Open Competition 3 - Electronics and Photonics (September 2002)

Instant Networks Using Coin-sized Ultrawideband (UWB) Localizers

Sponsor: Aether Wire & Location, Inc.

• Project duration: 5/1/2004 - 4/30/2007
• Total project (est.): $2,925,692.00
• Requested ATP funds: $1,985,240.00

Wireless networks that can reliably locate and link mobile personnel and other assets in real time would be of great value in emergency response, manufacturing, transportation, and military applications. Such systems will not become practical, however, until costs are reduced and performance is improved. Aether Wire and Location plans a three-year project to develop and test coin-sized components for a three-dimensional positioning network that are 10 to 20 times cheaper and more accurate than today's systems. The system would consist of a network of coin-sized transceivers, which transmit and receive coded pulses to communicate and measure distances between nodes. The "system on a chip" would include an ultrawide-band (UWB) position locator and radio-frequency communications system built with mixed analog and digital circuitry at 0.13 micron feature sizes, using inexpensive complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) processes. While unproven, UWB technology offers potential advantages such as very high location accuracy, low cost, and use with as many as 1 million nodes. Technical challenges include designing low-noise circuits in mixed-signal CMOS chips, miniaturizing the antenna and other components, and achieving low-power operating levels. Practical Rescue Solutions Inc. (Eagleville, Pa.) will be subcontracted to develop a software tool kit for adapting the technology for different applications. ATP funding will accelerate the research by about three years, providing an opportunity for the United States to establish and dominate the market for such systems. Aether Wire has been unable to secure private funding because of the technical and regulatory risks involved. If successfully developed, the new technology could help save the lives of firefighters and other rescue personnel, improve asset tracking and national security, and provide the basis for a multibillion-dollar industry.

For project information:

Vincent Coli, (408) 400-0785
vince@aetherwire.com

ATP Project Manager

David K. Hermreck, (301) 975-4328
david.hermreck@nist.gov