Technology Briefing March 24, 2005

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Smart Dust

• Technology BriefingMarch 24, 2005

Information Systems Research Center
Doug Steel
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What Is Smart Dust?

• Consists of tiny, wireless sensors or motes
• Motes communicate with one another and use a
  computer chip to process sensor data

Image Source Seth Hollar, UC Berkeley
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Origin

• Conceived by Dr. Kris Pisterof UC Berkeley
• Funded by DARPA (Dept. of Defense)

Images Sources www.darpa.mil, www.dustnetworks.co
m, www.berkeley.edu
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Field Application Monitoring Onboard Machinery

• Purpose
• Predict machinery failure
• Implementation
• 160 motes near ships pumps, compressors, and
  engines
• Motes look for unusual vibration or motion
• Challenge
• Harsh marine environment

Image Sources www.aurora-environmental.com,
www.bp.com
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Field Application Pickberry Vineyards
Accenture Field Demonstration

• Sensors humidity, wind, water, and soil
  moisture.
• Optimize watering
• Detect frost and disease
• Maximize crop yield

Image Sources www.freefoto.com,
www.ravenswood-wine.com, www.accenture.com
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Field Application Grocery Store Energy Mgmt.
Dan Bertocchini - Energy Manager

• Determine energy use of equipment
• Pinpoint machines which need repair
• Saves - Firm moves one set of smart dust
  between many stores

Image Sources www.gettyimages.com,
www.supervalu.com
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Smart Dust Today
MICA2DOT
MICA2
40 to 150 each (depends on purchase volume)
Image Source www.xbow.com
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Smart Dust Tomorrow

• Motes will be
• tiny
• inexpensive
• long lasting

Image Source www.jlhlabs.com
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Smart Dust Tomorrow
2.50
65
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Estimate Based on Intel Research Report Sensor
Nets/RFID (www.intel.com)
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Future Applications
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Scenario 1 - Forest Fire Detection

• Implementation
• Drop smart dust from an airplane
• Motes self-organize into a network

• Usage
• A mote that detects a fire notifies central
  monitoring station
• The motes location is the approximate location
  of the fire.

Image Sources http//science.nasa.gov, USDA
Forest Service - www.fs.fed.us
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Scenario 2 Spotting Pipe Corrosion

• Benefits
• Inspect pipes without crawling in tight spaces
• No need to remove insulation to inspect pipe
• Up to date status

Image Source gettyimages.com
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Scenario 3 - Streetlight Maintenance

• With Motes
• Firm can identify non-working lights without a
  physical survey
• Benefits
• Avoid labor and transportation costs of physical
  surveys
• Repairs can be organized in a more systematic
  manner

Image Sources www.gettyimages.com
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Issues

• Privacy
• Security
• Standards
• Environmental

Image Sources www.faxsuperstore.com,
gettyimages.com, zigbee.org, www.miramar.usmc.mil
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Conclusion

• Smart dust is available today
• Early adopters have used motes on oil tankers, in
  vineyards, and grocery stores

• Eventually, motes will likely be smaller,
  cheaper, and have longer lives
• This will make dust motes feasible for more
  applications

Image Sources www.bp.com, www.gettyimages.com,
www.supervalu.com
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Report available at www.uhisrc.com
Information Systems Research Center