GIL 2012: Europe -- The Global Community of Growth, Innovation and Leadership Annual Congress (www.gil-global.com/europe) is scheduled to be held in London on 9th May. TechVision 2020 - one of the highlights of this year's GIL Global 2012 events - will delve into technologies that are set to dramatically transform industries, strategies and businesses.

The selected technologies that will be discussed at the congress spread across nine sectors - Advanced Manufacturing & Automation, Sensors & Controls, Microelectronics, Materials & Coatings, Information & Communication Technology, Clean & Green Environment, Sustainable Energy, Health & Wellness and Medical Devices & Imaging Technology -  and represent the bulk of R&D and innovation activity today.

Assessing intelligence on several emerging and disruptive technologies and innovations from around the globe, Frost & Sullivan's analysts will nominate the top 50 technologies which it believes have the maximum potential for global adoption and possess significant commercial potential.

In the fields of Industrial Automation & Process Control and Measurements & Instrumentation, particular attention will be given for instance to breakthrough microelectronics innovations such as flexible electronics. With global CAGR expected to increase by 19% by 2014, this technology finds use in a variety of potential markets with connected needs: consumer electronics, supply chain, food packaging, medical devices and the military sector.

Wireless power transmission and smart sensor technologies will also be analyzed, as well as digital manufacturing -- or e-manufacturing. The latter refers to the use of simulation tools, product lifecycle management (PLM) software and ICT solutions to achieve higher productivity in manufacturing, thereby increasing competitiveness through collaborative new product design, agile manufacturing, and supply chain integration.

TechVision 2020 showcases each selected technology, closely assessing the potential of a given technology platform to understand the true market opportunities, while evaluating the risk-reward elements. It appraises technology maturity and adoption ratings, possible year of impact and patent landscape, examines private and government funding trends, and explores future technology and application roadmaps.

The focus at GIL 2012: Europe is on sharing, engaging, and inspiring a continuous flow of new ideas and fresh perspectives which leverage innovation as a resource to help address global challenges. This event is designed to fuel creativity and offer access to best practices, tools and strategies that will drive growth and inspire innovation.

To read more about GIL 2012: Europe please go to http://www.gilcommunity.com.

COX Flow Measurement, a division of Badger Meter, Inc. supplying high-accuracy flow measurement instrumentation for the world's most challenging applications and a leading provider of primary standard, NIST-traceable calibrations for all types of flow meters, has been named a Commercial Calibration Laboratory for Sandia National Laboratories.

COX Flow Measurement is certified compliant to the U.S. National Voluntary Laboratory Accreditation Program (NVLAP) and ANSI/NCSL Z540, and accredited to ISO/IEC 17025:2005. COX will provide calibrations on all flow meters submitted by Sandia National Laboratories. All calibrated items will be managed through Sandia's Primary Standards Laboratory, which offers on-site services for calibration and maintenance throughout the laboratories.

COX Flow Measurement offers highly documented, NIST-traceable calibration services for every type of modern flow measurement device. Government, Aerospace, Industrial, OEM and Test & Measurement users use their calibration services.

Under the auspices of the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) National Nuclear Security Administration, Sandia National Laboratories' develops and tests the non-nuclear components of nuclear weapons.

COX Flow Measurement General Manager, Mike Wusterbarth, commented, "We welcome the opportunity to supply our NIST-traceable and NVLAP-accredited calibration services to Sandia National Laboratories."

Libelium, a specialist in wireless sensor networks for Smart Cities solutions, announces the launch of the new RFID/NFC module for the Waspmote sensor platform. The new radio module extends Waspmote features allowing sensor data to be used in Location Based Services (LBS), such as asset tracking, supply chain monitoring, intelligent shopping or access management.

By using RFID/NFC passive sensors along with ZigBee active sensors, asset tracking can be more accurate than ever along the whole supply chain process. Product management softwares, like ERPs, will access in real time to information related to remaining stock, storage and transportation conditions (temperature and humidity levels, vibrations, light exposure, etc), expiration dates and even consumer profiles, knowing time spent in front of a shelf or products picked up and not bought.

Security applications, including access control, can also be covered with this technology as the RFID standard  -Mifare- uses a 6 bytes key to ensure maximum privacy and authentication requirements, a major concern in this technology.

The information given by the passive tags (cards, keyrings, stickers, etc) is read by the RFID/NFC interface and then transmitted  using the ZigBee radio to an Internet Gateway which will finally  upload it to a Cloud server making it accessible everywhere. The identification data can also be sent to the Cloud directly using the Wifi radio which performs secure connections with the web servers (HTTPS).

NFC technologies, quickly adopted in the majority of Smartphones brands, allows everyone to be part of the Internet of Things. A company representative predicts that “Soon, we will scan products in the supermarket with our Smartphones to check if they contain anything our family is allergic to and see nutritional information while our fridge will warn us about expiring dates and suggest shopping lists according to our preferences”.

This RFID/NFC radio completes Waspmote connectivity - which already covers ZigBee, Wifi, Bluetooth  and 3G/GPRS - making it compliant with any wireless technology in the market. The new module is available in both 125KHz and 13.56MHz bands to ensure compatibility with previous RFID deployments.

More information about the new RFID-ZigBee platform is available at http://www.libelium.com/rfid_nfc_zigbee_sensors.

Engineers and executives planning to attend the Sensors Expo & Conference will have the opportunity to hear from Assaf Biderman who is currently teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is the Associate Director of SENSEable City Laboratory - a research group that explores the "real-time city" by studying the increasing deployment of sensors and networked hand-held electronics, as well as their relationship to the built environment. Biderman will deliver the keynote presentation "A Human-Computer-City Interface" on Wednesday, June 6 at 9 am.

In this keynote, Assaf Biderman will present a view of the role sensors and other data capturing methods can play in making new connections between people and the built environment as a way to address some of todays more pressing urban challenges. The presentation will focus on how cities are facing unparalleled opportunities now that distributed digital technologies like sensing, microprocessors, and network connectivity are becoming an integral part of the built environment. This new condition allows individuals to monitor the city and make smarter decisions as they move around, consume, and interact with the urban environment. We can view this as a new type of human-computer-city interface, through which individuals and organizations can create and connect with new urban services, and which opens multiple avenues for innovation to make its way into our cities. With the global move toward urbanization, and given the challenges that cities face-environmental impact, energy consumption, transportation-such opportunities have become particularly relevant.

The Expo Hall, featuring leading hundreds of vendors showcasing the latest sensing technologies and systems, will be open on Wednesday, June 6 from 10 am - 5 pm and on Thursday, June 7 from 10 am - 3 pm. Conference sessions will run from 10 am - 4 pm both days with keynote presentations starting at 9:00 am. The event will take place at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center, 5555 N. River Road, Rosemont, Illinois. Registration is open at www.sensorsexpo.com and packages are available at low early bird rates for a limited time.

What are Net Zero Energy Buildings (NZEBs) and why do they matter? NZEB guru Tim Wentz shares his ideas at a meeting of building technology experts. Meeting sponsored by ITT (Now Xylem) RCW.

Tim Wentz is a registered professional engineer, a LEED Accredited Professional and a member of the faculty of the University of Nebraska-Lincoln’s Construction Management program. He received MCAA’s 2009 Distinguished Service Award and is an ASHRAE fellow.

With wireless sensor network integrators facing intense time to market pressure, it is important that the adoption of latest sensor node and mesh router technologies is as rapid as possible. Commonly encountered engineering issues include configuring the ZigBee network or connecting sensors.

Libelium, maker of wireless sensor solutions for Smart Cities, has announced its e-learning platform. The new training and support capability provides a highly interactive service for system integrators who need to develop and deploy wireless sensor networks quickly.

Typical network issues are easily solved by webinars with webcam and voice interaction between participants. Source code files can be shared within a session enabling the teacher to modify and correct the code of the students in real time. Users can also communicate publicly or privately and can even assign control of their screens to other participants.

See how in the video below, courtesy of Libelium.

What is SmartGrid?

Nextreme Thermal Solutions has developed two new energy harvesting subsystems for the plumbing and HVAC industries. The subsystems are the latest additions to Nextreme's Thermobility(TM) energy harvesting platform that uses thin-film thermoelectric technology to convert available thermal energy into electric power for a variety of autonomous self-powered applications.

Thermobility uses differences in temperature to enable power anywhere there is an adequate heat source. The advanced technology eliminates the need to use traditional wired power sources or replaceable batteries. When paired with wireless transmitters, the Thermobility solution can provide electric power for years of maintenance-free operation, thus expanding the possibilities for new wireless sensor applications in plumbing, HVAC, industrial control, transportation, automotive and building management. Thermobility is the ideal power source for wireless transmission applications.

Nextreme is actively applying Thermobility energy harvesting in the development of plumbing subsystems. Water in plumbing fixtures provides an excellent source of thermal energy for a variety of "green plumbing" applications. Thermal energy from water supply lines under a sink and during flush valve operations can be converted to electricity as a source of power for LED status indicators, hands-free faucets, soap dispenser solenoids, and wireless transmitters for data acquisition applications. Harvested power can help reduce the size of batteries or eliminate them entirely depending on the application.

The HVAC industry can employ Thermobility wireless power generators in applications for sensing of temperature, humidity and airflow in HVAC systems. Wireless Thermobility sensor subsystems can harvest thermal energy from the hot or cold temperature differences found in air plenums, thus eliminating the need to provide wires to these devices. HVAC subsystems can store energy and provide on-demand power while reducing the total cost of ownership by eliminating the prohibitive cost of battery replacement.

Today’s city councils face many challenges requiring effective monitoring. Noise pollution is a common environmental problem affecting both the quality of life and health. Atmospheric pollution - whether in the form of gases such as CO2 and NO2 or dust - is a threat to the health of urban dwellers by causing respiratory diseases. With many of the largest structures - including buildings, bridges and roads - located in cities, ensuring that such structures are sound is critical for public safety. Last, but not least, traffic management is a major challenge with the need to minimize emissions and avoid unnecessary journeys. Until now, some of these challenges have been addressed separately with separate vertical solutions; but city councils cannot afford to deploy one sensor network for each type of problem.

To meet these needs, Libelium has announced the completion of its Smart Cities platform with a new sensor board that measures noise pollution, dust quantities, structural health and garbage levels. This board may be combined in a network with previously available sensor boards - for gas monitoring, radiation detection and Smart Parking - thus offering a comprehensive range of sensors for urban use. System integrators can now create a comprehensive range of services based on the Smart Cities platform.

The new sensor board includes four new sensors:

• A noise sensor detected sound pressure level (dBSPL). This sensor can be used to detect noise from traffic and people. It is suitable for creating a real-time noise map of a city.
• A particulate matter (dust) sensor for measuring PM-10 concentrations. The sensor is capable of measuring concentrations down to 0.1 micrograms per cubic metre.
• A crack sensor for measuring cracks in public structures such as buildings and bridges. It can detect displacements as small as 10 micrometres as well as oscillations and dilations. This sensor is applicable to Structural Health Monitoring.
• An ultrasound sensor capable of measuring garbage levels in bins. This can enable waste management services to empty rubbish only from bins that are sufficiently full thus saving time and fuel.

The board also includes temperature, light and humidity sensors.

The Smart Cities platform enables system integrators to deploy a heterogeneous wireless sensor network with a combination of sensor boards for city councils based on Waspmote wireless sensing technology.

System integrators can exploit Waspmote’s modularity and open source software to create custom solutions for a particular city. Motes or nodes in the network communicate with their gateway using ZigBee radio links. The over the air (OTA) programming capability ensures that sensors can be updated without requiring physical access. The platform’s outstanding low power performance ensures that Smart City networks have minimal battery requirements or can work from solar power.

Note: Libelium recently won the Best of Sensors Expo award in the category of data acquisition at the 2011 Sensors Expo for their radiation sensor board.

The quality of city life across the world is negatively impacted by atmospheric pollution and congested roads. Road congestion results in lost time for motorists, wasted fuel and is a major cause of air pollution. A significant contribution to congestion arises from motorists searching for available parking spaces - often requiring a considerable time before they are successful - and is a major cause of driver frustration. Providing accurate information to drivers on where to find available parking spaces helps traffic flow better and allows the deployment of applications to book parking spaces directly from the car.

Libelium, a wireless sensor networking company, has a solution they call the Waspmote-based Smart Parking platform. The new Smart Parking sensor is designed to be buried in parking spaces and to detect the arrival and departure of vehicles. The Smart Parking platform will allow system integrators to offer comprehensive parking management solutions to city councils. By providing accurate information on available parking spaces, motorists save time and fuel and cities reduce atmospheric pollution and congestion.

Alicia Asín, Libelium’s CEO said, “The first deployment of the platform will be with SmartSantander – a unique city-scale experiment in applications of smart city technology which is already considered as a reference in the Smart Cities field”. The concept is part of what the company calls its Smart Cities solutions portfolio.

Parking sensors must be robust enough to be buried under parking spaces. The sensor nodes are supplied in a PVC casing rated at IK10 for mechanical impact protection and at IP67 for ingress protection. The use of PVC ensures that radio communication is not hindered.

Waspmote’s power management and over the air programming (OTA) mean that, once installed, parking sensors do not need to be accessed for years. Motes only need to transmit when a parking event – a vehicle arriving or leaving a space – takes place. With suitable batteries a sensor can operate for five years before it needs to be physically accessed for battery replacement. OTA programming enables the software for entire networks to be upgraded efficiently over the radio network without digging up the parking spaces. The low maintenance involved in smart parking sensor networks means that networks with hundreds of nodes can readily be deployed.

Smart parking sensors communicate with their gateway via radios at either 2.4 GHz or 868/900 MHz. For 2.4 GHz ZigBee connections, mesh networks are implemented with routing motes located in street lights. For the lower frequency radios, it is possible for parking sensors to communicate directly with the gateway as the propagation distance is longer.

The Smart Parking board will be exhibited for the first time from 6th-8th June 2011 on Booth #500 at the Sensors Expo & Conference in Rosemont, IL, USA.


For more information visit: http://www.libelium.com/smart_parking.