Innovation at Crossfield Technology means discovering a radical new way to solve an old problem or to address a new opportunity. The innovation may encompass a new algorithm, an advanced semiconductor, a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS), a high-speed network, Java-based software or an ultra-low-power wireless sensor. All are examples of technologies that can dramatically impact the size, performance, power consumption and portability of a system.
The photographs below illustrate the range of technologies developed by Crossfield, from wireless sensing through parallel digital signal processsing. The first photograph shows a heterogeneous computing cluster for parallel signal processing and real-time simulation. The cluster incorporates AMD Opterons, IBM PPC G5s and IBM Cell Broadband Engines interconnected through an Ethernet network, with portions of the network operating at 10 Gbps. The heterogeneous processors exchange algorithm data through a Message Passing Interface (MPI).
Crossfield Technology's Heterogeneous Computing Cluster
The second photograph shows a wireless instrumentation
plaform for sensor data acquisition. The platform includes
a precision analog-to-digital converter to capture the
output of strain, temperature, acceleration and other types
of sensors. Sensor data captured and stored in a
non-volatile memory can be retrieved through a wireless
port using ZigBee™ networking protocols or through a
standard USB port.
Crossfield Technology's Wireless Instrumentation Platform