Machine monitoring goes wirelessMachine monitoring goes wireless

DN Staff

April 23, 2001

1 Min Read
Machine monitoring goes wireless

Philadelphia-What do you get when you combine wireless hardware, sensors, and microprocessors with process monitoring software and sophisticated network protocols? A wireless sensor network for machine monitoring that promises to simplify installation and make machine-monitoring sensors more deployable.

That's essentially what Rockwell Science Center introduced at the ninth annual Allen-Bradley Automation Fair, with its wireless sensor product called HiDRA(TM). "Factory automation engineers won't have to install, configure, and troubleshoot costly wiring systems typically associated with factory machine monitoring," explains Rockwell Science Center's Engineering Lead Allen Twarowski. "Instead, they will just place a self-configuring base node on the machine they want to monitor."

HiDRA, or Highly Deployable Remote Access, consists of a network of communication nodes that can be placed on individual machines. Each node has a processor and a low-power radio transmitter.

The product should be available this summer, and will be introduced initially within the industrial automation industry. It also has potential for use in sensing applications in a wide range of other industries.For more information about HiDRA from Rockwell Science Center: Enter 534

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