Buzby Networks in State College develops indoor positioning system

A young group of entrepreneurial engineers has developed a wireless tracking system to locate mobile devices in an indoor setting, a GPS-like product that could help hospitals, factories and security operations to keep track of their assets.

“We call it an indoor positioning system. The industry calls it real time locating systems (RTLS),” says Erik Davidson, president and CEO of Buzby Networks LLC . “Essentially it’s a system that provides GPS-like precision and places the device precisely on a floor plan on an indoor environment.”

Davidson and four co-founders, including Penn State engineering professor Sven Bilen, will use the next year to develop a commercial prototype of the system, which employs mobile devices much smaller than the standard dashboard GPS receiver. ZigBee wireless technology enables the low-power devices, and the low-cost plug-and-play design of the system eliminates the need for a site survey.

Davidson says the firm, headquartered in State College, sees applications in four different markets: health care, defense and security, manufacturing and industry, and general logistics. “There are a number of markets interested,” he says. “The first place we’re focusing is health care, specifically senior living.” Once the product is complete, the company will market it to developers of wireless mesh networks.

Source: Erik Davidson, Buzby Networks
Writer: Chris O’Toole