Following is a press release from my company, Q-Track. More details are in this recent post: NFER® RTLS for Forklift Tracking and Supply Chain Management. Always a pleasure to have good news to share! -Hans Invention expected to dramatically lower cost of supply chain visibility Huntsville, AL — June 7, […]
Technology
168 posts
Conventional RFID systems can identify assets passing through a portal, but once inside a warehouse locating the assets becomes a substantial challenge. Tagging each of the potentially thousands of assets in a typical logistics scenario is cost-prohibitive. But by identifying an asset, associating it with a forklift, and then tracking […]
Well buttressed conclusions on a possible cell phone – brain cancer link remain in short supply despite substantial research on the question. Nevertheless, inconclusive results keep leading to alarming headlines. Encouragingly though, the weakness of the case against cell phones is becoming more evident. Writing for New York Times Magazine […]
The Time Domain Corporation has sold its ultra-wideband (UWB) real-time locating systems (RTLS) business unit to a newly-formed, privately-held company: PLUS Location Systems. Here’s the full press release: Huntsville, Alabama (March 31, 2011) – Time Domain, a leader in ultra wideband (UWB) product development, announced that it has sold its […]
Time to clear out the link box… The Saga of the Scientific Swindler! (1884-1891) | Skulls in the Stars. Hat tip: BoingBoing Low Power Radio: FCC Enforcement Actions in the AM Band. 115-Year-Old Medical X-Ray Machine Comes Back to Life | Wired Science | Wired.com. How One Man Waged War […]
Steven J. Crowley once again has an update on Experimental License Applications before the FCC. A couple of highlights include: ZAI filed an application with exhibit for special temporary authority to test an ultra-wideband (UWB) vehicle-mounted radar system for identifying roadside threats and obstacles. The hardware is manufactured by Time […]
Here are some RTLS news items of interest: Chinese plans to track cell phones raise concerns: Beijing to track people’s movements via their mobile phones – Computerworld. Hat Tip: @TheSchnack Skyhook brings location-awareness to the Sony NGP, including WiFi-only models — Engadget. Computer scientists develop smart, less obtrusive tracking system […]
Initiatives Magazine had a nice article about my company, Q-Track, and the many applications of our Near-Field Electromagnetic Ranging (NFER®) Real-Time Location Systems (RTLS). Coincidentally, an older article from Technology Alabama also recently became available online: In an all-too-familiar story in the Huntsville area, a technology — which was practiced […]
Wireless researchers in industry must act before March 10 to help avoid discrimination in the FCC’s proposed revision of the Experimental Radio Service. As previously noted on ÆtherCzar, the FCC plans to reform the Experimental Radio Service, but one of the most beneficial reforms (Research Program Licenses) will only be […]
Here are some recent GPS links of interest: GPS to track truant students in Anaheim. FoxNews.com – Experts Warn of ‘Death by GPS’ as More People Visit Remote Wildernesses. US Air Force raises concerns over LightSquared’s LTE network messing with GPS — Engadget. FAA warns of ongoing GPS issues in […]
Here are some recent links of interest: Amazing how many people were taken in by what appear to be high-tech dowsing rods: Iraqi Treasury Gets Partial Refund on Magic Wands – Lowering the Bar. Remarkably, the company’s website is still up. Spy Tech Surveillance Gear – Top Surveillance Gadgets – […]
I’ll be presenting a poster, “Characterization of Error in a Near-Field Electromagnetic Ranging Real-Time Location System,” at the 2011 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium this afternoon at 13:30 in the Solano ballroom. My collaborators, John Unden, Chris Weil (now at Georgia Tech), and I collected and analyzed over four hundred […]
I’m participating in a panel discussion: “Ultra-Wideband(UWB) Technology: Past, Present, and Future” at the 2011 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium today, Wednesday January 19 at 11:50 – 13:00 in room Solana ABCD. Organized by Dr. Faranak Nekoogar (author of Ultra-Wideband Communications: Fundamentals and Applications), my fellow panelists are slated to […]
I’ll be presenting a paper, “On the Origins of RF-Based Location,” at the 2011 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium this morning at 8:00 in room Cira A. The paper collects together the pre-WWII material I’ve blogged about under the History of RF-Based Location category here at ÆtherCzar. This paper will provide […]
The 2011 IEEE Radio and Wireless Symposium kicks off today in Phoenix, Arizona. ÆtherCzar will be live-blogging the proceedings. If you are in attendance, I look forward to seeing you around the conference and particularly at my three formal appearances (all on Wednesday): Paper Presentation: “On the Origins of RF-Based […]
As noted previously on ÆtherCzar, the FCC recently issued an NPRM proposing to reform the Experimental Radio Service (ERS). While many of the reform ideas are welcomed, the Commission proposes offering favorable treatment to academic researchers over researchers in industry. This policy is difficult to justify since most technological development […]
As noted previously on ÆtherCzar, the FCC recently issued an NPRM proposing to offer favorable treatment to academic researchers over researchers in industry. Yesterday, ÆtherCzar presented evidence from wide-ranging studies showing that industry, not academia is the principal fountainhead of innovation. This previous research did not specifically address wireless technology, […]
In yesterday’s post, FCC Overhauls Experimental Licensing to Favor Academia Over Industry, I explained how a recent Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) would offer academic researchers preferred status over researchers with non-academic affiliations. The NPRM justifies this discriminatory treatment on the grounds that that universities are “a powerhouse for […]
The FCC has been busy lately with proposals on use of “white space” spectrum and, of course, net neutrality. Largely overlooked has been a much welcomed proposal (see the Notice of Proposed Rule Making or “NPRM”) to reform the Experimental Radio Service (ERS). Unfortunately, a key part of these reforms, […]
There’s yet another book out attempting to inspire what ÆtherCzar has dubbed “antennaphobia:” Disconnect: The Truth About Cell Phone Radiation, What the Industry Has Done to Hide It, and How to Protect Your Family by Devra Davis, Ph.D. I haven’t had time to read it, but I’ll pass on this […]
In 1955, a Sears Department store in Colorado Springs, CO misprinted Santa’s phone number so children calling for Santa accidentally reached the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) Commander-in-Chief’s operations “hotline.” Colonel Harry Shoup, Director of Operations, had his staff track Santa by radar and provide updates to the children who […]
Previously, ÆtherCzar shared the story of the Lightsquared’s Skyterra-1 satellite with the 22m reflector antenna – largest ever deployed in space on a commercial satellite (Orbiting 22m Dish Antenna to Provide 4G Service). Then, the satellite suffered a glitch in which the reflector antenna only deployed 98%. Some sources indicated […]
Previously, ÆtherCzar noted that the effectiveness of full body scanners has been called into question. Liquid explosives and other organic contraband contrast poorly and are said to be difficult to spot. These reports were largely anecdotal, however. Good technical information on the performance of x-ray backscatter full-body scanners has been […]
Previously, ÆtherCzar passed on the Air Force’s warning to service members to avoid geolocation services. The U.S. Army has the same concern. Here’s why. GPS equipped smart phones and digital cameras can “geotag” photos – embedding GPS coordinates in the image that tell precisely where and when the picture was […]