3/18/08 - A trial model of the "picoMesh LunchBox" micromini wireless mesh station has been completed. This is small enough to be placed on the palm and has a high-level wireless multihop relay. Its self-configurable mesh networking capability immediately ensures a broadband communications area upon its installation.

The "picoMesh LunchBox" is a product of the MIMO-MESH point development team, led by Hiroshi Furukawa, associate professor at the Graduate School of Information Science and Electrical Engineering at Kyushu University. The MIMO- MESH project has been promoted as part of the "Fukuoka system LSI development initiative," which aims to make Fukuoka a stronghold of system LSI development. The Fukuoka Industry, Science & Technology Foundation (Fukuoka IST) has served as a core organization to promote the initiative that has been designated as one of the second-phase "Knowledge Cluster" creation projects for fiscal 2007 by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

Background

Broadbandization of radio communications and expansion of communications areas are becoming essential to ensure comfortable communications at any time and anywhere.

Characteristics

The "picoMesh LunchBox" micromini wireless mesh station completed this time establishes wireless multihop networks between stations automatically and expands the wireless LAN's communications areas upon its installation. Key features of the "picoMesh LunchBox" station are as follows:

• Capable of building a large-scale wireless multihop network through the intermittent periodic transmit (IPT forwarding)
• Has a built-in antenna, palm-sized, battery-powered, and no complex wiring required
• A sharp cut in the cost of system construction through a man-hour reduction in the installation of stations

Future development

Based on the results of the latest development, we will aim at developing, in cooperation with corporations and various research institutes both at home and abroad, key infrastructure technologies to materialize ubiquitous broadband mobile communications which will be desired in a post-information and communications technology (ICT) society in the coming 20 years.

Knowledge Cluster creation project (second phase) While placing emphasis on local governments' independence, this project aims at creating a Knowledge Cluster for internationally competitive technological innovations. Notably, universities and public research institutes, which are the bases of intellectual creation, play the core part, with related research organizations and R&D-oriented companies participating.

MIMO-MESH point development project

This project aims at researching and developing a system that will immediately build, upon installation, a broadband communications area by applying the MIMO to each relay station that forms a wireless mesh network.

This is an original packet forwarding scheme that controls radio interference and achieve high-level throughput performance.

Keywords: system lsi, kyushu university, networking capability, mesh point, broadband communications, development initiative, industry science, project outline, multihop, furukawa, school of information, information science, kyushu, hiroshi, palm, mesh networks