Kristofer S.J. Pister (Advisor)

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...

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...

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...

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