The other day控制工程网版权所有, I was sitting across from two building maintenance executives on my train ride into Manhattan. One gentleman was explaining that his company had installed new boilers in all its residential buildings. The boilers are equipped with sophisticated sensors and connected to the Internet, so he can log on to a Web site and view the performance of each one. He can see the average efficiency across all of the units, and identify which ones are underperforming so they can be optimized. "Whenever one goes off line or exceeds certain thresholds," he said, "I get an alert on my Blackberry."
　　This kind of remote monitoring is still in its infancy, but will continue to grow as companies replace older equipment with new, more efficient equipment that can be monitored remotely. It's part of what IBM has called "building a smarter planet." But what if your equipment is not in a fixed location? Or what if you want to measure the condition of a remote environment? You can't simply plug in Ethernet cable. That's where wireless sensors come in.

　　Wireless sensors allow companies to deploy data-capture devices in remote areas, or on mobile assets or machines, to capture information cost-effectively and use it to improve efficiencies and save money. Take the Merion Golf Club, located in Ardmore, Penn. A New York Times article about the club (see On Golf Courses, Sensors Help Save Water said that Matt Shaffer, Merion's director of golf operationswww.cechina.cn, was already known for conserving waterCONTROL ENGINEERING China版权所有, but wound up using far less after deploying subterranean wireless sensors that constantly monitor moisture控制工程网版权所有, temperature and salinity in the soil, then transmit the data to a software network that can be accessed from a laptop, handheld device or desktop computer.
　　"Well, what I thought was dry isn't even my baseline," the Times quoted Shaffer as saying. "These sensors are just so much more sensitive控制工程网版权所有, so much better, so much more complete. I am no