Millennial Net and Ferro Solutions Join Forces to Deliver Battery-Free Wireless Sensor Networks
i-Beans® Paired With Revolutionary Energy Harvesting Technology Push Bounds of Wireless Sensor Networking Anywhere
CAMBRIDGE, Mass. – Oct. 27, 2003 – Millennial Net, Inc., the leading developer of hardware and software for self-organizing, wireless sensor networks, and Ferro Solutions, developers of energy harvesting technologies, today announced a technology partnership and successful demonstration of a totally battery-free i-Bean® wireless sensor networking device.
Millennial Net's i-Beans are extremely small, ultra-low power self-organizing wireless sensor networking computing devices that enable sensors and other monitoring and control appliances to connect over low data-rate wireless networks. i-Beans have immediate utility in hundreds of industrial, medical, consumer and military applications, and anywhere sensing devices must communicate with each other with limited or no human administration for years at a time and on very low power. Ferro Solutions' Energy Harvesters generate electricity from vibrations that are barely noticeable to the human touch. Combining the Energy Harvesters with Millennial Net's i-Beans greatly reduces the total cost of ownership of implementing and maintaining wireless sensor networks by eliminating the need for batteries and the labor associated with battery replacements. The result is greater savings for end users and a new degree of freedom for systems designers and wireless device engineers.
"Millennial Net is committed to delivering innovative technology solutions to our customers and, at the same time, reducing the total cost of ownership of wireless sensor networking devices," said Tod Riedel, co-founder and vice president of business development and marketing, Millennial Net. "The joining of our i-Bean technologies with Ferro Solutions' Energy Harvesters delivers on both counts. As the only company on the market today with wireless sensor networking technology sophisticated enough to leverage Ferro’s energy harvesting solution, Millennial Net clearly demonstrates its technology leadership and ability to further enhance our customers' capabilities to deliver wireless sensor networking anywhere."
Specific applications for battery-free i-Beans include monitoring of heating, ventilation, air conditioning (HVAC) systems through duct or machine mounted sensors and wireless transmitters; powering sensor devices in automobiles, trucks or trains; and enabling remote colonies of sensors used in aircraft and ships to detect potential problems. In addition to its innovative networking protocol, Millennial Net uses a portfolio of radio technologies, including micro-power narrowband solutions as well as IEEE 802.15.4 wireless personal area network (WPAN) components. Industry estimates predict the 802.15.4 WPAN market to reach $1.7 billion by 2007.
"By providing a continuous, nearly endless supply of electricity to the i-Beans, Ferro Solutions' Energy Harvester is a power source that never needs to be replaced," said Kevin O'Handley, executive vice president of business development, Ferro Solutions. "Vibrations are converted into perpetual power, giving users the benefits of a system with very long operating life. Our Energy Harvesters allow Millennial Net's customers a new range of options for using the low-power i-Beans."
The first demonstration of the battery-free i-Bean took place at ISA 2003 in Houston. For OEMs and systems integrators interested in evaluating the combined technology prototype for wireless sensor networking deployments, please contact Millennial Net at info@millennial.net or 617-225-0100 ext 220.
About Millennial Net
Millennial Net, Inc. produces hardware and software to build reliable, low-power wireless sensor networks. Millennial Net's tiny, micro-power network elements, called i-Beans®, are used in industrial automation, building automation, supply chain management, automatic meter reading, remote health monitoring, security, homeland defense and other low-power, low data-rate applications. Millennial Net was founded on the vision that an i-Bean-enabled world is a safer, more convenient and more productive world. Millennial Net is the leader in ultra-small, ultra-low power wireless computing devices in self-organizing networks for the consumer, industrial, medical and military markets. For more information, visit www.millennial.net.
About Ferro Solutions
Ferro Solutions, Inc. develops energy harvesting devices based on unique combinations of magnetic materials and patent-pending designs. In many cases, Ferro Solutions' Energy Harvesters can replace batteries, eliminating the need for costly battery replacement in wireless sensing devices. Ferro Solutions' Energy Harvesters are capable of creating usable electricity from low-level vibrations, power that is sufficient to run sensors, micro-motors, i-Bean Endpoints, and other devices. Ferro Solutions' Energy Harvester is the first device to generate milliWatts of power from input vibrations of a few tens of milli-g with a device that is the size of a pack of gum. For more information, email info@ferrosi.com.