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PROGRESS REPORT #2 October 15, 1999 CREATING "WANDER 2000" Steve Roberts, owner of Nomad Research
Labs is a genius at miniaturizing and integrating technological
computer and communications tools, along with independent power
supplies, into light means of human power transportation vehicles.
In the 1980's he designed and developed a recumbent bicycle - named
Behemoth - with full communications capability, solar and pedal
powered, which he used to travel over 10,000 miles on http://www.microship.com
Since the mid 1990's Steve has progressed
through multi-person catamarans, to what he now dubs the Microship.
It is a one person canoe, with sophisticated computer-driven devices,
from GPS location broadcasters, and two way communications devices,
to onboard computer systems. As originally designed it was his intention
to add to the Microship a mobile, portable 'Environmental
Data Collection' device to his Microship before setting forth
on a 2 year river ride oddessy (with his wife in a second canoe).
As described in his book, "From Behemoth to Microship" this device
reflecting no particular scientific agenda, was as thus. Environment Data Collection In addition to the systems and software
dedicated to local control, resource management, navigation,
and communication, we are taking advantage of on-board technology
to do our small part to help clean up polluted waters. With
years of anticipated coastal/inland on-water time and the
technological tools on hand to collect and transmit environmental
data, it would seem almost negligent not to do so! · Air temperature Copyright Steven K. Roberts,
1999 (from From Behemoth to Microship, Nomadic Research
Labs)
I recognized this before this Biological
Sciences Project by Wireless was submitted and approved for funding,
as a unique mobile means to collect biological science and environmental
data in ways not currently being done. If the device were made truely
portable enough to be carried in a backpack by a hiker, mounted
on a bicycle, or carried on a horse, as well as across water in
a boat, and be powered by solar or other environmental energy sources,
while making timed data capture, store or process the data, and
communicate it constantly or periodically, via wireless connections,
this could be a very useful tool for biological scientist. No such
item is currently manufactured. Preliminary discussions with Roberts
concluded with a proposed contractual agreement for Nomad Labs to
deliver a prototype of such a device, along with detailed plans
so others could duplicate it, and suitable still photograph and
video tape explanations of how it works and is designed. That was
included in this Grant request, and funds were allocated for it.
PI Hughes travelled by air and
car to Camano Island, Puget Sound, Washington on September 26th,
met with Steve and Lisa, at their island home and laboratory on
the 27th. I got a detailed tour of the Microship
under construction, which had just undergone its first water test.
Camano Island Puget Sound from Camano Island
Nomad Lab
The Microship
I also was able to inspect the
electronics and computer systems laid out in bench test form. The Microship Electronics We then discussed in detail, what
the Prototype should be capable of performing. We also named it,
giving the unique device a handle for convenience: WANDER 2000 - "Wireless Aquisition
of Networked Data for Environmental Research" - Model 2000 The draft schematic of WANDER'S
design is as follows: WANDER 2000 Schematic An idea of the size of the main
device, is as follows: Steve Roberts and Prototype Case
Having agreed to the design features
of WANDER 2000, we parted, and I drafted and submitted a formal
Agreement for the work Steve will perform, and what the deliverables
must be, Working Prototype, design, photographs and video, before
July 1st, 2000. Essential planned features of WANDER 2000 are detailed
below. WANDER 2000 SPECIFICATIONS
Steve Roberts will design, fabricate,
assemble, test, and deliver a working prototype of a mobile,
independently powered environmental-science data collection,
storage, and communicating device herein called WANDER 2000
(Wireless Aquisition and Networked Data for Environmental
Research), Year 2000 version which has the following characteristics:
a. Light, Compact, and Mobile. All components
in a single transportable container, weighing, as a target,
less than 20 lbs. b. Capable of being carried, while operating,
collecting data and communicating, on small boats, by hiking
individual, or on bicycle, motorcycle, or in car or truck. c. Battery powered, with at least 4
hour battery life, capable of being recharged by portable
solar panels, 12 volt vehicle batteries via cigarette lighter
plug, wall plug grid power source via international standards
(110 and 220 volt) transformer. d. Capable of communicating, at a minimum,
with at least one global Internet-connected satellite service
from mobile antenna. e. Comprised to the maximum extent possible
by open market purchasable parts, so it can be duplicated
from NSF Project published plans. WANDER 2000 will include at least the
following interoperable modules: 1. Server - Linux based, with standard
small Internet server capabilities as processor, storage,
TCP/IP routing, e-mail, telnet, ftp, web server. Low power,
ram-disk storage, and power managemement tools. Standard
ports, including ethernet 10BaseT, Serial, Printer, LCD,
Keyboard, Mouse. PC sound. With port addressing, both ethernet,
and serial for access, floppy disk based loading, recovery
or reconfiguration. 2. Small Serial LCD, for system status
display. 3. Control Hub - Controller for parallel
digital, and analog I/O. 4. Serial Crossbar - with 32 addressable,
serial, channels capable of interconnecting to and managing
various sensors and data collectors. 5. GPs device, interconnected and seperable. 6. Power supply, integrating battery,
solar, and external transformer capabilities. 7. Solar panels recharger unit. The following operational characteristics
will be provided for in WANDER 2000: a. The unit will be capable, after attachment
to external sensors commonly used for the environmental
and biological science research, to monitor environmental
data (such as but not limited to, temperature, humidity,
of air, water, soil, chemical makup, radiation, physical
properties of medium) continuously or intermittently, manually
controlled or untended by time schedule settings; store
the data in a common data base format in the Linux unit. b. The data collected can be transmitted
either automatically, on a timed schedule, or by manual
command either from the unit or via wireless connection
to the unit over an Internet link, to remote data bases. c. The data will also be viewable by
Web Browser either locally by attached browser devices,
or via the wireless Internet connection. d. Web browser visual access will be
configurable by the operator via standard HTML, cgi-bin
programming. e. Access to WANDER 2000 will be ID
and password protected, both at the Linux system control
level with standard unix encrytian, and at the web level. f. Numerical processing will be supported. g. Data may be transmitted in either
streaming data form, or via automatic email-format messages. h. The data base format will be configurable
by the operator, so that researchers may set up data capture
and storage in alternate ways dictated by the sensor data
forms. i. The assembled unit will be designed
to withstand shocks expected of a man-carried, mobile device,
protect from moisture, including incidental immersion in
water, including salt water, and capable of operating through
a range of outside temperatures of -50 to +120 degrees.
So the first project to fabricate
a unique environmental data collection and communications device
is underway.
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