HUNTINGTON BEACH, Calif. - Echelon Corp. has announced that its new Pyxosâ„¢ platform now enables control networks to be embedded economically inside building automation devices, vending machines, small appliances, office equipment, and industrial machines. According to the company, Pyxos components are so small, low-cost, and easily used that they can even be embedded into materials and devices that were never previously considered candidates for networking, such as building materials. The new Pyxos platform was announced at the DEMOfall Conference in Huntington Beach, Calif.

Echelon says the ubiquitous deployment of embedded control networks can add functionality and lower the costs of a wide range of automation and energy management applications, expanding existing market segments and creating new ones. According to Harbor Research, the 2005 market for device networks includes 375 million "static devices," 500 million "controllers," 750 million "smart" sensors, and 35 billion microprocessors and microcontrollers. Static devices include HVAC equipment, industrial machinery, pipelines, home appliances, and others; controllers include industrial controllers and appliance controllers; and smart sensors include pressure gauges, flow, position, speed, temperature, and biosensors, among others.

The Pyxos platform is the first "self-organizing" embedded control network in which devices automatically configure themselves into functioning networks, says Echelon. Moreover, the Pyxos platform is fully compatible with LonWorks® networks, allowing Pyxos-based machines or networks to be integrated into still larger control networks.