Sensor networks gain momentum
One company that I've had trouble grasping is Echelon. When I left manufacturing to join Control Engineering in 1998, Mark told me that he knew a few people there. I never was able to forge any relationship or understanding of its signature network--LonWorks.
A conversation with marketing vice president Mike Tennefoss yesterday helped tremendously. It seems that for a few years the company had hot opportunities in areas that I don't routinely cover--utilities and building automation. Mike did say that many companies use Echelon technology for industrial automation, they just don't want it known who the developer really is.
Look for more company awareness and presence in the manufacturing automation space with the release of a new product called Pyxos. This is a chip that is small enough and inexpensive enough to be added to most sensor products bringing a self-organizing (some say mesh) sensor network closer to reality. Check it out. It's cool.
10:53:08 AM 
|
