The Formic wireless data acquisition system was designed as a low-power supplement to Civionics’ Narada platform. Complete with embedded high accuracy temperature and humidity sensors as well as a tri-axial accelerometer with adjustable gain, the Formic is designed to bring low-cost, low-power wireless sensing to a wide variety of application spaces. Built around the versatile Atmel ATxmega microcontroller, the Formic runs powerful embedded software that can either be customized by Civionics engineers or through the use of an extensive software development kit.
From a power perspective, the Formic has the ability to power gate each of its peripheral elements, allowing its data acquisition architecture to be duty-cycled in order to extend its battery life to weeks, months, or even years depending on the required data rate and application area.
By leveraging the versatile TI CC2420 wireless radio for IEEE 802.15.4 communications and an optional external antenna for extended range, the Formic system is capable of reliable data transmission in large networks and at distances of up to 50m.
Technical Product Overview and Specifications
