The Intel mote is a new sensor node platform motivated by several design goals: increased CPU performance, improved radio bandwidth and reliability, and the usage of commercial off-the-shelf components in order to maintain cost-effectiveness. This new platform is built around an integrated wireless microcontroller consisting of an ARM*7 core, a Bluetooth radio, SRAM and FLASH memory, as well as various I/O options. The Intel Mote software architecture is based on an ARM port of TinyOS. Networking and routing layers have been created on top of the TinyOS base to provide Bluetooth-based multi-hop functionality. The network is self-organizing on startup and has mechanisms to repair failed links and circumvent failed nodes. A reliable high bandwidth streaming transport layer has also been created. The Intel Mote was deployed in an equipment monitoring application using industrial vibration sensors. This application was chosen since it benefits from the increased platform capabilities and network bandwidth of the Intel Mote platform. The paper presents a detailed analysis of the observed network operation, packet transfer rates, and power consumption.

No abstract available.

Sensing technology is a cornerstone for many industrial applications. Manufacturing plants and engineering facilities, such as shipboard engine rooms, require sensors to ensure product quality and efficient and safe operation. We focus on one representative application, preventative equipment maintenance, in which vibration signatures are gathered to predict equipment failure. Based on application requirements and site surveys, we develop a general architecture for this class of industrial applications. This architecture meets the application's data fidelity needs through careful state preservation and over-sampling. We describe the impact of implementing the architecture on two sensing platforms with differing processor and communication capabilities. We present a systematic performance comparison between these platforms in the context of the application. We also describe our experience and lessons learned in two settings: in a semiconductor fabrication plant and onboard an oil tanker in the North Sea. Finally, we establish design guidelines for an ideal platform and architecture for industrial applications. This paper includes several unique contributions: a study of the impact of platform on architecture, a comparison of two deployments in the same application class, and a demonstration of application return on investment.

The Intel Mote is a new sensor node platform motivated by several design goals: increased CPU performance, improved radio bandwidth and reliability and the usage of commercial off-the-shelf components in order to maintain cost-effectiveness. This new platform is built around an integrated wireless microcontroller consisting of an ARM*7 core, a Bluetooth* radio, RAM and FLASH memory as well as various I/O options. Due to the connection-oriented nature of Bluetooth, a new network formation and maintenance algorithms that are optimized for this protocol have been created. In particular, the "scatternet" mode of Bluetooth has been successfully adapted to form networks comprised of multiple piconet.