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 […]
RTLS
75 posts
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
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 […]
Some of the latest happenings in wireless, just in time for Wireless Wednesday: Steven J. Crowley’s always interesting Experimental License Updates. Why broadcasters need FM on cell phones – it’s all about the money. Hat Tip: Steven J. Crowley. Wireless guru Shayan Sanyal has a new blog. Check out the […]
Inertial tracking systems have an unfortunate tendency to slowly drift over time. University of Michigan Professor Johann Borenstein has developed a very effective solution to that problem. First, he places a MEMS sensor in a boot. With every step, the sensor is momentarily stationary, allowing drift to be completely reset. […]
Here are a few RTLS and wireless updates: UWB RTLS vendor Ubisense raised £5M to fund expansion. And 50 Ubisense tags are available on eBay with a starting bid of $9.99. Another UWB RTLS vendor, decaWave, was honored for “best technology development” at a tradeshow. It’s Nearly Time for Near-Field […]
John Brandon, writing at Digital Trends, features my company, The Q-Track Corporation, as one of “Six tech start-ups that could change the way we live.” Q-Track’s Near-Field Electromagnetic Ranging technology provides the “indoor GPS” to bring location awareness to the most difficult industrial RF propagation environments. The piece is a […]
Last week, Joshua Brustein reported at the New York Times that “Location-Based Services Have Not Caught On,” citing a Pew Center report that shows use of such services has declined from 5% to 4% over the last six months. The most current survey had a +/-3% margin of error. I […]
AeroScout announced yesterday that it has secured $16 million in venture financing to capitalize on the strong demand for its Real-Time Location System (RTLS) and to continue to accelerate the adoption of its Wi-Fi RFID solutions. New investor Evergreen Venture Partners led the round, and all of AeroScout’s existing investors […]
Time for more wireless updates: Here’s a great article about the British precursor to LORAN: “GEE.” GEE was one of the first implementations of the “Time-Difference-of-Arrival (TDOA)” concept used in some modern RTLS implementations. A simple explanation of Ekahau RTLS: “The Perfect Pairing of RF and IR.” Whatever happened to […]
With the launch and tracking of Sputnik in 1957, it soon became obvious that the location of the satellite could be tracked by monitoring its Doppler shift. Frank McClure persuaded fellow researchers at Johns Hopkins Applied Physics Lab to devise a satellite navigation and positioning system based on the Doppler […]
A few updates: The FCC has granted Garmin’s request for an extension of the waiver allowing transmission of digital GPS coordinate data on GMRS. Hat Tip: Steven J. Crowley Trimble acquired RFID vendor ThingMagic. Hat Tip: VeryFields RFID GS1 Hong Kong announced the winners of the Hong Kong RFID Awards […]
Convergence Systems Limited offers a $3,000 RTLS starter kit including: One (1) CS5113LP Master reader/anchor with Ethernet Five (5) CS5111LP slave reader/anchor Ten (10) CS3151 asset tags Mounting tripods & hardware Location engine software Samples applications, Documentation, SDK, and source code available via download here. Additional support via ticketing system […]
It was a busy week to have been out on vacation. Here are some RTLS and Location-Based Services links to help get caught up: My employer, NFER® RTLS vendor Q-Track, unveiled an updated website, took second place in the Global Security Challenge, West Coast Final, and was featured in RFID […]
Are you calling 911 on your cell phone because you need emergency assistance? Your cell phone provider has to be able to locate your phone to aid emergency responders in finding you. The current standard, Wireless Enhanced 911 or ‘E911″ Phase 1, requires cell phone providers to be able to […]
A few quick updates, while I recover from Wireless Wednesday on Twitter: New Scientist explains the history of complex numbers in a fascinating piece, “Putting the ‘i’ in iPods.” But since the iPod is more an accomplishment of engineering instead of physics, shouldn’t it be called the” jPod?” To learn […]
Earlier this summer, noted technology writer Robert X. Cringely embarked on a cross-country tour to visit promising start-up companies with exciting stories. The project, sponsored by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation of Kansas City, aims to help America rediscover entrepreneurship. Cringely’s tour will be the basis of a television series […]