Bruno Di Stefano, P.Eng

Friday, November 7, 2008, 4:00 p.m.

Recent advances and cost reductions in wireless communication have improved embedded systems in application such as Home/Office/Industrial Automation, Hospital Care, Automotive, etc. Often these embedded systems are implemented through a wireless sensor network, a wireless network consisting of spatially distributed (often) autonomous devices using sensors to monitor (and control) physical entities, such as temperature, pressure, etc at different locations. Examples of embedded systems and devices operating by means of wireless communications are wireless ad-hoc network and opportunistic networks.

This talk will present an overview the choices and trade-offs facing the designer of embedded systems when adding wireless communication functionality to embedded systems. The talk will cover Personal Area Network (UWB, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Wireless USB, and proprietary devices) and  Wide Area Network (Wi-Fi) devices from the developer and the design engineer point view, assumed to be very competent with digital systems, both hardware and software, but not with RF and/or microwaves. Selection of low-cost development tools, low cost & low-power devices, and a fast learning are crucial to the economically viable development of embedded products

Since 1981 Bruno Di Stefano is president of Nuptek Systems Ltd., a federally incorporated consulting company, holding a PEO (Professional Engineers of Ontario) Certificate of Authorisation, and specialising in microprocessors, automation, hardware, and software, including real-time embedded systems, fuzzy logic, OOA/OOD, C/C++. Previously, he was a senior design engineer for AES Data Ltd. and Delphax Systems. For 18 years, Mr. Di Stefano has taught courses in his area of expertise within the Professional Development Program of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering at the University of Toronto. Previously he was an instructor with Ryerson Polytechnic University teaching in the areas of microprocessors and microprocessor systems. Bruno has been an active IEEE member since 1979 and an active PEO member since 1992. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE, a Fellow of the Engineering Institute of Canada, and has received many awards by the IEEE. Bruno Di Stefano has published and continues to publish scientific and technical papers in his area of expertise. For more details: http://bruno.distefano.googlepages.com/home and http://ewh.ieee.org/r7/toronto/executive/distefano.htm