The Internet of Things revolution started in 2015 and will continue to be strong in 2016. 2015 was the year everyone talked about the Internet of Things. (So was 2014. And 2013.) But unlike before, it was the year everyone started making plans, laying groundwork, and building the infrastructure. Internet of Things is coming. It’s not a matter of if or whether, but when and how. The premise of IoT is that a connected world will offer gains through efficiency.
The Internet of Things (IoT) has been called the next Industrial Revolution — it will change the way all businesses, governments, and consumers interact with the physical world. The Internet of Things (IoT) is an environment in which objects, animals or people are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer the data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction. IoT has evolved from the convergence of wireless technologies, micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS)
and the Internet. IoT is also called the Internet of Everything. A critical component for the IoT system to be a success will be secure bi-directional communication, mobility and localization services.
In the future, everything will be connected. It won’t just be our phones that access the Internet; it will be our light bulbs, our front doors, our microwaves, our comforters, our blenders. You can call it the Internet of Things, The Internet of Everything, Universal Object Interaction, or your pick of buzzwords that begin with Smart. They all hold as inevitable that everything, everything will be connected, to each other and to the Internet. And this is promised to change the world. Remember that the objects themselves do not benefit us, but what services and functions they make it possible to obtain. We will enjoy the outcome, hopefully even better quality products, informative and reliable services, and even new applications.
There will be lots of money spend on IoT in 2016, the exact sum is hard to define, but it is estimated that nearly $6 trillion will be spent on IoT solutions over the next five years. IoT is now a very large global business dominated by giants (IBM, Intel, Cisco, Gemalto, Google, Microsoft, Amazon, Bosch, GE, AT&T, T-Mobile, Telefonica and many others). I see that because it is still a young and quickly developing market, there will be lots of potential in it for startups in 2016.
There will be a very large number of new IoT devices connected to Internet in the end of 2016. According to Business Insider The Internet of Things Report there was 10 billion devices connected to the internet in 2015 and there will be will be 34 billion devices connected to the internet by 2020. IoT devices will account for 24 billion, while traditional computing devicesw ill comprise 10 billion (e.g. smartphones, tablets, smartwatches, etc.). Juniper research predicted that by 2020, there will be 38.5 billion connected devices. IDC says it’ll be 20.9 billion. Gartner’s guess? Twenty-five billion. The numbers don’t matter, except that they’re huge. They all agree that most of those gadgets will be industrial Internet of Things. The market for connecting the devices you use all day, every day, is about to be huge.
Businesses will be the top adopter of IoT solutions because they see ways the IoT can improve their bottom line: lowering operating costs, increasing productivity, expand to new markets and develop new product offerings. Sensors, data analytics, automation and wireless communication technologies allow the study of the “self-conscious” machines, which are able to observe their environment and communicate with each other. From predictive maintenance that reduces equipment downtime to workers using mobile devices on the factory floor, manufacturing is undergoing dramatic change. The Internet of Things (IoT) is enabling increased automation on the factory floor and throughout the supply chain, 3D printing is changing how we think about making components, and the cloud and big data are enabling new applications that provide an end-to-end view from the factory floor to the retail store.
Governments are focused on increasing productivity, decreasing costs, and improving their citizens’ quality of life. The IoT devices market will connect to climate agreements as in many applicatons IoT can be seen as one tool to help to solve those problems. A deal to attempt to limit the rise in global temperatures to less than 2C was agreed at the climate change summit in Paris in December 2015. Sitra fresh market analysis indicates that there is up to an amount of EUR 6 000 billion market potential for smart green solutions by 2050. Smart waste and water systems, materials and packaging, as well as production systems together to form an annual of over EUR 670 billion market. Smart in those contests typically involves use of IoT technologies.
Consumers will lag behind businesses and governments in IoT adoption – still they will purchase a massive number of devices. There will be potential for marketing IoT devices for consumers: Nine out of ten consumers never heard the words IoT or Internet of Things, October 2015! It seems that the newest IoT technology extends homes in 2016 – to those homes where owner has heard of those things. Wi-Fi has become so ubiquitous in homes in so many parts of the world that you can now really start tapping into that by having additional devices. The smart phones and the Internet connection can make home appliances, locks and sensors make homes and leisure homes in more practical, safer and more economical. Home adjusts itself for optimal energy consumption and heating, while saving money. During the next few years prices will fall to fit for large sets of users. In some cases only suitable for software is needed, as the necessary sensors and data connections can be found in mobile phones. Our homes are going to get smarter, but it’s going to happen slowly. Right now people mostly buy single products for a single purpose. Our smart homes and connected worlds are going to happen one device, one bulb at a time. The LED industry’s products will become more efficient, reliable, and, one can hope, interoperable in the near future. Companies know they have to get you into their platform with that first device, or risk losing you forever to someone else’s closed ecosystem.
The definitions what would be considered IoT device and what is a traditional computing devices is not entirely clear, and I fear that we will not get a clear definition for that in 2016 that all could agree. It’s important to remember that the IoT is not a monolithic industry, but rather a loosely defined technology architecture that transcends vertical markets to make up an “Internet of everything.”
Too many people – industry leaders, media, analysts, and end users – have confused the concept of
“smart” with “connected”. Most devices – labeled “IoT” or “smart” – are simply connected devices. Just connecting a device to the internet so that it can be monitored and controlled by someone over the web using a smart phone is not smart. Yes, it may be convenient and time saving, but it is not “smart”. Smart means intelligence.
IoT New or Not? YES and NO. There are many cases where whole IoT thing is hyped way out of proportion. For the most part, it’s just the integration of existing technologies. Marketing has driven an amount of mania around IoT, on the positive side getting it on the desks of decision makers, and on the negative generating ever-loftier predictions. Are IoT and M2M same or different? Yes and no depending on case. For sure for very many years to come IoT and M2M will coexist.
Nearly a dozen contenders are trying to fill a need for long distance networks that cut the cost and power consumption of today’s cellular machine-to-machine networks. Whose technology protocols should these manufacturers incorporate into their gear? Should they adopt ZigBee, Apple’s HomeKit, Allseen Alliance/AllJoyn, or Intel’s Open Interconnect Consortium? Other 802.15.4 technologies? There are too many competing choices.
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi, two pioneers of the Internet of Things are expanding their platforms and partnerships. Crowdfunding sites and hardware accelerators are kicking out startups at a regular clip, typically companies building IoT devices that ride Bluetooth and Wi-Fi. Bluetooth Special Interest group is expected to release in2016 support for mesh networks and higher data rates.
Although ZWave and Zigbee helped pioneer the smart home and building space more than a decade ago, but efforts based on Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and 6LoWPAN are poised to surpass them. Those pioneering systems are actively used and developed. Zigbee Alliance starts certification for its unified version 3.0 specification in few months (includes profiles for home and building automation, LED lighting, healthcare, retail and smart energy). EnOcean Alliance will bring its library of about 200 application profiles for 900 MHz energy harvesting devices to Zigbee networks. Zigbee will roll out a new spec for smart cities. The Z-Wave Security 2 framework will start a beta test in February and Z-Wave aims to strike a collaboration withleading IoT application framework platforms. Zigbee alredy has support Thread.
The race to define, design and deploy new low power wide area networks for the Internet of Things won’t cross a finish line in 2016. But by the end of the year it should start to be clear which LPWA nets are likely to have long legs and the opportunities for brand new entrants will dim significantly. So at the moment it is hard to make design choices. To protect against future technology changes, maybe the device makers should design in wireless connectivity chips and software that will work with a variety of protocols? That’s complicated and expensive. But if I pick only one technology I can easily pick up wrong horse, and it is also an expensive choice.
Within those who want to protect against future technology changes, there could be market for FPGAs in IoT devices. The Internet of Things (IoT) is broken and needs ARM-based field programmable gate array (FPGA) technology to fix it, an expert told engineers at UBM’s Designers of Things conference in San Jose. You end up with a piece of hardware that can be fundamentally changed in the field.
There seems to be huge set of potential radio techniques also for Internet of Things even for long distance and low power consumpion. Zigbee will roll out a new spec for smart cities in February based on the 802.15.4g standard for metro networks. It will compete with an already crowded field of 900 MHz and 2.4 GHz networks from Sigfox, the LoRa Alliance, Ingenu and others. Weightless-P is an open standard announced by Weightless SIG, which operates at frequencies below one gigahertz. Weightless-P nodes and development cards will be expected to be in the market already during the first quarter of 2016, at the moment Weightless IoT Hardware Virtually Unavailable.
I expect LoRa Technology is expected to be hot in 2016. The LoRaWAN standard enables low-data-rate Internet of Things (IoT) and Machine-to-Machine (M2M) wireless communication with a range of up to 10 miles, a battery life of 10 years, and the ability to connect millions of wireless sensor nodes to LoRaWAN gateways. LoRa® technology works using a digital spread spectrum modulation and proprietary protocol in the Sub-GHz RF band (433/868/915 MHz). I see LoRa technology interesting because lots of activity around in Finland in several companies (especially Espotel) and I have seen a convincing hands-in demo of the LoRa system in use.
It seems that 3GPP Lost its Way in IoT and there is fragmentation ahead in cellular standards. In theory 3GPP should be the default provider of IoT connectivity, but it seems that it has now failed in providing one universal technology. At the moment, there are three major paths being supported by 3GPP for IoT: the machine-type version of LTE (known as LTE-M) and two technologies coming from the Cellular-IoT initiative — NB-IoT and EC-GSM. So here we are with three full standardization efforts in 3GPP for IoT connectivity. It is too much. There will like be a base standard in 2016 for LTE-M.
The promise of billions of connected devices leads everyone to assume that there will be plenty of room for multiple technologies, but this betrays the premise of IoT, that a connected world will offer gains through efficiency. Too many standard will cause challenges for everybody. Customers will not embrace IoT if they have to choose between LTE-M and Sigfox-enabled products that may or may not work in all cases. OEM manufacturers will again bear the cost, managing devices at a regional or possibly national level. Again, we lose efficiency and scale. The cost of wireless connectivity will remain a barrier to entry to IoT.
Today’s Internet of Things product or service ultimately consists of multiple parts, quite propably supplied by different companies. An Internet of Things product or service ultimately consists of multiple parts. One is the end device that gathers data and/or executes control functions on the basis of its communications over the Internet. Another is the gateway or network interface device. Once on the Internet, the IoT system needs a cloud service to interact with. Then, there is the human-machine interface (HMI) that allows users to interact with the system. So far, most of the vendors selling into the IoT development network are offering only one or two of these parts directly. Alternatives to this disjointed design are arising, however. Recently many companies are getting into the end-to-end IoT design support business, although to different degrees.
Voice is becoming more often used the user interface of choice for IoT solutions. Smartphones let you control a lot using only your voice as Apple, Google, Microsoft and Samsung have their solutions for this. For example Amazon, SoundHound and Nuance have created systems that allow to add language commands to own hardware or apps. Voice-activated interface becomes pervasive and persistent for IoT solutions in 2016. Right now, most smart home devices are controlled through smartphones, and it seems like that’s unlikely to change. The newest wearable technology, smart watches and other smart devices corresponding to the voice commands and interpret the data we produce – it learns from its users, and generate as responses in real time appropriate, “micro-moments” tied to experience.
Monitoring your health is no longer only a small group oriented digital consumer area. Consumers will soon take advantage of the health technology extensively to measure well-being. Intel Funds Doctor in Your Pocket and Samsung’s new processor is meant for building much better fitness trackers. Also, insurance companies have realized the benefits of health technologies and develop new kinds of insurance services based on data from IoT devices.
Samsung’s betting big on the internet of things and wants the TV to sit at the heart of this strategy. Samsung believes that people will want to activate their lights, heating and garage doors all from the comfort of their couch. If smart TVs get a reputation for being easy to hack, then Samsung’s models are hardly likely to be big sellers. After a year in which the weakness of smart TVs were exploited, Samsung goes on the offensive in 2016. Samsung’s new Tizen-based TVs will have GAIA security with pin lock for credit card and other personal info, data encryption, built-in anti-malware system, more.
This year’s CES will focus on how connectivity is proliferating everything from cars to homes, realigning diverse markets – processors and networking continue to enhance drones, wearables and more. Auto makers will demonstrate various connected cars. There will be probably more health-related wearables at CES 2016, most of which will be woven into clothing, mainly focused on fitness. Whether or not the 2016 International CES holds any big surprises remains to be seen. The technology is there. Connected light bulbs, connected tea kettles, connected fridges and fans and coffeemakers and cars—it’s all possible. It’s not perfect, but the parts are only going to continue to get better, smaller, and cheaper.
Connectivity of IoT devices will still have challeges in 2016. While IoT standards organizations like the Open Interconnect Consortium and the AllSeen Alliance are expected to demonstrate their capabilities at CES, the industry is still a ways away from making connectivity simple. In 2016 it will still pretty darn tedious to get all these things connected, and there’s all these standards battles coming on. So there will be many standards in use at the same time. The next unsolved challenge: How the hell are all these things going to work together? Supporting open APIs that connect with various services is good.
Like UPnP and DLNA, AllJoyn could become the best-kept secret in the connected home in 2016 — everyone has it, no one knows about it. AllJoyn is an open-source initiative to connect devices in the Internet of Things. Microsoft added support for AllJoyn to Windows in 2014.
Analysis will become important in 2016 on IoT discussions. There’s too much information out there that’s available free, or very cheaply. We need systems to manage the information so we can make decisions. Welcome to the systems age.
The rise of the Internet of Things and Web services is driving new design principles. The new goal is to delight customers with experiences that evolve in flexible ways that show you understand their needs. “People are expecting rich experiences, fun and social interactions… this generation gets bored easily so you need to understand all the dimensions of how to delight them”
With huge number of devices security issues will become more and more important. In 2016, we’ll need to begin grappling with the security concerns these devices raise. The reality of everything being connected can have unintended consequences, not all of them useful – Welcome to the Internet of stupid (hackable) things.
Security: It was a hot topic for 2015 and if anything it will get hotter in 2016. The reason is clear. By adding connectivity embedded systems not only increase their utility, they vastly increase their vulnerability to subversion with significant consequences. Embedded systems that add connectivity face many challenges, of which the need for security is both vital and misunderstood. But vendors and developers have been getting the message and solutions are appearing in greater numbers, from software libraries to MCUs with a secure root of trust.
Bruce Schneier is predicting that the IoT will be abused in conjunction with DMCA to make our lives worse instead of better. In theory, connected sensors will anticipate your needs, saving you time, money, and energy. Except when the companies that make these connected objects act in a way that runs counter to the consumer’s best interests. The story of a company using copy-protection technology to lock out competitors—isn’t a new one. Plenty of companies set up proprietary standards to ensure that their customers don’t use someone else’s products with theirs. Because companies can enforce anti-competitive behavior this way, there’s a litany of things that just don’t exist, even though they would make life easier for consumers.
Internet of Things is coming. It’s not a matter of if or whether, but when and how. Maybe it’ll be 2016, maybe the year after, but the train is coming. It’ll have Wi-Fi and Bluetooth and probably eight other things, and you’ll definitely get a push notification when it gets here.
More interesting material links:
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Tomi Engdahl says:
3GPP Standards for the Internet-of-Things
http://www.3gpp.org/images/presentations/3GPP_Standards_for_IoT.pdf
In Release-13 3GPP has made a major effort to address the IoT market
The portfolio of technologies that 3GPP operators can now use to address their
different market requirements includes:
1. eMTC
Further LTE enhancements for Machine Type Communications, building on the work started in
Release-12 (UE Cat 0, new power saving mode: PSM)
2. NB-IOT
New radio added to the LTE platform optimized for the low end of the market
3. EC-GSM-IoT
EGPRS enhancements which in combination with PSM makes GSM/EDGE markets prepared for IoT
eMTC Objectives
• Long battery life: ~10 years of operation with 5 Watt Hour battery (depending on traffic and
coverage needs)
• Low device cost: comparable to that of GPRS/GSM devices (as in the 3GPP work item description)
• Extended coverage: >155.7 dB maximum coupling loss (MCL)
• Variable rates: ~10 kbps to 1 Mbps depending on coverage needs
NB-IOT Objectives
• Even lower cost than eMTC
• Extended coverage: 164 dB maximum coupling loss (at least for standalone)
• Long battery life: 10 years with 5 Watt Hour battery (depending on traffic and coverage needs)
• Support for massive number of devices: ~50.000 per cell
EC-GSM-IoT Objectives
• Long battery life: ~10 years of operation with 5 Wh battery (depending on traffic pattern and coverage needs)
• Low device cost compared to GPRS/GSM devices
• Extended coverage: 164 dB MCL for 33 dBm UE, 154 dB MCL for 23 dBm UE
• Variable rates: GMSK: ~350bps to 70kbps depending on coverage level, 8PSK: up to 240 kbps
• Support for massive number of devices: ~50.000 per cell
• Improved security compared to GSM/EDGE
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sensor Expo Highlights Energy Harvesting
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1330001&
Using environmental energy to power remote sensor nodes remains a high interest item among system designers, especially those choosing wireless sensor node (WSN) components for remote and/or hazardous locations. At the Sensor Expo conference in Santa Clara, Calif., presenters at an energy harvesting and power symposium agreed that energy harvesting systems still require juggling many variables.
Applications such as bridge vibration monitors, HVAC heating ducts for smart buildings, Cross-Canada hot oil pipelines all involve replacing batteries that could be dangerous to service workers.
The Internet of Thing (IoT), too, amplifies the demands for wireless smart devices, ultra-low-power processors and radios, high levels of component integration and miniaturization. But the problem with energy harvesters (EH) is that the transducers tend to be big and bulk — EH devices generally need a large surface area to generate only very small voltages. Industrial-grade vibration harvesters for bridge or industrial process monitoring, for example, could be as large fire extinguishers and does not lend itself well to micro-miniaturization for wearables.
WSN designers must balance impedances for amplifiers and sensor signal conditioning ICs, battery sizes and discharge rates, symposium speakers agreed. There is no plug-in EH device that’s going to behave like a CR2032 coin cell or AAA penlight battery in a remote sensor node. (Super capacitors, for example, show very high energy densities, but their ability to hold a charge over time is limited.) The transducers that convert environmental energy— indoor lighting, vibration, thermal gradients — to electrical voltages, do not offer simple loss-free interfaces to processors or communications modules, and they need careful matching with signal conditioning components.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Do You Update 1 Billion IoT Devices?
Taking the best practices from Web and Embedded worlds
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329997
After the initial euphoria over the Internet of Things (IoT), the reality of the market is rapidly sinking in among investors, marketers and designers.
The underlying technologies and ecosystem designed to support the elusive IoT market remain too immature to reap profits for many corporations and investors. In fact, anecdotal evidence shows that anyone pitching a startup in the IoT space faces kneejerk skepticism from the investment community. In short, IoT backlash has begun.
Against that backdrop, Resin.io, a London-based four-year-old IoT startup, announced Monday (June 27) that it has secured that secured $9 million in funding from DFJ, GE Ventures, Ericsson, and Aspect Ventures.
Resin.io’s technology offerings provide a glimpse into the bigger challenges — thus far little discussed — facing IoT builders and designers.
Connecting embedded devices to the Internet is hardly trivial. But even a harder-to-solve problem follows once the devices are deployed.
The issue is how to manage and remotely monitor millions of deployed IoT devices.
IoT devices need over-the-air firmware and software updates, “but that must be done quickly and securely,”
The Resin.io president says the mission of his company is to “make it simple to deploy, update, and maintain code running on remote devices.” Resin.io in essence uses “Linux containers and other open technologies to simplify the way developers build, deploy, and manage software for IoT devices.”
“Advancing the industrial Internet requires the ability to deploy and manage software in remote environments,” Sam Cates, director at GE Ventures, a unit of General Electric Co., said in a statement. “Resin.io is uniquely positioned to bring the speed and safety to the industrial Internet.”
Diomedes Kastanis, VP, and head of Technology and Software Solutions for Ericsson, sees that traditional over-the-air (OTA) update approaches are “simply not enough,” when billions of connected devices perform increasingly complex tasks.
Looking at the IoT market today, Resin.io’s president Hale said, “There are already a lot of do-it-yourself types of IoT devices on the market.” He noted, “They aren’t updating firmware or software for their devices, and we see a lot of scary scenarios emerging.”
The industrial IoT market can’t afford to ignore the vulnerability of connected devices.
Bring Web dev technology to Embedded
Writing IoT applications is no cake walk, as the team learned. “It’s not like writing applications for the Web,” said Marinos, Resin.io CEO.
IoT uses embedded devices armed with limited memory space, restricted processing power, which run on a specific microprocessor or microcontroller. IoT devices use diverse CPU architectures.
IoT application developers have to constantly worry about making specific IoT hardware work while keeping their applications up to date. If such an effort needs to be made for an individual IoT purpose, the process involves setting up an operating system, establishing a secure local network, configuring some means of recording and viewing logs, and providing some means of shipping new versions of code to devices in the field, amongst others.
Resin.io has extended Linux Containers to new architectures — including i386, ARMv6 and ARMv7 architectures. Linux Containers is an OS-level virtualization method for running multiple isolated Linux systems on a control host using a single Linux kernel.
Resin.io uses Git, a distributed revision control system.
Resin.io handles “cross-compilation, device monitoring, VPNs, and log collection,” so application developers can focus on their product and not the infrastructure.
Tomi Engdahl says:
19 Views of Sensors Expo
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329984
Sensors are where the rubber meets the road in the Internet of Things, and a tour of the show floor at the Sensors Expo here showed that road has many, many lanes.
While several big companies play here, so do many, many small and medium ones scattered geographically across regions little known for high tech. The much-hyped IoT has generated a lot of buzz and new design activity but hasn’t yet spawned significantly more business for companies who have served this broad collection of embedded markets for many years.
SpecSensors (Newark Calif.) showed a carbon monoxide sensor for home use that sports 84% of the accuracy of a $10,000 instrument, but costs just $20, and fits on a credit-card sized board that enables a system selling for less than $300.
PNI Sensor Corp. (Santa Rosa, Calif.) showed sensor hubs for Android phones and wearable
The 1.6 x 1.6 x 0.5 mm device, delivers 2 degrees RMS accuracy while consuming less than 150 microamps at a 7 Hz update rate.
Synkera Technologies Inc. (Longmont, Colo.) got a design win for one of its gas sensors
The custom chip inside is one of a wide family of indoor, outdoor and industrial gas sensors Synkera designed to detect everything from methane to ozone levels at accuracies to parts-per-billion. Prices range widely from $50 to less than $5 depending on volumes.
Magnasphere (Waukesha, Wis.) showed its magnetic switches (above) it claims are resistant to tampering and work even when immersed in water or separated by thin layers of Plexiglas or stainless steel.
Sensirion (Westlake Village, Calif.) is working on a multi-pixel gas sensor, a single device with a sensing membrane divided into four sections, each one checking for a specific gas.
Silicon Microstructures Inc. (Milpitas, Calif.) claims its SM5G will be the smallest relative pressure sensor when it is released in August.
TTI Inc. (Fort Worth, Texas) raffled off a drone packed with sensors from Amphenol, Hamlin, Honeywell, Littlefuse, Omron, TE Connectivity and TDK
Dexter Research Center in Dexter, Mich., a small town better known as the home of a maker of cornbread and muffin mixes, showed its portfolio of 40 thermopile sensors shipped in 800 different configurations. They are used in a laundry list of applications including gas detectors in cars and medical anesthesia machines to fire-suppression gear and non-contact temperature sensors.
a mix (above) of thermoelectric devices on woven mats, load-bearing antennas for aircraft made from copper-coated Kevlar fibers and extruded fibers for sensors demoed at MIT.
Nisato described (below) a simple 50 x 50cm mat of woven capacitive sensor
Tomi Engdahl says:
Home automation on the cheap
https://hackaday.io/project/11922-home-automation-on-the-cheap
Using an esp8266, arduino nano, a salvaged usb power supply, and a couple relays you can automate anything
This project covers how to setup the esp8266 as a serial bridge, shows simple program for the arduino, and for the more advanced, how to write a webpage in php to control your lights and optionally how to integrate a webcam attached to a raspberry pi into the webpage without the need of port forwarding for the camera. I will also be talking about how to set up your phone to control the lights as well.
As a side note there is usually some delay in any commercial solution. With my design, the latency is taken to milliseconds instead of seconds.This project uses WiFi to serial bridge using tcp connections to port 23 so there is an exchange for security however this isn’t a large problem as there are some security options available
I will also be covering a couple other projects later, a firework display control and an RC car controlled using an xBee so stay tuned. This project will be updated periodically as I am writing this after the completion of the projects.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Elisa IoT solution was awarded
Telecom operator Elisa IoT service was awarded in June as the best industrial solution for the Internet. The award was held in Boston LiveWorz 2016 event. The award was granted PTC, which ThingWorx IoT platform is widely used around the world.
Elisa IoT is a service to visualize dozens of different automation systems and other data sources on the process of three-dimensional information in one view.
” Elisa IoT will replace dozens of monitors browser-based and illustrative 3D views, says Markku Hollström Elisa responsible for IoT project manager. According to him, the processes, and their components can also be controlled from the outside of the control room, as the application runs with the user, for example, tablets.
3D visualization is based on Process Genius develop PGPlant interface. Elisa IoT application is already activated using some of Elisa’s industrial customers’ production environments.
Source: http://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2016/06/28/elisan-iot-ratkaisu-palkittiin/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Secretive Alphabet division aims to fix public transit in US by shifting control to Google
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2016/jun/27/google-flow-sidewalk-labs-columbus-ohio-parking-transit
Exclusive: Documents reveal Sidewalk Labs is offering cloud software Flow to Columbus, Ohio, to upgrade bus and parking services – and bring them under Google’s management
Sidewalk Labs, a secretive subsidiary of Alphabet, wants to radically overhaul public parking and transportation in American cities, emails and documents obtained by the Guardian reveal.
Its high-tech services, which it calls “new superpowers to extend access and mobility”, could make it easier to drive and park in cities and create hybrid public/private transit options that rely heavily on ride-share services such as Uber. But they might also gut traditional bus services and require cities to invest heavily in Google’s own technologies, experts fear.
Sidewalk is initially offering its cloud software, called Flow, to Columbus, Ohio, the winner of a recent $50m Smart City Challenge organized by the US Department of Transportation.
What is the Smart City Challenge?
http://smart-city.news/
The Smart City Challenge — a partnership between the U.S. Department of Transportation and Paul G. Allen’s Vulcan Inc. — aims to catalyze cities across the country to demonstrate “what’s possible” through scalable solutions to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and create innovative and practical climate change solutions.
Cities and transportation are major contributors to climate change — transportation alone is responsible for 26 percent of U.S. carbon emissions. By changing how cities transport people and goods, we have the potential to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and tackle climate change — one of the most urgent challenges facing the world.
The Smart City Challenge leverages data, technology and innovative ideas to spur large-scale change.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
Wink’s smart home controller can now hail a Uber cab, display Fitbit updates, and trigger IFTTT tasks
Wink can now put Uber on your wall
http://www.theverge.com/2016/6/28/12042112/wink-relay-controller-update-uber-fitbit-ifttt
Wink’s smart home controller is getting an update today that lets it know and do a whole lot more. After an update, the Relay controller will be able to integrate with Uber to let you hail a cab, as well as with Fitbit to display your daily step count. More intriguingly, it’ll also integrate with IFTTT, which’ll let you program the Relay’s two physical buttons to do pretty much whatever you want.
The Relay is also getting some basic updates to its own features. Some of its widgets are being redesigned to make them “easier to read,” and it’s getting an intercom feature, so that homes with multiple Relay units can use one to talk through to any other Relay inside a house. The software update is free to all existing Relay owners.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wake up and listen: Vesper quiescent-sensing MEMS device innovation
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/electronic-product-reviews/other/4442252/-Wake-up-and-listen–Vesper-Quiescent-Sensing-MEMS-Device-innovation?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20160628&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20160628&elqTrackId=8e3345b7cb204e9bad7cda353c5626ca&elq=6aaeebdd0dd347a19c400c52d54c1e85&elqaid=32846&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=28687
I have a strong belief that the most natural and efficient way to communicate with devices, in the coming of the Internet of Things (IoT), is the human voice. The primary element for this effort to be successful is the microphone and the primary features needed in such a system are low power, small size, rugged construction, and excellent signal-to-noise capability.
Designers, take heart! Your solution is here from Vesper, a privately held piezoelectric MEMS company from which we have heard before (See links at the end of this product review).
This company, which began at the University of Michigan, has improved the acoustic experience with a wide range of consumer products via a patented piezoelectric MEMS platform. These products include smartphones, smart speakers, Internet of Things (IoT) devices and connected automobiles.
Vesper has now demonstrated the first commercially available quiescent-sensing MEMS device, providing designers the possibility of acoustic event-detection devices at virtually zero power draw at just 3 µA of current while in listening mode.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Data Integrity for the IoT
http://www.techonline.com/electrical-engineers/education-training/tech-papers/4439263/Data-Integrity-for-the-IoT=NL_TOL_Edit_Subs_20160629_TechnicalPaper
The data flowing through an Internet of Things (IoT) solution can be its greatest asset and its largest problem. Since IoT devices do not behave in the classical server/client model—where communication occurs in an ordered fashion—an IoT implementation must be designed with the explicit goal of ensuring data integrity.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Conference focused on digital transformation, IIoT
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/conference-focused-on-digital-transformation-iiot/8ef59456129ecbab12eadb2238d587e1.html
Vimal Kapur, president of HPS, said: “The Industrial Internet of Things will allow manufacturers to more efficiently gather and analyze a broader range of data across multiple operations and plants to use data to transform entire enterprises.”
Hundreds of technology users from across the oil and gas, chemical, pulp and paper and metals and mining sectors are expected at HUG. The event will feature technology displays along with dozens of Honeywell- and customer-led sessions and technical discussions.
Showing how IIoT is working in real-world scenarios is especially critical this year.
Industrial companies learning how to harness the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and the digital trends in engineering are a major focus at the 41st annual Honeywell Users Group (HUG) in San Antonio, Tex.
Bosch Rexroth
A survey conducted by KRC Research found the majority of respondents (between 60 and 70%) believe data analytics can help reduce equipment breakdowns and unplanned downtime, as well as reduce supply chain management issues. This is particularly noteworthy because around 40% of the executives see unscheduled downtime and supply chain management issues as the top two threats to maximizing revenue.
At the same time, though, nearly half of the respondents—representing a range of manufacturing industries—said they don’t fully understand the benefits of data analytics, and more than a quarter say more proof is needed to show that data analytics work.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The IoT is a maze of communication protocols
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/the-iot-is-a-maze-of-communication-protocols/d1c64d1f5085c2eb9b2ed2f555df5070.html
The Internet of Things (IoT) communication protocols remain an absolute maze, but Beecham Research, an analyst firm, has published a report designed to help users navigate through the chaos.
Machine-to-machine (M2M) and Internet of Things (IoT) analyst house Beecham Research published a report stating that they were aiming to help enterprise companies match their IoT applications to “The most appropriate connectivity services,” a further indication of the variety of options currently available to firms considering IoT projects.
While the report notes that most IoT applications are, “Well covered by traditional cellular connectivity, Wi-Fi or Bluetooth,” it goes onto add that there is growing opportunity for low power wide area (LPWA) technologies—such as LoRa and weightless—which can run IoT applications using very small amounts of data cost effectively and across a large area. These are important points because cost and coverage are often mentioned as serious deficiencies of cellular (4G, 5G) and ZigBee respectively.
It is arguably a sign of a diverse and fragmented market.
“The IoT covers an increasingly wide range of applications and there is no ‘one-type-fits-all’ when it comes to connectivity required to enable them,” Duke-Woolley said.
To be of value to end-users, Beecham said that protocols must deliver the on a number of characteristics, such as good battery, low latency, high scalability and data rate, as well as security, ubiquitous connectivity low device cost.
“We believe that the continuing debate around IoT connectivity technologies rather than services is not helpful for the rapid market development being sought by the IoT industry,”
This news came right after a Jasper (now owned by Cisco) study revealed the high costs around IoT connectivity. It indicated that between 35 and 50% of operational expense running an Internet of Things network comes from communication costs.
“Today, many companies are moving to mobile networks (or cellular) to give better control over the IIoT experience,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Occupational Health piloted a remote measurements
Occupational Health and Elisa experimenting in practice, the management of occupational asthma remote measurements. The measuring device associated with the patient’s smart phone application using a Bluetooth connection, from which the data is automatically transmitted to the medical staff.
Remote sensing is a good example of going digital diagnostics, which will serve both the employees under investigation, the research staff¨, says the cooperation with Elisa Institute of Occupational Health Medical Director Eva Helaskoski.
Elisa room staff can take the mobile app that won the Best Finnish mobile service 2014 competition.
Source: http://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2016/06/28/tyoterveyslaitos-pilotoi-etamittauksia/
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Do You Update 1 Billion IoT Devices?
Taking the best practices from Web and Embedded worlds
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329997
Tomi Engdahl says:
5G, Cellular IoT Step Ahead
The outlook for cellular IoT
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1329991&page_number=3
http://www.3gpp.org/images/presentations/3GPP_Standards_for_IoT.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT to IoAT: Internet of Autonomous Things devices provides solutions
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/iot-to-ioat-internet-of-autonomous-things-devices-provides-solutions/3900105bf5bae830aabdbf1536777893.html
Future Internet of Autonomous Things (IoAT) devices will utilize knowledge-enhanced electronic logic (KEEL) technology and may consume information from other devices or the cloud and participate in solutions they were never designed for.
The next generation of Internet of Things (IoT) devices will deliver expertise and adaptive command and control, beyond just providing information for higher level processing. Knowledge-enhanced electronic logic (KEEL) technology will play a role in accelerating the delivery of these advanced capabilities into small, low-cost devices. The big data concept is that all of the connected devices will be producing information that is consumed by some higher-level system. Potentially, there is another view.
Given that some type of controller will control these devices, many of these devices can take on new responsibilities. Gartner Inc. predicts that there will be 6.4 billion connected objects in use by 2016 and 21 billion by 2020. Rather than just producing data, these devices can perhaps take on additional roles. In the future, these devices may consume information from other devices (and the cloud) and participate in solutions they were never designed for.
Not just collecting data
The primary objective of collecting data usually is to make better decisions. Predictions using data can prepare systems for the future by detecting change, or exerting some kind of control. Using a broader description, one might suggest that data can be collected for the purpose of controlling behavior. If the organization doesn’t control systems’ behavior, another organization will collect that data and use it accordingly.
Some who have been around for a while look at the IoT and see nothing that is really new. Distributed control and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) products have been used in industrial automation for many years.
“Timesharing” and “cluster computing” are terms that have been associated with distributed computing. These terms are often used to define the technology-of-the-day that includes taking inputs, manipulating the data, and then distributing information to control actions or outputs.
The evolution of technology that has resulted in the IoT market has been driven by the commoditization and re-distribution of resources. Each time a shift takes place, some marketer will create a new name and claim the market.
The commoditization of processing power in microcontrollers, tied to low-cost development environments, has reduced the cost of processing information. It has also commoditized interconnectivity with consumer-based networks and protocols that have provided the infrastructure for new devices to participate in more complex applications. Additionally, microelectromechanical systems (MEMS)-based devices have reduced the cost of sensors and actuators.
Cloud-based control solutions
Figure 2: The Internet of Autonomous Things (IoAT) allows devices to provide actionable data back to the cloud. Courtesy: CompsimCloud-based control solutions help many organizations centralize their processing deployment, which may help them manage their distributed applications.
However, there is always a “but” in this type of situation. Sometimes things go wrong. Putting all the eggs in the “cloud basket” connected by webs of open networks exposes many organizations to new risks. The new market for network security, redundant communications, and encryption has recognized the risks and offered patches to protect the user from new problems.
Humans (in general) can figure out what to do if one of their tools is broken or lost. Humans can also respond to damage to other humans, as well as to bigger strategic and tactical issues.
Current state of the IoT
The general concept is that IoT devices will be generators of information. However, maybe the edge devices should also be viewed as consumers of information (using our human model). There might also be an opportunity to expand more into the actuation role and do some things locally without depending on the computer in the sky to process information.
In this case, users might avoid some of the risks associated with propagation delays and widely distributed computing. If we look at opportunities for IoT devices to behave as autonomous (or semi-autonomous) devices and redefine IoT as the Internet of Autonomous Things (IoAT), then what might the market look like?
IoAT: Internet of Autonomous Things
Since there are an abundance of information sources distributed across the face of the Earth, maybe there will be a growth in distributed tools. It is very likely that more intelligent actuators will be created.
Based on that, the following scenarios are likely:
Actuators will collaborate with local information sources (just like humans do). Microgrid infrastructures are starting to appear in the market.
Actuators will be consumers of information (as humans are).
Actuators will identify their own information sources beyond those directly attached (just as humans gather information from nearby information sources and use their own senses to drive their own decisions and actions).
Actuators will work together to address problems when they lose connectivity with their supervisor in the command hierarchy (just as humans operate with their peers in emergency situations).
More intelligent autonomous/semi-autonomous devices will be able to recognize unplanned situations and respond according to human-defined guidelines (just like humans follow rules of engagement and operational policies they have been provided in advance). This will enable the devices to address problems they have never encountered before.
When dealing with teams of devices working together, there will be devices that may encounter problems during operation. These self-organizing devices will be able to react in real time (adapt collectively) to change.
Even when these IoAT devices (operating as a local team) encounter problems they cannot address together, they may be able to transmit actionable intelligence up their information hierarchy (if they have a communication link). They will even be able to use their own embedded expertise to look for communication alternatives.
Think of these new IoAT devices as objects that can operate independently or as objects that can self-organize and operate as teams to solve problems they have never been programmed to specifically address before.
What are the roadblocks?
There are still some challenges and hurdles because it remains in its infant stage.
The hobbyist market is exploding with remotely piloted aircraft. While many of these devices are still remotely controlled, many have significant processing power.
Connectivity is also not a roadblock since the Internet has commoditized connectivity. Wi-Fi and Bluetooth will continue to add security to their information exchange. Peer-to-peer and point-to-point microgrid networking will open new doors
Also, consider the IoAT actuators. This will be a new market for many new players.
Business drivers
Location is everything. Users deploying packaged sensors are occupying space. A machine in place is already occupying that space. By adding new capabilities in the same space, the user is delivering a better level of service.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Three ways to leverage IIoT
http://www.plantengineering.com/single-article/three-ways-to-leverage-iiot/ab1c9154543b98b546ad61f9d6d34033.html
As the Internet of Things (IoT) infiltrates the industrial sector, forward-thinking organizations will find ways to leverage the Industrial IoT for more efficient, productive and intelligent operations. Here’s a closer look.
Create efficiency through a better understanding of operations
“Operational efficiency is one of the key attractions of the IIoT, and early adopters are focused on these benefits. By introducing automation and more flexible production techniques, for instance, manufacturers could boost their productivity by as much as 30 percent,” wrote the authors of Accenture’s “Driving Unconventional Growth Through IIoT.”
Increase production, explore new business models
Optimizing operations has another benefit—it frees up manpower and machines to take on other work, whether that’s increased production or exploring new lines of business.
Highly repetitive tasks, such as palletizing or sorting, can be completed faster and more efficiently by an intelligent machine.
Leverage smart technologies to drive innovation
One of the game-changing aspects of the IIoT is the opportunity to bring together what has traditionally been two distinct categories of data: information technology and operational technology.
Accenture predicts that vendor-specific and proprietary infrastructure will be replaced over time with interoperable platforms. Harnessing the data through sensor-driven computing, industrial analytics and intelligent machine applications opens the door for innovation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
$1.7 Trillion IoT, IoE, IoAT the rise of new Economy
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/internet-here-iot-ioe-ioat-gideon-kory
Internet of Things, Internet of Everything, Internet of Anything, … What is your IoX Strategy? Finally the Internet is here! It seems that we are back to Who invented the Internet?Do the names really matter? I have to admit there is a branding opportunity here and some corporations jump to claim the name and the ownership.
Let’s keep it simple. Internet of Thing is good enough name to cover the whole ecosystem. The devices, the management, the streaming, the analytic, the integration, the processing, the run-times, the frameworks, ….. etc
Yes, there is a lot of work to do. Let’s get started!
Yes, there is a lot of work to do. Let’s get started! https://console.ng.bluemix.net/catalog/internet-of-things/
Scaling to 100,000 Devices https://developer.ibm.com/bluemix/2015/08/31/scaling-to-100k-devices-with-iot-on-bluemix-part2/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Machine Learning in Every Application
https://www.eeweb.com/company-blog/ibm/machine-learning-in-every-application/
Machine learning aids almost everything an engineer can imagine.
It is not surprising that many design engineers are using internet connectivity to enable new features in their system designs. If an engineer is designing medical equipment, an industrial machine, a field service tool, or a vending machine, the design can almost always benefit from being connected to the web (with the required security elements, of course). Today’s technology makes it easy to find sensors and IoT tools to collect information about an assets health, enablingdesign engineers to significantly enhance their products.
Users will immediately benefit when an asset is connected. They can read the asset’s status any time they choose, whether it’s in their facility or remote some 1,000 miles away, andperform maintenance based on what they know about the asset’s behavior. Meaning, define rules on the behavior of the asset and if the asset behaves beyond the known thresholds then schedule a maintenance appointment. However, much more can be done with the help of machine learning algorithms.
If the asset is connected and sensory data is available, the asset manager can take advantage of machine learning to leverage continuous feedback, solve operational challenges, and transform customer experiences. An engineer can implement industry-specific cognitive IoT solutions in his or her asset management to deliver rich, relevant insights and significantly enhance operational efficiency and lower overall costs on maintenance.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cisco looks to LoRaWAN for IoT device connectivity
Gateway for Things
http://www.theregister.co.uk/2016/06/30/cisco_looks_to_lorawan_for_iot_device_connectivity/
Cisco has anointed another industry alliance into its Internet of Things embrace, with LoRaWAN
The company’s added a LoRaWAN-capable gateway to its sprawling product set, a decision that its global marketing and corp comms veep Doug Webster explains lets service providers create networks of low-powered sensors – “devices and sensors that are battery powered, have low data rates and long distance communications requirements”, he writes.
IoT Connectivity Goes Low
https://blogs.cisco.com/sp/iot-connectivity-goes-low-powered-and-long-distance
With the announcement of the Cisco Solution for LoRAWAN™, Service Providers have an integrated solution that enables them to extend their network reach to where they’ve never gone before – i.e., offering IoT services for devices and sensors that are battery powered, have low data rates and long distance communications requirements. The solution opens new markets and new revenue streams for Service Providers, and can be deployed in a wide range of use cases in Industrial IoT and Smart City applications such as:
Asset Tracking and Management
Logistics
Smart Cities (e.g., smart parking, street lighting, waste management, etc.)
Intelligent buildings
Utilities (e.g., water and gas metering)
Agriculture (e.g., soil, irrigation management)
Our Cisco Mobile Visual Networking Index estimates that while LoRa is in its early stages now, these types of Low Power Wide Area connectivity means will quickly gain traction and that by 2020, there will be more than 860 million devices using it to connect. One of the reasons for such forecasted aggressive adoption, especially in North America and Western Europe, is that LoRa® works over readily available unlicensed spectrum. Cisco is a founding Board member of the LoRa® Alliance formed in January, 2015, with a goal to standardize LPWA Networks in order to stimulate the growth of Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
Cisco has been working with a number of Mobile Operators who are trialing and deploying LoRa® networks to target new low-power consumption IoT services such as metering, location tracking and monitoring services. Many Mobile Operators are looking at LoRa® as complementary to NarrowBand IOT (NB-IOT), an upgrade to current mobile networks that drops the transmit power and data rates of the LTE standard to increase battery life. As NB-IOT networks, devices, and ecosystems will not be commercialized until 2017, LoRa® gives Operators (and all SPs, in fact) a way to gain a head-start on offering new IoT services based on various new low cost business models.
Cisco’s approach to IoT is to deliver integrated solutions that enable SPs to support different class of services aligned with specific pricing models across unlicensed (Wi-Fi, LoRa) and licensed (2G/3G/LTE, and soon, NB-IoT) radio spectrum as demanded by the IoT application.
Tomi Engdahl says:
UL Bringing ‘Adult Supervision’ to IoT–Really?
http://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1330011&
In early April when UL (Underwriters Lab) launched its new cybersecurity standard, dubbed UL 2900, for the testing and certification of connected devices, reactions from the Internet of Things (IoT) market were split.
On one hand, cybersecurity experts surmised that UL was in over its head.
After all, the safety organization, founded 122 years ago, was originally built on safety standards for the public adoption of electricity. People worried about safety of electrical wiring.
However, plenty of people thought it high time for the well-respected organization — a guardian of safety standards for a host of products — to weigh in on cybersecurity issues for emerging connected devices. UL proponents are hoping it can bring “adult supervision” to a deeply fragmented Internet of Things (IoT) market – where too many connected devices are designed with too little security.
Three months after the UL announcement, EE Times talked to some IoT technologists. How is UL 2900 being viewed and accepted?
UL intends to play an important role in the IoT community. The industry should benefit from “scientific, repeatable and reproducible criteria” for assuring quality of their products – whether applied to software, chips, components or end systems, as UL’s Modeste pointed out.
A big unknown, however, is how UL’s Cyber Assurance Program will define commonality among cybersecurity practices, at a time when device vendors are already burdened with myriad compliance requirements set forth by each vertical IoT segment.
Right now, the UL 2900 standard is still in early days.
Sami Nassar, vice president of cyber security solutions at NXP Semiconductors, told EE Times, “As a technology vendor, we find getting a third-party certification is always a good thing. It helps to differentiate good products from bad.”
But Nassar provided a few cautions. Whether a connected vehicle or a smart home solution such as that of Apple’s HomeKit or Google’s Weave, “Each vertical [IoT] segment already has its own set of compliance requirements for interoperability and security.”
He stressed, “We want to encourage UL to get into security certifications.” But it won’t be easy for the group to “uniformalize” a cybersecurity standard to cut across the industries, he added. UL 2900, for now, might be useful only for products in industry pockets where compliance requirements don’t exist, he suspected.
UL relies on a publicly-available government vulnerability database – put together by NIST – to identify risks. UL helps IoT designers build secure products by avoiding the use of software or components with known vulnerabilities.
EE Times: Who will benefit from UL 2900?
UL: We have three categories of people in mind. First, there are manufacturers and designers of systems. Second, those in supply chains and owners of assets who want to know where critical components and software came from. Third, there are those working in the security department of organizations.
EE Times: Why do they need it?
UL: Asset owners – like hospitals, gas/oil refineries, and large organization that use HVAC or IT equipment, for example – approached UL. They asked us if they could be assured that they aren’t procuring products that come with known cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
UL: We’ve been in the security field for over 20 years. We developed FIPS 140 (The Federal Information Processing Standards are U.S. government computer security standards that specify requirements for cryptography modules). We’ve also worked on Payment Card Industry (PCI) standards and Common Criteria. We’ve been in the cybersecurity space for at least the last 10 years.
EE Times: How long have you been developing UL Cyber Assurance Program (CAP)?
UL: Over the last three to four years. We saw challenges emerging as security issues started to crop up in the field outside the traditional IT space. Risks are spreading out into HVAC, automotive, lighting, factory automation and medical fields.
EE Times: What do you exactly test?
UL: Software used within products – ranging from chips to components and systems. We look at existing vulnerabilities, defects and patches known to third-party vendors. We test to discover coding errors and security loopholes in software, operating systems or networks.
We see how a system accesses remote devices and do software updates. We offer structured penetration testing regimen, and see if we can plug those holes. We define flaws and weaknesses and provide scientific repeatable and reproducible testing criteria.
EE Times: I see UL 2900-1 and 2900-2 standards. What are the differences?
UL: The UL 2900-1 covers all the requirements ranging from automotive components to washers/driers and lighting. The UL 2900-2 was developed to address additional specifications specific to certain segments – like medical and industrial control. For example, authentication is critical for many connected devices. But when a doctor has to use an urgent care infusion pump and he can’t remember the password, it sort of defeats the whole purpose.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What is the secret of the Finnish device? Five-fold increase Bluetooth LE-range
Finnish open source Bluetooth Lighthouse has attracted the wildly popular Kickstarter number of financial service . RuuviTag named device has exceeded the original target of $ 10 000 for almost 300 per cent.
Oulu developed RuuviTag sensor fivefold Bluetooth LE range. the theoretical maximum of Technology is about 100 meters, but RuuviTagia has been tested up to 500 meters in an urban environment. A number of financial Campaign presentation explains that RuuviTag is an open source alternative to conventional sensors.
RuuviTag has a diameter of 45-millimeter round IoT development platform, the introduction of which is very quick and easy. radio beacons operating in ice hockey can be measured all the time your current location and to gather information about their environment and to send the collected data to a maximum of one hundred meters away from the usual smartphone.
Bluetooth 4.2 -lähdiradiotekniikkaan based on (standby also BT5 version) tag provides a lot of scope for action, despite its small size. It includes the ARM Cortex processor and peripheral circuits as well as Blootooth access, inter alia, the Ministry’s three-axis accelerometer and Bosch environmental sensor circuit that measures the ambient temperature, humidity and air pressure.
The most visible component of the device is placed in the center of the button-shaped lithium battery, which promises to be functioning as input device -40 … + 85-degree temperatures. Uptime promised a software application, and depending on the investment in up to 10 years without battery replacement.
Sources:
http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/mika-on-suomalaislaitteen-salaisuus-viisinkertaistaa-bluetooth-le-n-kantaman-6563307
http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4640:suomalainen-anturilatka-menestykseen-toisella-kierroksella&catid=13&Itemid=101
More:
RuuviTag Eddystone Range Test
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wRpW2KIPfVo
RuuviTag – Open-Source Bluetooth Sensor Beacon
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/463050344/ruuvitag-open-source-bluetooth-sensor-beacon
Open-source sensor beacon platform designed especially for makers, developers and IoT companies.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Finnish IoT module is selling well
Ruuvi has received a lot of orders via the Kickstart service IoT module. Small and round module includes Bluetooth connectivity and sensors for temperature, humidity, air pressure and acceleration.
Ruuvitag is based on the Norwegian, Nordic Semiconductor’s ARM Cortex-based nRF52832 chip with 512 pounds of Flash and 64 pounds of ramie as well as support for Bluetooth 4.2, in addition to NFC, AMT and Gazel near communications.
Sensors are ST Microelectronics LIS3DH three-axis motion sensor, Bosch BME 280 heat-humidity-pressure sensor and the 1000 or 6000 mA battery. The module has two buttons and LEDs. The connection works up to a hundred meters. The circuit board is circular with a diameter of 45 mm.
Kickstarter EUR 25
Source: http://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2016/06/30/suomalainen-iot-moduuli-myy/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Battery status directly on your smartphone
CTEK solutions provider of automotive batteries and accumulators repair and maintenance has launched the Battery Sense, which allows the motorist receives information on the status of its battery directly from their mobile phones via a Bluetooth-supported peripheral device. Battery Sense collects data from the battery and displays the current status of the battery in addition to the three-month trend of development of easy to read charts.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4647:tieto-akun-tilasta-suoraan-alypuhelimeen&catid=13&Itemid=101
More: http://www.ctek.com/fi/fi/chargers/CTX%20BATTERY%20SENSE
Tomi Engdahl says:
Analyze passing mobile network IoT data
The rapid emergence of IoT systems, data is transmitted at a relatively low speed in narrow band.
In the past, high-quality signal analyzers has been available mainly researching broadband wireless networks. Anritsu has brought improvement in the situation by expanding its own analysaattoritarjontaansa narrowband measurements.
over a hundred different types of radio technology and the protocol has been developed for the Internet of Things. In general, IoT infrastructures operate in a free, unlicensed frequencies on their own, but there is also a new NB-IoT technology (Narrow Band IoT), which allows narrowband data transmission in a thin siivuna licensed LTE-in traffic
Analysis of the narrowband signal requires the measurement device specially designed internal oscillators for this purpose. Most of the signal and spectrum analyzers are intended for broadband LTE and WLAN measurements and are not suitable for measuring the narrowband signals for IoT networks.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4645:analysoimaan-kannykkaverkossa-kulkevaa-iot-dataa&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
The optoelectronics inside activity trackers
http://www.edn.com/design/analog/4442207/The-optoelectronics-inside-activity-trackers-?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20160630&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_today_20160630&elqTrackId=2016db7f1ba14e16865793e202b6bb0b&elq=505ea0e4be9d42c5b47580089b06eb3c&elqaid=32898&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=28728
Today, being physically fit has become a way of life for many. Eating healthy foods, sleeping seven to eight hours a night, and exercising daily are the basic building blocks. And with the use of an activity tracking device, we can monitor our daily progress. We can easily track how many steps we take, how many calories we burn, and how well we sleep with the aid of wearable activity trackers. Wearable sensors collect, process, and display a set of personal data to help monitor and manage more and more aspects of personal health. Wearable devices can measure a wide variety of body functions, including blood pressure, heart rate, and the level of oxygen in our blood. Optoelectronic components play a key role in measuring these attributes.
Heart rate is important in determining and improving your level of personal fitness. Once you know your maximum heart rate, you can calculate your desired target heart rate zone — the level at which your heart is being exercised and conditioned but not overworked. You’ll get the most from your workouts if you’re exercising at the proper exercise intensity. There are two methods used to monitor heart rate: electrocardiogram (EKG or ECG) and photoplethysmogram (PPG).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Run a Secure IoT Cloud Server for $8/Year
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1330015&
For most small-scale operations and DIY projects, a low-cost Virtual Private Server (VPS) is more than adequate.
Here’s how to setup a secure Internet of Things (IoT) cloud server, where memory-constrained edge nodes can communicate securely with the cloud server and where devices can be managed in real time using a web-based user interface. I’ve tailored this blog for learning purposes and DIY projects and provide a link to the details (the recipe with $8 ingredients) fkr setting up your own secure IoT server and device infrastructure.
IoT cloud server solutions
Most IoT cloud server solutions, whether they provide ready-to-use hosted services or not, are based on a standard Virtual Private Server (VPS). Most developers probably think about Amazon or Microsoft Azure’s services when considering the server side of their IoT solution. These high-end services are great if you need to scale up to millions of connected devices. However, for most small-scale operations and DIY projects, a low-cost VPS is more than adequate.
The website lowendbox.com provides reviews for low-cost Virtual Private Servers and is a great place to start when selecting a VPS. We found an $8/year VPS suitable for our secure IoT experiment.
Cloud server operating system and software
A freshly installed Linux operating system on an online VPS is typically bare-bone with few services running. At a minimum, the Linux installation must have an SSH (Secure Shell) server running so you can remotely logon to the server and install software of your choice. The software we selected for the server-side IoT solution is an application server called the Mako Server. One of the reasons for selecting the Mako Server is that it uses memory very efficiently. In contrast, most high-end server side application frameworks will require large amounts of memory, and are therefore unable to operate on a low-cost VPS.
The Mako Server is an extremely light-weight application server
Mako Server is that the server can act as a dual-certificate server, thereby enabling the use standard RSA certificates for browsers and small ECC certificates for edge nodes. SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificates can have a great impact on memory if you do not consider the type of certificate being used in your IoT solutions. Using the wrong type of certificate may break the design of a memory-constrained edge node.
IoT protocol for secure edge-node-to-cloud communication
The Mako Server includes a secure IoT protocol called SMQ (Simple Message Queues). The server and its application framework enable the user to write server-side scripts for interacting directly with the SMQ IoT broker. The server-side application framework also enables the user to extend the IoT protocol and connect it to other services on the Internet or to other local services running on the VPS, such as database services.
How to run your own secure IoT cloud server for $8/year
http://www.embedded.com/electronics-blogs/say-what-/4442293/How-to-run-your-own-secure-IoT-cloud-server-for–8-year
Enabling trust and security
Not surprisingly, setting up a secure IoT solution requires more work than setting up a non-secure solution. A secure IoT implementation requires that, at a minimum, you setup a trusted server. The SSL/TLS (Secure Sockets Layer / Transport Layer Security) protocol is used for the encrypted communication, but TLS will not be secure unless the infrastructure is based on trusted X.509 (SSL) certificates. This trust is the key component required for TLS to be secure. For this reason, it is important to install a certificate in the server that is trusted by all of the client’s connected to the server.
A browser that connects to the server requires an installed certificate that is signed by a well-known certificate authority (CA). In this case, “well-known” means that the CA’s public root certificate is pre-installed in the browser/computer that you are using. You can use free or paid-for well-known CA services when signing your server certificate.
An alternative to using a well-known CA is for you to become your own CA and to use your own server certificate for device communication
One of the benefits of being your own CA for the certificate exchanged between the server and the device clients is that you can select to use an Elliptic Curve Cryptography (ECC) certificate for the server. The benefit with using an ECC certificate is that the certificate is much smaller than an RSA certificate, and thus consumes much less memory in the device during the initial SSL handshake.
SSL certificates can have a huge impact on memory in constrained edge nodes, so using a non-chained ECC certificate may be a requirement for a memory-constrained device. Most well-known CA services only sign RSA certificates; meanwhile, the free/low-cost CA providers typically sign certificates with an intermediate CA certificate that requires a chain of trust, thereby consuming even more memory in the device.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How to setup your own secure IoT cloud server solution
https://makoserver.net/smq-broker/#owncloud
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Developer’s Guide to the Internet of Things
http://www.ibm.com/internet-of-things/learn/library/build-skills/
IBM and Coursera have teamed up to offer a new online course for developers who are just getting started with IoT. This entry-level course focuses on Raspberry Pi, the IBM Bluemix platform and Node-RED for rapid application development on both the device and the cloud.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The IoT Sky is Falling: How Being Connected Makes Us Insecure
http://www.securityweek.com/iot-sky-falling-how-being-connected-makes-us-insecure
The first chunk of actual sky recently slammed into the ground with a resounding thud.
The security community has been actively telling the world that the Internet of Things (IoT) is ripe for compromise and exploitation. Unfortunately, the public has shoved aside these “Chicken Little” warnings in hopes of getting all of the promised gee-whiz technologies without the sky actually falling.
Fortunately, a combined research team from the University of Michigan and Microsoft recently performed in-depth analysis of an IoT home command center and brought the problems into the bright light of day. As sobering as their research results are, they took things a step farther by building four attacks based on their research. These attacks designed real exploits like creating a code for the automated front door lock, stealing a PIN to open other door locks, and disabling detectors and alarms.
The device at the center of the research is the Samsung SmartThings platform, which is a series of products and associated software that is tied together on a hub device. Samsung sells monitors, alarms, and other devices. There is also a community of products that are SmartThings-enabled ranging from door locks to light and fan switches to home weather systems. The community offers applications for the devices as well as mobile and Web apps to control the devices connected to the platform.
It’s software that makes an IoT or embedded device different. The device is, by definition, connected to the Internet. Software not designed and constructed to be secure will contain vulnerabilities that can be exploited to gain access to the device. Anything connected to the Internet can be discovered and potentially infiltrated, and the associated software will be the target.
The research notes that the majority of the vulnerabilities exist in the software of either the device or the software that controls the devices. This is exactly what the security community has feared. This pattern is repeating every time new technology is introduced without proper consideration for the basics of security. It happened when applications moved to the Web, and we dutifully took note of the lessons learned. But when mobile applications took off, we ignored those lessons and repeated the same mistakes. The pattern persisted when the Cloud emerged, and now we see proof that it is happening again with IoT.
When vulnerabilities are discovered in business applications, there are changes made to remediate the exploits and patches, or new releases are distributed to update the software. There are people in the business whose job it is to ensure that the devices in the business are kept updated to mitigate potential attacks.
In the IoT scenario, there may be software that isn’t programmed to protect against new and emerging threats. In order to manufacture devices at a competitive price point, manufacturers may not enable that capability (hardware/software) to update the software on the device. This leaves the consumer with the decision to scrap the vulnerable device or hope against an intrusion.
SmartThings Flaws Expose Smart Homes to Hacker Attacks
http://www.securityweek.com/smartthings-flaws-expose-smart-homes-hacker-attacks
Tomi Engdahl says:
Netherlands gets first nationwide ‘Internet of Things’
http://phys.org/news/2016-06-netherlands-nationwide-internet.html
Dutch telecoms group KPN said Thursday that The Netherlands had become the first country in the world to implement a nationwide long range (LoRa) network for the so-called Internet of Things.
The rollout of a low data rate (LoRa) mobile communications network is critical to connect objects as many may not be able to link up with home or work Wi-Fi networks to gain Internet access.
“As from today the KPN LoRa network is available throughout The Netherlands,” KPN said in a statement.
“This makes The Netherlands the first country in the world to have a nationwide LoRa network for Internet of Things (IoT) application.”
In the initial phase, the network was rolled out in Rotterdam and The Hague in November.
But it was stepped up across the country due to “substantial customer interest”, said KPN.
The LoRa network is complementary to KPN’s networks for the 2G, 3G and 4G phones.
KPN has already reached deals to connect some 1.5 million objects, a number which should steadily grow now that the LoRa network is available across the country.
Read more at: http://phys.org/news/2016-06-netherlands-nationwide-internet.html#jCp
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tibbo Technology’s Tibbo Project System
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/tibbo-technologys-tibbo-project-system?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+linuxjournalcom+%28Linux+Journal+-+The+Original+Magazine+of+the+Linux+Community%29
Tibbo Technology’s highly configurable and affordable automation platform featuring miniature blocks that implement specific I/O features. Need a certain I/O function? Install the respective Tibbit. No use for something? Skip it. Tibbo Technology argues that this module-based approach saves users money by allowing precise definition of the features in automation controllers.
Tibbo’s latest complement to TBS is a Linux-based Tibbo Project PCB (LTPP).
Tibbo Project PCBs (TPPs)
http://tibbo.com/tps/tpp.html
http://tibbo.com/
Pinguinistas of the world, rejoice! Our Tibbo Project System (TPS) family now includes a Linux-based Tibbo Project PCB (LTPP).
Based on the powerful 1GHz Cortex-A8 Sitara CPU from Texas Instruments and carrying 512MB of RAM and 512MB of flash memory, the new LTPP3 board runs our own, highly polished distribution of Linux that capitalises on the latest kernel and drivers.
The LTPP3 is mechanically and electrically compatible with our Tibbit blocks and size 3 Tibbo Project Box (TPB3) enclosures. This sets the LTPP3 apart from plain vanilla products such as Raspberry Pi and BeagleBone. While offering affordable Linux-based computing in a compact package, these devices do very little toward providing an attractive housing or a quick way to add desired I/O resources. In contrast, Tibbo Project System delivers aesthetically pleasing TPB enclosures to house the board, and a plethora of Tibbit modules and connectors to expand the board’s IO capabilities.
Tomi Engdahl says:
U.S. Lacking on Networked Cities List
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1330026&
Ericsson recently released rankings of connected cities based on their use of information and communication technology. Where do American cities stack?
Ericsson recently released its Networked Society City Index, which ranks cities based on their use of information and communication technology (ICT). Of the 41 ranking cities, only three American cities made the list: New York (No. 7), Los Angeles (No. 12), and Miami (No. 17).
Stockholm ranks highest in the Networked Society City Index—the fifth from Ericsson—followed by London, Singapore, Paris, and Copenhagen. The top five cities are the same as in 2014, but Singapore has reclaimed the third position from Paris.
Ericsson doesn’t specifically define ICT, but paints a general picture of communication technologies that offer “practical benefits to billions of people every day.” Those are broad brush strokes that make me wonder—why have only three U.S. cities made rank?
Certainly, each U.S. locale is a nationally important city with a great amount of technical innovation. The City of New York, for example, partnered with Qualcomm to turn 10,000 phone booth into Wi-Fi hotspots. Miami has a burgeoning startup scene and the city’s police are using a server-dense command center to track crime. LA’s tech scene is booming, while startups in Silicon Beach try to find the link between tech and Hollywood.
As Asian and European smart cities come online, I am curious what other American cities should be doing to follow in the footsteps of NYC, Miami and LA. Bylehn called ICT infrastructure “a fantastic platform for city development” and suggested that cities could launch a variety of initiatives to increase ICT maturity. But ICT maturity isn’t enough.
Other up-and-coming high tech cities should create initiatives such as smart transport systems, apps that make life easier in cities, or use the Internet of Things to measure air pollution. All projects should be easily available to residents.
The Networked Society City Index had this to say about the wide range of cities listed:
Less affluent cities may have low climate impact and low resource use, but conversely they have problems with high pollution levels and consequently lower health levels. All cities face great challenges to become more sustainable. However, ICT is proven as an enabler of change and has significant potential to further promote sustainable urban growth.
Further, “increased digitalization brings opportunities to radically improve efficiency as well as to transform consumption and production.” Beylehn nodded to car sharing plans that are the result of “digitization and connectivity.”
“There is a strong correlation between cities’ socioeconomic development and their ICT maturity. A city facilitated by ICT improves its performance in the long run,”
So the real question may be: is it better or worse to be a highly networked society today, or to embrace a lack of rank and wait for smart cities to build a bit more?
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Week In Review: IoT
http://semiengineering.com/the-week-in-review-iot-7/
Ayla Networks, a provider of IoT platforms, reports receiving $39 million in private funding for its Series C financing round, led by Ants Capital and 3NOD. The company hosts IoT clouds in China, Europe, and North America.
The three companies that will benefit the most from the Internet of Things are Cisco Systems, General Electric, and Verizon Communications, according to one report.
Cisco stands to provide much of the necessary networking infrastructure for the IoT. GE is a purchaser and a purveyor of IoT technology with its Predix platform. And Verizon’s wireless network provides connections for IoT deployments and remote controls for connected devices in the field.
The PYMNTS.com Internet of Things Tracker, in conjunction with Intel, forecasts that IoT gateways will see a compound annual growth rate of more than 130% by 2020.
Research and Markets predicts the worldwide market for IoT platforms will increase from $629 million this year to more than $2.3 billion by 2021, for a CAGR of 30% over the next five years.
The Industrial Internet of Things market will be worth $123.89 billion by 2021, with a 21% CAGR over five years, according to a report by IndustryARC.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3 Companies Poised to Dominate the Internet of Things
Find out why Cisco, GE, and Verizon made the cut.
http://www.fool.com/investing/2016/06/28/3-companies-poised-to-dominate-the-internet-of-thi.aspx
Among other things, these devices will help factories become more efficient, cell towers more reliable, and hospitals safer. Essentially, the IoT is bringing many industries and fields into the 21st century, by converging the physical and digital world.
Here why Cisco, General Electric (NYSE:GE), and Verizon (NYSE:VZ) are poised to dominate the IoT.
Cisco
As the IoT industry grows, the demand for networking infrastructure increases. According to industry insights company IDC, annual global IoT spending is expected to reach $1.7 trillion, a significant increase from the $656 billion the industry spent in 2014. Of the $1.7 trillion, about one-third, or $566 billion, is expected to be spent on connectivity and services. Although this entire amount will not be spent on networking hardware — Cisco’s core business — the company’s leading position in networking infrastructure could make it a major benefactor thanks to the IoT driving increased hardware spending.
General Electric
GE is both a supplier and a user of IoT technologies. As a supplier, GE has developed a suite of cloud-based software that enables users to improve an industrial site’s operations. Its Predix platform can be thought of as a cloud-based operating system and app store that allows real-time monitoring and analytics of industrial sites. Being that GE is the only company that has developed a commercially available IoT software suite for industrial users, the company has a first-mover advantage in a marketplace that it estimates could one day be worth $225 billion.
A 1% improvement in productivity across GE’s manufacturing base equates to $500 million in annual savings.
Verizon
Without reliable and ubiquitous internet connectivity, the IoT would simply not reach mass adoption.
Not only does Verizon boast the most subscribers in the U.S., it’s ahead of the competition when it comes to introducing next-generation technology, with plans to begin rolling out ultra-fast 5G connections next year.
The IoT backbone
Given their size and slow historical growth rates, Cisco, GE, and Verizon may not offer tremendous upside to investors.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Home Automation: Connected Lighting Use Cases
http://community.silabs.com/t5/Official-Blog-of-Silicon-Labs/Home-Automation-Connected-Lighting-Use-Cases/ba-p/169066?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=june2016newsletter&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT0dRMVlUVmpZamhqT1RObSIsInQiOiJoWU15YUlDa3pVR045V21ZSmxHZXJqWklzb3JKVHN6S1F2U05Sb1kwXC9mVlwvZ0xDOEVNK1ZoR3NTZEFZZ2lEcWJhXC9ta3owbGduSGZPUStsVlFOY2VOQUlNVTJubWdpQ0hBUzloN1ZZY1Ztaz0ifQ%3D%3D
Connected lighting is expanding rapidly in industrial and commercial markets. There are several clear trends I saw last week:
Energy efficiency and convenience: more regulations pushing for better energy management
Data gathering and valuation: sensors integrated into the system to gather more data
Location, location, location: preventive maintenance, space planning, targeted advertisement
Energy efficiency and convenience was how connected lighting started. The convenience of being able to control lights remotely made it easier to save energy. This was true for home, and also commercial/industrial lighting.
While energy efficiency was the start, adding sensors to lights is where it’s going. Many sensors are now being considered in or with the lighting system. Occupancy, ambient light, even temperature sensors can all play a part in being able to control the lights more intelligently. Turning off the lights when no one is in the room is just the tip of the iceberg. For example, various occupancy sensor control requirements have been added, clarified, and expanded in the latest California Energy Code and Standards.
Energy savings also come in when ambient light conditions help determine whether to turn on the lights. In the same California Energy Code and Standards, it requires all outdoor controls must turn off all the lighting during the day, and at night some kind of sensor is required to turn on only necessary lights. As we gather more data from sensors, we are able to improve the way we control the lights.
The newest trend is location-based lighting. This is the idea of using lights to determine the location or occupancy of the people.
There are many use cases for integrating location-based capabilities in a light.
The trend in connected lighting continues to evolve as we learn more about the environment around us. Wireless is hard. When we get past the wireless design and focus on making the connected lights work to improve our lives, that is where the future is.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jump Start IoT Projects with Adafruit Feather Huzzah
http://community.silabs.com/t5/Official-Blog-of-Silicon-Labs/Jump-Start-IoT-Projects-with-Adafruit-Feather-Huzzah/ba-p/169784?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=june2016newsletter&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT0dRMVlUVmpZamhqT1RObSIsInQiOiJoWU15YUlDa3pVR045V21ZSmxHZXJqWklzb3JKVHN6S1F2U05Sb1kwXC9mVlwvZ0xDOEVNK1ZoR3NTZEFZZ2lEcWJhXC9ta3owbGduSGZPUStsVlFOY2VOQUlNVTJubWdpQ0hBUzloN1ZZY1Ztaz0ifQ%3D%3D
If you’re interested in prototyping IoT applications or experimenting with connectivity in general, there are plenty of options available to you to get started. If you’re interested in Wi-Fi, there are some nice third party modules capable of 802.11b/g/n network connectivity at 2.4GHz.
One of our favorites comes from Adafruit, the DIY and maker superstars behind the Feather Huzzah Wi-Fi development board with the ESP8266 built in. This board gives your MCU access to your network and it essentially comes with all you need to connect things to the Internet.
The Feather has been available since late 2015, but we’re talking about it now because we wanted to share Ladyada’s in-depth tutorial describing how to control USB devices using Python and libusb.
Controlling USB devices with Python and libusb @siliconlabs
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xH_y05pIDTo
Tomi Engdahl says:
Top 5 Considerations for Designing a BLE Beacon Quickly, Securely, and Effectively – Part 1
http://community.silabs.com/t5/Official-Blog-of-Silicon-Labs/Top-5-Considerations-for-Designing-a-BLE-Beacon-Quickly-Securely/ba-p/170744?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT0dRMVlUVmpZamhqT1RObSIsInQiOiJoWU15YUlDa3pVR045V21ZSmxHZXJqWklzb3JKVHN6S1F2U05Sb1kwXC9mVlwvZ0xDOEVNK1ZoR3NTZEFZZ2lEcWJhXC9ta3owbGduSGZPUStsVlFOY2VOQUlNVTJubWdpQ0hBUzloN1ZZY1Ztaz0ifQ%3D%3D
Many OEMs who have never used wireless technology before are now adopting Bluetooth and adding beacons to their products. This can be simple, but it’s more likely a little bit of a challenge.
The beacon designer needs to consider:
hardware
software
battery life
security and privacy
the vendor
Bluetooth in Action 5 – First Application, part 1
http://community.silabs.com/t5/Projects/Bluetooth-in-Action-5-First-Application-part-1/m-p/168836/highlight/true?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=june2016newsletter&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT0dRMVlUVmpZamhqT1RObSIsInQiOiJoWU15YUlDa3pVR045V21ZSmxHZXJqWklzb3JKVHN6S1F2U05Sb1kwXC9mVlwvZ0xDOEVNK1ZoR3NTZEFZZ2lEcWJhXC9ta3owbGduSGZPUStsVlFOY2VOQUlNVTJubWdpQ0hBUzloN1ZZY1Ztaz0ifQ%3D%3D#M410
Tomi Engdahl says:
Happy 4th of July: Exploding the microcontroller
http://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/anablog/4376597/Happy-4th-of-July–Exploding-the-microcontroller?_mc=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_funfriday_20160701&cid=NL_EDN_EDT_EDN_funfriday_20160701&elqTrackId=6aa0dbd0247044b8a11f3763dcff6986&elq=c89b1057f2d64cd5b9782767160479fe&elqaid=32923&elqat=1&elqCampaignId=28748
Microchip’s 8-bit, PIC10F microcontrollers are being used to do the timing for some of the explosions of the fireworks in the air, thus exploding the microcontroller, as well.
Chinese artist Cai Guo-Qiang put on his largest “explosion event” last year, utilizing microchip-controlled explosives to form incredible designs and patterns.
So the artist takes a volatile black powder explosion and it is controlled and shaped by computer to create a work of art.
Each set of explosions was calculated to paint a different picture. One series of explosions created black smoke clouds that looked like “drops of ink splattered across the sky.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Designing Sensors into Battery-Powered IoT Nodes
http://www.silabs.com/products/mcu/32-bit/Pages/designing-sensors-into-battery-powered-iot-nodes.aspx?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=june2016newsletter&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT0dRMVlUVmpZamhqT1RObSIsInQiOiJoWU15YUlDa3pVR045V21ZSmxHZXJqWklzb3JKVHN6S1F2U05Sb1kwXC9mVlwvZ0xDOEVNK1ZoR3NTZEFZZ2lEcWJhXC9ta3owbGduSGZPUStsVlFOY2VOQUlNVTJubWdpQ0hBUzloN1ZZY1Ztaz0ifQ%3D%3D
The challenge is to maximize the time the product can adequately sense the environment on a single battery or charge.
This challenge breaks down as follows:
Adequately sensing the environment as required by the application;
Completing any required sensor measurements using as little energy as possible;
Keeping the “periodically required” MCU peripherals and CPU core asleep as much as possible.
Many typical MCUs in this type of application wake up the MCU core and various peripherals to do sensor measurements (Figure 1). When there is an event to report, such as a door opening, the MCU reports it and then returns to its duty-cycle process. This takes a lot of energy and does not maximize battery life because the “whole MCU” is operating including many peripherals and unneeded core processing power.
The Ideal Battery-Powered, Wireless Sensor Node Solution for the IoT
The ideal solution will address every point in the challenge statement above… it will maximize the time the product can adequately sense the environment on a single battery charge.
With this in mind, a battery-powered IoT sensor device would offer:
Autonomous, energy-efficient systems for sensor management and measurement;
Individually configurable sensor inputs/outputs, thresholds, and configurations for each sensor;
A low-power, configurable logic engine that wakes up the MCU only when it’s absolutely required;
Low-power memory to buffer multiple measurments and lengthen times between CPU wake-ups;
Low-power wireless.
Making the IoT Happier with the EZR32 Sub-GHz Wireless MCU
http://community.silabs.com/t5/Official-Blog-of-Silicon-Labs/Making-the-IoT-Happier-with-the-EZR32-Sub-GHz-Wireless-MCU/ba-p/171236?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=june2016newsletter&mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiT0dRMVlUVmpZamhqT1RObSIsInQiOiJoWU15YUlDa3pVR045V21ZSmxHZXJqWklzb3JKVHN6S1F2U05Sb1kwXC9mVlwvZ0xDOEVNK1ZoR3NTZEFZZ2lEcWJhXC9ta3owbGduSGZPUStsVlFOY2VOQUlNVTJubWdpQ0hBUzloN1ZZY1Ztaz0ifQ%3D%3D
EZR32HG highlights include:
Integration of a sub-GHz radio with a 32-bit ARM® Cortex-M0 core
Integrated radio with +20dBm PA without need for an external PA
Ultra-low power sleep mode and 40nA radio standby mode
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bagel: The World’s Smartest Tape Measure
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/bagel-labs/bagel-the-worlds-smartest-tape-measure?ref=producthunt
Bagel is a digital tape measure that helps you measure, organize, and analyze any size measurements in a smart way.
You can use Bagel’s string mode to measure length like you would with a traditional tape measure.
Wheel mode is great when you don’t have both hands available to measure length or distance. Just switch to Bagel’s wheel mode and roll its wheel.
When you want to measure the distance to areas that are far away or hard to reach, use Bagel’s remote mode. Simply point the ultrasonic sensor at objects, walls, or ceilings and Bagel will tell you how far away they are.
After taking your measurement, save the data with just a click of a button. You can also choose to record a voice memo that describes what you just measured.
You can connect Bagel to your smartphone via Bluetooth and transfer all of your measurements to Bagel’s mobile app.
export your data as CSV to use on your computer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Uber Plans To Start Monitoring Their Drivers’ Behavior
https://tech.slashdot.org/story/16/07/03/2111209/uber-plans-to-start-monitoring-their-drivers-behavior
Uber “has developed a new technology that it plans on using to track driver behavior, specifically if drivers are traveling too fast or braking too harshly…” according to the San Francisco Chronicle
Uber plans to start tracking driving behavior
http://blog.sfgate.com/techchron/2016/06/29/uber-plans-to-start-tracking-driving-behavior/
Uber’s app will be updated soon to help improve your safety. The ride-sharing service has developed a new technology that it plans on using to track driver behavior, specifically if drivers are traveling too fast or braking too harshly.
It’s tracking that’s made possible thanks to the sensors already inside most smartphones. Information about how a driver is performing will be shared with Uber, but will also be shared with the driver, along with safety tips on how they can improve their performance.
Daily reports will let drivers know how their driving style compares to others in their city, and a speed display will let them know how fast they’re going while they’re completing a ride. When someone has been working for a while, the app will also now suggest it’s time to take a break, ideally helping to cut down on drowsy driving.
The Wall Street Journal notes that in some cities Uber will also monitor whether or not Uber drivers are picking up their phones (either to text or even just to look at maps) during a ride using the phone’s gyroscope.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ex-Nokia kinds of “matchbox” is a solution for parents – can keep us in the nose does not stick to the screen
Parents enough to think about smartphones näpräävien with young children. Moving the child should be allowed to catch up, but at the same time, the ever-screen attached to the nose worried about that, too.
Oulu Haltian Ex-nokia kinds, founded by went to answer to this dilemma
Matchbox-sized SnowFox seeking to rely on its simplicity. The device uses the movement can follow a smartphone app. It can be set via the familiar areas, such as the school or the park, which is carrying the positioning need is more limited. In addition, the positioning is activated by, thus saving the battery well.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/Kaikki_uutiset/ex-nokialaisten-tulitikkuaski-on-ratkaisu-vanhemmille-yhteytta-voi-pitaa-nena-ei-kiinni-ruudussa-6564361
Tomi Engdahl says:
Custom Firmware Unlocks Fitness Tracker
http://hackaday.com/2016/07/03/custom-firmware-unlocks-fitness-tracker/
He takes a Bluetooth LE fitness tracker dongle and reflashes it spit out the raw accelerometer data and trigger events. He then wrote a phone app that receives the data and uses the device as an alarm, an on/off switch, a data-logging device, and more.
Inside the device is a Nordic NRF51822, their ARM Cortex + Bluetooth chip, an accelerometer, and a bunch of LEDs. [Mikhail] mapped out the programming headers, erased the old flash, and re-filled it with his own code. He even added over-the-air DFU re-flashing capability so that he wouldn’t have to open up the case again.
The cellphone side of the equation is equally important, and equally impressive.
In the end, [Mikhail]’ fitness tracker does a lot more than the original developers intended, and the project has a professional level of attention to detail.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Distributed, Open Source Chat with Vector and Matrix
http://hackaday.com/2016/07/03/distributed-open-source-chat-with-vector-and-matrix/
When it comes to chat, you have many choices. Facebook Messenger, Google Talk, Whatsapp, Kik, and Slack are all viable options. However, all of these choices are proprietary, and require you to use servers that you can’t run yourself. They’re highly centralized, closed source tools.
Matrix.org and Vector.im aim to be a modern solution to chat. Matrix is a standard for passing messages around, and Vector is a chat solution built on top, with support for iOS, Android, and your browser.
A Homeserver manages messages for users, recording them when they are received and providing them to users when they connect. Homeservers also “federate” to communicate amongst each other.
Under the hood, Matrix is just HTTP. You send messages into the network with POST requests, and receive new messages by polling with GET requests. This means no persistent connections are required, which is perfect for mobile and low power devices.
On the topic of devices, Matrix is designed for general purpose messaging, not just chat. It should be pretty simple to connect hardware up to Matrix, which would provide a simple way to get data in and out of connected devices. Since it’s all HTTP, a device based on the ESP8266 could hop into your chat room with relative ease.
Matrix
http://matrix.org/
Matrix is an open standard for decentralised communication, providing simple HTTP APIs and open source reference implementations for securely distributing and persisting JSON over an open federation of servers.
You can use Matrix for…
Decentralised Group Chat
WebRTC Signalling
Internet of Things
Exchanging and persisting data between devices and services
…and anywhere else you need a common data fabric to link together fragmented silos of communication.
Simple pragmatic RESTful HTTP/JSON APIs
Open specification of the Matrix standard
Create and manage fully distributed (eventually consistent) conversations with no single points of control or failure
TLS by default
Synapse: Matrix reference homeserver
Tomi Engdahl says:
Medical IoT trial in Finland:
HUS technology cooperation with Nokia
New technology to improve patient follow-up care at home. Helsinki University Hospital Corporation (HUS) has started the cooperation with Nokia to create entirely new ways of monitoring patients’ vital signs after discharge from the hospital.
The first development is the subject of cerebral infarction have recovered from the patient’s follow-up in order to prevent a new infarction. In stroke patients for the first three months after hospital treatment are crucial for a new stroke prevention, the risk of getting a new stroke is at its highest.
“The cooperation with Nokia offers us the opportunity to monitor the patient’s vital signs, which improves our ability to prevent the recurrence of ischemic stroke,”
The forthcoming pilot study offered patients the hospital homing devices, which are monitored stroke risk factors such as blood pressure and heart rate. Patients were recruited to the trial on the end of the summer. Nokia acquired earlier this year the company’s technology to develop Withing s called the French health and your health care technology generating unit.
Source: http://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2016/07/05/hus-teknologiayhteistyohon-nokian/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nokia-oriented design of the house Haltian has developed the toddlers SnowFox-positioning phone. The device tells the parents of the child’s location in real time and allows you to play.
Oulu Haltian has been designing small, matchbox-sized SnowFox-positioning phone, which is intended for children safety phone. The device has only one button, which a child can ask for a guardian to call the device.
SnowFox allows the family to follow in real time the location of the smallest together for Android and iOS phone service kanssa.Snowfox a suitable device, it is possible to connect several family members. The device costs € 149 and the corresponding map-location services to EUR 9.90 per month.
Source: http://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2016/07/05/entisilta-nokialaisilta-lasten-turvakannykka/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Depending on the Internet of Things Research Institute in 2020 to form the device 20, or even more than 50 billion connected infrastructure. Berg Insight’s fresh estimate shows that, at least in industrial IoT is still in its infancy.
According to industry research institute at the end of last year, 14.3 million wireless IoT devices. Number of devices will grow to 27.7 per cent a year, so at least in industrial automation will not be the basis of IoT gigantic installations.
Industrial automation is used for a wide range of wireless technologies according to intended use. WiFi and Bluetooth are commonly used when mobile connections are most commonly used for remote monitoring and communication systems between plants.
Industrial autiomation IoT leaders: Emerson, Honeywell, GE ja Yokogawa
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=4657:tutkimus-paljasti-jattimaiset-iot-massat-viela-kaukana&catid=13&Itemid=101
Tomi Engdahl says:
Detecting hazardous chemical agents with low-cost, wearable sensor
MIT researchers have developed low-cost chemical sensors, made from chemically altered carbon nanotubes, that enable smartphones or other wireless devices to detect trace amounts of toxic gases.
Using the sensors, the researchers hope to design lightweight, inexpensive radio-frequency identification (RFID) badges to be used for personal safety and security. Such badges could be worn by soldiers on the battlefield to rapidly detect the presence of chemical weapons — such as nerve gas or choking agents — and by people who work around hazardous chemicals prone to leakage.
The sensor is a circuit loaded with carbon nanotubes, which are normally highly conductive but have been wrapped in an insulating material that keeps them in a highly resistive state. When exposed to certain toxic gases, the insulating material breaks apart, and the nanotubes become significantly more conductive. This sends a signal that’s readable by a smartphone with near-field communication (NFC) technology, which allows devices to transmit data over short distances.
Source: http://semiengineering.com/system-bits-july-5/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Legrand joins Cisco Digital Ceiling, will install PoE-powered intelligent LED lighting at Launch Fishers
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2016/06/legrand-cisco-digital-ceiling-launch-fishers.html
Legrand, which recently joined the Cisco Digital Ceiling framework, also recently announced it will be part of an intelligent Power over Ethernet (PoE) LED lighting system at the Launch Fishers office building in Fishers, Indiana. Along with Legrand, Superior Essex and Platformatics will collaborate to deploy the lighting system.
Legrand explained, “The first phase of the retrofit will include the installation of PoE intelligent LED lighting solutions while also futureproofing it with other PoE-based technologies in the designated 10,000-square-foot space. The installation of Cisco Catalyst 3850 Series switches will be used as the networking backbone for Cisco Digital Ceiling framework at Launch Fishers.
“Legrand’s role in the Cisco Digital Ceiling framework is a prime example of how industry leaders are working together to help enterprises embrace the Internet of Things [IoT]. This initiative brings together solution providers to help companies digitize their business by connecting building services via a single converged IP network. This evolution to ‘convergence’ results in a smarter building that is seamlessly and securely connected—easier to manage, more efficient, improving productivity, safety and the comfort of occupants.”