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PDF World Economic Forum Technology Pioneers Report

DUST NETWORKS SELECTED BY THE WORLD ECONOMIC FORUM
AS A TECHNOLOGY PIONEER OF 2007

Hayward, Calif., 4 December 2006 – The World Economic Forum today announced 47 Technology Pioneers for 2007. Dust Networks has been selected as one of these Technology Pioneers. The Technology Pioneers were nominated by the world’s leading venture capital and technology companies. The final selection from 225 nominees was made by a panel of leading technology experts appointed by the World Economic Forum. Technology Pioneers 2007 are invited to attend the Annual Meeting of the World Economic Forum to be held in Davos, Switzerland from 24-28 January 2007.

While the productivity enhancements from information technology have already been immense, the next wave of the information revolution -- wireless sensor networks -- promises to have a profound impact on our interactions with the physical world by enabling more extensive monitoring and control.  Wireless sensor networks today are being used to reduce energy consumption, increase manufacturing efficiency, improve worker safety, and reduce industrial waste.

Dust Networks’ ultra low-power, reliable wireless mesh networking system-on-chip (SoC) products bridge the information gap from the physical world to IT systems and allow a wide range of companies to bring wireless sensing solutions to market.  Examples of commercial applications enabled by Dust Networks’ technology include wirelessly monitoring temperature, pressure, and tank levels in an oil refinery; retrofitting a commercial building to monitor temperature and daylight levels to save energy; wirelessly monitoring pollutants in smokestacks; and security applications such as a moveable 'wireless fence' that senses approaching objects.

“We are honored to be acknowledged by the World Economic Forum as a Technology Pioneer of 2007,” said Joy Weiss, President and CEO of Dust Networks. “This underscores our commitment to continuously deliver innovative technology to our customers and highlights the importance of the emerging wireless sensor networking market to the world around us. Over the next decade, the pervasive deployment of wireless sensor networks will transform the use of physical asset information, starting a new chapter in the Information Age.”

Technology Pioneers are companies that have been identified as developing and applying highly transformational and innovative technologies in the areas of energy, biotechnology and health, and information technology. This year’s class of companies has been selected not only because of the cutting-edge work undertaken by these organizations, but also because their work has potential long-term impact on business and society.

The companies’ products include microscopic pill cameras, bio sensors that localize landmines, implantable medical devices for the treatment of brain tumours, mobile television service, blog search engines, open source webrowsers, video headsets, thin-film diamond coatings, solar air-conditioner equipment, paper batteries for music-playing greeting cards, and even an automatic and compacting trash bin powered by solar energy.

Over half (27) of the Technology Pioneers 2007 are US-based companies, with 13 located in California. The United Kingdom boasts six Technology Pioneers 2007; the Netherlands, India, Israel and Singapore boast two each; Canada, Denmark, Finland, Ireland, Sweden and Switzerland have one each.

“The competition to become a Technology Pioneer has been more intense than ever. It is evident that technology and innovation is playing a key role in the shifting power equation at a global level. Driving this shift is the tremendous amount of innovation taking place outside of traditionally hubs. The wide geographic spread of this year’s Technology Pioneers is a testament to this trend. We are pleased to welcome these exciting companies to our Community of Technology Pioneers, and look forward to engaging these industry leaders of the future into the community of the World Economic Forum”, said Peter Torreele, Managing Director of the World Economic Forum.

To be selected as a Technology Pioneer, a company must be involved in the development of life-changing technology innovation and have the potential for long-term impact on business and society. In addition, it must demonstrate visionary leadership, show all the signs of being a long-standing market leader – and its technology must be proven. Previous Technology Pioneers have included Autonomy, Cambridge Silicon Radio, Encore Software, Google, Millennium Pharmaceuticals and Napster.

Go to www.weforum.org/techpioneers/2007 for the entire list of Technology Pioneers and interviews with the CEOs of the selected companies.

The selection criteria include:

  1. Innovation. The company’s technology must be truly innovative. A new version or repackaging of an already well-accepted technological solution does not qualify as an innovation. The innovation should be recent – not more than two years old. The company should invest significantly in R&D.
  2. Potential Impact. This company’s technology must have the potential to have a substantial long-term impact on business and society in the future.
  3. Growth and Sustainability. The company should have all the signs of being a long-term market leader and should have well-formulated plans for future development and growth.
  4. Proof of Concept. The company must have a product on the market or have proven practical applications of the technology. Companies in “stealth” mode and companies with untested ideas or models will not qualify.
  5. Leadership. The company must have visionary leadership that plays a critical role in driving the company towards reaching its goals.
  6. Status. The company must not currently be a Member of the World Economic Forum. This criterion applies to the parent company – thus wholly-owned subsidiaries of large firms are not eligible.

 

About Dust Networks
Dust Networks, the leader in embedded wireless sensor networking (WSN), provides ultra low-power, highly reliable products to OEMs in the industrial automation, building automation and defense markets. Dust Networks’ SmartMesh products combine revolutionary wireless networking capabilities with extremely low-power RF System-on-Chip (SoC) technology, providing OEMs with network-ready WSN solutions that are flexible and easy to integrate. All SmartMesh products utilize the Time Synchronized Mesh Protocol (TSMP), pioneered by Dust Networks, which serves as the foundation for the industry’s most flexible low-power mesh architecture. Dust Networks enables OEMs to offer monitoring and control solutions that provide unprecedented access to information from the physical world, resulting in improved operations, safer work environments, and increased competitive advantage. Dust Networks partners with industry and standards groups such as ISA, the HART Foundation, and WINA to ensure the broad adoption of interoperable wireless sensor networking products. For more information please visit www.dustnetworks.com.

About the World Economic Forum
The World Economic Forum (http://www.weforum.org), based in Geneva, Switzerland, is an independent organization committed to improving the state of the world. Funded by the contributions of 1,000 of the world's foremost corporations, the Forum acts in the spirit of entrepreneurship in the global public interest to further economic growth and social progress. The Forum serves its members and society by creating partnerships between and among business, political, intellectual and other leaders of society to define, discuss and advance key issues on the global agenda. Incorporated in 1971 as a foundation, the World Economic Forum is impartial and not-for-profit, and is tied to no political, partisan or national interests. In 1995 the Forum was awarded NGO consultative status with the Economic and Social Council of the United Nations.