Airsprite connects Modbus devices via ISA100 and WirelessHART

AirSprite Technologies, a developer of wireless sensor infrastructure systems for industrial automation, will roll out its plans at ISA Expo for a family of products that will deliver dramatic improvements in operational efficiency, plant utilization, and employee productivity.

AirSprite will build its wireless sensor infrastructure products on two emerging standards – WirelessHART™ and ISA100. The company’s first products will connect directly to HART devices and require no changes, will enable the installation of industrial wireless networks that work with existing systems, and will be upgradeable to comply with future standards.

 According to the ARC Advisory Group, there are more than 55 million instruments installed worldwide, 23.5 million of which are HART-based. Approximately 85 percent of these HART devices are unable to continuously share with existing monitoring or management systems the intelligent maintenance and performance data they capture. ON World forecasts that by the end of this decade, more than 40 million wireless nodes will be installed in the industrial automation segment. 

Unleashing the Power of Trapped Data
AirSprite’s initial products will unleash the power of the trapped data by freeing it from existing HART devices and integrating it in real time with systems such as plant asset management, condition-based maintenance, and plant control. The result – plant operators will have a new weapon to improve uptime and efficiency.

Demonstrating the compelling need for these capabilities, in July, The New York Times reported that, “Mechanical breakdowns… have created a bottleneck in domestic energy supplies, helping push up gasoline prices 50 cents (during 2007)… A third of the country’s 150 refineries have reported disruptions to operations this year, a record according to analysts.” AirSprite’s mission is to deliver products that enable plant managers to significantly reduce unplanned interruptions in production.