Crossbow President and CEO to Keynote on Commercial Wireless Sensor Networks at IEEE Communications Society Sensor Conference.

SAN JOSE, Calif. -- Mike Horton to Discuss Industry Issues and Deployments at SECON Oct. 5, 2004

For years, Crossbow Technology, Inc. (www.xbow.com) has been at the forefront of creating and deploying smaller, smarter, wireless sensing devices and mesh networking platforms for environmental, agricultural, defense, industrial monitoring, security and asset tracking applications. Crossbow's open-architecture, TinyOS-based platform enables these highly intelligent multi-sensing Smart Dust devices to dynamically and reliably self-organize to efficiently capture and send detailed physical data anywhere, anytime. In fact, Crossbow is the leading end-to-end solutions supplier in wireless sensor networks and the largest manufacturer of Smart Dust wireless sensors, having shipped more than 500,000 sensors to date.

Crossbow announced today that Crossbow President and CEO Mike Horton will keynote about commercial wireless sensor networks at the first IEEE Communications Society Conference on Sensor and Ad Hoc Communications and Networks (SECON) on Oct. 5, 2004, at the Santa Clara Marriott in Santa Clara, Calif. Technical co-sponsorship is by the IEEE Communications Society Technical Committee on Computer Communications.

In the "Commercial Wireless Sensor Networks" keynote address at 9:45 a.m. PDT Oct. 5, Horton will discuss the issues, challenges and deployments of these low-power, multi-hop, self-configuring wireless sensor networks called Smart Dust.

Smart Dust refers to networks of inexpensive, low-power, small computerized sensors that monitor important information such as air quality, temperature, relative humidity, light, barometric pressure, acceleration for seismic applications, acoustics, and magnetics. Using TinyOS-based mesh-networking software, a family of intelligent sensing and data-acquisition modules and integrated radio/processor boards can create a self-forming customizable Smart Dust wireless sensor network. Since each plug-and-play device in the network acts as a two-way transmission Mote, the size of the sensor network that can be constructed is nearly limitless in size.

The applications are as creative as they are practical: pinpointing structural weaknesses in a building after an earthquake, or warning of the presence of biochemical toxins. Building-automation systems are significantly trimming energy costs by minimizing lighting, heating, and air-conditioning usage depending on temperature, area activity levels and time of day. Industrial facilities are installing wireless networks to monitor the condition of production machinery, such as vibration, to eliminate unnecessary service calls or equipment replacement. Utility-service providers are saving millions of dollars annually with automatic meter-reading equipment that enables load balancing, identifies circuit failures, and eliminates human involvement to activate, deactivate, and read remote metering devices. Vineyards are using wireless systems to tell precisely when to irrigate and harvest grapes to produce premium wine. Nature preserves are using the Motes to monitor the nesting habits of rare birds and other wildlife. Other systems under development include military field tests using Smart Dust sensors to detect enemy troop movements and environmental dangers, monitoring stresses on aging bridges to help decide maintenance priorities, and warning when oil tanker equipment is in danger of failing.

This innovative technology is ushering in major changes in the way people do business, track items, machinery and people.

For more information about the IEEE SECON conference, which runs Oct. 4-7, visit http://www.ieee-secon.org/2004.

About the IEEE Communications Society

The IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) is a non-profit, technical professional association of more than 380,000 individual members in approximately 175 countries. Through its members, the organization is a leading authority on areas ranging from aerospace, computers and telecommunications to biomedicine, electric power and consumer electronics. The IEEE produces nearly 30 percent of the world's literature in the electrical and electronics engineering, computing and control technology fields. The IEEE Communications Society is the second largest constituent society of the IEEE. Additional information about the IEEE Communications Society can be found at http://www.comsoc.org.

About Crossbow Technology

Founded in 1995, Crossbow Technology, Inc. is the leading end-to-end solutions supplier in wireless networks and the largest manufacturer of Smart Dust wireless sensors. Crossbow has for years been at the forefront of creating and deploying smaller, smarter, wireless sensing devices and mesh networking platforms for large-scale defense, environmental, agricultural, industrial monitoring and control, building automation, security and asset tracking applications. Crossbow's open architecture, TinyOS-based platform enables highly intelligent multi-sensing devices to dynamically and reliably self-organize to efficiently capture and send detailed physical data anywhere, anytime.

Crossbow is also a leading supplier of inertial sensor systems for aviation, land and marine applications and other instrumentation sensors. The company has shipped more than 500,000 of its Smart Dust and other advanced sensors to more than 1,000 customers, including select Fortune 100 and other leading industrial, defense, technology, civil engineering and manufacturing companies. Named one of the Top 25 Companies to Watch in 2003 by Semiconductor Innovation Letter, the company's strategic partners include Intel Corporation.

Headquartered in San Jose, Calif., Crossbow has distributors in 24 countries worldwide. The company received its ISO 9001/2000 Certification in May 2002 and its FAA Certification for AHRS500GA in January 2003. Contact Crossbow at [phone], e-mail [e-mail] or visit Crossbow on the Web at www.xbow.com.