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Everyone is talking about broadband wireless these days, but few people have heard of a new technology with thousands of potential applications: ultrawideband. That's probably because it's not legal yet. But that's not stopping three new companies from finding their own niche in the as yet nonexistent market.
Time Domain Inc., US Radar Inc., and Zircon Corp. were all granted exclusive waivers by the Federal Communications Commission earlier this year to begin marketing their version of ultrawideband technology on a limited basis to test its safety and effects. Provided the government approves ultrawideband this year -- a likely prospect -- these companies, which the FCC chose based on their distinctive and nonoverlapping markets, will soon offer products using signals, or pulses, that don't fit into any one part of the spectrum. That will give them access to unlicensed, free air space.
Here's how it works: Everything from microwave ovens and cell phones to the human body emits very low levels of radiation. Generally, these low-level emissions fall into what's called the "garbage frequency" part of the spectrum, also known as Part 15 of the FCC licensing code. It's illegal for a company to create a product that intentionally uses these frequencies, because these random emissions contribute to what is called the "noise floor" -- the cacophony of signals currently bouncing around the airwaves. If enough signals are concentrated in one area -- i.e., a high noise floor -- they can wreak havoc with wireless devices. That's why some apartment dwellers have a hard time getting good cordless-phone or radio reception, and why airlines prohibit use of cell phones during takeoff and landing.
MINE SWEEPER.
With careful regulation of the junk spectrum, however, plenty is available for everyone (see BW Online, 3/16/00, "Commentary: Wireless Demand Creates a Whole Spectrum of Problems"). At a recent FCC conference in Washington, D.C., proponents of ultrawideband technology defended its use against aviation groups concerned that it will interfere with the Global Positioning System used to navigate airplanes. The general consensus was that more testing needs to be done before these new products are released on the market.
But in the meantime, the FCC is confident enough that it has already started the paperwork necessary to approve the technology by yearend. And an Ultrawideband Working Group has been formed, consisting of 80 companies pledging to work together to ensure the safety of the technology.
That's good news for Time Domain, US Radar, and Zircon. Each company is planning to concentrate on specific products in potentially lucrative markets: Time Domain's spin-off Golf Domain.com will provide low-cost pulse radar on golf courses. US Radar is concentrating on surface-penetrating pulse radar to locate land mines and artifacts. And Zircon is perfecting a high-tech stud finder for use by concrete and highway contractors.
SUPERCADDIE.
Golf Domain.com has a Web site that will go up in April. The product: tiny electronic "caddies," about the size of a pager, that can be attached to trees, telephone polls, sheds, or just about anything else on a golf course. With the aid of another electronic caddy that attaches to the belt, golfers can locate lost balls, tell the distance of a ball from the hole, judge the type of club to be used, measure the distance to any hazards on the golf hole, and get a reminder of the score they got on the same hole the last time they played. These solar-powered caddies do all this by emitting a series of precisely timed pulses in a specific pattern patented by Time Domain.
Golfers would also find a bonus waiting on the 19th hole: A wireless Internet connection back to the clubhouse providing players with a 3-D image of their ball's trajectory on any given hole. Future applications include 3-D images of your swing, plus enhanced TV viewing of golf tournaments. The PGA Tour has already expressed interest, according to Dale Crook, CEO of Golf Domain.com. While initial setup fees would be substantial -- $30,000 to wire an 18-hole course -- that's far cheaper than any other existing positioning technology. And Crook boasts that it could eventually be tooled to control electronically controlled lawnmowers to trim fairways.
Matawan (N.J.)-based US Radar is perfecting surface-penetrating radar (SPR), a technology it first developed in 1982 to find land mines on the Falkland Islands after the brief war between Argentina and Britain. Besides being better at detecting the plastic used in modern land mines, the device is far more precise and versatile than simple metal detectors: It can find underground utilities, tell the depth of an object, show its exact shape or size, and define its physical makeup as well as its precise angle under the earth. The device has also proven effective in discovering and excavating ruins of historic battlefields, castles, and an ancient abbey in England, says US Radar President Ron LaBarca.
X-RAY SPECS.
US Radar's instrument works by sending out pulses that create an electrical echo when they collide with an object. The echo created by moving the radar across the surface of the underground object is used to create a picture, similar to that generated by ultrasound. And because the technology uses different antenna points, it can locate objects through surfaces that can befuddle radar -- like concrete.
That's also where Campbell (Calif.)-based Zircon comes in. Having made Stud Sensors since 1980, Zircon is now planning to employ ultrawideband technology in a new product. Called RadarVision, it would enable concrete workers and highway contractors to "see through" solid slabs of concrete. The device would detect steel or other material embedded in up to 18 inches of concrete or similar surfaces. Construction crews need to know what they're drilling into when using diamond-tipped drills because hitting steel instantly destroys the costly tips.
Zircon hopes to have the ultrawideband technology in use by next year. "The only remaining hurdle we have to production is FCC approval," says Zircon Vice-President Chuck Hager, who has provided the device to FCC commissioners for testing on their spectrum analyzers.
Assuming the official test results from all three companies show no harmful effects on the spectrum at large, most industry analysts expect the FCC to give ultrawideband the green light. When this happens, at least 10 other companies are waiting, ready to begin marketing everything from tracking units that provide continuous readings of your child's whereabouts in a crowded amusement park to devices able to pinpoint the location of victims trapped in the rubble of a collapsed building. Broadband may be the hot topic today, but ultrawideband is ready to heat up tomorrow.
By Susan Straight in Washington
EDITED BY DOUGLAS HARBRECHT
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