vehicles at small distances (\u3c10m), with the information of the exact zone they are in, around the vehicle. (ii) For timely warning about approaching vehicles at relatively larger distances (10-100m), a GPS system was integrated with Wi-Fi (IEEE 802.11a/b/p) radios in an ad-hoc mode, where information about approaching vehicles can be known as soon as they come into range. A communication range test was performed in an actual surface mine setting to characterize the distances at which the warnings can be reliably received using each of the IEEE 802.11 family of radios. Both the proximity warning system and the Wi-Fi-based collision avoidance system were evaluated for feasibility at an operating surface coal mine in the southern United States

Similitudes y diferencias entre Redes de Sensores Inalámbricas e Internet de las Cosas: Hacia una postura clarificadora

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) and Internet of Things (IoT) are two fields of study, which share, being an autonomous network infrastructure, where objects are interconnected to measure physical variables in scenarios such as logistics, industry, intelligent constructions, security, agriculture, among others. This similarity raises an ambiguity in the academic community's use of the terms WSN and IoT doing blurred the line of where belong the contributions that are made in each of these areas of study. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to analyze the relationship, similarity, and differences between WSN and IoT around five topics, namely: conceptual level, its general requirements and architectures, application construction and data processing. Although WSN and IoT have a common origin, their approaches are different in several ways that clarify the ambiguity arouses among the academic community.Las redes de sensores inalámbricas (WSN) e Internet de las Cosas (IoT) son dos áreas de estudio que comparten entre sí ser una infraestructura de red autónoma, en la cual se interconectan objetos para medir variables físicas y dar solución a problemas en una variedad de escenarios de aplicación, como logística, industria, construcciones inteligentes, seguridad, agricultura, entre otros. Esta semejanza suscita una ambigüedad en el uso que la comunidad académica hace de los términos, WSN e IoT, y hace borrosa la línea de dónde pertenecen las contribuciones que se realizan en cada una de estas áreas. En consecuencia, el objetivo de este artículo es analizar la relación, similitud y diferencias entre WSN e IoT en torno a cinco temas: conceptos, requisitos generales, arquitecturas, aplicaciones y tratamiento de datos. A pesar de que WSN e IoT tienen un origen en común, sus enfoques son diferentes en varios aspectos que permiten aclarar la ambigüedad suscita entre la comunidad académica

Similarities and differences between Wireless Sensor Networks and the Internet of Things: Towards a clarifying position

Las redes de sensores inalámbricas (WSN) e Internet de las Cosas (IoT) son dos áreas de estudio que comparten entre sí ser una infraestructura de red autónoma, en la cual se interconectan objetos para medir variables físicas y dar solución a problemas en una variedad de escenarios de aplicación, como logística, industria, construcciones inteligentes, seguridad, agricultura, entre otros. Esta semejanza suscita una ambigüedad en el uso que la comunidad académica hace de los términos, WSN e IoT, y hace borrosa la línea de dónde pertenecen las contribuciones que se realizan en cada una de estas áreas. En consecuencia, el objetivo de este artículo es analizar la relación, similitud y diferencias entre WSN e IoT en torno a cinco temas: conceptos, requisitos generales, arquitecturas, aplicaciones y tratamiento de datos. A pesar de que WSN e IoT tienen un origen en común, sus enfoques son diferentes en varios aspectos que permiten aclarar la ambigüedad suscita entre la comunidad académica.Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) and Internet of Things (IoT) are two fields of study, which share, being an autonomous network infrastructure, where objects are interconnected to measure physical variables in scenarios such as logistics, industry, intelligent constructions, security, agriculture, among others. This similarity raises an ambiguity in the academic community's use of the terms WSN and IoT doing blurred the line of where belong the contributions that are made in each of these areas of study. Therefore, the purpose of this article is to analyze the relationship, similarity, and differences between WSN and IoT around five topics, namely: conceptual level, its general requirements and architectures, application construction and data processing. Although WSN and IoT have a common origin, their approaches are different in several ways that clarify the ambiguity arouses among the academic community

Real Time Monitoring System for Mine Safety Using Wireless Sensor Network (Multi-Gas Detector)

Today safety of miners is a major challenge. Miner’s health and life is vulnerable to several critical issues, which includes not only the working environment, but also the after effect of it. Mining activities release harmful and toxic gases in turn exposing the associated workers into the danger of survival. This puts a lot of pressure on the mining industry. To increase the productivity and reduce the cost of mining along with consideration of the safety of workers, an innovative approach is required. Miner’s health is in danger mainly because of the toxic gases which are very often released in underground mines. These gases cannot be detected easily by human senses. This thesis investigates the presence of toxic gases in critical regions and their effects on miners. A real time monitoring system using wireless sensor network, which includes multiple sensors, is developed. This system monitors surrounding environmental parameters such as temperature, humidity and multiple toxic gases. This system also provides an early warning, which will be helpful to all miners present inside the mine to save their life before any casualty occurs. The system uses Zigbee technology to establish wireless sensor network. It is wireless networking standard IEEE 802.15.4, which is suitable for operation in harsh environment

The optical sensor mote, a novel device for enabling next generation Wireless Sensor Networks

Recent advances in micro-electronics and communications have fuelled research in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). WSNs are a collection of low power, low cost, small form factor devices referred to as sensor motes interconnected in a random manner to establish a network. Despite wide ranging research into a range of applications, significant limitations stand in the way of utilizing WSNs to monitor large scale/area environments. Optical sensing techniques are well suited for monitoring a large variety of environmental variables such as temperature, pressure, humidity, and gas concentrations. However, traditional optical sensing techniques rely on bulky solutions including spectroscopic equipment and fibre based approaches. On the other hand, photonic crystals have caused a revolution in integrated optics as they allow functionalities not possible before; however little has been reported on their use as integrated optical sensors. The research work combines the diverse but related fields of WSNs, integrated optics, and Photonic Crystals. A novel platform, the optical sensor mote, is proposed and its key building blocks are experimentally demonstrated as a feasibility study. Specifically, multi-gas sensors based on the slow light phenomenon in photonic crystal waveguides are theoretically and experimentally demonstrated. These sensors can sense multiple gases without the need of any physical changes. They can also be integrated with electronics to yield an optical sensor mote of small form factor which is stable, multi-functional, and cost-effective. The optical sensor mote represents a significant step towards enabling the wide spread use of WSNs to monitor large scale/area environments and providing a highly integrated mote platform amenable to mass production and providing multi-functions.Recent advances in micro-electronics and communications have fuelled research in Wireless Sensor Networks (WSNs). WSNs are a collection of low power, low cost, small form factor devices referred to as sensor motes interconnected in a random manner to establish a network. Despite wide ranging research into a range of applications, significant limitations stand in the way of utilizing WSNs to monitor large scale/area environments. Optical sensing techniques are well suited for monitoring a large variety of environmental variables such as temperature, pressure, humidity, and gas concentrations. However, traditional optical sensing techniques rely on bulky solutions including spectroscopic equipment and fibre based approaches. On the other hand, photonic crystals have caused a revolution in integrated optics as they allow functionalities not possible before; however little has been reported on their use as integrated optical sensors. The research work combines the diverse but related fields of WSNs, integrated optics, and Photonic Crystals. A novel platform, the optical sensor mote, is proposed and its key building blocks are experimentally demonstrated as a feasibility study. Specifically, multi-gas sensors based on the slow light phenomenon in photonic crystal waveguides are theoretically and experimentally demonstrated. These sensors can sense multiple gases without the need of any physical changes. They can also be integrated with electronics to yield an optical sensor mote of small form factor which is stable, multi-functional, and cost-effective. The optical sensor mote represents a significant step towards enabling the wide spread use of WSNs to monitor large scale/area environments and providing a highly integrated mote platform amenable to mass production and providing multi-functions

Integration of Biomolecular Recognition Elements with Solid-State Devices

Continued advances in stand-alone chemical sensors requires the introduction of new materials and transducers, and the seamless integration of the two. Electronic sensors represent one of the most efficient and versatile sensing transducers that offer advantages of high sensitivity, compatibility with multiple types of materials, network connectivity, and capability of miniaturization. With respect to materials to be used on this platform, many classes and subclasses of materials, including polymers, oxides, semiconductors, and composites have been investigated for various sensing environments. Despite numerous commercial products, major challenges remain. These include enhancing materials for selectivity/specificity, and low cost integration/ miniaturization of devices. Breakthroughs in either area would signify a transformative innovation. In this thesis, a combined materials and devices approach has been explored to address the above challenges. Biomolecular recognition elements, exemplified by aptamers, are the most recent addition to the library of tunable materials for specific detection of analytes. At the same time, nanoscale electrical devices based on tunnel junctions offer the potential for simple design, large scale integration, field deployment, network connectivity, and importantly, miniaturization to the molecular scale. To first establish a framework for studying sorption properties of solid oligonucleotides, custom designed aptamers sequences were studied to determine equilibrium partition coefficients. Linear-solvation-energy-relationship (LSER) analysis provides quantifications of non-covalent bonding properties and reveals the dominance of hydrogen bonding basicity in oligonucleotides. We find that DNA-analyte interactions have selective sorption properties similar to synthetic polymers. LSER analysis provides a chemical basis for material-analyte interactions. Oligonucleotide sequences were integrated with gold nanoparticle chemiresistors to transfer the selective sorption properties to microfabricated electrical devices. Responses generated by oligonucleotides under dry conditions were similar to standard organic mediums used as capping agents and suggests that DNA-based chemiresistor sensors operate with a similar mechanism based on sorption induced swelling. The equilibrium mass-sorption behavior of bulk DNA films could be translated to the chemiresistor sensitivity profiles. Our work establishes oligonucleotides, including aptamers, as a class of sorptive materials that can be systematically studied, engineered, and integrated with nanoscale electronic sensor devices. Experiments to investigate secondary structure effects were inconclusive and we conclude that further work should investigate DNA aptamers in buffered, aqueous environments to unequivocally establish the ability of chemiresitors to signal molecular recognition. Concurrent with the above studies, device integration and miniaturization was investigated to combine many sensing materials into a single, compact design. Arrays of nanoscale chemiresistors with critical features on the order of 10 – 100 nm were developed, using dielectrophoretic assembly of gold nanoparticles to control placement of the sensing material with nanometer accuracy. The nanoscale chemiresistors achieved the smallest known gold nanoparticle chemiresistors relying on just 2 – 3 layers of nanoparticles within 50 nm gaps, and were found to be more robust and less dependent on film thickness than previously published designs. Due to shorter diffusion paths, the sensors are also faster in response and recovery. A proof-of-concept, integrated single-chip sensor array was created and it showed similar response patterns as non-integrated sensor arrays. Dielectrophoresis is established as a key enabler for nanoscale, integrated devices. Based on the major findings of the thesis work, additional investigations were initiated to investigate the potential for nanoscale chemiresitor sensors to operate in buffered, aqueous (liquid) flow cells. Preliminary experiments show that chemiresistor sensing is transferable to liquid environments where analyte molecules are observed to partition from the bulk liquid to the sensing materials, leading to a detectable change of the device electrical properties. Comparing micron- and nano-scale devices fabricated using aqueous oligonucleotide-functionalized gold nanoparticles, it was found that nanoscale chemiresistors are more resistant to solvent damage than 5 µm chemiresistors. We conclude that future experiments to investigate aptamer sensing in aqueous solutions is a promising direction. Overall, this thesis is a significant contribution to materials development and device design to attain improved sensor selectivity and higher levels of device integration. First, it offers a scheme for design, selection, and validation of materials that confer analyte-specific interactions. Second, it paves the way for large scale sensor integration and parallel operation on a single chip. Lastly, it offers an approach to combine biomolecular recognition elements with electronic devices into robust, nanoscale detection systems. Based on the major findings of the thesis work, additional investigations were initiated to investigate the potential for nanoscale chemiresitor sensors to operate in buffered, aqueous (liquid) flow cells. Preliminary experiments show that chemiresistor sensing is transferable to liquid environments where analyte molecules are observed to partition from the bulk liquid to the sensing materials, leading to a detectable change of the device electrical properties. Comparing micron- and nano-scale devices fabricated using aqueous oligonucleotide-functionalized gold nanoparticles, it was found that nanoscale chemiresistors are more resistant to solvent damage than 5 µm chemiresistors. We conclude that future experiments to investigate aptamer sensing in aqueous solutions is a promising direction. Overall, this thesis is a significant contribution to materials development and device design to attain improved sensor selectivity and higher levels of device integration. First, it offers a scheme for design, selection, and validation of materials that confer analyte-specific interactions. Second, it paves the way for large scale sensor integration and parallel operation on a single chip. Lastly, it offers an approach to combine biomolecular recognition elements with electronic devices into robust, nanoscale detection systems

Adaptive Energy Saving and Mobility Support IPv6 Routing Protocol in Low-Power and Lossy Networks for Internet of Things and Wireless Sensor Networks

Internet of Things (IoT) is an interconnection of physical objects that can be controlled, monitored and exchange information from remote locations over the internet while been connected to an Application Programme Interface (API) and sensors. It utilizes low-powered digital radios for communication enabling millions and billions of Low-power and Lossy Network (LLN) devices to communicate efficiently via a predetermined routing protocol. Several research gaps have identified the constraints of standardised versions of IPv6 Routing Protocol for Low Power and Lossy Networks evidently showing its lack of ability to handle the growing application needs and challenges. This research aims to handle routing from a different perspective extending from energy efficiency, to mobility aware and energy scavenging nodes thereby presenting numerous improvements that can suit various network topologies and application needs. Envisioning all the prospects and innovative services associated with the futuristic ubiquitous communication of IoT applications, we propose an adaptive Objective Function for RPL protocol known as Optimum Reliable Objective Function (OR-OF) having a fuzzy combination of five routing metrics which are chosen based on system and application requirements. It is an approach which combines the three proposed implemented Objective Functions within this thesis to enable the OR-OF adapt to different routing requirements for different IoT applications. The three proposed OFs are Energy saving Routing OF, Enhanced Mobility Support Routing OF and Optimized OF for Energy Scavenging nodes. All proposed OFs were designed, implemented, and simulated in COOJA simulator of ContikiOS, and mathematical models were developed to validate simulated results. Performance Evaluation indicated an overall improvement as compared with the standardised versions of RPL protocols and other related research works in terms of network lifetime with an average of 40%, packet delivery ratio of 21%, energy consumption of 82% and End-to-End Delay of 92%