EDITORIAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS

January 2011 • Issue 23 Continued on page 3Continued on page 2

RFID tags are common throughoutretail stores and supermarkets. Nowfarmers are using them to tracklivestock. In past years, ear tags madeof rubber or metal were the mostcommon method for identifyinglivestock, but after the number wearsoff, the tag is rendered useless. RFIDtags for livestock are equipped with aquarter-inch microchip that contains aunique number. A reader is pointed atthe electronic tag and it scans thenumber into a handheld PLC or sendsthe information back to a computer.Because of this scanning process,livestock can be evaluated andworked with all in one step, reducingcommunication and treatmentmistakes while verifying an animal’sidentification. The RFID readers canalso be attached to self-dispensingfeeders to control the animal’s feedintake and mounted on scales torecord weight gains or losses. Cowsthat may be developing ketosis – acommon disease that affects theanimal – tend to eat less. Trackingthem can keep milk products fromdiseased cows off store shelves.

Robotic milkers have been around forsome time and continue to makeimprovements with the use of 3Dvision technology. Less human labor is

newsletterA publication from ifm efector featuring innovation steps in technology from around the world

IFM PRODUCT

Photo credit: Shutterstock.com

The latest technology tools havebrought about radical changes infarming and agriculture. Innovationsused today such as GPS, RFID, 3D laser ranging, vision sensing androbotics are allowing farmers and agri -businesses to implement techniquesthat yield better crops, moreproductive livestock, and improvedprocesses.

Dear Readers:From plows and trac tors,to computers andsatellites, the farmingindustry is opening itsdoors to innovation andchange.

Prime examples are the use of GlobalPositioning Systems (GPS) that planfarms according to field conditions,Radio Frequency Identification (RFID)that tracks livestock, and 3D visiontechnology that automates andvisualizes the milking process.

ifm has also applied 3D vision andRFID technologies to our broadoffering of sensor solutions forindustrial automation. Our latestinnovation for level sensing is the LMTSensor that uses high frequencycapacitive technology to detect thelevel of media in tanks. In addition,the new ifm Industrial Memory Plugoffers you a simple solution forparameterizing your sensors.

Enjoy the issue,

Lizanne Dathe Editor, i-Step Newsletter

RFID tracking systems allow farmers to keep track of livestock, monitor animal health and schedulemilking and fertilization for maximum productivity.

Smart Farming

ifm Industrial Memory Plug – a simplesolution for parameterizing sensorsIn a typical plant, thousands of sensors are used for automationcontrol in machines. Machine builders ship their equipment to a user’splant with the sensors fully parameterized for operation. However, forthe end user, this eventually becomes a challenge. When a sensorneeds to be replaced, documentation and data sheets need to bechecked to determine the correct parameter settings. This effort takestime and research. And, your time is too valuable to waste.

ifm is dedicated to designing sensors that have a positive impact on yourproduction processes. With more than 10 years experience in developingintelligent sensors that increase uptime and productivity, ifm productsincorporate easy user interfaces such as pushbutton setup, built-in numericdisplays, and flexible output stages. All of these features make it simple toparametize an ifm sensor. And, now we’ve just made it even easier.

The ifm Industrial Memory Plug offers a fast and convenient method to parameterize sensors throughout a plant. No reference documentation needs

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2IFM PRODUCT MEMORY PLUG (CONTINUED)

Visit our product catalog www.ifm.com/usPlace orders, tech support 800-441-8246 Shop for products online. Easy ordering via eShop

In the food industry, deposits andfoam often make reliable leveldetection difficult. Viscous media,such as ketchup and mayonnaise,tend to stick to a sensing face andcause unreliable level indication. ifm’sLMT Series point-level sensor is notaffected by deposits or foam and canreliably monitor the level of viscousmedia, liquids and powders inprocessing tanks, storage vessels andpipes.

This reliable sensing performance isdue to the LMT’s high frequencycapacitive spectrum technology thatenables the sensor to distinguishbetween thick surface residue and theactual level of the product.

Powerful Point-Level Sensor SeesThrough Build-up and Residue

A compact sensor tip allows simpleintegration – even in small 1” pipes.The LMT’s smooth PEEK sensing faceprevents media residue from stickingto its surface. With a 316 stainlesssteel body, the LMT ensures chemicalcompatibility even with the harshestcleaning agents.

The LMT provides an ideal alternativeto tuning fork level sensors that areprone to false signaling due to“bridging” between the forks and thepotential of trapped residue remainingafter CIP processes.

For more information about the LMT,visit www.ifm.com/us.

Sanitary PEEK sensingtip prevents mediaresidue from sticking

No obstruction to flowpath or bridging ofsensor tips

316 stainless steel bodyensures chemicalcompatibility

Multiple frequenciesanalyze media whicheliminates sensitivityadjustments

The storeddata can betransferred toa series ofsensors of thesame type(e.g., a seriesof pressuresensors).

LMT Series Reliable Sensing Technology

ifm’s LMT Series point-level sensor uses high frequency (MHz) capacitivespectrum profiling technology that allows the sensor to detect measuring pointsat multiple frequencies enabling deeper penetration into the media.

The LMT “sweeps” the frequency band of 50...200 MHz taking multiplemeasurement points. At each point, the LMT takes three measurements of themedia: electromagnetic field damping, permittivity phase shift of the moleculepolarization in the magnetic field, and the media conductivity in the electric field.

An internal sensing algorithm processes these measurements to calculate thesignal amplitude. Only when actual media is present does the signal amplitudevalue occur at the correct frequency and switches the sensor. The combination offield damping, conductivity, and permittivity results in an efficient residue suppression.

to be checked, no time-consuming re-programming of sensors. TheIndustrial Memory Plug reads andstores parameterization data directlyfrom a connected sensor. Thisinformation is then saved for future use.

The ifm Industrial Memory Plug is amechanical solution to parameterstorage. If a sensor ever needs to bereplaced, simply connect the newsensor to the Memory Plug, and thenew parameterization data istransferred in seconds.

The Memory Plug operates on thenew IO-Link standard and iscompatible with all ifm IO-Linkpressure and flow sensors as well asother manufacturers’ sensors that areIO-Link enabled. The device is re-writable and can be write-protected,locked, and activated via a teachbutton / LED function.

Industrial Memory Plug Advantages

• Conveniently copy and store sensorparameterization data.

• Eliminate errors that may occurduring re-parameterization.

• Stored data can parameterize aseries of sensors of the same type.

• Universal for all IO-Link sensorsregardless of manufacturer.

For more information about the ifm Industrial Memory Plug, visitwww.ifm.com/us.

A mechanicalsolution toparameterstorage. Justplug it in and theparameterstransfer inseconds.

The LMT sensor caneasily distinguishbetween a full tankof mayonnaisepresent vs. only asurface residuecoating.

rows of a Florida orange grove. GPS isused for tractor guidance while a 3Dlaser ranging scanner is used fornavigation and measurement. The 3Dlaser scanner can capture detailedmeasures of every tree’s foliage andeven count the oranges they bear.

Stentz’s Carnegie Mellon colleagueSanjiv Singh has also modified an“orchard platform” that is an auto-nomous vehicle that drives withouthuman control along lines of treescarrying workers aloft to reach highfruit.

Tree-reading machines could recorddata more often and more thoroughlythan humans, providing earlywarnings of disease andmore accurate yieldpredictions. This could helpmake the spraying ofchemicals more targeted andefficient.

"Instead of spraying at oneconstant rate, we can use [arobot-built] map to work outhow to put down the minimal amountof chemical," Stentz says. “Robotsthat navigate using 3D laser rangingcan also work at night, when moreinsects are active and winds are lessstrong,” he adds.

As more technology tools areintroduced, the farming industry iswelcoming the innovations to helpreduce costs as well as increase profits.

and fertilizers produce higher yields,reduce expenses, and create a moreenvironmentally friendly farm. GPSalso allows farmers to work duringlow visibility field conditions such asrain, dust, fog and darkness.

GPS is also responsible for the latestinnovation being introduced to farms:the autonomous robotic tractor.

Autonomous vehicleshave proved able tocope with complexoutdoor environmentsand have gainedrecognition with theUS DARPA urban grantchallenge in which aseries of races forautonomous carstravel through desertsand urban streets.

“If you can deal withan off-road environment you havenever seen before, then you’re well-equipped for agriculture,” says TonyStentz, an engineer at CarnegieMellon University’s Robotics Institute.

Stentz believes that in the next fewyears we will see rapid changes in whatrobots can practically and affordablyoffer farmers. But while having robotsnavigate their way through groves oftrees is one thing, getting them to reada crop is another matter.

Stentz is experimenting with sendingautonomous mobile robots along the

SMART FARMING (CONTINUED)

3required and the robotic system cantrack each cow's production, milkingfrequency, and milk quality.

Cows quickly learn the automatedmilking system. As the cow enters therobotic milker, pellets drop into afeeding chute. As the cows eat, therobotic arm washes the udder andplaces each cup on a teat. A 3D visioncamera is used toidentify the distance ofthe cow, depth of theutter and capturedetails about the cowduring the mikingprocess. The cupsautomatically droponce the cow ismilked. The roboticmilker tests the milkfor temperature, colorand conductivity.

The success of 3Dtechnology in the milking process hasled to using GPS technology tomanage crops and orchards. GPS-based applications are now beingused for farm planning, fieldmapping, soil sampling, yield mappingand tractor guidance.

Where farmers may have once treatedtheir fields uniformly, they are nowseeing benefits of using GPS tomanage their fields according toground conditions. More preciseapplications of pesticides, herbicides

At Your Service... Beer-fetching Robot Now AvailableSilicon Valley start-up Willow Garage has put its PR2 roboton general sale. The robot’s two gripper-equipped arms,laser scanner and multiple cameras allow it to fold towels,fetch a beer, hold a cue stick, and plug itself in when it needsto recharge. Willow Garage develops hardware and opensource software for personal robotics applications. Its teamincludes experts in robot design, control, grasping/manipulation, perception, and machine learning.

Willow Garage was one of the original founders of theRobot Operating System (ROS). According to Willow Garage,the ROS software is BSD-licensed, making it completely freefor anyone to use and change, and is free for othercompanies to commercialize on.

In 2010, Willow Garage distributed 11 PR2 Beta robots at no cost to leading research institutionsin robotics. Some institutions included the University of Southern California, Georgia Institute ofTechnology, MIT, Stanford University, and the University of Pennsylvania, GRASP Lab. StefanSchaal’s group at the University of Southern California says its open software will help speed therate of progress in robotics research. He adds, “Every new group can directly build on a large bodyof knowledge that has already been added to the open software repository.”

Robots are being used inhospitals to deliver food anddispense drugs. Now, for ahefty sum, you can take onehome to help you aroundthe house.

KNOW HOW

The PR2 can open the fridge, distinguishbetween beer brands, and remove the capwith a bottle opener.

This tractor is fitted with a 3D laserranging scanner on top of its cab so itcan navigate orchards autonomously.

A 3D view of anapple orchard cancapture details ofevery tree, itsfoliage and fruit.

4TECHNOLOGY NEWS

MIND-BENDER About this issue:Authors of this issue: Smart Farming, Tom Simonite,New Scientist Magazine; Plasma Antenna, DavidHambling, New Scientist Magazine; Beer Robot, WillowGarage and New Scientist Magazine.

Despite careful review by the editorial staff, theeditor cannot be held liable for the correctness ofthe publication. The applicable legal regulations andprovisions for the acquisition, installation and setupof electronic units must be adhered to. No part ofthis publication may be reproduced in any way or,using electronic systems, be processed, copied ordistributed without the editor’s expressed writtenconsent. It cannot be concluded from the publicationthat the described solutions or designations used arefree from industrial property rights.

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Level sensors

Photoelectricsensors

Pressuresensors

Visionsensors

Cylinder sensors

Inductivesensors

Inspection sensors

AS-i networking

CordsetsVibration sensors

Flowsensorsifm efector offers a

complete line ofsensors and controls.

Plasma Silicon Antenna for Ultrafast Connection

It’s now possible to access the Web inmore places and on more devices thanever before. As more mobile devicesmake it possible to view largebandwidth content, like video oniPads for example, the need isincreasing for higher wireless data-rate-transfers.

A new type of antenna that makes useof plasma consisting of only electronscould revolutionize high-speedwireless communications.

The new antenna called Plasma SiliconAntenna, or PSiAN, developed by theUK company Plasma Antennas, relieson existing low-cost manufacturing

techniques developed for silicon chips.

Essentially, the PSiAN is a cluster ofthousands of diodes on a silicon chipthat produces a tiny cloud of electronswhen charged.

Those tiny, dense clouds can reflecthigh-frequency waves like mirrors,focusing the beams tightly byselectively activating particular diodes.This “beam-forming” capability couldallow ultrafast transmission of high-data-loads.

“Beam-forming antennas are the keyfor enabling next generation, high-data-rate indoor wireless applications,”says Anmol Sheth, at Intel Labs inSeattle, WA. “Without beam-formingantennas it would be difficult to scaleto the levels of density of wirelessdevices we expect to have in futurehomes.”

PSiAN is compact and has no movingparts. That makes them attractive foruse in a new generation of ultrafastWiFi, known as Wi-Gig. Existing Wi-Fitops out at 54 megabits of data persecond, whereas the Wi-Gig standardis expected to go between 1 and 7gigabits per second – fast enough todownload a TV program in seconds.

Wi-Gig requires higher radio wavefrequencies though: 60 GHz ratherthan 2.4 GHz used by WiFi. Signals atthese frequencies disperse rapidlyunless they are tightly focused, whichis where PSiAN comes in.

The antenna shouldn’t raise anyhealth issues as they are covered byexisting safety standards. The narrowbeam means there is less “overspill”of radiation than with omnidirectionalantennas. PSiAN could be com -mercially available within two years.As the demand for wireless speed andhigh-quality content increases, ultrafastwireless connection will be the key.When it comes, it may very well be inthe form of plasma.

The new plasma silicon antenna willhelp to usher in the next generationWi-Fi… called Wi-Gig.

Find the logic behind thispattern of numbers andcomplete the four missingnumbers in the top right-hand corner.

The first 200 people whoanswer the mind bendercorrectly will receive a stainless steel luggage tag with business card holder.

Log on towww.ifm.com/us/responseto enter your answer. Closingdate is 2/28/11. The answer will be revealed after this dateon our website and in the nexti-Step newsletter. To know the answer sooner,provide your email address andwe’ll email the answer to you.Answer to last puzzle: B) 720.

7 4 9 6

3 6 9 4

6 3 7 4 9 6

9 4 7 3 6 9

4 9 6 3 7 4

7 3 6 9 4 7