In the first thrust, we have collaborated with K.S.J. Pister of U.C. Berkeley to investigate distributed networks of millimeter-scale sensing elements implemented using MEMS, which we call "Smart Dust". Smart Dust might be deployed in an outdoor or indoor environment to sense and record data of interest. Each dust mote will contain a power source, sensors, data storage, and a bidirectional wireless modem. A collection of dust motes can be interrogated at a distance up to several hundred meters by a hand-held central transceiver. We are currently working to implement free-space optical communications for interrogation of Smart Dust. A novel uplink design utilizes a micro corner-cube retroreflector on each dust mote, which is illuminated from the central transceiver, permitting dust motes to transmit information without having to radiate any power.
In the second thrust, we have collaborated with researchers at U.C. Berkeley (K.Y. Lau), Stanford (O. Solgaard), Princeton (S.R. Forrest) and Sensors Unlimited (M.J. Cohen) in a project funded by the DARPA Steered Agile Beams (STAB) Program. We are developing system architectures and novel components for high-speed, free-space optical communication between fast-moving airplanes and ground vehicles. Components under development include: high-power (1-5 W) InGaAsP/InP lasers, two-axis beam scanners fabricated in MEMS technology, and a dual-mode InGaAs focal-plane array capable of both high-resolution imaging and reception of signals modulated at high bit rates (100-1000 Mb/s). In order to enable rapid link acquisition, we have devised an optimized communication protocol that exploits these high-performance components.
L. Zhou, M. Last, V. Milanovic, J. M. Kahn, K. S. J. Pister, "Two-Axis Scanning Mirror for Free-Space Optical Communication between UAVs", Proc. of IEEE Conference on Optical MEMS, Waikoloa, HI, August 18-21, 2003. PDF
L. Zhou, J. M. Kahn and K. S. J. Pister, "Corner-Cube Retroreflectors Based on Structure-Assisted Assembly for Free-Space Optical Communication", IEEE J. of Microelectromechanical Syst., vol. 12, no. 3, pp. 233-242, June 2003. PDF
L. Zhou, K. S. J. Pister and J. M. Kahn, "Assembled Corner-Cube Retroreflector Quadruplet", Proc. of 15th IEEE Intl. Conf. on MicroElectroMechanical Systems, Las Vegas, NV, January 20-24, 2002. PDF
X. Zhu, V. S. Hsu and J. M. Kahn, "Optical Modeling of MEMS Corner Cube Retroreflectors with Misalignment and Non-flatness", IEEE J. on Sel. Topics in Quantum Electron., vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 26-32, January/February 2002. PDF
V. Hsu, "MEMS Corner Cube Retroreflectors for Free-Space Optical Communications", M. S. Report, University of California, Berkeley, November 1999. PDF
B. A. Warneke, M. D. Scott, B. S. Liebowitz, L. Zhou, C. L. Bellew, J. A. Chediak, J. M. Kahn, B. E. Boser and K. S. J. Pister, "An Autonomous 16 mm3 Solar-Powered Node for Distributed Wireless Sensor Networks", Proc. of IEEE Sensors 2002 Conference, Orlando, FL, June 12-14, 2002. PDF
J. M. Kahn, R. H. Katz, and K. S. J. Pister, "Emerging Challenges: Mobile Networking for Smart Dust", J. of Commun. and Networks, vol. 2, no. 3, pp. 188-196, September 2000 (Invited Paper). PDF
J. M. Kahn, R. H. Katz and K. S. J. Pister, "Mobile Networking for Smart Dust", Proc. of ACM/IEEE Intl. Conf. on Mobile Computing and Networking (MobiCom 99), Seattle, WA, August 17-19, 1999. (Voted Best Paper in Session.) PDF
J. Wang, J. M. Kahn and K. Y. Lau "Minimization of Acquisition Time in Short-Range Free-Space Optical Communication", Applied Optics, vol. 41, no. 12, pp. 7592-7602, December 2002. PDF
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Last modified: April 28, 2006.