Intel’s research arm put on a show for the press and analysts on Tuesday unveiling some of the wireless technologies they’re working on for the near term and as far out as five years.Radio Free Intel is a near term project to integrate RF onto the mobile silicon. Intel calls its CMOS Integrated Radios. Along with the technology is something really nice, reconfigurable CMOS radios. In other words, one radio serves up WLAN, WAN and PAN, sensing which net-work is available and then through software reconfiguring itself to work on that frequency. This is “several years away” according to the presenter Dan Dahle, senior manager, wireless technology strategy, in the Communications Technology Lab. The technology problems to do that are easier to overcome than the challenges presented by government regulation. Dahle called for “spectrum policy reform.”Along those lines, Abel Weinrib, the director of the communications technology lab said Intel would like to see access to broadcast bandwidth. The high tech industry could use the broadcast bandwidth on a low power basis and have the system would have the intelligence to get out of the way if the owner of the spectrum is using it.Next up was Lakshman Krishnamurthy, principal investigator, Ecosense Research project for Intel Research & Development. Krishnamurthy spoke about taking RFID to the next step, not only giving users current location information but telling users where their tagged items have been. By way of example, Krishnamurthy, said that the location of a blood sample is good, but knowing that the sample was at a certain temperature for a number of hours prior to its current location is even more critical information to have. The goal here is to merge RFID with sensors to offer real world information about the environment. A pilot program currently running created a vineyard application to tell growers the temperature at ground level of the vines in the field. This helps vintners manage the vines, handle frost situations by watering, and knowing when to pick the darn grapes. Pre-emptive maintenance is yet another use for sensors. Sensor can measure the vibration signature of machinery. Every piece of equipment has a unique way of vibrating, don’t we all, and so if the signature changes it is an indication that something is about to go wrong. An afternoon well spent.Here’s a link to Intel’s site to learn more. Technology Industry