Parallel Computing and Imaging Laboratory

This project was a collaborative effort between the Johns Hopkins University Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering (JHU ECE) and the Medical Institutes (JHMI). Several Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) systems were purchased that were capable of reporting the presence of RFID tags, and software was written to send data when an object is identified. The system was developed and prototyped at the Homewood campus and was then to be introduced on a small scale at the hospital. Initially, two applications were targeted: tracking of expensive and/or life-critical medications from the pharmacy to the medication holding areas, and locating equipment such as wheelchairs and pumps within the hospital. The goals of the project were: a new collaboration between JHU ECE and JHMI, feasibility studies of RFID products and applications, and the introduction of a scalable, reliable, and economical architecture for asset management.

Digital Beam Forming

Beam forming is a common way of distinguishing signals based upon their spatial origins and is especially useful in processing radar data. Current radar technology can produce data in such vast quantities that beam forming quickly becomes a very expensive and difficult task. Beam forming at this level is typically done with very expensive custom made hardware. We propose that common off the shelf PC processors can be used as a test bed for various radar processing algorithms. PC processors are capable of handling these tasks with great advantage over previous approaches; they are cost effective and highly scalable. We plan to investigate digital beam forming approaches, implement them on various multiprocessor systems, and assess the viability of such approaches.