Zephyr going global with remote sensing technology

In an unassuming corner of a Mt Wellington office block, engineers are tinkering with touch-sensitive "smart fabric" and wireless communication, developing products for new global markets.

The company is Zephyr Technology and the projects include a police flak jacket that tells the communications centre when an officer has been shot or stabbed.

There's the super-yacht sail monitor, which posts data on a sail's performance over the internet, sending a text message to the owner if excessive wind forces are threatening to damage the expensive fabrics.

There's also the "smart shoe", which records and analyses the wearer's walking or running style.

And there's more - but founder and chief executive Brian Russell says the company is sworn to secrecy for some of the work it's doing for international clients.

Russell, an Auckland-educated engineer, began his design career at Fisher & Paykel then worked overseas for Nokia and semiconductor company Analogue Devices before returning to New Zealand to establish Zephyr in 2003.

The business's staple income has been from product design consulting projects, but Russell is increasingly focusing on finding niche global markets for its unique products.

He has been talking to a major international athletic shoe manufacturer about the smart shoe technology, which records and analyses the pressure applied to the smart fabric at various points on the shoe, giving orthopaedic experts information about the user's running or walking style.

Through the telemetry (wireless monitoring) side of the business, Russell began seeing consistent demand for a generic monitoring and transmitting "box", which could be customised for specific applications.

This led to the development of Zephyr's iBox product, a remote tracking, sensing and control device fitted out with GPS satellite tracking, mobile phone connectivity and Iridium satellite communication.

"We started seeing a trend of a lot of customers asking for GPS, satellite tracking and mobile phone [connectivity] to be put into products," Russell says.

"So because our project work is based on platforms we came up with a telemetry platform that allowed us to very quickly roll out different types of products for different types of customers."

One application using the iBox is a fertiliser load-weight monitoring device developed for Hamilton plane manufacturer Pacific Aerospace and its commercial 750XL aircraft.

Having an accurate measure of the amount of fertiliser remaining onboard offers significant cost saving potential for top-dressing businesses, Russell says.

It allows planes to take off with the maximum safe load, reducing landings and down time.

Another Zephyr client is Auckland company Here I Am, which sells GPS vehicle-tracking technologies.

Charles Wedd, the managing director of Here I Am, says he looked around the world before settling on Zephyr's technology.

"They're certainly leading the way as far as that technology goes compared to most of the overseas products that we've looked at, by quite a significant portion," Wedd says.

Simon Spratt of Connect Auckland, a government-funded business advisory organisation for technology companies, said Zephyr had exciting technology and huge potential.

"If things go well for Brian, he will be the next great IT success story in New Zealand," Spratt said. "He's got something special and with the right assistance and guidance I think he can make it." Russell says the company's focus next year will be on aviation and marine markets in Britain and the United States.

Who: chief executive Brian Russell.

Where: Auckland.

What: Technology design with a focus on remote communications, sensing and smart fabric.

Why: Growing global demand for monitoring technology that can send data and alerts using multiple wireless communication technologies.