New Single-Chip RFID Data Logger with Sensor Can Reduce Medical and Environmental Safety Concerns

WOLLERAU, Switzerland --(Business Wire)-- IDS Microchip, a fabless semiconductor company focused on all aspects of radio-frequency identification (RFID) technology, today began shipping development kits to early adopters for a first-of-its-kind RFID sensor and data logging chip, the IDS-SL900A. Based on the popular EPC Gen2 standard for supply chain applications, this new single-chip solution enables a vast new array of medical, food, healthcare and environmental-supervision applications that ensure quality and/or freshness. Like its high-frequency (HF) version, the IDS-SL13A introduced last year, it can automatically track, monitor, time-stamp and record temperature, pressure, humidity, light, sound and other information about any goods in supply chain or cold chain transport. However, unlike any other RFID solution, it also can be configured to notify users automatically of an event. This event-driven capability enables various applications in the cold chain, pharmaceutical, and food and health industries, as well as applications in the construction industry, and makes it possible to determine the conditions of materials used, in an economical, non-invasive and practical way. The IDS-SL900A’s sensor reading range of up to five or six meters is at least triple that of other data monitors/loggers. IDS Microchip will demonstrate the new IDS-SL900A at RFID Journal LIVE! 2010 in Orlando, Fla., Apr. 14-16, and at Euro ID 2010 in Cologne, Germany May 4-6, 2010.

Oluf Alminde, director of Sales & Marketing at IDS Microchip, said, “The new SL900A chip and sensor helps prevent the use of expired or faulty goods that could endanger people’s lives. For example, in medical and healthcare applications its automatic alarm can be set to warn users when freshness dates expire for food or pharmaceutical items such as insulin in the fridge, or for goods on store shelves. In terms of environmental safety, the SL900A sensor can be used to detect humidity in concrete instantly and effortlessly – replacing costly bridge closings, traffic reroutes, and jack-hammering, for example, with accurate assessment simply by driving across a bridge roadbed that has the chip embedded in it. The SL900A eliminates hassles and keeps people safer.”

For further information, visit www.ids-microchip.com.

Satellite industry awards recognise Inmarsat innovation

 Inmarsat has won two awards for innovation from leading satellite industry organisations.

The Society of Satellite Professionals International (SSPI) selected Inmarsat and EADS Astrium as the recipients of a 2010 Industry Innovator Award for "the complex, multi-year effort to develop and launch the Inmarsat-4 system of spacecraft".

It was accepted by Inmarsat chief technical officer Gene Jilg at an awards ceremony on 16 March.

The Industry Innovators Awards, introduced in 1993, recognise outstanding new contributions to the field of satellite communications by both private-sector and public-sector organisations.

Industry experts
Recipients are chosen by a committee of industry experts for accomplishments ranging across a broad spectrum of advanced satellite technology and business applications.

Explaining why it had selected Inmarsat and EADS Astrium for the systems development and applications award, the SSPI stated: "The I-4 satellites use onboard processors to adapt to changes in traffic across the globe, and can generate nearly 256 spot beams for users on Earth while dynamically allocating bandwidth based on demand.

"A unique feature of the I-4s is the ability to generate beams of variable size to adjust the performance of the link with user terminals of different size and capability.

Global broadband
"The main technical challenges faced in developing the six-ton I-4s were design and manufacture of the digital processor, plasma propulsion system, payload engineering and system engineering by EADS Astrium in the UK and France; the L-band reflector by Astro Space (Northrup Grumman, USA); and the L-band feed by EMS (now MDA, Canada)."

Following the launch of the third I-4 satellite in August 2008, and a successful satellite repositioning programme that ended in February 2009, Inmarsat became the only satellite operator to offer mobile broadband services on a global basis.

The second innovation award, for the maritime service, FleetBroadband, was presented to Inmarsat's global networks and engineering senior vice-president Richard Denny by the Mobile Satellite Users Association (MSUA).

Rapid adoption
Association president Tim Farrar said: "This year, the Innovation Award recognizes Inmarsat's FleetBroadband, which... is being adopted rapidly in the maritime market across a range of vessels. We are pleased to honour this innovative product."

MSUA is a non-profit organisation that promotes the interests of mobile satellite users worldwide by fostering communications between end-users, suppliers and operators.

Both organisations also recognised the work of Inmarsat-sponsored aid agency Télecoms Sans Frontières for providing emergency satellite communications to relief workers and local populations in disaster zones.

Both awards were presented in National Harbor, Maryland in the US at events held in conjunction with the Satellite 2010 conference and exhibition.

MSUA 

SSPI 

Motorola Fleet Management for Two-way Radio Batteries and Chargers

Las Vegas, Nev. – March 2010 – The Enterprise Mobility Solutions business of Motorola, Inc. introduces IMPRES Fleet Management for Motorola’s exclusive IMPRES two-way radio batteries and chargers.  As soon as a battery is inserted into an IMPRES charger, information is collected and shared with administrators to easily determine proper actions, such as proactively removing poorly performing batteries from the fleet or ensuring each user has the appropriate capacity battery based on their needs. Accumulated data is managed through pre-defined or customizable reports that provide key information to ensure users operate their batteries and chargers to maximum efficiency.

“Managing the performance of the two-way radio batteries is an important part of ensuring optimal performance of the entire radio system,” said Nick Candotti, director of Global Accessory and Energy Business, Motorola Enterprise Mobility Solutions.  “When users begin their shifts, it is critical they understand the exact capacity of their radio battery and know to replace poor performing batteries in advance to increase worker productivity and safety.”

IMPRES Fleet Management allows system administrators to quickly run reports that allow them to proactively manage their fleet of IMPRES batteries and chargers.  They are no longer guessing when batteries need to be replaced within their fleet or keeping a significant stock of spare batteries on hand.

“System administrators can save significant time and money by having a system that provides all their key IMPRES battery and charger information in one place,” added Candotti. “In addition to time saved, operational costs are reduced with fewer spare batteries on hand because of increased information about the existing battery fleet.”

"With IMPRES Fleet Management, we were able to quickly run reports and analyze data on IMPRES batteries and chargers we previously managed manually." said Lieutenant Wayne Rothbauer from the Hoffman Estates Fire Department in Illinois. “Having this information at our fingertips allows us to automate our battery management, saves significant time and ensures our firefighters have batteries that operate at maximum efficiency."

IMPRES Fleet Management is most beneficial for mid-to-large sized organizations that have at least 100 IMPRES batteries in their fleet such as public safety agencies, public works, utilities and manufacturing companies.

For more information, visit www.motorola.com, or visit booth 141 at International CTIA Wireless, in the M2M Zone.

OnAsset Intelligence Acquires Chemical and Bio-Agent Sensor Technology

OnAsset SENTRY Device Integrated with Quantum Fingerprint Sensor Technology from United States Semiconductor Corporation and NxGen Electronics to Secure Cargo from Biological Tampering

IRVING, Texas --(Business Wire)-- Mar 09, 2010 OnAsset Intelligence Inc., a leading provider of machine-to-machine (M2M) wireless asset tracking, sensing, and control solutions, today announces that the company has acquired exclusive marketing and distribution rights to the Quantum Fingerprint Sensor Technology (QF Technology) from United States Semiconductor (US-Semi) and NxGen Electronics for the consumer, commercial, and industrial markets. This technology enables environmental sensing of explosives, chemical and biological agents, biological cargo, and illegal drugs. Combined with OnAsset’s wireless SENTRY™ device used for monitoring and securing freight for intermodal, ocean, and air cargo shipments, customers of OnAsset will be able to monitor cargo location and security as well as whether any dangerous, illegal, or possibly hazardous materials have been placed inside the container with their cargo.

“Maintaining cargo security as shipping containers move between countries is critically important to the world economy,” said Adam Crossno, President and CEO of OnAsset, “during this time when security concerns are at an all-time high, deploying a sensor that determines whether the container space has been in contact with an illegal or dangerous substance provides a new, unprecedented level of awareness.”

The QF technology is a ground-breaking sensor technology that in lab trials has already been proven to be more consistent and effective than specially trained narcotics detection dogs. This sensor is the only sensor available that can sample the environment in milliseconds on a parts-per-trillion basis and that can perform this unique capability at a distance of up to 10 meters. For the world cargo business, this is a major break-through, making it possible to validate the load integrity throughout the entire container with one sensor.

“The combination of OnAsset’s wireless SENTRY product line with the QF technology is very exciting for the asset security industry,” says Richard Ausbrook, President of NxGen Electronics. “Not only will companies know if inappropriate items or contraband are being shipped with their cargo, they will know in real-time when and where they were inserted.”

The integration of QF with SENTRY is underway now with field trials for customers targeted during Q3 of 2010. OnAsset with US-Semi and NxGen will be commercializing the technology for use with all OnAsset hardware products including the award-winning SENTRY FlightSafe™ for air freight and its SENTRY ContainerSafe™ line for refrigerated and non-refrigerated containers.

“We’re excited that technology developed for government and military applications will now be used in the commercial marketplace, and we’re very pleased that the sensor capabilities we’ve created will contribute to the global security focus,” says David Salva, President of US-Semi. “Not only do we facilitate the need for supply chain information and security, we contribute to the velocity and efficiencies of this critical global segment."

MainStreet MD Launches Personal Safety Solutions Built on Cloud Computing Platform

Personal Safety and Telemedicine solutions provider MainStreet Monitoring Devices selects SensorLogic's asset tracking Cloud Computing Platform as a Service (PaaS) to build and manage tracking and monitoring systems that advance the care and protection of children and seniors, including individuals challenged with autism, Alzheimer's, and other developmental and sensory disorders.

Dallas, TX and Cranston, RI - March 3, 2010

MainStreet Monitoring Devices, Inc., an innovator of superior personal safety and telemedicine solutions to advance the care and protection of children and seniors, and SensorLogic™, the leading cloud platform for asset tracking and monitoring applications, announce today that MainStreet MD has launched two new products, CareTracker and CareAlert, which are built, deployed and managed using the SensorLogic Cirrus™ Platform as a Service (PaaS). The Cirrus platform allows solution providers, like MainStreet MD to rapidly develop and deploy turnkey personal location services without hiring software programmers, establishing data centers or contracting with wireless operators. The accelerated ability to go-to-market provides MainStreet MD with a distinct competitive advantage.

 MainStreet MD's CareTracker, unlike similar personal safety devices, integrates machine to machine technologies with human elements to provide family and professional caregivers with a proactive and preventative solution for the protection of children and seniors, including those challenged with autism, Alzeheimer's, and other developmental and sensory disorders. There lightweight instruments can be worn as a pendant or wristwatch, carried in the pocket of clothing or clipped to a belt. Caregivers can easily monitor an individual's location by accessing the CareTracker website online from a computer, Apple iPhone, or other smartphone - a flexibility, manageability, and extensibility of application provided by SensorLogic's robust Cirrus platform. The CareAlert is MainStreet MD's emergency response alert system device.

"MainStreet MD provides a critically important service and we're gratified to play a key role in their important mission says Michael Campbell, President and CEO of SensorLogic. "MainStreet MD's CareTracker delivers significant advantage in the use of tracking technologies for personal safety."
 
"Information and prevention are the cornerstones of MainStreet MD's personal safety product design," states Craig Baker, CEO and Founder of MainStreet MD, "empowering professional and family caregivers of individuals with special needs to be continuously and proactively involved in monitoring their safety and treatment. The CareTracker series, by integrating SensorLogic's Cirrus platform with MainStreet MD's Emergency Response Center, provides a level of reporting and rapid-response to events that no other personal safety solution in the market can lay claim."