Here are some IoT trends for year 2019 to watch:
More device: There are four times as many devices connected to the Internet as there are people in the world, and the number of devices is increasing rapidly. There are computers, smart phones and many different kind of connected devices. Gartner forecasts that 14.2 billion connected things will be in use in 2019, and that the total will reach 25 billion by 2021,
Voice: The integration of voice into IoT devices creates an user experience that many consumers seem to enjoy. The next few years will see voice automation take over many aspects of our lives. The current major players in the IoT voice world are Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google Assistant. Microsoft’s Cortana seems to have already lost in the game as Satya Nadella says Cortana won’t challenge Alexa and Google Assistant directly; Microsoft will focus on making it a skill on other voice platforms instead. Voice won’t change everything but it will be one part of a movement that heralds a new way to think about our relationship with devices and data. Consider voice as a type of user interface to be added to the existing list of UI technologies. Voice will not kill brands, it won’t hurt keyboard sales or touchscreen devices — it will become an additional way to do stuff; it is incremental. We need to learn to design around it.Deloitte expects the sales of 164 million smart speakers at an average price of $43 in 2019. The smart speaker market will be worth more than $7 billion next year, increasing 63% from 2018’s $4.3 billion.
Automobiles: Automobiles are leading the way in IoT adoption. Gartner predicts that one in five cars will be connected by 2020. Both Google and Apple have tools that allow drivers to control calls, listen to messages and control apps using voice.
IoT clouds: Developing for the Internet of Things is a complex endeavor, and nobody wants to do it from scratch. IoT data platforms offer a jumping-off point by combining many of the tools needed to manage a deployment from device management to data prediction and insights into one service. There are many IoT cloud platforms to choose from. All cloud platforms have their own distinctive areas of pros and cons. Ultimately the project needs and cost-effectiveness determine whom to choose. Utilizing cloud services also brings new potential risks that are good to understand already at the beginning of the project. I wrote on article to Uusiteknologia.fi magazine issue 2/2018 on IoT cloud platforms.
Digital Twins: Digital twin tech, or a virtual representation of a product, is a critical concept in IoT that’s still being sorted out. Digital twin refers to a digital replica of physical assets (physical twin), processes, people, places, systems and devices that can be used for various purposes. Definitions of digital twin technology emphasize two important characteristics: connection from the physical model to the corresponding virtual model and this connection is established by generating real time data using sensors. Physical objects and twin models interact. Digital twins applications typically integrate internet of things, artificial intelligence, machine learning and software analytics with spatial network graphs to create living digital simulation models that update and change as their physical counterparts change. In various industrial sectors, twins are being used to optimize the operation and maintenance of physical assets, systems and manufacturing processes.
Edge computing: The shift from centralized and cloud to edge architectures is well under way in the IoT space. In the future, computing the edge of the network will become an increasingly important way of processing data from networked devices and sensor networks. Compared to traditional centralized cloud computing, the new edge computing brings computing servers closer to the edge of the communications network. Compared to cloud centered IoT solutions, edge computing allow for lower delays and more reliable operation with respect to cloud services. At the same time, it promises improved security as not all potentially sensitive information needs to be transferred from the site to cloud. However, this is not the end point because the neat set of layers associated with edge architecture will evolve to a more unstructured architecture comprising of a wide range of “things” and services connected in a dynamic mesh. In thins kind of system data processing can be done on almost all network devices from IoT modules to gateways and in the future to 5G base stations. Relevant standardizing organizations on this field are Edge Computing Consortium Europe, OpenFog Consortium and Industrial Internet Consortium.
5G: 5G networks start to arrive. The standards for 5G will be defined in large part by the direct integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT) devices into global networks and devices. 5G networks are expected to be 10 to 100 times faster than current LTE technology. If you are in need for very high speed, your application resides inside the small 5G test networks coverage areas and your IoT device is allowed to consume considerable amount of power (more than 4G solutions), then you might be able to consider 5G. For all other cases I don’t see 5G would offer much for IoT applications in 2019. There is not yet ready 5G standards specifically designed for IoT applications. So for 2019 IoT and IIoT will need to be pretty much stick to 4G technologies like NB-IoT and LTE-M. For 5G to shape industrial computing application in larger scale than just some small tests we will have to wait till 2020. Addressing the issues behind Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices and 5G is important in next few years. Qualcomm, the largest supplier of modem chips used in smartphones, has introduced the X50 modem to give IIoT devices the ability to communicate over 5G networks. Beware of “fake 5G” marketing in 2019. The promise is that 5G will enable the future enterprise technologies everyone is predicting and waiting for: fleets of self-driving delivery trucks, virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR), and a world of enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) deployments — systems that will define an era that the World Economic Forum termed the “Fourth Industrial Revolution.” Those promises will take years to realize, you will not see most of them in real use in 2019.
AI: Number one in Gartner’s predictions, no surprise, is artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will be talked a lot with bold claims that AI goes from expert-only to everywhere. I would not expect it to be everywhere in 2019. Gartner, said in a statement, “AI will be applied to a wide range of IoT information, including video, still images, speech, network traffic activity, and sensor data.” At the moment many neural network systems are power hungry when implemented with traditional computer hardware. “For example, the performance of deep neural networks (DNNs) is often limited by memory bandwidth, rather than processing power.” By 2023, it’s expected that new special-purpose chips will reduce the power consumption required to run a DNN, enabling new edge architectures and embedded DNN functions in low-power IoT endpoints.
IIoT: The concept of a Smart Factory is composed of many different physical and informational subsystems, such as actuators and sensors, control systems, product management systems and manufacturing systems that all work together. This is a very complex system. It is critical to understand differing operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) priorities to achieve collaboration and integration. Without this, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and control projects will fail. Also finding the right Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) vendor partner is crucial to success. OPC Foundation has on initiative to extend OPC UA out to field devices to provide vendor-neutral, end-to-end interoperability beyond the plant. Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) network works well for OPC UA applications.
Value chain: IoT as an umbrella term will diminish. There are strong views that “Internet of things is not valuable in and of itself” so the conversation is going to shift away from an ambiguous buzzword to the actual use of technology. For product designers this means that when we design our connected world, we need to pull ourselves away from the cool technology that we are building and look at the system through our customers’ eyes. The sales pitch will be more like “It’s about the use cases, it’s about the solutions, it’s about the applications, managing and monitoring assets, performance management solutions, different kinds of solutions coming together to solve a problem—that’s really what the value proposition is.”
IoT platforms: IoT vendors will compete to be the destination for IoT platforms. The IoT supply chain has been moving toward more collaboration to provide development and design kits designed for specific use cases and industries. IoT development kits are sold more and more with bundled IoT could service offer. IoT cloud service providers offer and recommend hardware that is tested to work well with their platforms. IoT platform vendors will be narrowing their scope in 2019, honing in on specific use cases. Business professionals aren’t looking for one industrial IoT platform to manage every process going on at their company, they are instead looking for platforms that specialize in specific tasks.
New development kits: A new breed of development kits is incorporating the three tenets of IoT design — ease of use, security, and business value. The promise is that the design engineers don’t need to have specialized expertise in several areas like networking protocols or security-related tasks, enabling a much faster development time. One way to simplifying design work is by intelligently reusing the fundamental building blocks.
Security: Wireless IoT devices are considered a major threat to the security of industrial networks. A growing number of embedded systems are open to security threats as a result of increasing connectivity and IoT device adoption. And it’s costing OEMs a lot in terms of money and reputation. A 2018 Gartner Inc. survey found that nearly 20% of organizations surveyed experienced at least one IoT-based attack in the past three years. IoT security is already a 1.5 billion dollar market. The market research firm Garnet expects that global spending on IoT security will rise to $3.1 billion in 2021, up from $1.5 billion in 2018. It is not about the spending on IoT security products. Already “a significant portion of OEMs’ existing in-house labor cost is already dedicated to addressing security” and is rising faster than development costs. VDC pegs the worldwide embedded engineering labor spend related to security at $11.6 billion in 2017, representing nearly 8% of the overall cost of embedded engineering labor. There will be different kind of certification marks for IoT product cyber security – some mandated with laws on some countries and some voluntary. 5G is going to increase security risks. Do we understand the 5G security threats to come? Most probably not because we don’t seem to understand well even that 5G really is.
eSIM: The embedded SIM card has been spoken for a long time, and even the first smartphones in which the SIM card has been implemented with an integrated circuit have already been introduced to the market. Infineon has presented the world’s first industrially qualified eSIM. Of course, eSIM shares opinions. Many operators do not like it.
Infonomics and Data Broking: Last year’s Gartner survey of IoT projects showed 35 percent of respondents were selling or planning to sell data collected by their products and services.“Data is the fuel that powers the IoT and the organization’s ability to derive meaning from it will define their long term success,” This brings us to Social, Legal and Ethical IoT because“ Successful deployment of an IoT solution demands that it’s not just technically effective but also socially acceptable,” It is possible tha tIoT Firms Face a ‘Tidal Wave’ of Lawsuits.
IoT Governance: As the IoT continues to expand, the need for a governance framework that ensures appropriate behavior in the creation, storage, use and deletion of information related to IoT projects will become increasingly important. We also need to manage IoT devices to keep them secure and make sure that they do what they are supposed to do. A market for IoT managed services will develop to help manage and operate fragmented IoT assets. “The idea of managing the ongoing end-to-end life cycle of a connected product is becoming more important, and ultimately this managed service opportunity is going to need momentum in the coming year,”
New Wireless Technologies: IoT networking involves balancing a set of competing requirements, such as endpoint cost, power consumption, bandwidth, latency, connection density, operating cost, quality of service, and range. No single networking technology optimizes all of these.
Trusted Hardware and Operating System: Gartner surveys invariably show that security is the most significant area of technical concern for organizations deploying IoT systems. Today organizations often don’t have control over the source and nature of the software and hardware being utilised in IoT initiatives. “However, by 2023, we expect to see the deployment of hardware and software combinations that together create more trustworthy and secure IoT systems.
Home automation: Arm predicts that the intelligent home goes mainstream. In survey results they published two-thirds of respondents said technology became “more a part of my life” during 2018. Cisco Systems is saying connected homes will be a big driver for the Internet of Things. “Connected home applications, such as home automation, home security and video surveillance, connected white goods, and tracking applications, will represent 48%, or nearly half, of the total M2M connections by 2022, showing the pervasiveness of M2M in our lives,” Cisco states in its new white paper, Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Trends, 2017-2022. The market is starting slowly. Bundled IoT services will try to motivate a slow consumer market.
Smart cities: Cities are becoming smarter and smarter in an effort to improve efficiency in operations. Smart cities bring in both benefits and risks. Between smart lighting, traffic controls, and public transportation, smart cities are bringing in a whole new family of threat vectors. Cybercriminals will target smart cities with ransomware attacks. Smart cities need to take precautions.
Silicon Chip Innovation: “Currently, most IoT endpoint devices use conventional processor chips, with low-power ARM architectures being particularly popular. However, traditional instruction sets and memory architectures aren’t well-suited to all the tasks that endpoints need to perform,” New special-purpose chips will reduce the power consumption required to run a DNN. Very low power circuit designs are important in many applications. Battery-powered designs require complex optimizations for power in the context of area, performance and functionality. Devices that work without battery and gather operating power from environment are maybe even more challenging. Clearly, sensors are a big part of any connected device, and there is a lot of innovation occurring in this market that delivers new features — think AI — all housed in smaller packaging.
Open source: 2019 Will Be the Year of Open Source in IoT and embedded systems applications. From software and even hardware, we saw more activity in open source than ever before in 2018. And the momentum isn’t likely to slow down in 2019. Arduino is pushing strongly to IoT markets with MKR1000 series of IoT boards. Raspberry Pi is very widely used in IoT systems, especially on prototyping and small scale deployments
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Links to other articles for IoT trends for 2019:
Internet of Things in 2019: Five predictions
Kymmenen tulevaisuuden kuluttajatrendiä ja ilmiötä
Deloitte’s 9 tech predictions for 2019
New Chip Architectures, Sensors and Trust in Top 10 IoT Trends (Gartner presented its top 10 strategic IoT technology trends)
Week In Review: IoT, Security, Auto (predictions from Arm, Deloitte and Juniper Research)
Predictions 2019: The Internet Of Things
Gartner Identifies Top 10 Strategic IoT Technologies and Trends
1,285 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Edge I/O brings more connectivity to field devices and sensors
Latest remote I/O combines IIoT communication with even more processing power than traditional intelligent I/O
https://www.controleng.com/articles/edge-i-o-brings-more-connectivity-to-field-devices-and-sensors/?oly_enc_id=0462E3054934E2U
End users, OEMs and technology partners engage on IIoT
IIoT-enabled predictive maintenance maximizes uptime, with machinery end users and OEMs working together to determine best practices
https://www.controleng.com/articles/end-users-oems-and-technology-partners-engage-on-iiot/?oly_enc_id=0462E3054934E2U
Tomi Engdahl says:
Use SCADA data for greater profits
On-demand subscription-based predictive process analytics turns SCADA data into greater profitability
https://www.controleng.com/articles/use-scada-data-for-greater-profits/?oly_enc_id=0462E3054934E2U
Supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems excel when it comes to collecting and storing data and monitoring automated machine performance. Traditionally they were supported by condition-based maintenance tools and historian technologies. That is, until modern, more economical predictive process analytics and the use of IIoT brought improved efficiencies.
Predictive process analytics, when applied to SCADA data via IIoT, can deliver an untapped gold mine of efficiencies for a plant’s asset performance. For instance, SCADA data can mirror asset health and when predictive algorithms are applied, it can optimize asset health, and produce substantial cost savings.
Due to rise of IIoT, lately there have been various developments in SCADA systems. These include the data acquisition part where data from dispersed SCADA systems are unified in a single system, accessible via web and cloud. Other developments are more related to the supervisory control part of SCADA, using web services and IIoT protocols to collect exposed data and control processes in real time. There has also been progress seen with process controllers enabled to apply complex business logic and predictive maintenance algorithms to operational data and assets.
Just last year McKinsey and Company reported 3 to 5% loss in the industry overall for equipment effectiveness due to unplanned maintenance. For one chemical processing plant, McKinsey and Co. noted that through the use of analytics, the plant could cut at least half the time it took to repair pumps, which amounted to about $120,000 in costs avoided per pump failure.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Chip Technology Can Help Diagnostics Manufacturers
An industry expert explains how chip technology can contribute to cost-aware efficiency gains in diagnostics devices as well as open up new application markets.
https://www.designnews.com/industry/how-chip-technology-can-help-diagnostics-manufacturers
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazon details its low-bandwidth Sidewalk neighborhood network, coming to Echo and Tile devices soon
https://techcrunch.com/2020/09/21/amazon-details-its-low-bandwidth-sidewalk-neighborhood-network-coming-to-echo-and-tile-devices-soon/?tpcc=ECFB2020
Last year, Amazon announced its Sidewalk network, a new low-bandwidth, long-distance wireless protocol it developed to help connect smart devices inside and — maybe even more importantly — outside of your home. Sidewalk, which is somewhat akin to a mesh network that, with the right amount of access points, could easily cover a whole neighborhood, is now getting closer to launch.
As Amazon announced today, compatible Echo devices will become Bluetooth bridges for the Sidewalk network later this year and select Ring Floodlight and Spotlight Cams will also be part of the network. Since these are low-bandwidth connections, Amazon expects that users won’t mind sharing a small fraction of their bandwidth with their neighbors.
https://blog.aboutamazon.com/devices/amazon-sidewalk-a-new-way-to-stay-connected
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2020/05/19/tutkittuja-iot-ratkaisuja-kaupunkien-digimurrokseen/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2020/09/21/haltian-osti-lisaa-alytalo-osaamista-tukee-iot-bisnesta/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2020/09/24/nokia-ottaa-iot-verkkoonsa-equinixin-datakeskukset/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://gateway.on24.com/wcc/eh/2189485/category/25702/internet-of-things-iot?cmpid=ASC-102378&utm_source=ADSC&utm_medium=ASC&utm_campaign=104&partnerref=ASC-102378&elqTrackId=3f4c42d5ab7b4d27b87eaec101683cfc&elq=b3546ab9195849afae771a83662cc908&elqaid=32935&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=29084&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&elq2=b3546ab9195849afae771a83662cc908&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazon details its low-bandwidth Sidewalk neighborhood network, coming to Echo and Tile devices soon
https://social.techcrunch.com/2020/09/21/amazon-details-its-low-bandwidth-sidewalk-neighborhood-network-coming-to-echo-and-tile-devices-soon/
Tomi Engdahl says:
DARPA: Research Advances for Near-Zero-Power Sensors
https://www.eetimes.com/darpa-research-advances-for-near-zero-power-sensors/
Some battlefield sensors that used to run out of power in months (if not weeks) can now keep providing valuable intelligence for up to four years before their coin batteries need to be replaced. That’s one of the more dramatic results of DARPA’s Near Zero Power RF and Sensor Operations (N-ZERO) program, which concluded in May 2020.
DARPA began the initiative in 2015 with a goal of finding ways around the lifetime limitations of IoT battery power so that sensors could be deployed in the field to detect events like vibration, light, sound, or other battlefield signals without having to be frequently replaced.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Put a lid on excessive snacking with Snacap, the hat that monitors your dietary habits.
Put a Lid on Excessive Snacking
Snacap, the hat that monitors your dietary habits.
https://www.hackster.io/news/put-a-lid-on-excessive-snacking-7e2ec00b4299
Snacap differs from other devices in that it makes use of mechanomyography — the vibrations produced by skeletal muscles during contraction — to detect jaw movement. Mechanomyography removes the requirement for direct skin contact that would be needed with electromyography, which is used by similar devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Social Impact Of Robotics In The Workplace: The Arrival Of The Perfect Coworker
https://www.wevolver.com/article/social-impact-of-robotics-in-the-workplace-the-arrival-of-the-perfect-coworker
Article 8 of our Cobot Series: Collaborative robots, working to deliver goods and services, will soon be in habitual contact with humanity, and their impact will revolutionize the workplace
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ring’s latest security camera is a drone that flies around inside your house
https://www.theverge.com/2020/9/24/21453709/ring-always-home-cam-indoor-drone-security-camera-price-specs-features-amazon
The Always Home Cam is an ambitious new home security device
Tomi Engdahl says:
Humidity Sensor: Types, Working Principle And Applications
https://circuitdiagrams.in/humidity-sensor/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mozilla spins out WebThings as an independent IoT project
https://venturebeat.com/2020/09/21/mozilla-spins-out-webthings-as-an-independent-iot-project/
Mozilla has announced that it’s spinning out WebThings, its open source internet of things (IoT) platform, as an independent project. The move comes shortly after the Firefox browser maker announced a major restructuring of its corporate division, leading to 250 layoffs — a quarter of its workforce — alongside plans to “tighten and refocus” its product lineup.
For the past few years, Mozilla has been working on a decentralized open IoT framework based on the W3C’s “web of things” (WoT) standards, one that enables software and services to communicate with each other across devices. It got going in 2018 with the launch of Project Things, allowing developers and tinkerers with a Raspberry Pi to build their own IoT Gateway to control connected devices from the web. And then last year, that project graduated from an experimental plaything into a full-fledged project branded as Mozilla WebThings.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mozilla Pulls Its Direct Investment From WebThings, Spins Its IoT Effort Out as a Community Project
Shift away from the Web of Things comes following a series of layoffs at the company and its refocusing on the Firefox browser.
https://www.hackster.io/news/mozilla-pulls-its-direct-investment-from-webthings-spins-its-iot-effort-out-as-a-community-project-070dd11055dc
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/tekniset-artikkelit/11215-flash-kehittyy-vastaamaan-teollisuus-4-0-n-vaatimuksiin
Tomi Engdahl says:
End users, OEMs and technology partners engage on IIoT
IIoT-enabled predictive maintenance maximizes uptime, with machinery end users and OEMs working together to determine best practices
https://www.controleng.com/articles/end-users-oems-and-technology-partners-engage-on-iiot/?oly_enc_id=0462E3054934E2U
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions and methods enable collection of machine data and monitoring of machine performance and reliability. Both end users and original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) can act on this data to achieve their goals, improving asset uptime through predictive maintenance and asset efficiency through production analytics.
Because of the benefits, digital transformation and incorporation of IIoT concepts have become business priorities, requiring more collaboration than ever to ensure success. This is because digital transformation isn’t just a one-time event but instead a journey involving both technology and people.
To ensure they are travelling down the same path, manufacturing plant end users, OEMs, and IIoT technology suppliers are partnering in the design and implementation of equipment to ensure value can be realized, while overcoming the perceived risks of sharing data. Manufacturing plant end users and machinery OEMs also demand robust and secure platforms, which are now available in the form of edge computing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Advances in mobile devices
In automation, many software and hardware technologies have been developed that allow companies the means to remotely monitor and control business processes from anywhere, via any device, at any time
https://www.controleng.com/articles/advances-in-mobile-devices/?oly_enc_id=0462E3054934E2U
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://hackaday.com/2020/10/05/graphene-generates-a-little-power/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia kutistaa globaalien IoT-verkkojen latenssia
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/11242-nokia-kutistaa-globaalien-iot-verkkojen-latenssia
Nokia on oma IoT-infrapalvelunsa, jonka nimi on WING (Worldwide IoT Network Grid). Nyt Nokia tarjoaa IoT-asiakkaillensa entistä kattavammat ja nopeammat yhteydet datakeskuskumppani Equinixin kanssa.
Yhteistyön myötä Nokia hyödyntää Equinixin IBX-datakeskuksia mobiili-, IoT- ja pilvipalveluyhteyksissä maailmanlaajuisesti. Platform Equinix -ratkaisun avulla Nokia WING pystyy vastaamaan IoT-dataliikenteen ja laitetiheyden asettamiin vaatimuksiin kansainvälisesti sekä varmistamaan yhteensopivuuden alueellisiin sääntelyihin, kuten GDPR-määryksiin.
Datan määrän odotettu massiivinen kasvu maailmassa nostaa tarvetta paikalliselle datan keräämiselle ja käsittelylle. Nokian ja Equinixin palvelun kaltaiset, entistä nopeammat, matalamman latenssin ratkaisut mahdollistavat tarvittavat gigabittinopeudet miljardien IoT-laitteiden tuottaman datan keräämiseen ja liikuttamiseen.
Nokian mukaan WING-verkon peitto kasvaa Equinix-yhteyksien myötä entisestään. Suorat yhteydet myös lyhentävät yhteyksien latenssi.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Is ‘Datafication’ the New Mantra for Smart Everything?
https://www.eetimes.com/is-datafication-the-new-mantra-for-smart-everything/
What is ‘Datafication’? Is that even proper English? Apparently, it is now.
In the technology industry, we’re used to lots of acronyms. We’re also used to hearing new phrases that both startups and established companies would love us to adopt as industry naming. It gives a kind of hidden sense of pride in having invented the term.
So, when reviewing the presentations submitted for next week’s Boards and Solutions 2020 virtual conference (13-14 October 2020), the one term I picked up as a possible new mantra is ‘datafication’. More specifically, as Charbel Aoun, EMEA business development director for smart cities at Nvidia, describes the four megatrends that will significantly impact our lives, he explains that with 8,000 new IoT devices connected every 60 seconds, “Digitization has enabled datafication.”
He adds, “IoT could turn the world into data that could be used to make macro decisions on resource utilization. Information is a great way to reduce waste and increase efficiencies. That is really what the internet of things provides. This was the vision of Kevin Ashton back in 1999, the father of the term IoT. Today, this vision is becoming a reality.”
Indeed, data is everything, and not just at the edge, but also in the data center, as Nvidia revealed more details of its data processing unit (DPU) at its GTC conference.
Aoun describes the march of datafication in his talk, as he talks about the big challenge for smart cities as an example. “There’s around one billion cameras worldwide, recording 24/7, generating a huge amount of data. It is basically impossible for humans to process such amounts of data. To give you an idea, with one 1080P resolution camera, H.264 I at 34 fps, will generate 47Gbytes of data in 24 hours and 17 Terabytes of data in one year. On the other hand, one CCTV operator can focus for 30 minutes while looking at 4-16 video streams at the same time. Which means for every 100 screens or 100 streams you want to monitor, you need six operators. To understand the scale of the challenge, let us look at the number of CCTVs in the city. In Shanghai, one million plus CCTVs, London, 500,000, Moscow, 200,000, L.A. 25,000, Berlin 20,000.”
“Now you get the picture of the volume of data that can be generated from all the cameras in a city, and the amount of resources required to maintain and monitor.” In his paper, “How AI can make cities smarter – Powering AI City with IVA”, Aoun talks about how AI is helping make sense of the information overload in very effective and efficient ways, provides insight and enables real time decision making to enhance the lives of citizens. He illustrates how AI offers city managers new solutions to 21st century urban challenges with some practical examples.
Value will come from edge autonomy
While all this data being generated needs to be processed and analyzed to provide the insights and enable actions, how about if the edge devices themselves are able to intelligently make decisions? This is the premise of the paper, “Insights into edge autonomy – the future of edge computing”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Boards&Solutions: The Future of Industrial Automation Is Here
https://www.eetimes.com/boardssolutions-virtual-conference-the-future-of-industrial-automation-is-here/
Embedded computer boards and modules provide ready-assembled modular building blocks comprising processors, logic, connectivity, multimedia, memory, interfaces, and other functions to address specific applications. With different processor technologies, different levels of complexity and different form factors, they enable product developers to rapidly deploy embedded systems and enable connectivity to the internet of things (IoT) and Industry 4.0. Products include computer on modules and single-board computers for everything from low power mobile to robust high-performance computing in industrial automation, automotive, smart cities, military and aerospace applications.
Industrial automation
The future of industrial automation will be characterized by networked nanotechnologies, entirely based on wireless; cloud solutions for the management of big data and the use of IT resources; edge computing that moves data processing capacity close to sources; the evolution of collaborative and mobile robotics; increasingly sophisticated analytical software.
Artificial intelligence (AI) will be an important partner for anyone working in manufacturing and industrial automation: AI algorithms will be used, for example, to detect production anomalies, monitor plant conditions, as well as implement predictive maintenance capabilities. Together with the use of augmented reality (AR) technologies.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Developers Digest Smart Pill Trends
https://www.designnews.com/industry/developers-digest-smart-pill-trends?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=14583&elq_cid=876648
Wireless, ingestible smart pills have been talked about for years. Are they finally a reality?
For many decades, researchers have shared their development advancements of tiny ingestible pills filled with cameras, sensors, and electronics that could travel in the human gastrointestinal (GI) tract.
Sometimes known as ingestible wireless capsule endoscopy (WCE), these smart pills serve as a diagnostic technology for inspecting the entire GI tract for various diseases including internal bleeding, tumors, cancer, and other diseases. According to the report by “Markets & Markets”, the smart pills business is forecast to reach $ 3.83 billion in 2020, growing to reach $ 8.98 billion by 2024.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Datafication and #edge autonomy are going to become megatrends in the #IoT-driven age of #data AspenCore #AI #automation
Datafication and edge autonomy: The new IoT manifestations
https://www.edn.com/datafication-and-edge-autonomy-the-new-iot-manifestations/?utm_content=buffer4dfff&utm_medium=social&utm_source=edn_facebook&utm_campaign=buffer
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.commscope.com/blog/2020/how-iot-is-reshaping-network-design/?utm_source=CIM+Weekly&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=CPS201009020&o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx.ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
These 3D-Printed Objects Are Able to Transmit Data Wirelessly Without Any Electronics at All
This University of Washington team is ushering in the era of Internet of Plastic Things.
https://www.hackster.io/news/these-3d-printed-objects-are-able-to-transmit-data-wirelessly-without-any-electronics-at-all-132b80328b35
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/consumer-electronics/gadgets/plastic-internet-of-things-without-batteries-or-electronics
Tomi Engdahl says:
FUNDAMENTALS OF
Smart Home
https://tismarthomefundamentals.com/?o_eid=7211D2691390C9R&rdx_ident%5Bpull%5D=omeda%7C7211D2691390C9R
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ericsson IoT Accelerator helps to Enable Remote Micro-factories in Africa
https://www.electropages.com/blog/2020/10/ericsson-iot-accelerator-helps-enable-remote-micro-factories-africa?utm_campaign=2020-10-16-Latest-Product-News&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=Ericsson+IoT+Accelerator+helps+to+Enable+Remote+Micro-factories+in+Africa
Tomi Engdahl says:
Stack light monitoring sensor fits a mixture of stack-type light towers
https://www.electropages.com/2020/10/stack-light-monitoring-sensor-fits-mixture-stack-type-light-towers?utm_campaign=2020-10-16-Latest-Product-News&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=Stack+light+monitoring+sensor+fits+a+mixture+of+stack-type+light+towers
Advantech WISE-S100 Stack Light Monitoring Sensor, available now from Mouser, is a simple-to-install intelligent stack light monitoring sensor intended to fit a mixture of stack-type light towers. When the WISE-4000 wireless modular I/O series is paired with a WISE-S100 sensor, users get a remote and intelligent OEE solution that can be integrated without halting machinery or worrying about wiring.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Datafication and edge autonomy: The new IoT manifestations
https://www.edn.com/datafication-and-edge-autonomy-the-new-iot-manifestations/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_campaign=link&utm_medium=EDNWeekly-20201015
Tomi Engdahl says:
This #design uses #RFID tag technology to enable low-cost and battery-free home #security systems #DesignIdeas #DIWednesday #sensors
https://buff.ly/2HbJvAa
Tomi Engdahl says:
These biometric tech sensors can be printed directly onto human skin
https://www.weforum.org/agenda/2020/10/tech-technology-human-skin-biometric-sensors-wearable-tech?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social_scheduler&utm_term=Technological+Transformation&utm_content=19/10/2020+14:00
Researchers from China and the US have developed a way to print sensors directly on human skin at room temperature.
The process works by using a novel layer to help the metallic components of the sensor bond, allowing it to be placed directly on human skin.
The sensors could provide a more precise and comfortable alternative to wearable tech.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kannattaa katsoa nyt tarkkaan kodin ja auton avainnippua. Lähivuosina emme enää kanna niitä mukanamme, vaan avaimista tulee digitaalisia. Tämä onnistuu UWB-tekniikan avulla, sanoi NXP Semiconductrosin pääjohtaja Kurt Sievers yhtiön tänään alkaneen virtuaalisen NXP Connect -tapahtuman avauspuheessaan.
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/11294-pian-paasemme-eroon-avaimista
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tracking the grocery supply chain off-grid with ham radio and JS8Call
https://theprepared.com/blog/tracking-food-supplies-off-grid-with-ham-radio-and-js8call/
If we had another hiccup in the food chain as we did in the spring, you’d probably keep up with it via the internet — by monitoring sites like The Prepared, or by checking social media. But what if the supply chain problems were combined with a cyberattack or other disruption to the internet or broadcast media? How could you communicate with other people around the country to find out whether empty shelves were a local phenomenon or a nation-wide one?
The AmRRON emergency communications network recently held a training exercise simulating this exact scenario. Using high-frequency ham radios and the JS8Call digital communications protocol, operators around the country shared the food supply situation in their location.
The resulting exercise was a success, and it showed that it’s definitely possible to use ham radio to keep track of food supplies in a complete grid-down, or when normal communication channels are disrupted. It’s not easy, and it requires a lot of specialized knowledge and equipment, so it’s not a prep for everyone to get into. But for preppers willing to head down the rabbit hole, it feels great to know you’ve got a critical information lifeline that works even in the very worst-case scenarios.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Even Manufacturing Is Using Remote Workers
While it may sound peculiar, there is a growing population of remote workers in manufacturing.
https://www.designnews.com/automation/even-manufacturing-using-remote-workers?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=14763&elq_cid=876648
On the face of it, it sounds ludicrous: manufacturing employees working from home. In recent years, many companies have shifted to some remote working. That exploded last March . . . but manufacturing? Doesn’t seem possible.
Odd as it sounds, that has changed during COVID-19.
The British-based Leesman firm recently conducted research on the state of at-home work. They quizzed the manufacturing and industrial engineering sectors and found that 53% of manufacturing employees had no remote-working experience. What’s surprising is that apparently, 47% did.
We perused employment sites such as Indeed, FlexJobs, and RemoteDesk, and all of them are currently running want ads for remote manufacturing employees.
With more and more plant data digitized, the idea of remote management isn’t that far-fetched. “The application is in the cloud, so they can see everything on the floor. They already had that before COVID,” said Argyle. “I called after COVID hit and everyone was in lockdown. They mentioned they hadn’t missed a beat. They can see from home what they could see from work.”
Before the pandemic, manufacturing employees were absolutely not working remotely. “Nobody was working from home before COVID. Yet a lot of them were traveling, and they could still be efficient even if they were not at the plant,” said Argyle. “Manufacturing hadn’t adopted working from home, but now they’re seeing a lot of benefits. I see this hybrid version going on, where managers and engineers work part from home and part from the office. With this model, you don’t need as much office space.”
What Type of Plant Workers are Remote?
As for who’s working remotely on the manufacturing line, it tends to be the workers who are not actually putting nuts on bolts. “Process engineers, control engineers, and manufacturing engineers – they’re at their desks at home doing PLC work,” said Argyle. “They say they’re much more productive. They have their heads down doing design and not getting interrupted. They go to the plant to test things and get the tooling.”
While automation has helped plants to increase production with fewer workers, plants are not currently rushing to buy automation equipment. The economy isn’t strong enough to give them the confidence to spend. “Before COVID, automation was a big thing. They were putting robots out. That’s been going on for a long time, but I haven’t seen an increase in that,” said Argyle. “Yet on the shop floor workers are doing all of the communication through the app, same with the maintenance guy.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cobots vs. COVID-19 — Designed and Deployed a Solution in 2 Weeks
Many essential businesses needed to ramp up production quickly while keeping workers safe.
https://www.designnews.com/automation/cobots-vs-covid-19-designed-and-deployed-solution-2-weeks?ADTRK=InformaMarkets&elq_mid=14763&elq_cid=876648
“We’re all in this together,” says Samuel Bouchard, CEO of Robotiq, on the challenge faced by manufacturers struck by COVID-19 with sudden needs to ramp-up production while keeping employees out of harm’s way. At 23 minutes long, the video takes a deep dive, and that’s a good thing for those who must meet sudden demands on capacity and agility. Learn about cobot system design, system integration, and ongoing operations. Bouchard provides a step-by-step guide, project management tools, and advice on how to get started and how to scale-up your application — or perhaps replicate it, now that you’ve got a repeatable automation framework — with links to web resources.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Zigbee Alliance may be close to solving interoperability in #HomeAutomation with an emerging open #standard #CHIP #wireless #IoT
Alliance moves toward seamless connected home
https://www.edn.com/alliance-moves-toward-seamless-connected-home/?utm_content=bufferc9024&utm_medium=social&utm_source=edn_facebook&utm_campaign=buffer
One of the ongoing limitations to domestic IoT adoption is incompatibility. There are many connected lights, doorbells, appliances, and whatnot available to consumers, but they form freestanding islands of functionality that are difficult to blend into a unified smart-home setup. The Zigbee Alliance, though, may be close to solving that problem with its emerging open standard for the Connected Home over IP (CHIP).
The alliance’s involvement, however, does not mean that this is simply a veiled effort to promote Zigbee as the core communications standard for home automation. In fact, while Zigbee’s 802.15.4 mesh will be supported, that’s not until later. Project CHIP’s initial release calls for Wi-Fi or Thread for its core communications, and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) to simplify device commissioning and setup. Instead, the project’s goal is to come up with a unifying application layer that developers can leverage regardless of the underlying hardware choices, so that applications will be able to communicate with any devices built to the CHIP standard, subject to user permission.
That permission is a part of a key goal for the project: application and device security. It has become clear that security is critical to the success of home automation, safeguarding user information, as well as ensuring the integrity of their home’s operation. No one wants a repeat of the baby monitor hacking debacle.
The CHIP Project’s overall architecture (Figure 1) shows the full diversity of its connectivity options. Virtually every type of established IP interface will be supported. Higher up, the IPv6 format is utilized, offering the opportunity for every device to have a unique IP address if desired, and both TCP and UDP protocols are supported.
The CHIP project is on track for formal release at the end of 2020. If the definition effort is successful at ensuring interoperability, and is widely adopted by developers, the standard could help stimulate the home automation market.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A team of Iranian researchers has developed a capacitive sensor that can be integrated into dental implants to monitor bone growth.
New Sensor Integrated Within Dental Implants Monitors Bone Health
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/new-sensor-integrated-within-dental-implants-monitors-bone-health
Scientists have created a new sensor that can be integrated within dental implants to passively monitor bone growth, bypassing the need for multiple x-rays of the jaw. The design is described in study published September 25 in IEEE Sensors Journal.
Currently, x-rays are used to monitor jaw health following a dental implant. Dental x-rays typically involve low doses of radiation, but people with dental implants may require more frequent x-rays to monitor their bone health following surgery.
To reduce this need for x-rays, Hassanzadeh and two graduate students at Shahid Beheshti University designed a new sensor that can be integrated within dental implants. It passively measures changes in the surrounding electrical field (capacitance) to monitor bone growth. Two designs, for short- and long-term monitoring, were created.
The sensors are made of titanium and poly-ether-ether-ketone, and are integrated directly into a dental implant using microfabrication methods. The designs do not require any battery, and passively monitor changes in capacitance once the dental implant is in place.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Print These Electronic Circuits Directly Onto Skin
Room-temperature sintering enables skin sensors for vital signs
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/skin-circuits
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to use human and artificial intelligence with digital twins
Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), artificial intelligence (AI), user interface technologies such as augmented reality and virtual reality can help the form and function of digital twins to improve training, operations and outcomes.
https://www.controleng.com/articles/how-to-use-human-and-artificial-intelligence-with-digital-twins/?oly_enc_id=0462E3054934E2U
Tomi Engdahl says:
How smart I/O enhances distributed control
Installing smart input/output (I/O) during an upgrade or migration can provide personnel with near-real-time data at their fingertips
https://www.controleng.com/articles/how-smart-i-o-enhances-distributed-control/?oly_enc_id=0462E3054934E2U
Tomi Engdahl says:
Evaluating IoT wireless protocols for industrial applications
Do IoT-based wireless technologies designed for municipal, building, and residential sensor networks offer anything for industrial users? How about 5G?
https://www.controleng.com/articles/evaluating-iot-wireless-protocols-for-industrial-applications/?oly_enc_id=0462E3054934E2U
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://etn.fi/index.php/13-news/11323-lisaa-alya-lisaat-tehokkuutta-tuotantoon
Tomi Engdahl says:
How automated anomaly detection can maximize production
Industrial artificial intelligence/machine learning (AI/ML) software and long-range sensors predict maintenance requirements across entire enterprises, increasing productivity and profits.
https://www.controleng.com/articles/how-automated-anomaly-detection-can-maximize-production/?oly_enc_id=0462E3054934E2U
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT network providers have struggled to get both customers and device-makers to buy into their wireless networks, so they’re trying a new way to sell them.
IoT Network Companies Have Cracked Their Chicken-and-Egg Problem
https://spectrum.ieee.org/telecom/wireless/iot-network-companies-have-cracked-their-chicken-and-egg-problem
Along with everything else going on, we may look back at 2020 as the year that companies finally hit upon a better business model for Internet of Things (IoT) networks. Established network companies such as the Things Network and Helium, and new players such as Amazon, have seemingly given up on the idea of making money from selling network connectivity. Instead, they’re focused on getting the network out there for developers to use, assuming in the process that they’ll benefit from the effort in the long run.
IoT networks have a chicken-and-egg problem. Until device makers see widely available networks, they don’t want to build products that run on the network. And customers don’t want to pay for a network, and thus, fund its development, if there aren’t devices available to use. So it’s hard to raise capital to build a new wide-area network (WAN) that provides significant coverage and supports a plethora of devices that are enticing to use.
It certainly didn’t help such network companies as Ingenu, MachineQ, Senet, and SigFox that they’re all marketing half a dozen similar proprietary networks. Even the cellular carriers, which are promoting both LTE-M for machine-to-machine networks and NB-IoT for low-data-rate networks, have historically struggled to justify their investments in IoT network infrastructure. After COVID-19 started spreading in Japan, NTT DoCoMo called it quits on its NB-IoT network, citing a lack of demand.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Look out, trees: You’re about to be pierced for science.
Dart-Shooting Drone Attacks Trees for Science
https://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/drones/dart-shooting-drone
We all know how robots are great at going to places where you can’t (or shouldn’t) send a human. We also know how robots are great at doing repetitive tasks. These characteristics have the potential to make robots ideal for setting up wireless sensor networks in hazardous environments—that is, they could deploy a whole bunch of self-contained sensor nodes that create a network that can monitor a very large area for a very long time.
These darts (which the researchers refer to as aerodynamically stabilized, spine-equipped sensor pods) can embed themselves in relatively soft targets from up to 4 meters away with an accuracy of about 10 centimeters after being fired from a spring-loaded launcher. They’re not quite as accurate as a drone with a manipulator, but it’s pretty good, and the drone can maintain a safe distance from the surface that it’s trying to add a sensor to. Obviously, the spine is only going to work on things like wood, but the researchers point out that there are plenty of attachment mechanisms that could be used, including magnets, adhesives, chemical bonding, or microspines.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“The only way to scale up to the kinds of hundreds of billions or trillions of devices we’re expecting to emerge into the world in the next few years is if we take people out of the care and maintenance loop.”
Great article on tinyML from ZDNet featuring Pete Warden!
Google AI executive sees a world of trillions of devices untethered from human care
https://www.zdnet.com/article/google-ai-executive-sees-a-world-of-trillions-of-devices-untethered-from-human-care/
Google says hardware in embedded devices needs to improve to make possible a world of peel-and-stick sensors free of wall power and human maintenance.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Zigbee Alliance may be close to solving interoperability in #HomeAutomation with an emerging open #standard #CHIP #wireless #IoT
https://buff.ly/3e69VzT
Tomi Engdahl says:
Improved Smoke-Detection Devices Save More Lives
https://www.electronicdesign.com/industrial-automation/article/21145662/electronic-design-improved-smokedetection-devices-save-more-lives?utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=33357&utm_medium=email&elq2=38145e062a634cedae6f718baedcb94e&oly_enc_id=7211D2691390C9R
Sponsored by Digi-Key and Analog Devices: A new optical sensor IC consisting of two LEDs is the key to photoelectric smoke detectors that can better sense different smoke sources and trigger sooner.