REDWOOD CITY, Calif. -- Three engineers who went to UC Berkeley are working to make the next revolution in computers even smaller than your cell phone, NBC11?s Scott Budman reported Monday.

Imagine sitting in a bar and having your coaster tell the bartender you need a refill?

SLIDESHOW: Sentilla?s Tiny Computer

Or imagine shipping a product across the ocean with instant updates telling you where the product is, and that it is still safe.

A computer is coming that will be able to do such things, and much more, Budman said.

?They can talk to each other, and talk to us,? said Joe Polastre of the Silicon Valley company Sentilla.

Polastre is one of three engineers who started the Redwood City to produce software that makes tiny computers work.

The computers are about the size of a quarter, and include radio transmitters that can send information, Budman said.

The tiny machines have the potential to change the way security companies work, Budman said.

The company?s goal is to get java programmers to create software to go inside these computers, said Budman.

?What if we put a computer on every rail car, and it could tell us if the contents have been in the right condition -- did they get to the destination safely?? Polastre said. ?Have they been tampered with?"

Engineers may be able to use the tiny computers on a bridge in order to send warnings to engineers.

?(It could help them) know ahead of time whether the structure has any deficiencies; will it collapse? (We could) have it telling people what's going on.?

The small size of the computer could mean a shift in the way humans use computers, Budman said.

People should expect to see tiny computers not only for security applications, but for agriculture, and product tracking.

People will also be able to use the computers for practical, everyday uses ? such as monitoring how much water a lawn needs, Budman said.

The company Sentilla was formerly known as "Moteiv.com."