College of Engineering                                                  122 Hitchcock Hall

                                                                                                                2070 Neil Avenue

                                                                                                                Columbus, Oh 43210-1278

 

 

 

           

 

News Advisory                                                               

                                                                                        For immediate release: September 2, 2003               

                                                                                                                                    Contact: Geneva Ringel

                                                                                                                                    614/292-4064

                                                                                                                                    ringel.10@osu.edu

 

 

 

Tiny Sensors Detect Intruders

 

COLUMBUS, Ohio – Intruders may soon have to watch where they step. Technology developed by an Ohio State engineer-scientist will enable tiny dust-sized sensors scattered on the ground to detect and classify an intruder’s movements.

 

Anish Arora, professor of computer and information science, and his research group are developing the software that enables distributed sensors, sometimes called “smart dust”, to self-organize into a network capable of detecting, tracking and classifying intruders into groups such as civilians, soldiers, or vehicles. The network also has a self-healing capability that enables it to compensate for a destroyed or malfunctioning sensor without human intervention.

 

A public demonstration of this technology is planned for Monday, September 8 at 11:30am in the north lawns of Chemical Abstract Services (2540 Olentangy River Road).

 

“Smart dust” is the popular name for a wireless sensor network technology developed by DARPA that could transform not only the way we fight but possibly even the way we live. Increasingly, this technology is being applied to industrial and consumer products in addition to its military applications.

 

 

 

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