Here is a list f IoT predictions for year 2018. With the number of connected devices set to top 11 billion – and that’s not including computers and phones – in 2018, Internet of Things will clearly continue to be a hot topic. Here is my prediction list:
1. Artifical Intelligence – it will be talked a lot
2. Blockchain – blockchain will be hyped to be a solution for many IoT problems, and it will turn out that it is not the best solution for most of problems it is hyped for – and maybe it will find few sensible uses for it in IoT. Blockchain can add immutability and integrity to some IoT transactions.
3. 4G mobile for IoT: NB-IoT and LTE-M are ready to be tested or used in many markets
4. 5G will be hyped a lot for IoT applications but it is nowhere near for any real big IoT use cases
6. Security issues will be talked a lot. IoT security is far from solved issue.
7. Privacy issues of IoT will be talked a lot when our homes and pockets are starting to be filled with ever listening digital assistants.
8. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will be massive
9. More CPU power will be added or used in the edge. Pushing processing power to the “edge” brings a number of benefits and opportunities.
10. Hardware based security: Hardware based security on microprocessors will be talked a lot after “Meltdown” and “Spectre” disaster
Links to more predictions:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2017/12/19/the-top-8-iot-trends-for-2018/#17a9943267f7
https://www.ibm.com/blogs/internet-of-things/top-5-iot-trends-in-2018/
https://www.inc.com/james-paine/3-internet-of-things-trends-to-watch-in-2018.html
https://www.i-scoop.eu/iot-2018-1/
https://dzone.com/articles/iot-trends-for-2018
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Case study: IIoT effectiveness on the plant floor
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/case-study-iiot-effectiveness-on-the-plant-floor/9b9199273191e0bb249f81706fd6f516.html?OCVALIDATE=
Create and collect machine and sensor data to augment overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) and determine machine efficiency.
Automotive supplier HFI approached system integrator MartinCSI to implement Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technologies to capture what was happening on the plant floor and relay that information to management for analysis. Weeks later, HFI had access to machine data, overall equipment effectiveness (OEE) metrics, and remote access to reporting.
IIoT implementations tout the ability to identify trends, analyze Big Data, provide actionable insights, and increase productivity. HFI had another systems integrator implement an application that captured data from one machine. A significant amount of machine data had been collected with information on every sensor, input, and output.
According to all the promises, this is when all the insights would come pouring in and production would increase, but it wasn’t that easy. A lot of data was available, and no one knew exactly what was important, who to get it to, or how to benefit from it. It just sat there.
MartinCSI designed a system to collect machine data, store it on a cloud server, and provide HFI with direct access to the database. The implementation did not require purchasing expensive hardware, smart sensors, or equipment with embedded intelligence. HFI’s existing supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) and network architecture remained unchanged.
The system integrator and client worked with HFI to create OEE metrics and reports that were used to determine machine efficiency.
“This was the first-time business, IT, and OT [operations technology] worked together on one project. Having a partner who listened and understood what we needed made all the difference,” explained Hartley.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Enabling Embedded Devices for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT)
https://www.mentor.com/embedded-software/resources/overview/enabling-embedded-devices-for-industrial-internet-of-things-iiot–a83b7f36-02dd-42b5-9d72-012390ba0dc9?uuid=a83b7f36-02dd-42b5-9d72-012390ba0dc9&clp=1&contactid=1&PC=L&c=2018_06_25_esd_enabling_embedded_iiot_wp
For industrial equipment manufacturers, the market demand to integrate and connect devices within the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is growing by the day.This paper seeks to outline a few of the key architectural considerations required for the successful operation of smart devices within an IIoT infrastructure with a focus on the software that runs on the device.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Apply Deep Learning to Building-Automation IoT Sensors
http://www.electronicdesign.com/embedded/apply-deep-learning-building-automation-iot-sensors?code=UM_NN8DS_004&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=18024&utm_medium=email&elq2=1b37cf0cfbb6490194676b4ba7a783c2
Real-time systems like smart sensors in commercial buildings are taking advantage of the richer computation level of deep-learning-based technology.
In building automation, sensors such as motion detectors, photocells, temperature, and CO2 and smoke detectors are used primarily for energy savings and safety. Next-generation buildings, however, are intended to be significantly more intelligent, with the capability to analyze space utilization, monitor occupants’ comfort, and generate business intelligence.
To support such robust features, building-automation infrastructure requires considerably richer information that details what’s happening across the building space. Since current sensing solutions are limited in their ability to address this need, a new generation of smart sensors (see figure below) is required to enhance the accuracy, reliability, flexibility, and granularity of the data they provide.
Data Analytics at the Sensor Node
In the new era of the Internet of Things (IoT), there arises the opportunity to introduce a new approach to building automation that decentralizes the architecture and pushes the analytics processing to the edge (the sensor unit) instead of the cloud or a central server. Commonly referred to as edge computing, or fog computing, this approach provides real-time intelligence and enhanced control agility while simultaneously offloading the heavy communications traffic.
Rule-Based or Data-Driven?
The challenges associated with rich data analysis can be addressed in different ways. The conventional rule-based systems are supposedly easier to analyze. However, this advantage is negated as the system evolves, with patches of rules being stacked upon each other to account for the proliferation of new rule exceptions, thus resulting in a hard-to-decipher tangle of coded rules
As the hard work of rule creation and modification is managed by human programmers, rule-based systems suffer from compromised performance.
Once the features have been defined, the rules and/or formulas that use these features are learned automatically by the algorithm.
When the rules are implemented within the sensor, it runs a two-staged, repeating process. In stage one, the human-defined features are extracted from the sensor data. In stage two, the learned rules are applied to perform the task at hand.
Within the machine-learning domain, “deep learning” is emerging as a superior new approach that even alleviates engineers from the task of defining features. With deep learning, based on the numerous labeled samples, the algorithm determines for itself an end-to-end computation that extends from the raw sensor data all the way to the final output. The algorithm must discern the correct features and how best to compute them.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Six best practices for implementing and securing IIoT products
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/six-best-practices-for-implementing-and-securing-iiot-products/7c679f4159ef16d7a6b88d5dc8f4d508.html?OCVALIDATE=
The practice of “securing by design” can help companies protect against potential cyber attacks on Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) products.
1. Secure interfaces: Insecure interfaces can result in data manipulation, loss, or corruption; lack of accountability; denial of access; or complete device takeover.
2. Update software and firmware regularly: It is crucial IIoT devices perform updates regularly to protect against the latest threats, and that cryptographic checks are implemented to ensure updates come from a trusted source.
3. Control access: Strong passwords, the protection of credentials, and separation of roles must be ensured to prevent compromising a device or a user account.
4. Secure the network: Only necessary ports should be available and exposed. Insecure network services may be susceptible to a variety of attacks, including denial of service (DoS), which renders a device inaccessible.
5. Eliminate backdoors: No IIoT device should have undocumented backdoors or hidden functions that an attacker could exploit.
6. Configure for security: Attackers often exploit a lack of granular permissions to access data or controls. Security hardening, encryption of data in transit, and logging security events can counter this risk.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Digital twins” enable machine simulation & maintenance, Industry 4.0
https://www.edn.com/design/automotive/4460761/-Digital-twins–enable-simulation–maintenance–Industry-4-0
Home> Automotive Design Center > How To Article
“Digital twins” enable machine simulation & maintenance, Industry 4.0
Richard Quinnell -June 11, 2018
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One of the key trends in industrial systems design highlighted at the recent Hannover Fair is the increasing interest in creation and use of digital twins. A marriage between EDA/CAD and the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), digital twins hold great promise for optimizing the performance and maintenance of industrial systems. The concept itself has been in use for decades in aerospace and automotive industries, but advances in computing and communications technologies are paving the way for it to become a key element of industrial systems design.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What makes an LED driver IoT-compatible?
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/led-diva/4460798/What-makes-an-LED-driver-IoT-compatible-?utm_source=Aspencore&utm_medium=EDN&utm_campaign=social
With the announcement at LightFair 2018 of the IoT-Ready Alliance’s first standard, let’s take a high-level look at the design modifications that an LED-driver manufacturer might need to make to support the new standard.
The new standard (the “V1 Specification”) addresses mechanical and electrical as well as software interfaces and is backward compatible with existing lighting controls. The standard is extremely versatile, in that it can be used with any wireless or wired network protocol, including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, Z-Wave, or WiFi.
The IoT-Ready Alliance V1 Specification is the first of what is anticipated to be a growing number of potentially competing specs for defining how devices in “smart” environments will interact and communicate.
Of the several modifications made, one was the replacement of the DALI interface firmware embedded in the internal microcontroller with the Smart Module Interface (SMI) digital interface specified by the V1 Specification. These changes enable communication via RJ45 to any sensor, e.g., traditional “dumb” occupancy sensors, or Zigbee or BLE sensors. Two pins of the physical RJ45 connector facilitate bi-directional SMI communication.
Aside from the two pins used by the SMI interface, the driver was also modified to provide a tap into auxiliary power to supply 24 V at up to 30 mA for external devices (such as sensors). Power is supplied via two RJ45 pins for Gnd. and VCC for Aux.
The requirement for 2% accuracy in energy metering is achieved through a combination of proprietary analog circuitry and firmware
https://www.iot-ready.org
Tomi Engdahl says:
What makes an LED driver IoT-compatible?
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/led-diva/4460798/What-makes-an-LED-driver-IoT-compatible-?utm_source=Aspencore&utm_medium=EDN&utm_campaign=social
With the announcement at LightFair 2018 of the IoT-Ready Alliance’s first standard, let’s take a high-level look at the design modifications that an LED-driver manufacturer might need to make to support the new standard.
The new standard (the “V1 Specification”) addresses mechanical and electrical as well as software interfaces and is backward compatible with existing lighting controls. The standard is extremely versatile, in that it can be used with any wireless or wired network protocol, including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, Z-Wave, or WiFi.
The IoT-Ready Alliance V1 Specification is the first of what is anticipated to be a growing number of potentially competing specs for defining how devices in “smart” environments will interact and communicate.
Of the several modifications made, one was the replacement of the DALI interface firmware embedded in the internal microcontroller with the Smart Module Interface (SMI) digital interface specified by the V1 Specification. These changes enable communication via RJ45 to any sensor, e.g., traditional “dumb” occupancy sensors, or Zigbee or BLE sensors. Two pins of the physical RJ45 connector facilitate bi-directional SMI communication.
Aside from the two pins used by the SMI interface, the driver was also modified to provide a tap into auxiliary power to supply 24 V at up to 30 mA for external devices (such as sensors). Power is supplied via two RJ45 pins for Gnd. and VCC for Aux.
The requirement for 2% accuracy in energy metering is achieved through a combination of proprietary analog circuitry and firmware
https://www.iot-ready.org
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sensor Network Company Develops Ammeter; Here’s Why
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1333421
U.K.-based AltoNovus developed a low-range ammeter to measure current consumption in low-power IoT devices.
AltoNovus develops low-power sensor networks wherein “low power” means that a device needs to run for 10 years on a pair of AA batteries. The company’s sensor products focus on environmental monitoring for agriculture or security monitoring for unoccupied buildings. To get such long life, the connected sensor devices might need to draw as little as 600 nA in standby mode.
To develop these products, AltoNovus engineers needed to characterize their devices’ power consumption in all modes of operation. That includes measuring how much charge — current × time (mAh) — is consumed during a radio transmission.
AltoNovus needed a low-cost ammeter that could make the needed measurements. “DMMs capable of measuring down to 1 nA typically retail from about £1k,”
Figuring they could do better, AltoNovus engineers developed their own ammeter. “To measure down to these very low levels,”
To fund the development and production of the NanoRanger, AltoNovus has launched a Kickstarter campaign through which the company hopes to raise $33,000.
NanoRanger from AltoNovus; High Accuracy, Low Current Meter.
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/837547296/nanoranger-from-altonovus-high-accuracy-low-curren
An accurate, factory calibrated, 3.5 Digit, Auto-Ranging, DC ammeter. It reads from 800mA to 1nA, for professionals and enthusiasts.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Leti Developing Low-power Network for IoT
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333424
European research institute Leti has carried out field trials of a new low-power wide-area (LPWA) technology, a waveform tailored for Internet of Things (IoT) applications. It says that it showed significant performance gains in coverage, data-rate flexibility, and power consumption compared to other LPWA technologies like LoRa and NB-IoT.
While the project is still in the research phase, Vincent Berg, head of Leti’s Smart Object Communication Laboratory, told EE Times that the roadmap includes optimization and further integration, which includes the development of an RF ASIC, and it is also investigating standardization.
Leti’s LPWA approach includes a patented Turbo-FSK waveform, a flexible approach to the physical layer.
The results indicate that the new technology is especially suitable for long-range massive machine-type communication (mMTC) systems. These systems, in which billions of machine-type terminals can communicate wirelessly, are expected to proliferate after 5G networks are deployed, beginning in 2020. Cellular systems designed for humans do not adequately transmit the very short data packets that define mMTC systems.
Under favorable transmission conditions — such as a shorter range and line of sight — the Leti system can select high data rates using widely deployed single-carrier frequency-division multiplexing (SC-FDM) physical layers to take advantage of the low power consumption of the transmission mode. Under more severe transmission conditions, the system switches to more resilient high-performance orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM). When both very long-range transmission and power efficiency are required, the system selects Turbo-FSK, which combines an orthogonal modulation with a parallel concatenation of convolutional codes and makes the waveform suitable to turbo processing. The selection is made automatically via a medium access control (MAC) approach optimized for IoT applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
David Carnoy / CNET:
Amazon introduces Show Mode in its Fire HD tablets via a software update that turns them into an Echo Show for a hands-free Alexa experience
Amazon now lets you turn your Fire tablet into an Echo Show
https://www.cnet.com/news/amazon-now-lets-you-turn-your-fire-tablet-into-an-echo-show/
The new Show Mode creates a hands-free Alexa experience for Fire tablets. Plus, there’s a new Show Mode Charging Dock that automatically switches your Fire tablet into Show Mode.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Retailers understand the importance of technology and its role in helping to deliver the experience and convenience that customers have come to expect. As consumer shopping behaviors and expectations have shifted dramatically in the digital age, they now expect to find whatever they want when they want it, and RFID has helped retailers to deliver on these expectations.
Those retailers that have moved forward with RFID have seen tremendous ROI from improving their inventory accuracy to a 98% real-time read rate. 8.7% increase in sales as a result.
Source: https://event.on24.com/wcc/r/1773101/1A8958B5C80BA77954DD937BD3AFA9E3?partnerref=EM1
Tomi Engdahl says:
Takeaways from IoT DevCon: Sparking Thoughts About Security for the IoT
https://www.securerf.com/takeaways-from-iot-devcon-sparking-thoughts-about-security-for-the-iot/?utm_campaign=Email%20Newsletter&utm_source=hs_email&utm_medium=email&utm_content=64098443&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-95BT1zGFECWMtjireUcQ2jQiDL-kAomFcw36EBeItOoSHd_UjB1kYbxVxaafWwwc7Bbya8G3i-zbdhRDIlkUyn9hejhsHDBGS4pfvSiXnW_tuWCxA&_hsmi=64098443
Earlier this month, we exhibited at the Internet of Things Developers Conference (IoT DevCon) held at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The conference was a great opportunity for us to meet engineers involved in product development, system design, embedded software, embedded devices and intelligent communications for the IoT. Wherever we turned, over the course of the conference, we found that security was very much on the minds of conference participants.
Asaf Chen, Arm’s Vice President of Marketing for Security IP probably spoke for many at the conference when he stated that “without solving security, the IoT will not reach the scale or have the impact it can or should.” Indeed, recent IoT security breaches impacting a wide range of IoT devices from cars to baby monitors were widely shared at the conference, with many presenters noting the very real threat that security vulnerabilities could limit the growth of the IoT.
The traditional approach to implement cryptography–which was implied in a number of the presentations we listened to at the conference–involves including a cryptographic coprocessor chip to interface with the main microcontroller. To validate a digital signature in such a design, the microcontroller sends the signature, signer’s public key, and message to the coprocessor; the microcontroller then reads back the result as to whether the signature was valid or not. While this approach is certainly better than doing nothing for security, it has weaknesses. First, it introduces a potential security vulnerability that the coprocessor approach exhibits: the microcontroller communicates with the coprocessor chip using an industry standard SPI or I2C data bus. An attacker with physical access to the IoT product can easily inject false data onto the bus that the microcontroller acts on as if it came from the “trusted” coprocessor chip. Additionally, with added hardware comes added cost and complexity, a real challenge for low-cost IoT devices.
We highlighted our alternative approach to implement cryptography at the conference. Our approach includes cryptographic libraries within the product’s main microcontroller. When the microcontroller needs to validate a digital signature that a remote device has sent, it calls into the crypto library residing within its own firmware.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Four Technologies Helping Drive Industry 4.0
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333430
Tomi Engdahl says:
ETNdigi: LTE micro-networks connect even to the mine
In particular, LTE micro-networks suitable for industry needs are gradually shifting from pilot sites to production. Technology offers industry new opportunities, good usability and strong security.
LTE micro-network means the introduction of mobile phone technology in the form of small base stations to a single object such as an industrial plant or a mine. The end result is a local private network that is not part of the public mobile network.
LTE micro-networks are a major step forward, since never before the base station could have accessed its own factory – or at least not at a reasonable price.
MICROWORK PROMOTES EDUCATION also from security point of view. When a telecommunications background system can be implemented on-site in the actual location, data may not necessarily have to go outside the factory gates. If you wish, you can eliminate the internet entirely from the picture.
FOR YOUR ARCHITECTURE LTE Micro Networks are an evolution step on a roadmap that ultimately leads to 5G technology. In other words, the LTE microcomputer system will later provide a full 5G system with an upgrading of the radio interface.
Nokia has been active in this area and has invested in product development and piloting on Finnish soil. Until now, Nokia has focused on pilot sites in the LTE micro-networks for production use during the spring.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/8158-etndigi-lte-mikroverkot-tuovat-yhteydet-jopa-kaivokseen
Tomi Engdahl says:
Belden, JMA Wireless forge smart buildings partnership
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2018/06/belden-jma-wireless-forge-smart-buildings-partnership.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2018-07-02&pwhid=6b9badc08db25d04d04ee00b499089ffc280910702f8ef99951bdbdad3175f54dcae8b7ad9fa2c1f5697ffa19d05535df56b8dc1e6f75b7b6f6f8c7461ce0b24&eid=289644432&bid=2160012
Belden and JMA Wireless, a global supplier of wireless communications solutions, have announced a strategic alliance to deliver complete smart building platforms. The new partnership will combine Belden’s fiber solutions, power cabling, patching solutions and custom cabinets with JMA Wireless’ distributed antenna systems, digital electricity and mounting systems, antennas and RF conditioning, as well as the company’s newly announced XRAN adaptive baseband system.
“By partnering with JMA Wireless, we have created the most powerful solution set in the industry for buildings that want to deploy fully converged wireless technology infrastructure,” commented David Geon, vice president of sales, enterprise solutions, at Belden.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Siemens–Mentor: How’s It Working Out?
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1333432
Siemens closed the acquisition of Mentor Graphics in March 2017. How’s that working out for the electronics industry?
This marriage — an EDA business bought by a powerhouse of infrastructure solutions — initially inspired skepticism among investors, the EDA community, and media. However, one year later, speaking of Siemens’s “digital factory” strategy in an investors’ conference in New York last month, Siemens AG CEO and President Joe Kaeser laid out facts and made a compelling case for the Mentor acquisition:
For those of you who have been following Siemens for a long time, I know you are questioning time and time again: Is it really worth doing this digital factory thing? Is it really coming? Or is it another overvalued, overrated waste of money by acquiring companies like Unigraphics — last, but not least, even Mentor Graphics?
Ladies and gentlemen, I am here to tell you it’s been the right thing. Actually, it turned out much better than we originally thought: It’s a real thing.
Siemens’s digital factory initiative is paying off nicely, according to Kaeser, particularly after the Mentor deal. Siemens’s 4% share in the digital factory market in the first quarter of fiscal 2017 jumped to 20% in the second quarter of fiscal 2018.
Physical world meets virtual world
As Kaeser sees it, Siemens’s acquisition of Mentor was designed to prove that the “physical world and mechanical worlds can be simulated.”
It took Siemens a long time to understand that it’s not just the mechanical world that needs to be simulated, acknowledged Kaeser. The fusion of the industries enabled the miniaturization of electrical systems, and “if you go about miniaturizing systems, you go into semiconductors,” he said. Simulations of miniaturized systems thus demand simulations of semiconductors, and that’s where Mentor comes in.
Tomi Engdahl says:
More Pain and Suffering for Tapplock?
Hacking padlocks using Web Bluetooth
https://blog.hackster.io/more-pain-and-suffering-for-tapplock-936cdb1bc8a6
Tomi Engdahl says:
Defending Your Industrial IoT Protocol Stack from Hackers
http://www.ioti.com/security/defending-your-industrial-iot-protocol-stack-hackers?code=itpnative&mvt=i&mvn=5c208be52d184f568631215f51e1704d&mvp=NA-ITPRCOM-11238907&mvl=Article+Inline+Related+2
This report provides a framework for understanding network security, drawing on the Defense in Depth approach to securing your IoT protocol stack.
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Smart factory’ – the key to Industrial Revolution 4.0
https://www.electropages.com/2018/07/smart-factory-key-industrial-revolution-4-0/?utm_campaign=&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=%E2%80%98Smart+factory%E2%80%99+-+the+key+to+Industrial+Revolution+4.0
The fourth industrial revolution is fast becoming a reality in many parts of the developed world. And as this revolution comes into being, manufacturing is being transformed with a move to fully ‘smart’ or intelligent factories and the evolution of smarter products. Definitions of what constitute both the fourth industrial revolution and the ‘smart factory’ differ slightly.
According to Deloitte Consulting, “Simply put, a smart factory is one equipped with technology that enables machine-to-machine (M2M) and machine-to-human (M2H) communication in tandem with analytical and cognitive technologies so that decisions are made correctly and on time.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
On Labeled data
https://medium.com/@TalPerry/on-labeled-data-85fbaf1bdf89
It turns out that a large portion of real-world problems have the property that it is significantly easier to collect the data (…) than to explicitly write the program. A large portion of programmers of tomorrow do not maintain complex software repositories, write intricate programs, or analyze their running times. They collect, clean, manipulate, label, analyze and visualize data that feeds neural networks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What makes an LED driver IoT-compatible?
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/led-diva/4460798/What-makes-an-LED-driver-IoT-compatible-
With the announcement at LightFair 2018 of the IoT-Ready Alliance’s first standard, let’s take a high-level look at the design modifications that an LED-driver manufacturer might need to make to support the new standard.
The new standard (the “V1 Specification”) addresses mechanical and electrical as well as software interfaces and is backward compatible with existing lighting controls. The standard is extremely versatile, in that it can be used with any wireless or wired network protocol, including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Zigbee, Z-Wave, or WiFi.
A network socket is defined within the standard that facilitates the connection of any type of sensor or control module to any luminaire within a networked lighting system, or even with other building systems. The standard also includes a requirement of 2% or better accuracy in energy metering in support of the anticipated needs of energy efficiency programs.
Tridonic, (the technology arm of Zumbotel) has played a major role in the development of the V1 Specification and introduced its first IoT Ready LED driver based on the spec at LightFair
Two pins of the physical RJ45 connector facilitate bi-directional SMI communication.
Aside from the two pins used by the SMI interface, the driver was also modified to provide a tap into auxiliary power to supply 24 V at up to 30 mA for external devices (such as sensors). Power is supplied via two RJ45 pins for Gnd. and VCC for Aux. Power. The four remaining RJ45 pins are left open in the specification at this time in anticipation of future capabilities, including possible Ethernet support.
Smart Module Interface (SMI) digital interface
Tomi Engdahl says:
Easily Configure Valor IoT Manufacturing in Your Factory
https://www.mentor.com/pcb-manufacturing-assembly/resources/overview/easily-configure-valor-iot-manufacturing-in-your-factory-d8299333-9a33-4516-86ef-853369be4b9a?uuid=d8299333-9a33-4516-86ef-853369be4b9a&clp=1&contactid=1&PC=L&c=2018_07_03_bsd_val_mss_easily_configure_i
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/06/21/palohayttimien-tietoturva-ja-iot-mietityttavat-pelastusalaa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
These Electronic Temporary Tattoos Could Let You Wear Devices on Your Skin
https://blog.hackster.io/lesthese-electronic-temporary-tattoos-could-let-you-wear-devices-on-your-skin-78841ade5062
development makes it possible to print very thin and flexible circuits directly onto temporary tattoo paper. Those circuits can then be applied onto skin with water, just like the temporary tattoos you enjoyed as a kid. For now, the circuits themselves are fairly simple single-layer designs, but that can be improved with more research and development.
Using an ordinary desktop inkjet printer, they printed traces of conductive silver nanoparticles onto the temporary tattoo paper. Then a layer of gallium indium alloy was applied over those traces to increase their conductivity and strength. Unlike most other flexible circuit fabrication techniques, this is inexpensive
These Active Smart Bandages Can Deliver Drugs as Needed for Chronic Wounds
https://blog.hackster.io/these-active-smart-bandages-can-deliver-drugs-as-needed-for-chronic-wounds-3e0af810d84c
Chronic wounds that require pharmaceuticals are difficult to treat, because the drugs need to be administered regularly.
That’s why researchers from Tufts University have developed a new kind of smart bandage that can administer drugs automatically.
The bandages can be applied to the skin at the site of a wound and worn for extended periods of time. They integrate both sensors and a drug delivery system.
the smart bandage can monitor temperature and local pH levels, and then deliver antibiotics
Tomi Engdahl says:
Light management systems connect to the cloud to make buildings efficient
https://www.edn.com/electronics-products/electronic-product-reviews/other/4460841/Light-management-systems-connect-to-the-cloud-to-make-buildings-efficient?utm_source=Aspencore&utm_medium=EDN&utm_campaign=social
All of the existing LED nodes out there in ceilings, live near AC power, with proper bandwidth and communication available; all that is needed is the right sensor array coupled with computational power needed and these nodes will be able to do more than simple light management. Turning lights on and off, occupancy sensing, and scheduling are the easy part of the task. Osram is now adding sensors to the bottom end and cloud connectivity to the top end, which is enabling their light management system to evolve into a true IoT platform.
Instead of just selling lights, systems, and nodes they will be providing software subscriptions for different value-added services.
3-30-300 rule
Osram is looking at the 3-30-300 rule, which essentially states that a 1% change in energy costs can save a company $3 per year per square foot; a 1% change in rent would save $30 per year per square foot; and an improvement in productivity/performance would save $300 per year per square foot.
If we look at a conference room, an open office space, or a lab and determine how many sensors are needed to control the lighting vs. how we would want to deploy sensors in that same area, if we wanted to enable higher functionality, there might be differences.
Five or 10 years ago, the cost of doing such value-added services was prohibitive, mostly due to the high cost of the sensors. The bandwidth to communicate that data was also not readily available. Now with Zigbee, wired-communication, or even cellular, the bandwidth capability is soaring exponentially. Moore’s Law drives down the cost of making these sensors and Rose’s law regarding bandwidth and communication protocols are both enabling these value-added services at a reasonable cost. These are not just technology laws, but laws of economics
Osram sells controlled luminaires, or controlled luminaires providing data, or even controlled luminaires providing data with on-board sensors to partners that integrate these into their lighting fixtures, which now become smart fixtures in the building.
as soon as they all decided upon a standard, everyone’s business improved. I believe that a successful business, for the most part, cannot operate successfully as an ‘island’ with a proprietary mindset. Dr. Berlien understands that very well.
I asked about street lighting and sensors for areas like autonomous vehicles with a V2X system. Osram is first going to focus on smart buildings and smart office applications, but they would not totally rule out technology and control systems integrated into a smart city in the future.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Week in Review: IoT, Security, Auto
https://semiengineering.com/the-week-in-review-iot-auto-security/
SoftBank Corp. reached an agreement with Indonesia’s Link Net to work together on Internet of Things technology. Hidebumi Kitahara of SoftBank said in a statement, “The global mobile industry is now entering the 5G era, with IoT becoming the central focal point of innovation.
The Industrial Internet Consortium established the Smart Printing Factory Testbed, a project hosted and led by Fujifilm. It is supported by Fujitsu, IBM, RTI, and Toshiba, all members of IIC.
The RISC-V Foundation established the Security Standing Committee to promote best security practices and to identify security improvements in RISC-V-based IoT devices, embedded systems, and machine learning implementations. There are 25 members involved in the committee, including Micron Technology, Microsemi, NXP Semiconductors, Rambus, SiFive, and Western Digital.
The U.K.’s Lancaster University and Quantum Base collaborated on a quantum random number generator that they say will make cyberattacks difficult, if not impossible. Quantum Base’s number generator can be embedded within any electronic device, it was said.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Tale of Two IoT Pioneers
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1333457
Acquisitions of Echelon and Wind River aim to breathe life into these forerunners of the Internet of Things, reminding me what a long, strange road it’s been so far.
Adesto’s acquisition of Echelon and Intel’s sale of Wind River to a private equity firm reminds me how little we know about how the IoT will play out.
I spoke with chief executives from both companies last week, and it was like a double-barrel blast from the past.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/07/10/oras-osti-iot-toimijan-digia-suihkuun/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth 5, Refined for the IoT
https://www.techonline.com/electrical-engineers/education-training/tech-papers/4460783/Bluetooth-5-Refined-for-the-IoT
This white paper introduces the new features of Bluetooth 5 technology and how they enable the next wave of IoT applications. The hallmark features of Bluetooth 5 include twice the speed, four times range, and eight times the advertising capacity for long range, more robust connections, better user experience, and smarter beacons.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Power Management Chapter 13: Energy Harvesting
http://www.powerelectronics.com/power-management/power-management-chapter-13-energy-harvesting?NL=ED-003&Issue=ED-003_20180709_ED-003_418&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=18425&utm_medium=email&elq2=15382fdb41d24d09826eb6338014b06b
Energy harvesting is the process by which ambient energy is captured and converted into electricity for small autonomous devices, such as satellites, laptops and nodes in sensor networks without the need for battery power. Energy harvesting applications reach from vehicles to the smart grid.
With electronic circuits now capable of operating at microwatt levels, it is feasible to power them from non-traditional sources. This has led to energy harvesting, which provides the power to charge, supplement or replace batteries in systems where battery use is inconvenient, impractical, expensive or dangerous. It can also eliminate the need for wires to carry power or to transmit data. Energy harvesting can power smart wireless sensor networks to monitor and optimize complex industrial processes, remote field installations and building HVAC. In addition, otherwise wasted energy from industrial processes, solar panels, or internal combustion engines, can be harvested for useful purposes. A key component in energy harvesting is a power converter that can operate with ultralow voltage inputs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Designing for Peak Power in Mobile Electronic Devices
http://www.powerelectronics.com/power-management/designing-peak-power-mobile-electronic-devices?NL=ED-003&Issue=ED-003_20180709_ED-003_418&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=18425&utm_medium=email&elq2=15382fdb41d24d09826eb6338014b06b
Most electronic devices exhibit a pulsing behavior, where peak power is much higher than standby power. This includes mobile (i.e., battery-operated) devices. Some common examples of battery-operated devices with pulsing behavior include:
Wireless sensors that periodically transmit information across a long distance
Electric hand tools and toys with actuating motors
Bluetooth audio speakers with high dynamic range
Medical-device pumps with backup-battery supplies
A major design goal for a mobile device is to maximize battery runtime (no one wants to face the ire directed at Apple over their phones’ battery problems). Typically, the largest design efforts to achieve this involve minimizing standby power through careful selection and implementation of components with low quiescent power.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Siemens re-enters the lighting business, via the IoT
https://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2018/06/siemens-re-enters-the-lighting-business-via-the-iot.html?eid=289644432&bid=2163742
Five years after spinning off its Osram lighting subsidiary and thereby dumping its bulb baggage, Siemens AG is back in the lighting business.
the 171-year-old German engineering conglomerate is embracing the industry’s modern zeitgeist, selling Internet-connected, chip-and-sensor imbued lighting controls, services, and systems aimed at profiting from data collection and analysis.
This all became evident over the last month, when Siemens made no fewer than three acquisitions of smaller companies that specialize in Internet of Things (IoT) controls of lighting and building operations.
The Enlighted acquisition in particular elucidates the rationale behind Siemens’ return to the lighting business.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ENABLING EMBEDDED DEVICES FOR INDUSTRIAL
INTERNET OF THINGS (IIoT)
http://s3.mentor.com/public_documents/whitepaper/resources/mentorpaper_103655.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
SYNCRONICITY
Open Call for Companies
https://docs.wixstatic.com/ugd/33307d_191fab8c74014ed18515ea9fd10a7b68.pdf
Who
is it for?
•
SMEs
with
a
IoT
related
solution
that
a)
have
already
been
demonstrated
in a
relevant
environment
(TRL ≥ 6)
or
b)
it’s
already
on
the
market.
•
SMEs
can
apply
alone
or
in
consortium
with
large
corporates
or
with
cities
Tomi Engdahl says:
Six best practices for implementing and securing IIoT products
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/six-best-practices-for-implementing-and-securing-iiot-products/7c679f4159ef16d7a6b88d5dc8f4d508.html?OCVALIDATE=
The practice of “securing by design” can help companies protect against potential cyber attacks on Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) products.
The benefits of IIoT technology are undeniable. Business value is extracted from a myriad of connected sensors and devices via cloud computing, analytics, and artificial intelligence (AI) within industrial processes. While chasing the potential benefits of IIoT technology, the challenges of the consequences of digitization have become apparent.
counter potential IIoT threats:
1. Secure interfaces: Insecure interfaces can result in data manipulation, loss, or corruption; lack of accountability; denial of access; or complete device takeover.
2. Update software and firmware regularly: It is crucial IIoT devices perform updates regularly to protect against the latest threats, and that cryptographic checks are implemented to ensure updates come from a trusted source.
3. Control access: Strong passwords, the protection of credentials, and separation of roles must be ensured to prevent compromising a device or a user account.
4. Secure the network: Only necessary ports should be available and exposed. Insecure network services may be susceptible to a variety of attacks, including denial of service (DoS), which renders a device inaccessible.
5. Eliminate backdoors: No IIoT device should have undocumented backdoors or hidden functions that an attacker could exploit.
6. Configure for security: Attackers often exploit a lack of granular permissions to access data or controls. Security hardening, encryption of data in transit, and logging security events can counter this risk.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Process controls: More with less
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/process-controls-more-with-less/567aee6e8f11a02d0410d37f942ddfcf.html?OCVALIDATE=
Process controls and instrumentation need to be more intuitive with more integrated intelligence, and they are, out of necessity, because of retiring talent with too few replacements. Three improvements and 10 benefits of next-generation technology are highlighted.
Standards, longevity, connectivity
In the past, projects were heavily customized, which drove up risk and cost. Three ways that has improved today are with:
A. Project standardization. Moving away from customization allows project execution in less time with lower risk.
B. Infinite longevity. System upgrades are in place so that no rip and replace efforts are needed for upgrades, which dramatically alters lifecycle costs. Systems have lasted 40 to 50 years in some cases, creating parts obsolescence. Customers have sought ways to upgrade in place so they never worry about a “rip and replace” scenario. This protects customer intellectual property (IP) in the system while providing new capabilities.
C. Connecting data to knowledge. Making knowledge more uniform and accessible to those who need it when they need it. Every person needs to access the world’s best knowledge to maximize production, improve equipment reliability, and efficiency for personnel.
With universal input and output (I/O) connections, and project execution in the cloud, using software emulation allows a 40-year-old platform to be run on any hardware. Knowledge is built into the system, allowing customers to take advantage of metrics from thousands of process units, improving knowledge access and best practices compared to only pulling knowledge from six or seven refineries that one company may own.
Built-in knowledge and monitoring capabilities don’t eliminate the need for process knowledge, Urso said. Using a calculator still requires learning math.
Connecting process industries to the enterprise and to suppliers delivers more context for those making decisions.
Urso discussed 10 benefits of next-generation technology below.
1. An operator may notice an issue, and ramp down a process a bit to assess what’s happening. With a heat-exchanger problem, one option might be to bring the process down immediately or run at a lower capacity until repairs can be made. New systems may predict when issues might happen earlier, allowing more preparation, better timing, and less downtime.
2. With implementation of a digital twin and augmented reality (AR) simulations, those doing repairs or upgrades can train and optimize their performance prior to doing the work. Technicians can avoid efficiency struggles in recalling how a procedure is performed when it has not been performed for six months or longer.
3. AR enhances safety. A technician can verify if a pipe is in a safe condition (empty) prior to cutting into it.
4. A process controls vendor detected increased network traffic because of a malfunction in third-party hardware before it caused a denial of service outage from network saturation.
5. Close monitoring of burner performance can result in energy efficiency and lower emissions.
6. Flowmeters used for custody transfer can maintain accuracy for a longer period of time.
7. Intelligent wearables can empower field operators or technicians with process knowledge far beyond what a clipboard and radio connections to the control room could do. Operators can perform more efficiently and safely with hands-free wearable mobile computers built into their helmets, certified for use in process areas.
8. Extracting the software from a safety logic solver allows hardware to run independently in the cloud to check all logic, appropriate to the application, prior to installation.
9. Multiple layers of cybersecurity have extended protection, taking malware threats such as Triton and others seriously.
Mark T. Hoske, content manager, Control Engineering, CFE Media. Courtesy: CFE Media10. New batch offerings include new visualization capabilities, quickly showing differentiation from a normal or an ideal asset. It includes a greater ability to see the impact of how decisions now will affect future batches based on future equipment use. It gives operators a clearer view of downstream implications, that is, what traffic jams could result from changes now.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tips on sensor selection
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/tips-on-sensor-selection/35e2b68f2f5cfef851dec65677eb44e5.html?OCVALIDATE=
Many different sensors are available to manufacturers and knowledge about the application type and basic operation conditioning requirements can create a more informed and accurate choice.
Here is my list of the top six operating condition requirements:
Temperature range
Size
Protection class
Voltage range
Discrete or analog output
Answering the question: Will it be beneficial to be able to change parameters? If the answer is yes, then an IO-Link enabled sensor should be considered.
Here are an additional six requirements for more specific considerations:
Response speed
Sensing range
Repetition accuracy
Electrical connection
Mounting type
Answering the question: Is on-sensor visual display required?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cheap Sensors Are Democratizing Air-Quality Data
https://www.citylab.com/environment/2018/07/cheap-sensors-are-democratizing-air-quality-data/563990/
DietzKamei is coming off the first winter in years when she didn’t get sick at all. It’s all, she said, because of a $250 air sensor she put in her backyard, which sends her up-to-the-minute readings of pollution just outside her house, a more personalized and specific reading than she could get from the state’s stationary monitors miles away.
DietzKamei’s monitor, made by PurpleAir, is part of a network across California’s San Joaquin Valley, run in part by the Central California Environmental Justice Network. By putting monitors in backyards and around schools, the group is hoping to see what the area’s biomass plants and the dozens of trucks that rumble through are pumping into the lungs of disadvantaged residents.
This could eventually reshape air-pollution regulation, with previously unmeasured areas gathering data on air they say could violate federal health standards.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gore (the Gore-Tex Company) Thinks It Holds the Key to On-Skin Wearables
https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/at-work/innovation/gore-the-goretex-company-thinks-it-has-the-key-to-onskin-wearables
a sheet of the company’s expanded polytetrafluoroethylene polymer (PTFE) off a roll and put it in my hand. The flexible, stretchable fabric, thinner than an onion skin, was silky and soft. Draped on my hand, it looked and felt almost invisible. Campbell and Elkins think this material is the future of digital health wearables.
Expanded PTFE is weird stuff. When heated, a typical fluoropolymer will break if stretched quickly, and elongate when stretched slowly. Indeed, when PTFE is stretched slowly, the material behaves as you would expect it to—it elongates, thins, and eventually breaks.
But when PTFE is stretched quickly, it elongates but keeps its original shape. Instead of thinning out, a structure of nodes and fibers surrounding voids forms throughout, and the material—now expanded PTFE—is extremely flexible. This web can be filled in with other materials (nickel, for example, is added for use as shielding), or left air-filled for flexibility
it can allow air or even water vapor through while still being waterproof—handy for sweaty athletes concerned with wearable structure.
Another attractive feature is that manufacturers can print electronic circuits directly onto it
Tomi Engdahl says:
What Cracking Open a Sonos One Tells Us About the Sonos IPO
https://blog.bolt.io/what-cracking-open-a-sonos-one-tells-us-about-the-sonos-ipo-dcab49155643
I always find more truth about a company’s future buried in a company’s products. Long story short: I don’t have high hopes for Sonos’ trajectory. Here is why…
Tomi Engdahl says:
Teardown: Designing the second-generation Amazon Dash Button
https://www.edn.com/design/consumer/4460866/Teardown–Designing-the-second-generation-Amazon-Dash-Button-?utm_source=Aspencore&utm_medium=EDN&utm_campaign=social
Tomi Engdahl says:
Peel-and-Stick Integrated Circuits Could Make Any Object an IoT Device
https://blog.hackster.io/peel-and-stick-integrated-circuits-could-make-any-object-an-iot-device-f8b9a4c4d698
most electronic components are mounted on rigid PCB substrates, and the components themselves are etched on silicon wafers, which makes them boxy. This new fabrication technique can be used to create peelable, flexible circuits that conform to the organic shapes around you.
Traditionally, integrated circuit (IC) components are etched directly onto a stiff silicon wafer. This new fabrication technique places a ductile layer of nickel between the two, making the wafer more of a die than a consumable part of the IC.
After etching, the wafer is soaked in water to loosen the circuit so that it can be peeled of. The circuit maintains its integrity, and the silicon wafer is reused. Those circuits could potentially be anything from a wireless chip to a sensor, and because they’re flexible they can be stuck onto anything.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Peelable circuits make it easy to Internet all the things
https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/17/peelable-circuits-make-it-easy-to-internet-all-the-things/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
Researchers at Purdue University and the University of Virginia are now able to create “tiny, thin-film electronic circuits peelable from a surface,” the first step in creating an unobtrusive Internet-of-Things solution. The peelable stickers can sit flush to an object’s surface and be used as sensors or wireless communications systems.
The biggest difference between these stickers and traditional solutions is the removal of the silicon wafer that manufacturers use.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Batteries Will Only Get You So Far
https://blog.hackster.io/batteries-will-only-get-you-so-far-4812cee8f682
Tomi Engdahl says:
The EU Has Understood the Issue of IoT Security… Seriously
https://blog.paessler.com/the-eu-has-understood-the-issue-of-iot-security?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Burda-Blog-Global&utm_content=EUandIOTsecurity&hsa_src=fb&hsa_ver=3&hsa_cam=23842994665740129&hsa_grp=23842994666230129&hsa_ad=23842994666880129&hsa_net=facebook&hsa_acc=2004489912909367
As we have already described in previous articles, the topic of IoT security is something that is explosive. Of course, if we live in a functional smart home at some point, we would like the devices that know everything about us not to fall into the hands of the bad guys.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ZGlue Aims to Make It Cheap and Easy to Produce Wearables and Other IoT Hardware
https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/semiconductors/design/zglue-aims-to-make-it-cheap-and-easy-to-design-and-manufacture-wearables-and-other-iot-hardware
Have you taken a look at Kickstarter recently? Earlier this week, entrepreneurs were trying to fund more than 1,400 projects to build some kind of wearable device, and another 200 to build an IoT gadget.
Moving from an idea on Kickstarter to a prototype and then to mass manufacture is challenging, however. Many of these 1,600 developers have yet to find that out; other entrepreneurs have an idea but don’t have the time or cash to create a prototype they can display on Kickstarter.
Today, manufacturing a wearable requires either assembling components onto a printed circuit board—an approach that can be counterproductive when you are trying to make a gadget as small and light as possible—or developing a multichip module (MCM) or system-in-package (SIP), custom-built on an organic or ceramic substrate with copper wires connecting chips.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://yle.fi/uutiset/3-10277865
Yle Kryptolaaksossa: Esineiden internetissä jääkaappisikin tuottaa arvokasta tietoa – Tulevaisuudessa voit myydä laitteidesi tuottaman datan
Tomi Engdahl says:
With new tech coming online, cities need a department of urban testing
https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/19/with-new-tech-coming-online-cities-need-a-department-of-urban-testing/?sr_share=facebook&utm_source=tcfbpage
The design and operation of cities is the province of urban planning. But an explosion of startups in cities means a lot of new products and services for urban areas. The problem is, we don’t really know how people are going to use these new products and services.
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Wearable Sensor Detects Stress Hormone in Sweat
https://spectrum.ieee.org/view-from-the-valley/biomedical/diagnostics/new-wearable-sensor-detects-stress-hormone-in-sweat
Stress. We all know it can be bad for us. It affects blood pressure, metabolism, immune response, and memory. Over time, it can contribute to the development of chronic diseases. So scientists and health professionals are putting a lot of effort into finding ways to measure and help patients cope with it.
Wearables that use sweat to detect stress typically track temperature, heart rate, and perspiration levels as markers for sweat. But all of those markers can be affected by non-stress factors.
Far better an indicator that someone is under stress is a change in the amount of cortisol produced by their body. Cortisol, a steroid hormone, goes up when a person is under physical or emotional strain.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Frederic Lardinois / TechCrunch:
Swim.ai, a startup bringing real-time analytics to IoT, raises $10M Series B led by Cambridge Innovation Capital with strategic investment from ARM
Swim.ai raises $10M to bring real-time analytics to the edge
https://techcrunch.com/2018/07/18/swim-ai-raises-11m-to-bring-real-time-analytics-to-the-edge/
Once upon a time, it looked like cloud-based serviced would become the central hub for analyzing all IoT data. But it didn’t quite turn out that way because most IoT solutions simply generate too much data to do this effectively and the round-trip to the data center doesn’t work for applications that have to react in real time. Hence the advent of edge computing, which is spawning its own ecosystem of startups.