 the characteristics of UWB-transmitted pulses and how the pulses will look to receivers. "We'll discover what receivers see when they encounter UWB signals," Buehrer says. The research team hopes to continue the project into a second phase, during which they would use the models developed in the first phase to design UWB receivers. The project is funded by a $750,000 grant from the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA). Buehrer believes that the FCC will continue to allow UWB devices to operate without licenses, which should help the technology proliferate. "UWB already has a long history," he notes. "The technology has been used in radar devices for some time. Actually, it's been around since Marconi transmitted the first telegraph signals." 6.4 ASSET TRACKING The Telecosmos promises to give people and businesses unprecedented control over physical assets. In the years ahead, wireless sensors will help organizations track and monitor everything from vending machines to roadways. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) has existed for at least a decade, yet the technology has never lived up to its proponents' expectations. "It's always something that's 'the next big thing," says Jeff Woods, a senior analyst SOMETHING IN THE AIR-RADIO AND LOCATION TECHNOLOGIES at Stamford, Connecticut-based Gartner. Like others who follow the industry, Woods believes that RFID's acceptance has been hampered by a number of factors, including high costs, a lack of standards, and global radio frequency differences that sometimes prevent businesses from shipping RFID-tagged objects between countries. Two separate mandates for 2005, set by Wal-Mart and the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD)-both requiring suppliers to embrace RFID-have pushed the technology into the public eye. As a result, RFID is rapidly moving from a company science experiment to boardroom priority, with a focus on improv- ing enterprise-wide operations. Manufacturers and the suppliers to Wal-Mart and the DoD are diving into an increasingly busy RFID market