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Fig. 1. Soft Chip^TM Trusted Sensor Patch -> Data Logs -> Pigeons -> Cloud -> Actionable Edge Intelligence

Rationale for Soft Chips^TM

Chirp protocols are generic and intentionally rudimentary- they can run on any radio and coexist with any existing protocol. When Chirps are detected, Chirp protocol handlers run - in the phones or on USB modems. Simple ant-like edge intelligence is imprinted to provide When-this-then-that and If-when-this-then-that processes. Soft Chips - as the same suggests, can have their behaviors modified. Suites of sensors can be activated by imprinted code to perform specific tasks using specific sensors e.g. make data logs, relay "fire!" alerts, corroborate multi-sensor feeds. Soft Chips may be made in millions because they support multiple use cases and are future proof- because of the radio and protocol agnostic nature of Chirps.

Intended benefits of these embodiments are in them being: 

. Small . Dumb . Cheap . Copious . Secure . Custom . Agnostic

Small Radio Power Usage and Footprint - Long Battery life. Limited Ant-like processing capabilities - but re-programmable.       Intended to be produced in millions - since multi-use. Intended to be used like seeding crops - deep ground truth verification. Imprinting process - end-to-end - is innately secure. USB modems add security.   No central standards committee needed. Modem based Chirp protocol custom. Chirps are radio and protocol agnostic. Can coexist with other protocols.

Example: RFID++: Low Cost Asset Status Trackers.

Consider RFID - a static GUID identification scheme. Tags are applied to boxes in transit. When energized, they transmit a static code to RFID readers.  RFID++ tags - can  be active tags attached to provide travel logs from sensors - temperature, sound & accelerometers - and imprinted by Enterprises for specific SLA compliance verification and monitoring.

These specific travel Logs are released to Carrier Pigeons (the iterant readers) when imprinted handshakes are sent to sensors on the chip to wake up and Chirp. Minimal power consumption is due to both the cryptic 1-2 bytes payloads vs. IPV6 40+ bytes and that transmission are scheduled - managed RF interference. Chirp protocols are thus efficient. MAC based CSMA/CA protocols are inherently inefficient for these reasons.  

This managed Collision Avoidance - in both time and RF Space - is the Cloud Orchestrated Model.  

Establishing provenance of sourced materials - which wood came from which forest - comes from imprinted tags that follow the felled tree from the forest to the lumber yard. Provenance Trust chains begin when the tree is first felled and an RFID++ tags is attached to it. RFID++ thus establish sourcing for regulatory agencies and also provide a record of travel conditions e.g. SLA compliance on perishables. 

Soft Chips^TM and its Multi-Use Cases (military and industrial).


Fig. 2. Serial Modems are small dumb cheap copious.   Ubiquitous Carrier pigeons serve as transports.

Soft Chips have a minimal - but extensible - base vocabulary: Send, Listen, Relay, Log. Transmissions are either scheduled - e.g. Cron  - or trigged by events - a listener on activated sensor on Chirp Chips.
This Extensible Soft Chips family addresses multiple military and industrial - dual use - applications.

1. RFID++ RFID is a static GUID identification scheme. The tags is applied to boxes in transit and when energized, transmit a code to the reader. Similarly, a RFID++ tag is an active tag applied to perishable items, for example. It builds a data log of the item in transit - based on packaged Infra-red, temperature, sound & accelerometer sensors activated selectively to address purpose driven SLA compliance requirements.

2. Chirper Grid^TM   - Aerial sensor dusting of large areas for forest fires running in relay mode. As soon as any heat sensor is triggered, it is relayed - the entire region lights up. Any carrier pigeon, intermittently servicing the region sends the alert. A version for intrusion detection uses vibration and sound sensors (microphones).

3. Sensor Patch^TM For Legacy Edge assets - remote pump motors - may now have a non invasive sensor logging service providing simple predictive maintenance- driving new efficiencies in servicing legacy assets. Gas pipe leakage detection, air and ocean pollution sensors may be copiously deployed - Smart Dust.

4. Military versions - covert mobile asset tracking and intrusion detection in DMZ or hostile regions.

5. Modem Chipset only - not packaged with sensors, providing a serial bus interface to Enterprise sensor patch - without the wireless communication unit. Based on simplified FREERTOS and Sub-1 GHz radios (for range and leverage less congested RF).  Soft Chips may customize this Exemplary Soft Chip Work Flow to harvest edge data securely.

 
Soft Chips^TM and CHIPS initiatives.

Soft Chips embodiments are intended for dual use (military and industrial) since the security is in the imprinting services provided by trusted hosted services. The two ends of wireless modem have to "match" or know of each others' schedules and RF channel usage and handshake protocols. End-to-End and zero trust.

In our polarized world, governments and military deploy edge devices imprinted by them to provide womb-to-tomb ground truth verification. Sensitive data is not sent over foreign networks and equipment. Covert networks over trusted devices are used. Business is war watered down. Today, all Global enterprises and Regulatory agencies run on federated “Clouds” and expect authentic data from their assets on the ground.

CHIPS initiatives - "integral to America’s economic and national security" benefit from collaborative sharing of trusted, previously walled private gardens. Globally Relevant challenges are now addressable.

           Global scale challenges mandate Globally Relevant Edge à Cloud solutions.

Soft Chips^TM and Upgradeable COTS products. 


Fig. 3. Exemplary Sensor Package Development tool kit, COTS Sensor Controller and Sensors. Click for more.

In 2016 a developer implemented a version of Chirps on Raspberry PI with a two byte Chirp. Web
We now take this to the next level – innately secure, cloud orchestrated Cloud->Edge messaging.

Texas Instruments and others US Chip makers provide extensive Sensor Controller development environments. The Sensor Controller Studio, for example, supports a plethora of radios - all of which can be Chirp aware.
These MAC based radios need a simple protocol handler, running at the Lower Level MAC, to detect Chirps.

These radios are already on - Ubiquitous - carrier pigeons and run the full OSI stack. In those cases, where a specialized radio is needed, a USB attachment - Enterprise Imprinted - is a simple fix.

Long range Sub-1 GHz radios are used by Amazon Sidewalk. With Chirp extensions this network extends to farms and forests - Sustainable Global Impact. Military deploy Software Defined Radios - easily Chirp aware. 
  
Soft Chips^TM and Our Supervised Autonomy Bias

In 1992 a Supervised Autonomy Architecture (video) was deployed in multiple dual use cases. In 2003 Soft Chips^TM Concepts were developed for Military stealth intrusion detection. It became apparent that the last mile connectivity for remote assets had its challenges and needed resolution first. Mobility, Scalability, Terse messaging and Logically Contiguous Clouds were addressed first. Chirps were first discussed here 


 
Fig. 4. Logically Contiguous Remotely Managed, robotic devices. Animation.




Fig. 5. Task delivery constraints aligned with subscriber demand and task delivery schedules. Animation


Soft Chips Summary and Conjectures.

The rapidly accelerating confluence of  Distributed AI  with Software Defined Networking (SDN) prompted this Cloud->Edge thinking.

Cheap, Copious, Global Scale Connectivity then drives new - currently impractical - efficiencies.

Soft Chips is a "natural" alternative to key challenges in remote edge asset management. Bio Slides.

1. Today: Edge with BLE, Zigbee, Lora  => Fractured Markets and Silos   ==  Not Massive versus
2. Chirp: Edge with Imprinted Pigeons  => Contiguous Clouds and Pub/Sub ==  Massive and Trusted.