OpSIT

Motivation

Smart Item Technologies (SIT) - such as RFID and sensor networks - offer enormous potential for optimization in many areas of application. Much of the potential remains unexploited. Manifold technical, economic, and psychological barriers stop the adoption of the new opportunities on a broader front. In particular, OpSIT captures the complex cost structure of Smart Item applications and enables cost-optimized design. Savings and more benefits are promised by:

• increased capacity utilization
• optimized production and process flow
• increased responsiveness to disturbances
• expansion of medical surveillance in the private sector
• improved health prevention
• considerably simplified processes for servicing and maintenance
• error reduction in workflows
• IP protection and secure usage history
• detailed cost control

Objectives and Approach

The goal of the project is to support the health sector with the optimized application of Smart Item Technologies using the example of patient care. Using Smart Items to their full potential requires a holistic understanding of technology, applications and processes that are typical in the health care industry, and requires the Smart Items to be integrated in the existing infrastructures. OpSIT explicitly addresses this need by providing appropriate development tools and methods.

Innovations and Perspectives

Wireless sensors and smart labels are widely used for automation, simplification and monitoring of work processes and services. Relevant medical information as well as details about medical products are made available in a decentralized fashion. The aim is to create protection mechanisms that regulate access to such confidential data. The limited power budget of wireless Smart Items remains a constraint to be considered. The protection of software and data can be guaranteed by CodeMeter, a hard- and software-based DRM protection system. The requirements depend on the protection objectives to be reached in the security architecture. However, not only the protection objectives apply when defining the technical requirements. Energy efficiency, protocol compatibility, and the as yet untested real-time networking capabilities of components (e.g. response times of self-powered transceivers) figure prominently as challenges in the field.