Kristofer S.J. Pister (Advisor)

Research Advised by Professor Kristofer S.J. Pister

Pister Group:  List of Projects | List of Researchers

KSJP25: Ultra-Low Power Radio for Sensor Networks

Alyosha Molnar
2004

Wireless sensor networks require cheap, very low power radios. We are exploring simple circuits in standard analog CMOS to provide this functionality. Although performance requirements are relatively easy, the transceiver should only consume on the order of 1mW. The challenge therefore is to provide relatively high transmitter efficiency even when radiating relatively little power, and to maintain a relatively selective, sensitive receiver while consuming as little current as possible. At a 1% duty cycle from a standard lithium-ion coin cell, this implies several years of operation...

KSJP24: Ivy - A Sensor Network Infrastructure for the College of Engineering

Jaein Jeong
2004

IVY is a research infrastructure of networked sensors for the College of Engineering at UC Berkeley.

Project end date: 08/30/04

KSJP12: Off-the-Shelf Distributed Robots (COTS-BOTS)

Sarah Bergbreiter
2004

The goal of the CotsBots project is to use commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components to build and deploy inexpensive and modular robots, which can be used to investigate algorithms and cooperation in large (>50) robot networks. Distributed robot networks have applications ranging from mapping and exploration to constructing complex systems. Work in BSAC is targeted towards providing a standard robot platform with a variety of modular sensor and actuator boards to test algorithms to solve these problems. In addition, we would like to explore the development of sensors that would...

KSJP23: Steered Agile Laser Transmitter (SALT)

Matthew Last
2004

To develop steered narrow-beam optical communication devices capable of communicating wirelessly between cubic-millimeter autonomous sensing platforms.

Project end date: 01/20/05

KSJP15: Sugar

David Bindel
Jason V. Clark
Corie Cobb
David Garmire
Raffi Kamalian
Tsuyoshi Koyama
Shyam Lakshmin
Jiawang Nie
Ying Zhang
2004

Our goal is to create an efficient system-level analysis tool for the simulation and design of complex MEMS. The program is to be readily accessible, easy to use and extend, and capable of giving speedy results for complex systems, including static, steady-state, transient, sensitivity, and bifurcation analysis results. We will also support higher-level programs for design optimization and synthesis. We will incorporate state-of-the-art numerical libraries, as well as integrating new numerical techniques, such as improved model reduction methods. We will also build software to...

KSJP29/JD: Floating Electro Mechanical Systems (FLEMS)

Jason Vaughn Clark
2004

X Long-Range Goals The objectives of this project are to understand, characterize, and find useful applications for floating electromechanical systems. Various designs will be studied with a specialized finite element method with charge integral constraints.

Project end date: 02/03/05

KSJP20: CMOS Imaging Receiver for Free-Space Optical Communication

Chinwuba D. Ezekwe
2004

A 256 element CMOS imaging receiver has been designed to receive low-power, free-space optical transmissions between unmanned aircraft, or other small, low power platforms, at a distance of several kilometers.

Project end date: 02/03/05

KSJP33a: Tools for Microassembly

Subramaniam Venkatraman
2005

Complex three dimensional micromechanical systems can be built using multi-layer MEMS processes. There is however a tradeoff available between process complexity and post-fabrication complexity (assembly operations). In this project, we fabricate sockets, connectors and the tools to pick up and rotate them using a single mask Silicon-on-Insulator (SOI) process. We then use pick and place assembly to create complex mechanical micro-systems which are difficult to realize with conventional fabrication techniques.

Project end date: 08/31/05

KSJP32: Incremental Network Programming

Jaein Jeong
2005

We present an incremental network programming mechanism which reprograms wireless sensors quickly by transmitting the incremental changes for the new program version.

Project end date: 09/08/05

KSJP33: Silicon on Insulator Microassembly

Subramaniam Venkatraman
2006

To develop actuated 2-axis micromirrors and walking microrobots using a pick-and-place assembly process. Simple fabrication processes have a high fabrication yield and quicker design cycles than complex processes. The quest to minimize process complexity has led us to a single-mask Deep Reactive Ion Etch (DRIE) using Silicon on Insulator (SOI) wafers. After release, these parts are broken free from the device layer of the SOI wafer using grippers fabricated in the same single-mask process, rotated 90 degrees out-of-plane, and then assembled with other parts (figure 1). With this...