Owners of sports boats can now control their vessels wirelessly, even away from
the helm, using a new Raymarine wireless autopilot system with
built-in ZigBee(TM)-ready networking technology from Ember.
Raymarine, the world leader in marine electronics, debuted at the
2005 Miami International Boat Show last week the industry’s first
wirelessly controlled autopilot, the SmartPilot S1000. Designed for
hydraulic powerboats up to 25 feet – such as sports fishing boats, ski
boats and day boats – the Raymarine wireless autopilot system is a
significant technological advance for boating control, safety and
enjoyment. Embedded with Ember’s ZigBee-ready wireless chips and
networking software, the S1000 is easy to install with virtually no
wiring, and will operate for years on AAA or rechargeable batteries.
The wireless autopilot is also easy to learn and operate. From
anywhere on the boat, users can select to steer a straight course, go
direct to a waypoint, or choose one of the programmed fishing or
trolling patterns, as well as monitor their marine electronics.
The S1000 utilizes Raymarine’s SmartSteer programming which
provides an intelligent rate of turn relative to boat speed, enabling
an angler to confidently spend time away from the helm without
worrying about sudden course changes. While trolling, the autopilot
can follow a straighter course for better fuel economy and can execute
controlled turns.
Raymarine partnered with Ember because it offered a leading edge
‘real world’ ZigBee platform, enabling Raymarine to rapidly develop a
wireless solution. According to Kieran Breheny, director of
engineering development at Raymarine, “Ember offered the speed and
convenience of a full platform solution – radio chips, networking
software and development environment – that enabled us to meet an
aggressive product development cycle.”
The Raymarine/Ember partnership is an example of the flexibility
and broad market potential of ZigBee technology for monitoring and
control, and sensory network applications. Ember-enabled systems are
already being used in marine applications ranging from wireless sensor
networks that sniff out radiation and bioterrorism materials aboard
ocean cargo containers, to monitoring the freshness of fish en route
to market. Ember’s ZigBee-ready technology is also helping buildings
consume less energy, enabling industries to improve their
environmental impact, making our homes safer and more comfortable, and
helping factories run with fewer breakdowns.
ZigBee is a recently ratified industry standard designed for low
power, low cost, low data rate wireless mesh networks. It enables easy
deployment of low-cost battery operated wireless networks much like
the one the Raymarine S1000 currently employs. ZigBee is the only
standards-based technology that addresses the unique needs of most
remote monitoring and control and sensor network applications.
“With the ZigBee market set to explode, it’s all about fast
time-to-market,” said Venkat Bahl, Ember’s vice president of
marketing. “The speed and ease by which Raymarine was able to innovate
a breakthrough new marine electronics product in record time is
evidence of the technology’s huge mass market potential.”
About Raymarine, Inc.
Raymarine, the world leader in marine electronics, develops and
manufactures the most comprehensive range of electronic equipment for
the recreational boating and light commercial marine markets. Designed
for high performance and ease of use the award-winning products are
available through a global network of dealers and distributors. The
Raymarine product lines include radar, navigation aids, instruments,
fishfinders, communications, software and systems. For more
information about Raymarine call 1-800-539-5539 or visit
www.raymarine.com.
About Ember Corporation
Ember Corporation develops wireless semiconductor solutions that
help buildings consume less energy, manufacturing plants run with
fewer breakdowns, and the country’s borders and infrastructure remain
safe and secure. Its vision is to help create an “Internet of things”
by enabling the eight billion microcontrollers built into products
each year to support low-cost, low-power networking applications in
any industry. Headquartered in Boston with offices and distributors
worldwide, the company was named one of Fortune Magazine’s top “Cool
Companies” and Red Herring’s “Top 100 Innovators” for 2004. For more
information, please visit www.ember.com.
ZigBee: Wireless Control That Simply Works
The ZigBee Alliance is an association of companies working
together to enable reliable, cost-effective, low-power, wirelessly
networked, monitoring and control products based on an open global
standard. The ZigBee Alliance is a rapidly growing, non-profit
industry consortium of leading semiconductor manufacturers, technology
providers, OEMs, and end-users worldwide. Membership is open to all.
Additional information can be found at www.zigbee.org.
