Grant: Collaborative Research and Development Grants

Today we have the technical capacity to integrate two cutting-edge wireless systems: namely radio-frequency identification (RFID) and wireless sensor networks (WSNs). RFIDs enable large scale identification of objects while WSNs provide a pool of information about the objects and environment in its vicinity. Their integration into RFID sensor networks (RSNs) will enable significant residential, commercial and public sector applications. Adoption in challenging environments has been hindered by a three factors: i) wireless communication is intrinsically difficult in industrial environments; ii) integrating heterogeneous components in RSNs further complicates communication protocols; and iii) the requirements for accuracy, robustness and system responsiveness present major challenges against the constraints of size, energy efficiency and deployment schemes. Building upon our prior work in RSNs and in challenging environments, we propose an integrated RSN architecture that will overcome these obstacles by optimizing RSN localization, monitoring, relaying and reporting. Our objectives include the design and development RSN node prototypes that are capable of withstanding the oil extraction operating environment. Our prototypes will be deployed in Syncrude's Fort McMurray field to monitor the health of digging components and to facilitate the efficient retrieval of any damaged components. Our architecture will provide both a technical and economical advantage for Canada by introducing a novel paradigm of sensing and identification in oil sand mining. As a result, our research will be important for effective industrial monitoring in any challenging environment. Four graduate students (two PhD and two MSc) and an research engineer will be trained in practical, state-of-the art RSN design through this project.