Abstract: A capacitive mat includes a first set of conductors that function as sensing electrodes applied to a first side of a substrate and a second set of conductors that function as shield electrodes applied to a second side of the substrate. Upper and lower exterior layers are placed over the sets of conductors. The substrate and the exterior layers may be formed from flexible materials. Circuitry in the mat determines a capacitance associated with the conductors at a region of the mat that is associated with an object on the mat. To reduce thickness and improve flexibility, the shield electrodes may be used to determine a ground reference value and use of separate ground electrodes may be omitted. Conductive regions on the mat may be used to couple with adjacent mats, allowing several mats to be easily combined to cover a larger surface.

Abstract: A system includes an asset management system in communication with an asset disposed within a rack, an asset tracking server, a gateway, and a set of equipment racks including the rack in which the asset is disposed. Each equipment rack defines a face. The equipment rack includes an observer device and a location indicator device. The system includes a set of tags attached to assets disposed within the set of equipment racks, a tag of the set of tags attached to the asset. The asset management system is to identify a maintenance event associated with the asset and is to communicate the identity of the asset to the asset tracking server. The asset tracking server is to locate the rack location of the tag associated with the asset and is to communicate with the associated observer device, which is to direct the location indicator device to provide a light signal.

Abstract: A system includes an asset management system in communication with an asset disposed within a rack, an asset tracking server, a gateway, and a set of equipment racks including the rack in which the asset is disposed. Each equipment rack defines a face. The equipment rack includes an observer device and a location indicator device. The system includes a set of tags attached to assets disposed within the set of equipment racks, a tag of the set of tags attached to the asset. The asset management system is to identify a maintenance event associated with the asset and is to communicate the identity of the asset to the asset tracking server. The asset tracking server is to locate the rack location of the tag associated with the asset and is to communicate with the associated observer device, which is to direct the location indicator device to provide a light signal.

Abstract: A system includes an asset management system in communication with an asset disposed within a rack, an asset tracking server, a gateway, and a set of equipment racks including the rack in which the asset is disposed. Each equipment rack defines a face. The equipment rack includes an observer device and a location indicator device. The system includes a set of tags attached to assets disposed within the set of equipment racks, a tag of the set of tags attached to the asset. The asset management system is to identify a maintenance event associated with the asset and is to communicate the identity of the asset to the asset tracking server. The asset tracking server is to locate the rack location of the tag associated with the asset and is to communicate with the associated observer device, which is to direct the location indicator device to provide a light signal.

Abstract: A system includes an asset management system in communication with an asset disposed within a rack, an asset tracking server, a gateway, and a set of equipment racks including the rack in which the asset is disposed. Each equipment rack defines a face. The equipment rack includes an observer device and a location indicator device. The system includes a set of tags attached to assets disposed within the set of equipment racks, a tag of the set of tags attached to the asset. The asset management system is to identify a maintenance event associated with the asset and is to communicate the identity of the asset to the asset tracking server. The asset tracking server is to locate the rack location of the tag associated with the asset and is to communicate with the associated observer device, which is to direct the location identification device to provide a light signal.

Abstract: A wearable device is adapted to monitor a wearer's physical activity patterns and to provide assistance to the wearer when a need for assistance is indicated. The device includes a processor is programmed to cause the device to collect activity data necessary to determine the physical activity pattern of the wearer over time, to provide the gathered activity data to a server via a network interface for processing to create or update behavioral rules for the wearer, to receive the behavioral rules from the server for comparison to the received activity data, and to provide to the wearer via the user interface assistance information when the wearer has requested assistance or when a check of the wearer's activity against the behavioral rules indicates that the wearer may need assistance.

Abstract: Embodiments are directed to devices, systems, and methods for monitoring and assisting a subject in various life tasks.

Abstract: A device for irrigating soil has a chassis having wheels or tracks for motion, the chassis having one or more water sprinklers with streams directed at the soil, a water storage tank, and a sloped catchment surface having one or more sloped planes or curved surfaces for receiving water from a refill station into the water storage tank, wherein, under the control of an electronic circuit, the irrigation device can refill the water tank by positioning any part of the catchment surface under a water stream from the refill station. A method has the steps of measuring soil moisture at remote locations, refilling the mobile robot using a gravity feed water stream, defining a route for distribution of water, traversing the irrigation routes, refilling water according to soil moisture measurements, storing photovoltaic energy in a battery, and rotating, to a compass heading such that the photovoltaic array is optimally oriented.

Abstract: The invention provides a process for preparing an enantiomerically enriched cis-6,6-dimethyl-3-oxa-bicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-2-one by reacting a sulphonic ester of &bgr;,&bgr;-dimethyl-&ggr;-(hydroxymethyl)-&ggr;-butyrolactone with a compound of formula M(C1-6 alkoxide)y.

Abstract: A process for the preparation of cis-6,6-dimethyl-3-oxa-bicyclo[3.1.0]hexan-2-one which comprises either: 1) reacting a sulphonic ester of &bgr;,&bgr;-dimethyl-&ggr;-(hydroxymethyl)-&ggr;-butyrolactone with a compound of formula M(C1-6 alkoxide)y, in a suitable solvent; or 2) reacting a C1-4 alkyl ester of 4,5-epoxy-3,3-dimethylpentanoic acid with M(C1-6 alkoxide)y, in a suitable solvent; wherein M is a suitable cation and y fulfills valency requirements.