News
MicroStrain wins Navy contract for self powered wireless sensor networks
Source: MicroStrain Press Release
Burlington, Vermont 17 December 2003
The US Navy has selected MicroStrain, Inc. to develop the next generation of self-powered wireless sensor networks.
The Navy award will fund the development of a new class of wireless
sensors that eliminate the need for battery maintenance. The sensors,
instead, rely on harvesting strain & vibration energies from their
working environment to sense information and to wirelessly transmit
that information to a central host. This breakthrough will not only
reduce the cost of sensor applications by reducing costly wiring and
replacement of batteries but it will also expand the types of
applications where sensors can be deployed.
The award builds on development initially funded by a Vermont EPSCoR
Phase 0 SBIR award and a Department of Defense Phase I SBIR grant to
demonstrate prototype energy harvesting systems that employ
piezoelectric materials. The new award provides over $700,000 for
research and development under the Department of Defense SBIR II
program and will lead to new breakthroughs in wireless sensing
networks.
Phase I included improvements in efficiency of the piezoelectric energy
harvesting circuit, modifications to minimize power consumption, and
development of mathematical models to facilitate piezoelectric energy
harvesting from a straining structure and vibratory environment. In
Phase II, improvements to the piezoelectric energy harvesting wireless
sensor nodes and integration with Navy infrastructure for shipboard
network communications are planned. The Phase II Option will
demonstrate these energy harvesting wireless sensor networks on the
Navy's machines and structures.
About MicroStrain
MicroStrain, Inc. produces a range of wireless sensing instruments,
including microprocessor based, multichannel, programmable transmitters
that are compatible with a wide range of sensors, including:
thermocouples, strain gauges, accelerometers, displacement sensors, and
capacitive sensors. MicroStrain is a privately held corporation based
in Burlington, Vermont USA.
Contact: Lynne McMinn, VP Marketing lmmcminn@together.net MicroStrain Inc Tel: (802) 862 6629 Internet: www.microstrain.com
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