Research → Prototype → Product
How can Weka Labs help you?
Low cost wireless sensor network
Weka Labs designed and prototyped a very low cost wireless sensor network platform. The design required the network to operate in a cool-store (low temperature) environment with the capability to scale to thousands of sensors. The design was particularly challenging because whole food produce in the coolstore limits the communication range of wireless systems. By developing a multi-relay system that received data from the wireless nodes and passing it to the cloud, we were able to substantially reduce the cost of the system. Weka Labs designed and prototyped both the wireless nodes and relays. We worked with a contract manufacturer to produce more than 600 nodes for a small scale pilot study. We also wrote the embedded software that ran the system and provided a bridge to a cloud service. Finally we built a simple website to collect and visualise the data.
Solenoid Driver
Weka Labs was commissioned to design and prototype a solenoid driver circuit which could reliably actuate solenoid rams thousands of times. The device needed to be configurable using a wireless link, have reverse polarity, over current, and over heat protection and provide visual feedback to the user. This system also had to be designed to withstand harsh all-weather conditions.
Cellular Based Sensing Platform
Weka Labs designed and developed a GSM (cellular network) based sensing platform which could operate in rural New Zealand environments where mains power and other internet connectivity options are not available. The system featured solar charging, configurable antenna options and a robust housing suitable for the harsh outdoor environment. A web interface was used to collect, monitor and visualise the collected data. The website could also be used to push remote firmware updates to units that were hundreds of kilometers away.
Web Based Management, Monitoring, Control
Weka Labs developed a web based dashboard for managing a set of remote data collector nodes. This allowed for up to date diagnostic information including voltages, signal strengths, software versions etc to be viewed. The website also provided data access APIs for pulling data into analysis tools such as MATLAB.