The larger number of sensors in the system takes up much of that savings, however.
Even if operators had smart sensors throughout the system, they could do little to halt problems from spreading, because they lack suitable control systems.
"Our biggest challenges were developing an algorithm which optimally combines the data from GPS and the other sensors, and overcoming the issues of using such low-cost sensors in a system without any absolute location reference, " said Smithson.
ENGADGET: Cambridge Consultants develops indoor tech to pick up where GPS drops off
The students came up with an innovative product concept: COOL PADS for the shoulders, helmet, armpits, and groin that feature temperature sensors and a cooling system to help players maintain safe body temperatures on the field.
Another factor that needs considering is the level of lightning activity in early February in the region around Rome - something the UK's Met Office is able to monitor and record with the help of a system of sensors dotted around Europe.
Mercedes-Benz's Distronic Plus system, for instance, contains radar-based sensors as part of its cruise-control system, to keep the car at a preset distance from the vehicle in front, braking automatically if the gap narrows quickly.
The system consists of sensors fitted on cables throughout the network, both overhead and underground, measuring current and conductor temperature.
But the high-end system of seabed sensors and buoys, located off the coast of Sumatra, will amount to nothing unless the warning it picks up is relayed to every person on the beach.
If you've been put off by the small sensors in Nikon's 1 System, then there's nothing to change your mind here.
ENGADGET: Nikon 1 V2 mirrorless camera hands-on! (video) Hands-on
The cars have no human driver and no remote control system - everything from sensors to navigation is handled by an onboard computer.
But it is unknown how many sensors there are in the JLOC system, or how accurately it can determine the location of a jammer.
After all, there has been no mention of putting temperature sensors on each battery or a system of forced airflow to cool them off if they overheat.
Connecting together the company's existing capacitive touch technology with motion sensors and eye movement cameras, the system centers on the multimodal commander -- that mysterious-looking orb located below the gear stick.
The superior accuracy of the 39-point AF system and nine cross-type sensors delivers razor sharp images by focusing precisely on the subject you choose.
Motorola's new Home Monitoring and Control System HMEZ1000, a system of wireless network cameras and sensors that let's you keep tabs on your home from anywhere, and will automatically email or text message you when a door or window is opened, or when the temperature or humidity hits a certain level.
Of course, the system is totally automated, with infrared sensors for the water and dryer portions.
Today, they've been supplanted even further by digital compasses that use electronic sensors and devices that take readings from Global Positioning System satellites.
An affective system analyzes information from cameras and body sensors and compares the data with a model that accounts for different emotional states.
It is pitching a new ventilation system that would fill a mine with sensors, dampers and louvers along with variable speed fans that will send only the right amount of air to the mine tunnels.
Sony is proposing a system that removes the glue and sticks the sensors in your pillow.
ENGADGET: Sony patent application puts electrodes in a pillow, eases you out of slumber
To fully emulate the human leg will involve motors, the mechanical equivalent of muscles, and electrical sensors that gather the same input as the human nervous system.
The auto industry has intensified its research on how to link cruise control, steering, brakes and the cameras and sensors used for collision-avoidance systems into an integrated system able to guide a car safely.
According to it, Nintendo has a new "game system" on the drawing board that incorporates acceleration sensors in a "housing" to detect movement and direction.
ENGADGET: Nintendo patent application reveals plans for motion-sensing handheld
It combines a conventional global positioning system (GPS) signal with those of other sensors - accelerometers and gyroscopes - to pinpoint a car's location to within 2m (6ft 6in).
BBC: Spanish scientists develop more accurate sat-nav system
Apple has embedded a fiber-optic lighting system to illuminate the keyboard and bolstered it with sensors that can tell when the ambient light in the room begins to dim.
Deterrence: The first phase system should be comprised of ground and space-based sensors and interceptor systems.
The infrared sensors of the rotary controller automatically detect an approaching hand and the system reacts by displaying menu options even before it is touched.
Sensors, web cams, smartphones all hook into the smart city system.
They can also be combined with sensors so that a tagged crate of refrigerated goods could alert a system if perishable items inside became too warm, for example.
The project is part of a European-funded initiative, known as Smart ("search engine for multimedia environment-generated content"), which aims to create a system for internet users to search and analyse data from sensors.
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