According to Intel IoT is expected to be a multi-trillion-dollar market, with 50 billion devices creating 44 zettabytes (or 44 trillion gigabytes) of data annually by 2020. But that widely cited 50 billion IoT devices in 2020 number is clearly not correct! Forecast of 50 Billion Devices by 2020 Is Outdated. In 2017 we should be talking about about some sensible numbers. The current count is somewhere between Gartner’s estimate of 6.4 billion (which doesn’t include smartphones, tablets, and computers), International Data Corporation’s estimate of 9 billion (which also excludes those devices), and IHS’s estimate of 17.6 billion (with all such devices included). Both Ericsson and Evans have lowered their expectations from 50 billion for 2020: Evans, who is now CTO of Stringify, says he expects to see 30 billion connected devices by then, while Ericsson figures on 28 billion by 2021.
Connectivity and security will be key features for Internet of Things processors in 2017. Microcontroller (MCU) makers will continue to target their products at the Internet of Things (IoT) in 2017 by giving more focus on battery life, more connectivity of various types, and greater security. The new architectures are almost sure to spawn a multitude of IoT MCUs in 2017 from manufacturers who adopt ARM’s core designs.
ARM will be big. Last year, ARM’s partners shipped 15 billion chips based on its architectures. The trend toward IoT processors will go well beyond ARM licensees. Intel rolled out the Intel Atom E3900 Series for IoT applications. And do not forget MIPS an RISC-V.
FPGA manufacturers are pushing their products to IoT market. They promise that FPGAs solve challenges at the core of IoT implementation: making IoT devices power efficient, handling incompatible interfaces, and providing a processing growth path to handle the inevitable increase in device performance requirement.
Energy harvesting field will become interesting in 2017 as it is more broadly adopted. Energy harvesting is becoming the way forward to help supplement battery power or lose the need for it altogether. Generally researchers are eyeing energy-harvesting to power ultra-low-power devices, wearable technology, and other things that don’t need a lot of power or don’t come in a battery-friendly form factor.
Low power wide area networks (LPWA) networks (also known as NarrowBand IoT) will be hot in 2017. There is hope that f LPWA nets will act as a catalyst, changing the nature of the embedded and machine-to-machine markets as NB-IoT focuses specifically on indoor coverage, low cost, long battery life, and enabling a large number of connected devices. The markets will become a kind of do-it-yourselfers paradise of modules and services, blurring the lines between vendors, users and partners. At the same time for years to come, the market for low power wide area networks (LPWA) will be as fragmented and is already in a race to the bottom (Sigfox, said to be promising costs approaching $1 per node per year). Competing technologies include Sigfox, LoRa Alliance, LTE Cat 1, LTE Cat M1 (eMTC), LTE Cat NB1 (NB-IoT) and other sub-gigahertz options almost too numerous to enumerate.
We are starting to see a battle between different IoT technologies, and in few years to come we will see which are winners and which technologies will be lost in the fight. Sigfox and Lora are currently starting well, but telecom operators with mobile networks NB-IoT will try hit the race heavily in 2017. Vendors prep Cat M1, NB1 for 2017: The Cat M1 standard delivers up to 380 Kbits/second over a 1.4 MHz channel. NB-1 handles up to 40 Kbits/s over 200 kHz channels. Vendors hope the 7-billion-unit installed base of cellular M2M modules expands. It’s too early to tell which technologies will be mainstream and which niche. It could be that cellular NB-IOT was too late, it will fail in the short term, it can win in the long term, and the industry will struggle to make any money from it. At $2 a year, 20 billion devices will contribute around 4% of current global mobile subscription revenues.
New versions of communication standards will be taken into use in 2017. For example Bluetooth 5 that adds more speed and IoT functionality. In 2017, we will see an increase in the number of devices with the new Bluetooth 5 standard.
Industrial IoT to gain traction in 2017. Industrial applications ultimately have the greater transformative potential than consumer products, offering users real returns on investment (ROI) rather than just enhanced convenience or “cool factor”. But the industrial sector is conservative and has been slow to embrace an industrial IoT (IIoT), but is seems that they are getting interested now. During the past year there has been considerable progress in removing many of the barriers to IIoT adoption. A global wide implementation of an IIoT is many years away, of course. The issues of standards and interoperability will most likely remain unresolved for several years to come, but progress is being made. The Industrial Internet Consortium released a framework to support development of standards and best practices for IIoT security.
The IIoT market is certainly poised to grow. A Genpact research study, for instance, indicates that more than 80% of large companies believe that the IIoT will be essential to their future success. In a recent market analysis by Industry ARC, for instance, the projected value of the IIoT market will reach more than $120 billion by 2021. Research firm Markets and Markets is even more optimistic, pegging IIoT growth at a CAGR of 8% to more than $150 billion by 2020. And the benefits will follow. By GE’s estimate, the IIoT will stimulate an increase in the global GDP of $10 to $15 trillion over the next 20 years.
Systems integrators are seeking a quick way to enter the industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) market. So expect to see many plug and play IoT sensor systems unveiled. There were many releses in 2016, and expect to see more in 2017. Expect to see device, connectivity and cloud service to be marketed as one packet.
IoT analytics will be talked a lot in 2017. Many companies will promise to turn Big Data insights into bigger solutions. For industrial customers Big Data analytics is promised to drive operational efficiencies, cut costs, boosting production, and improving worker productivity. There are many IIoT analytic solution and platform suppliers already on the market and a growing number of companies are now addressing industrial analytics use.
In 2016 it was all bout getting the IoT devices connected to cloud. In 2017 we will see increased talk about fog computing. Fog computing is new IoT trend pushed by Cisco and many other companies. As the Internet of Things (IoT) evolves, decentralized, distributed-intelligence concepts such as “fog computing” are taking hold to address the need for lower latencies, improved security, lower power consumption, and higher reliability. The basic premise of fog computing is classic decentralization whereby some processing and storage functions are better performed locally instead of sending data all the way from the sensor, to the cloud, and back again to an actuator. This demands smarter sensors and new wireless sensor network architectures. Groups such as the Open Fog Consortium have formed to define how it should best be done. You might start to want to be able to run the same code in cloud and your IoT device.
The situation in IoT security in 2016 was already Hacking the IoT: As Bad As I Feared It’d Be and there is nothing that would indicate that the situation will not get any better in 2017. A veritable army of Internet-connected equipment has been circumvented of late, due to vulnerabilities in its hardware, software or both … “smart” TVs, set-top boxes and PVRs, along with IP cameras, routers, DSL, fiber and cable modems, printers and standalone print servers, NASs, cellular hot spots, and probably plenty of other gear. IoT world at the moment is full of vulnerable devices, and it will take years to get then replaces with more secure devices. Those vulnerable devices can be used to make huge DDoS attacks against Internet services. The 2016 October 21 cyberattacks on Dyn brought to light how easily many IoT devices can be compromised. I expect that kind of incidents will happen more in 2017 as DDoS botnets are pretty easy to build with tools available on-line. There’s no question that everyone in the chain – manufacturers, retailers and consumers – have to do a better job securing connected devices.When it comes to IoT, more security is needed.
2,275 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rambus Brings Ease of Use to IoT Security
Pre-integrated system aims to create a secure connection between the IoT device and the cloud platform.
https://www.designnews.com/iot/rambus-brings-ease-use-iot-security/139147531456810?cid=nl.x.dn14.edt.aud.dn.20170518.tst004t
Days after a massive cyberattack crippled computer hardware around the world, Rambus Inc. is rolling out a service designed to bring a simple but powerful form of security to Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
Known as IoT Device Management, the service is said to provide a secure channel between IoT devices and their cloud servers, and do so in a way that requires little or no security expertise on the part of the equipment designer. The company is targeting it at all types of IoT applications, from smart appliances to factory floor machinery. “We’re providing end-to-end secure connectivity, and it’s all pre-integrated,” Asaf Ashkenazi, senior director of product marketing for Rambus, told Design News. “You don’t need to have security experts – not in the cloud or at the client.”
The solution is made up of software modules that are pre-integrated into the firmware of chipsets made by silicon vendors who manufacture microprocessors, microcontrollers and wireless devices. The technology is also pre-integrated into the platforms of cloud service providers. Rambus said it is working with Qualcomm Technologies, Inc. , which makes wireless devices, but it has not yet named any other silicon vendors, or cloud service providers, who will incorporate its IoT Device Management system.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open cloud platform for connecting equipment, critical plant systems
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/open-cloud-platform-for-connecting-equipment-critical-plant-systems/913824771bf20e973ab540d3fe08bdc2.html
Fluke’s Accelix is an open cloud platform that connects maintenance software, equipment and critical plant systems and is designed to help maintenance teams access the benefit of connected equipment, tools, measurement data and software systems.
Fluke’s Accelix is an open cloud platform that connects maintenance software, equipment and critical plant systems. Accelix integrates Fluke’s portfolio of wireless tools and condition monitoring sensors to eMaint, Fluke’s software as a service (SaaS) computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) and shares information with enterprise solutions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Connectivity software upgrade for IIoT solutions
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/connectivity-software-upgrade-for-iiot-solutions/724ecc9b67e71d8b558635915861ae6b.html
Kepware’s KEPServerEX Version 6.1 connectivity software is designed to strengthen the industrial connectivity platform’s core server functionalities for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) solutions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Embracing IIoT’s potential for maintenance
Companies can and should embrace and apply critical aspects of IIoT, including machine learning, analytics, and mobility.
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/embracing-iiot-s-potential-for-maintenance/a69e535637afb014de94dba7ab47c05e.html
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and the concept of IIoT for Maintenance are popular buzzwords in the maintenance world today. But what do they mean, and how can these concepts benefit maintenance professionals attempting to meet production demands, increase productivity and boost the bottom line?
The IIoT story has evolved far beyond what it was when it was first introduced to me 15 years ago. In the early days, there was reluctance from upper management to embrace IIoT. Today, leveraging cloud technology is becoming a requirement. Cloud-based systems and IIoT enable companies to buy the best-of-breed solutions without turning the information technology department upside down. Companies today can embrace and apply critical aspects of IIoT, including machine learning, analytics, and mobility.
Tomi Engdahl says:
New group pushes standards for IoT luminaires
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/05/new-group-pushes-standards-for-iot-luminaires.html?cmpid=enl_leds_ledsmagazine_2017-05-17
The IoT-Ready Alliance warns that smart lighting could become obsolete without a common method for keeping sensors up to date.
In the lighting industry’s mission to become the backbone of the fledgling Internet of Things (IoT), it faces several daunting challenges, including a conundrum: While the LEDs inside luminaires last for purported decades, facility operators might have to frequently replace the chips and sensors embedded in those same fixtures.
Now, a new standards initiative hopes to avert this problem in commercial buildings. The IoT-Ready Alliance wants to ensure a consistent, easy, inexpensive method for keeping indoor smart lighting up to date.
“The Alliance is setting industry standards that will enable LED light fixtures to be ‘IoT-Ready,’ facilitating a quick and easy installation of advanced IoT sensors,” the new group said in launching at the LightFair International exhibition in Philadelphia this week.
The IoT-Ready alliance claimed that by making sensor replacement “as simple as changing a light bulb,” it will “enable building operators to easily upgrade the sensors, ultimately future proofing their buildings as IoT technology continues to advance at a much more rapid pace than that of LED fixtures.”
The lighting industry hopes to convince commercial and outdoor lighting operators that lights provide a perfect ready-made skeleton to house the chips and sensors that gather data for the IoT, because lights are ubiquitous and because the electricity lines that already feed the lights can also power the components, eliminating the need for problematic batteries.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Maintaining Power Profiles At 10/7nm
https://semiengineering.com/maintaining-power-profiles-at-107nm/
Capturing what is driving power in a design means different things to different teams, but it’s essential at 10nm and below.
Understanding power consumption in detail is now a must-have of electronic design at 10nm and below, putting more pressure on SoC verification to ensure a device not only works, but meets the power budget.
As part of this, the complete system must be run in a realistic manner — at the system-level — when the design and verification teams are looking at the effects of power during hardware/software validation. But the best way to do this involves a number of variables and concerns.
Tomi Engdahl says:
2017 IEEE IMS Exhibitors Prepare for “The Wave”
http://www.mwrf.com/systems/2017-ieee-ims-exhibitors-prepare-wave?NL=MWRF-001&Issue=MWRF-001_20170518_MWRF-001_632&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=11146&utm_medium=email&elq2=593b377f4b9243a78a273fb667cc42bd
Tomi Engdahl says:
Understanding Signal and Power Isolation Techniques
http://www.electronicdesign.com/power/understanding-signal-and-power-isolation-techniques?code=UM_NN6TI69&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=11132&utm_medium=email&elq2=09e13b7cf4b54d23ade1c8d6ea19f36e
Sponsored by: Texas Instruments. Integrating signal and power isolation into industrial system designs helps achieve the efficiency and reliability craved by manufacturers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Adding IoT Flare to a Hot Springs and Spa Business
http://www.linuxjournal.com/content/adding-iot-flare-hot-springs-and-spa-business
There are three newly constructed outside pools that use the latest and greatest equipment and controllers from Honeywell to maintain temperature, specifically the Honeywell T755M. The problem is, the temperature data used by the controllers is trapped on the controllers themselves. There’s no way to publish these temperature readings over the network without additional hardware.
The Solution
There needs to be a middle man to make sense of the data provided by the standalone temperature controllers and then publish said data over the network. Enter the TS-7680 with its four analog to digital inputs, wireless network interface and low cost plastic enclosure with DIN mount.
Advantages
With several hot spring resorts in the area, there is a competitive advantage to being able to publish pool temperatures in real time. Not only are customers able to inform themselves and plan a trip accordingly, they’ll also keep checking back daily, keeping Bozeman Hot Springs top of mind, while they dream of their next trip. There are also advantages on the business end for pool maintenance, like being able to collect, store and chart out pool temperatures over time and even get email or SMS alerts for when temperatures drastically change. A system like this also lays a foundation for other high-tech improvements, such as displaying live pool data on a wall-mounted LCD screen for visitors to see.
Hardware Requirements
The Honeywell T775M standalone controllers are a crucial component we must be able to interface with. They are already reading from temperature sensors installed in the pool’s supply pipe and outputting commands to adjust hot or cold water flow.
For networking, a wireless repeater already has been installed in the same room as the Honeywell controllers. Luckily, a networking rack with switches is also installed nearby, but wireless is convenient so we don’t have to run cable to the rack.
All considerations taken into account, the TS-7680 is a perfect match. It has four ADC (0–10 VDC) inputs, DIN mountable enclosure, wireless 802.11a/b/g module and Modbus port for expansion (TS-1700 8x Temperature Sensor Peripheral).
Software Requirements
Software-wise, we’ll need to read from the ADC inputs of the TS-7680 and then serve them. To read the ADC inputs, we’ll build upon example C code provided by Technologic Systems. When serving this data, we want to make it as easy as possible for our website or other systems to consume. This is accomplished using a REST API, a commonly used and understood API for those working in the Internet of Things (IoT) or Web of Things (WoT) domain. For this, we’ll reach for node.js and pm2, which makes it pretty easy to set up a simple, easy-to-consume REST API server without the need to involve heavyweights like Apache. For even faster development, we’ll reach for the node.js module restify.
ftp://ftp.embeddedarm.com/ts-arm-sbc/ts-7680-linux/samples/mx28adcctl.c
Tomi Engdahl says:
About restify
http://restify.com/
restify is a node.js module built specifically to enable you to build correct REST web services. It intentionally borrows heavily from express as that is more or less the de facto API for writing web applications on top of node.js.
Tomi Engdahl says:
You’ll get a kick out of this: Qualcomm patents the ‘Internet of Shoes’
Web-connected sneakers? We imagine a lot of sole searching when/if these get hacked
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/05/19/qualcomm_patents_internet_of_shoes/
Chip-and-lawsuit designer Qualcomm has drawn up a patent on blueprints for an internet-connected shoe.
The semiconductor firm has filed an application with the US Patent and Trademark Office (USPTO) for something it simply calls “Internet of Shoes.”
The abstract of the application describes it as:
A connected shoe apparatus, comprising: a processor; a memory coupled to the processor; a radio; an antenna; and a magnetometer, wherein the connected shoe apparatus is wearable as a shoe by a user, and wherein the processor is to: determine the direction the connected shoe apparatus is facing with the magnetometer, and transmit information associated with the direction to a second device via the radio and the antenna.
The filing, lodged with the USPTO in 2015 and published Thursday, goes on to describe the internet shoes as having motors to “provide tactile navigation” and an on-board battery that could be recharged by piezoelectric motors when walking.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Researchers Create a T-Shirt That Monitors the Wearer’s Breathing Rate In Real Time
https://science.slashdot.org/story/17/05/18/2232215/researchers-create-a-t-shirt-that-monitors-the-wearers-breathing-rate-in-real-time
“Researchers at Universite Laval’s Faculty of Science and Engineering and its Center for Optics, Photonics, and Lasers have created a smart T-shirt that monitors the wearer’s respiratory rate in real time,” reports Science Daily. The details have been published in the latest edition of Sensors
Reesearchers create a T-shirt that monitors the wearer’s breathing rate in real time
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170518140254.htm
Tomi Engdahl says:
Renesas Synergy™ Platform Features and Benefits
https://www.renesas.com/en-us/products/synergy/features.html
To bring complex system designs to market fast, there is only one solution: A comprehensive, integrated platform.
The problem? Most MCU-based embedded solutions aren’t truly complete, fully qualified or supported. Fortunately, all that just changed.
The IoT is set to revolutionize the embedded market. To help companies develop products and services that will drive the IoT, Renesas has created the Renesas Synergy™ Platform ― a complete and qualified platform that accelerates embedded development, inspiring innovation and enabling differentiation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Yet Another IoT Botnet
http://hackaday.com/2017/05/17/yet-another-iot-botnet/
[TrendMicro] are reporting that yet another IoT botnet is emerging. This new botnet had been dubbed Persirai and targets IP cameras. Most of the victims don’t even realize their camera has access to the Internet 24/7 in the first place.
Trend Micro, have found 1,000 IP cameras of different models that have been exploited by Persirai so far. There are at least another 120,000 IP cameras that the botnet could attack using the same method. The problem starts with the IP cameras exposing themselves by default on TCP Port 81 as a web server — never a great idea.
Most IP cameras use Universal Plug and Play, which allows them to open ports from inside the router and start a web server without much in the way of security checks. This paints a giant target in cyber space complete with signs asking to be exploited.
Persirai: New Internet of Things (IoT) Botnet Targets IP Cameras
http://blog.trendmicro.com/trendlabs-security-intelligence/persirai-new-internet-things-iot-botnet-targets-ip-cameras/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hackaday Prize Entry: HeartyPatch
http://hackaday.com/2017/05/18/hackaday-prize-entry-heartypatch/
[Ashwin K Whitchurch] and [Venkatesh Bhat] Have not missed a beat entering this year’s Hackaday Prize with their possibly lifesaving gadget HeartyPatch. The project is a portable single wire ECG machine in a small footprint sporting Bluetooth Low Energy so you can use your phone or another device as an output display.
Projects like this are what the Hackaday Prize is all about, Changing the world for the better. Medical devices cost an arm and a leg so it’s always great to see medical hardware brought to the Open Source and Open Hardware scene.
HeartyPatch: A single-lead ECG-HR patch with ESP32
https://hackaday.io/project/21046-heartypatch-a-single-lead-ecg-hr-patch-with-esp32
HeartyPatch is a fully open-source, IoT connected, BLE enabled heart-rate variability & ECG patch with great accuracy
ECG monitors are plenty, so how is this one different? We’re glad you asked, read on to find out more. HeartyPatch is a completely open-source wireless single-lead ECG “patch” which can calculate heart-rate, R-R intervals and most importantly, Heart-rate variability (HRV). Connect this data to the web of things through WiFi/Bluetooth, or also connect to an app on your phone, and you’ve got your very own, smart, cloud-connected HRV monitor.
HRV is the trend at which the heart-rate, or more specifically, the time between two peaks on your ECG, changes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
New Report Highlights Dangers of Hacked Factory Robots
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/industrial-robots/report-dangers-of-hacked-factory-robots
Earlier this month, computer-security firm Trend Micro, in collaboration with researchers at Polytechnic University of Milan, released a report titled, “Rogue Robots.” No, they weren’t writing about the threat of runaway artificial intelligence or Terminator-like “killer robots.” Rather, they were exploring how malevolent hackers might compromise various kinds of industrial robots, whose number is expected to reach 2.6 million units worldwide by 2019.
https://documents.trendmicro.com/assets/wp/wp-industrial-robot-security.pdf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rambus Brings Ease of Use to IoT Security
Pre-integrated system aims to create a secure connection between the IoT device and the cloud platform.
https://www.designnews.com/iot/rambus-brings-ease-use-iot-security/139147531456810?cid=nl.x.dn14.edt.aud.dn.20170519.tst004t
Tomi Engdahl says:
Christina Farr / CNBC:
Source: Tim Cook was spotted at the Apple campus test-driving a prototype glucose-tracker connected to his Apple Watch — – Tim Cook has been test-driving a glucose monitor to understand how his blood sugar responds to factors like food and exercise — CNBC reported last month that Apple …
Apple CEO Tim Cook test-drove a device that tracks his blood sugar, hinting at Apple’s interest in the space
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/05/18/apple-ceo-tim-cook-test-drove-glucose-monitor.html
Tim Cook has been test-driving a glucose monitor to understand how his blood sugar responds to factors like food and exercise
CNBC reported last month that Apple has a team dedicated to the “holy grail” in diabetes: Non-invasive and continuous glucose monitoring
Cook iterated in a discussion with university students in February that Apple is “really excited” about its potential in health care
Tim Cook has been spotted at the Apple campus test-driving a device that tracks blood sugar, which was connected to his Apple Watch.
A source said that Cook was wearing a prototype glucose-tracker on the Apple Watch, which points to future applications that would make the device a “must have” for millions of people with diabetes — or at risk for the disease.
As CNBC reported last month, Apple has a team in Palo Alto working on the “holy grail” for diabetes: Non-invasive and continuous glucose monitoring. The current glucose trackers on the market rely on tiny sensors penetrating the skin. Sources said the company is already conducting feasibility trials in the Bay Area.
He didn’t say if it was a medical device from a company like Medtronic or Dexcom, or an Apple prototype.
Cook explained that he was able to understand how his blood sugar responded to foods he was eating. He made modifications to keep his blood sugar more constant.
In Silicon Valley, a huge health trend is low-carb, high fat diets. Increasingly, venture capitalists and executives are finding that if they cut down their sugar consumption, they see dramatic results including increased productivity and weight loss.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Montreal’s Jacques Cartier Bridge is ‘smart’ infrastructure
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/world-us-canada-39970718/montreals-jacques-cartier-bridge-is-smart-infrastructure
Montreal’s Jacques Cartier Bridge has been transformed into a piece of “smart” infrastructure with the installation of interactive lighting. The project was designed by Canadian multimedia studio Moment Factory at a cost of C$39.5m.
Shining a light on San Francisco
Sumi Das looks at an art project taking place on San Francisco’s Bay Bridge.
http://www.bbc.com/news/av/technology-22759465/shining-a-light-on-san-francisco
Tomi Engdahl says:
News about big IoT center in Finland:
Salo Iot Park, the IoT Group, which has started its operations in former premises at Nokia and Microsoft, gets its new leader, DI Jukka Vakula. He has previously worked in the Helsinki Metropolitan Area Technopolis Centers.
DI Jukka Vakula (42) has been appointed Salo IoT Park Oy’s Managing Director since August. IoT is a real estate company founded by the City of Salon and local investors, which owns Nokia’s product development and production facilities at Salon Meriniity.
The premises of the industrial center of the Internet in Salo, Finland, are marketed under the name Salo IoT Campus.
‘The goal is to build the Salo’s IoT Campus well-known and utilized in the industrial internet competence shopping center. Salo IoT Campus will be developed at international level of expertise that will meet customers’ most challenging requirements, “says the starting position at the beginning of August, Jukka Vakula.
BACKGROUND: The mobile plant transforms into an IoT center
In former premises of Nokia and Microsoft there are office, research, training and production facilities under one roof of 90,000 square meters.
Source: http://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2017/05/22/salon-iot-keskus-sai-uuden-vetajan/
More: http://www.saloiotcampus.fi/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Tiniest Mechanical Keyboard Ever
http://hackaday.com/2017/05/20/the-tiniest-mechanical-keyboard-ever/
Owning a mechanical keyboard makes you a better person. It puts you above everyone else. Of course, owning a mechanical keyboard does come with some downsides. Carrying a mechanical keyboard around all the time to tell everyone else you’re better than them is usually impractical, but [cahbtexhuk] has come up with a solution. It’s a miniature Bluetooth mechanical keyboard that’s also a keychain.
http://imgur.com/a/OkwEb
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sense All the Things with a Synthetic Sensor
http://hackaday.com/2017/05/19/sense-all-the-things-with-a-synthetic-sensor/
What will it take to make your house smarter than you? Judging from the price of smart appliances we see in the home centers these days, it’ll take buckets of cash. But what if you could make your home smarter — or at least more observant — with a few cheap, general purpose “supersensors” that watch your every move?
Sounds creepy, right? That’s what [Gierad Laput] and his team at the Carnegie Mellon Human-Computer Interaction Institute thought when they designed their broadband “synthetic sensor,” and it’s why they purposely omitted a camera from their design. But just about every other sensor under the sun is on the tiny board: an IR array, visible light sensors, a magnetometer, temperature, humidity, and pressure sensors, a microphone, PIR, and even an EMI detector. Of course there’s also a WiFi module, but it appears that it’s only for connectivity and not used for sensing, although it clearly could be. All the raw data is synthesized into a total picture of the goings on in within the platform’s range using a combination of machine learning and user training.
Synthetic Sensors
Towards General-Purpose Sensing
http://www.gierad.com/projects/supersensor/
We explore the notion of general-purpose sensing, wherein a single, highly capable sensor can indirectly monitor a large context, without direct instrumentation of objects. Further, through what we call Synthetic Sensors, we can virtualize raw sensor data into actionable feeds, whilst simultaneously mitigating immediate privacy issues. We use a series of structured, formative studies to inform the development of new sensor hardware and accompanying information architecture. We deployed our system across many months and environments, the results of which show the versatility, accuracy and potential of this approach.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How safe is your connected gadget? Consumer Reports will start ranking them based on security
https://news.fastcompany.com/how-safe-is-your-connected-gadget-consumer-reports-will-start-ranking-them-based-on-security-4031870
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Week In Review: IoT
IoT World wrap-up; startup funding; Google Cloud IoT Core.
https://semiengineering.com/the-week-in-review-iot-53/
It’s been an action-packed week at Internet of Things World. The show was co-located at the Santa Clara Convention Center with the Connected & Autonomous Vehicles conference. There were lots of deals announced and many products or services debuted at IoT World,
Cybersecurity firms were in abundance this week, exhibiting and presenting. Rambus unveiled its turnkey IoT Device Management service within the CryptoManager platform, demonstrating the service in conjunction with STMicroelectronics. #IoTW17 touted itself as “the World’s Largest IoT Event,” and it certainly fit the bill. Internet of Things World Europe will take place June 13-15 in London, England.
San Francisco-based IoT security platform startup Mocana reported raising another $11 million in private funding, bringing its funding total to $93.6 million.
Rambus will work with SoftBank’s Cybertrust Japan subsidiary, combining the Rambus CryptoManager Infrastructure with the Japanese company’s public key infrastructure (PKI) offerings, enabling secure communication from IoT device to the cloud and for over-the-air software updates.
NXP Semiconductors said its Android Things platform supports the Google Cloud IoT Core, the new managed service from Google Cloud. Cloud IoT Core features such Google services as BigQuery, Bigtable, Dataflow, DataStudio, and PubSub.
Microchip Technology now has a fully-certified Wi-Fi Software Development Kit with support for Apple HomeKit.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.accenture.com/us-en/labs-insight-industrial-internet-of-things
Tomi Engdahl says:
Battery-free implantable medical device draws energy directly from human body
UCLA and University of Connecticut scientists design supercapacitor that could make pacemakers and other instruments safer and more durable
http://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/battery-free-implantable-medical-device-draws-energy-directly-from-human-body
Tomi Engdahl says:
illumiSAFE: Connected Smart Safe, Elegant Smart Lamp
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/370394466/illumisafe-connected-smart-safe-elegant-smart-lamp?ref=FundedToday&utm_medium=referral&utm_source=fnd.to
The world’s first Smart Safe hidden inside a Smart Lamp, keeping you connected to your valuables.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Who is the biggest user of MQTT protocol?
MQTT used by Facebook Messenger
http://mqtt.org/2011/08/mqtt-used-by-facebook-messenge
We’ve always known around here that MQTT is ideal for mobile messaging; the small-footprint, low bandwidth nature of the protocol helps to minimise both battery use and network traffic. Just what you want to stay connected.
[edit: of course, MQTT has also been used to build a Facebook “presence” device before, by our friends at Isidorey, but this new deployment inside Facebook is obviously something with much broader reach!]
Why Facebook is using MQTT on mobile
https://www.ibm.com/developerworks/community/blogs/mobileblog/entry/why_facebook_is_using_mqtt_on_mobile?lang=en
Back in time when Roy Fielding came out with his dissertation introducing the Representational State Transfer (REST) concept, people paid attention mainly because (a) it showed a different and simpler way of having websites, databases and other systems interact and (b) it came from one of the HTTP specification authors.
In 1999, Andy Stanford-Clark of IBM collaborated with Arlen Nipper of Eurotech to create a specification for a new messaging protocol, MQTT. Being dissatisfied with the current technologies, both were working on projects to help get remote data onto disparate devices
MQTT is all about machine to machine, or M2M, since it is a specification to cover device communications.
That said, both Roy Fielding and Andy and Arlen were searching for something simpler than what was out there. And don’t get me wrong—I am not comparing REST and MQTT as specifications or by their applicability; I just mean to highlight ideas that made communications simpler.
MQTT and the Internet of Things
MQTT, specifically, was a great fit for the new buzzword Internet of Things, which brings all sorts of devices onto the same network.
MQTT.org presents a list of articles covering MQTT on the Android platform.
MQTT for Facebook’s messaging app
An amazing new MQTT use case came out in 2012, when the Facebook software engineer Lucy Zhang announced through the Facebook blog some details of the new Facebook Messenger app that was available for smartphones, including both Android and iOS devices.
Lucy said Facebook had to rebuild a new messaging mechanism for their app, this time using MQTT to have assured and faster message delivery. Not only that, but as for any smartphone app, bandwidth usage and battery life are real concerns that had to be overcome as they started to use MQTT as their messaging protocol.
Another highlight of the Facebook Messenger app was the possibility to have individual chat sessions between two people or a group chat, thanks to the publisher-subscriber nature of MQTT.
Using MQTT, Facebook brought to the game a fast and reliable messenger application—small and lightweight, a battery and cost saver—that would function well even with the varying Internet connections available across the world.
Conclusion
MQTT is increasingly being used in many industries, and IBM is a big player in this field, as it uses MQTT internally in several products, like IBM Integration Bus and IBM MessageSight. If you want to learn more about MQTT or IBM products please visit MQTT.org, IBM MessageSight and IBM Integration Bus.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How will manufacturers absorb and manage the huge amounts of industrial plant-floor data made available by IIoT sensor and connectivity advances? Cloud-based ERP can play a big role in leveraging real-time data in the manufacturing enterprise, making it easier to interpret and act on data, providing manufacturing intelligence from the shop floor to the top floor.
Source: https://event.webcasts.com/starthere.jsp?ei=1135775&tp_key=cc259f8a2c
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sarah Perez / TechCrunch:
Dish integrates with Amazon Alexa for hands-free TV, the first TV provider to do so
Dish integrates with Amazon Alexa for hands-free TV
https://techcrunch.com/2017/05/22/dish-integrates-with-amazon-alexa-for-hands-free-tv/
TV provider Dish Network is today rolling out new technology that will make watching television a hands-free experience, via a new integration with Amazon Alexa. The company says that its pay TV customers using either its Hopper or Wally receivers will now be able to search for programs, change channels, as well as pause, rewind and fast forward television just by speaking.
Tomi Engdahl says:
VMware:
The Internet of Thieves? Why IoT Urgently Needs to Be Secured — For those who are interested in the Internet of Things (IoT) and IT security, I recommend an insightful article from Fortune magazine, titled “Who to Blame for the Attack on the Internet.”
Technology Trends / April 13, 2017 / by Matthias Schorer
The Internet of Thieves? Why IoT Urgently Needs to Be Secured
- See more at: http://www.vmware.com/radius/internet-thieves-why-iot-urgently-needs-secured/#sthash.F2WlsZcQ.dpuf
Tomi Engdahl says:
How Thinking Fast and Slow Delivers Smarter IoT Solutions
https://www.vmware.com/radius/thinking-fast-slow-delivers-smarter-iot-solutions/
In his book Thinking, Fast and Slow, Daniel Kahneman, Nobel Memorial Prize in Economic Sciences laureate, describes two different ways our brains process thoughts:
Thinking fast, where you need prompt decision-making and don’t have the luxury to do long-term strategic thinking. Examples: stopping at a yellow traffic light, shaking someone’s hand.
Thinking slow, where the consequences of your decision may have long-term implications and you need to deliberately take the time to think. Examples: the car you’re going to buy, whether to change jobs.
Both of these types of thinking, fast and slow, are absolutely critical for our survival.
- See more at: https://www.vmware.com/radius/thinking-fast-slow-delivers-smarter-iot-solutions/#sthash.zrlmK5qn.dpuf
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT: When IT and OT Meet at the Edge
https://www.vmware.com/radius/iot-ot-meet-edge/
I”f you went to bed last night as an industrial company, you’re going to wake up this morning as a software and analytics company.”
By now, we are all keenly aware that there is a major disruption happening in our industry: IoT has arrived. It is changing the nature of operational technology (OT) and how decision makers run their businesses. So what is OT? The way I like to explain it is any technology that is responsible for the management and operation of physical assets in an enterprise, such as operating robots, machines, or tools; controlling electricity; and running cranes. In other words, OT is everything that is absolutely critical for a business to operate.
To better understand how the Internet of Things (IoT) is disrupting operational technology, here are a few use cases.
- See more at: https://www.vmware.com/radius/iot-ot-meet-edge/#sthash.aEuT84bf.dpuf
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ryan Whitwam / Android Police:
Source: Nest working on indoor security camera with 4K resolution for smart digital zoom, priced higher than current $300 cameras, expected to debut end of May
Exclusive: Nest is working on a 4K camera with advanced smart features
http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/05/22/exclusive-nest-working-4k-camera-advanced-smart-features/
The sensor in Nest’s unannounced camera will be capable of recording in 4K, but the image it shows you will be 1080p. It essentially zooms in on a 1080p section of the full frame. That means you can see much more detail than you ever would zooming in on a frame that’s only 1080p to start with.
When the new Nest camera detects motion, it will automatically zoom in. That zoomed view is still a 1080p image, so you will actually be able to see what’s going on. There will also be a down-scaled 1080p full frame view available, thus you can view either zoomed or full 1080p feeds.
As for the camera itself, it will be powered by USB Type-C
Tomi Engdahl says:
Multisensor RFID tags read 10 meters out
http://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4458397/Multisensor-RFID-tags-read-10-meters-out
Employing multiple sensors in a single tag, the PCT100 and PCT200 passive RFID tags from Powercast provide a read range of 10 meters (32 feet), along with an RF operating range of -17 dBm to +20 dBm. According to the manufacturer, the tags have more than 10 times the operational power of standard passive RFID tags.
The PCT100 enables battery-free wireless sensing and reads data within seconds. The PCT200 adds a battery with the ability to recharge using any standard RFID reader’s field. With up to one month of battery life without recharging, the PCT200 offers long-lasting data logging while outside the RF field.
http://www.powercastco.com/products/rfid-tags/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Will Higher Production Costs Hamper IoT Growth?
Solving capacity and supply issues are critical to this segment’s success.
https://semiengineering.com/will-higher-production-costs-hamper-iot-growth/
No question, 2017 is expected to be a good year for the semiconductor industry. Semiconductor revenues for 2017 are expected to increase more than 9% this year. A 6% increase in unit sales, as well as higher average selling prices for memory products, will help drive the revenue growth rate to its highest level since 2010. Wafer demand is forecast to grow by almost 8%. The higher revenue growth compared to units and wafer demand is a welcome change compared to the last two years. But there are a couple clouds on the horizon.
The strong unit growth over the past several years has been at the expense of falling average selling prices. New MEMS and sensor products, the driving forces behind IoT, have experienced steep declines in ASPs.
Comparing MEMS and sensor ASP declines to that of DRAM, there is a close correlation between the two. In fact, between 2010 and 2016 sensor ASPs fell faster than DRAM cost per bit over the same timeframe.
Semico’s vision of the Internet of Things moves the industry from billions of devices to tens of billions of devices. The billions of electronic devices sold today have an average semiconductor content value of $85 per device. By 2030, there will be tens of billions of IoT devices sold, but the semiconductor content will only amount to approximately $10 per device. The proliferation of all these billions of electronics depends on the continued cost reduction of each semiconductor component.
Today, the threat of higher input costs could temporarily slow semiconductor ASP declines.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Internet of Things and Modular Design: Revolutionizing Hardware Design
http://www.techonline.com/electrical-engineers/education-training/tech-papers/4458109/The-Internet-of-Things-and-Modular-Design-Revolutionizing-Hardware-Design
The advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) offers the potential to automatically collect detailed performance information from every device in the field at minimal cost. This field performance data can then be crunched to identify design weaknesses and improve product quality. The most powerful way to use this data is to reorganize the design process by basing it on modules that are continuously improved based on performance feedback. These optimized modules can then be shared and managed across the organization and used as the basis of the product development process, creating a closed-loop development process for the first time.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hackaday Prize Entry: WiFi ePaper
http://hackaday.com/2017/05/22/hackaday-prize-entry-wifi-epaper/
[Frank Buss] designed an electronic version of a sticky note: a WiFi enabled, solar-powered ePaper, with magnets embedded in the casing. It’s based on the new ESP32, and the idea is that you can update it via your smart-phone or over the internet via a cloud app to show any message you want. Being an ePaper display, the power consumption is greatly reduced, at least if you are cautious using the ESP32.
The final version plans to poll a server once per hour to get a new image to display. Depending on the final size and battery constraints, our guess is that it could probably poll often.
WiFi ePaper
WiFi connected, solar powered, ePaper
https://hackaday.io/project/20466-wifi-epaper
Tomi Engdahl says:
A time relay that is installed with a smartphone
Schneider Electric launches a new, advanced and multifunctional Zelio NFC relay for industrial and real estate automation. It can be implemented with Android smartphones over the NFC link instead of the regular buttons and the potentiometer. The novelty facilitates the work of control panel installers, electricians, machine builders and other electrical professionals.
- Normally, installing requires repeatedly pressing and using a screwdriver to turn the potentiometer to find the desired function and settings. It takes time and is difficult, if not impossible to do absolutely, says Heikki Hietanen, Schneider Electric’s Offer Manager.
- These challenges now belong to the past. The application makes it easy and quick to select the desired function from 28 possible functions and to fully install the parameters. It reduces the volume of manual work and facilitates the desired settings, Hietanen continues.
Security has also been taken into account in a new timeout because the selected configuration can be protected by the four-digit PIN code that you have selected.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/6356-aikarele-joka-asentuu-alypuhelimella
Tomi Engdahl says:
GreenThumb – IoT plant monitoring
https://hackaday.io/project/24818-greenthumb-iot-plant-monitoring
This is about a sensor for pot plants that measures soil moisture, temperature and sunlight and sends a report to your smartphone via WiF
Tomi Engdahl says:
Thomas Ricker / The Verge:
IKEA says its Trådfri smart lights will be compatible with Apple’s HomeKit, Amazon Echo, and Google Home by autumn
Ikea’s cheap smart lighting will be Apple HomeKit, Google Home, and Amazon Alexa compatible
Coming this summer and fall
https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2017/5/23/15679828/ikea-lights-siri-google-home-and-echo-compatible
Ikea’s low-cost TRÅDFRI smart lights first announced in Europe last year, will soon get voice control for owners of Google Home, Apple HomeKit, and Amazon Alexa devices. Expect it to arrive this summer or autumn, says Ikea’s press release first spotted by MacRumors.
Ikea says it sees “great potential” in smart home products
Ikea’s TRÅDFRI low-cost devices could become a very disruptive force in smart homes. The company already helped to democratize design and lead the way in LED adoption. Now it’s positioned to do the same with smart lights, motion sensors, dimmers, and switches, as a start — Ikea easily undercuts the very popular Philips Hue lineup on price, while still matching them on specs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT System Implementation – Understanding the Big Picture
https://www.mentor.com/embedded-software/events/iot-system-implementation-understanding-the-big-picture?contactid=1&PC=L&c=2017_05_23_esd_iot_system_picture_ws_v2
IoT is the buzz word of this age and there is a very strong momentum and push to realize IoT enabled systems at a fast pace and to reap their benefits. However, IoT systems are inherently complex as their implementation involves use of diverse set of technology layers e.g. cloud services, communication protocols, connectivity options, embedded device software etc. On each technology layer there are numerous choices that complicate it further. This situation has resulted in an enormous jargon of terminology around IoT and sometimes it gets confusing to sail through this jargon and understand what is involved in implementing an end-to-end IoT system.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Making the Internet of Things smart, secure, and power-efficient
http://files.iccmedia.com/magazines/basmay17/basmay17-p10.pdf
In the IoT, Intelligent devices are
interconnected and AI algorithms
are being used to process the vast
amounts of sensor data that is being
produced. This exciting marriage of
IoT and AI requires state-of-the-art
sensors, security, and power delivery
to make it all possible
Tomi Engdahl says:
HeartyPatch: A single-lead ECG-HR patch with ESP32
https://hackaday.io/project/21046-heartypatch-a-single-lead-ecg-hr-patch-with-esp32
HeartyPatch is a fully open-source, IoT connected, BLE enabled heart-rate variability & ECG patch with great accuracy
ECG monitors are plenty, so how is this one different? We’re glad you asked, read on to find out more. HeartyPatch is a completely open-source wireless single-lead ECG “patch” which can calculate heart-rate, R-R intervals and most importantly, Heart-rate variability (HRV). Connect this data to the web of things through WiFi/Bluetooth, or also connect to an app on your phone, and you’ve got your very own, smart, cloud-connected HRV monitor.
HRV is the trend at which the heart-rate, or more specifically, the time between two peaks on your ECG, changes. This change in R-R interval, and ultimately the heart-rate can mean a lot of things. For starters, it gives a good indicator of the health of your heart, one step further than just plain old heart-rate. The social implications of such a product would be enormous, think of a device that can predict heart attacks !!!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Home Meets ESP8266
http://hackaday.com/2017/05/23/google-home-meets-esp8266/
[Luc Volders] is building his own smart house with the help of Google Home and an ESP-8266. Inspired by the house computers from the TV show, Eureka [Luc] created an IoT ecosystem using a mix of off the shelf devices and open source software.
There are about a thousand ways to create a DIY smart home these days. All of them involve setting up a command receiver (like Amazon’s Echo or Google Home), some sort of cloud connection, and an end device controller. This can get complex for the beginner. [Luc’s] article is great because he walks is through each step tutorial style. He even keeps things simple by programming the ESP8266 using BASIC with ESP-BASIC.
Google Home and the ESP8266
http://lucstechblog.blogspot.fi/2017/05/google-home-and-esp8266.html
For those of you living under a rock I will explain brief what Home Assistant is. It is the house computer from Eureka. It is Google’s answer to Alexa. It is a stand alone speaker system with a build-in microphone. Indeed no screen, no keyboard, no mouse. The device is attached to the internet (be it wired or wireless) and the microphone listens to a command that activates it. The command is “OK Google” and that is something we know from Android Phones. However this is much more advanced.
There are lists with questions (easily found on the internet) you can ask Home Assistant.
Basically you can ask it anything you can ask Google on your computer, and then some. And all is done by speaking out the questions and you will be answered by a pleasant womens voice. Really Amazing.
Now this wonder device will set you back at the time of this writing about 129 Dollar. But it gets better.
To get things really rolling Google supplied a Do it Yourself kit based on a Raspberry free with number 57 of the MagPi magazine. Naturally the magazine is totally sold-out.
And still better. Google gave the complete SDK free, for everyone to use.
Actually it works better as the Raspberry version. There is no button needed to activate it. Hands free commanding !!! Next to that it reacts better to questions being split up in multiple frases, and it has a timer and alarm function.
IFTTT compatibility.
You can have your Google Home (including the Raspberry DIY unit) paired with IFTTT. And then suddenly a wealth of possibillities rises.
Command your Philips Hue lights, send a tweet by voice (works flawless believe me), control your Nest thermostat, control your TV with Chromecast, keep a list of notes etc. etc. etc.
And best of all: we can control our ESP-8266 with the Google Home Assistant through IFTTT.
And that is what this entry is going to show you.
Google Home ==> IFTTT ==> ESP8266
To get this working we need to do several steps which I discuss into detail step by step.
- Install ESP-Basic on a NodeMcu or Wemos-D1
- Set up your ESP-8266 with some leds
- Program The ESP with a Basic Program.
- Open a communication port on your router
- Get a IFTTT account (if you do not have it already)
- Set up a few IFTTT recipes
- Command your ESP by voice.
Install ESP-Basic on a NodeMcu or Wemos-D1
Set up your ESP-8266 with some leds
Program The ESP with a Basic Program.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Samsung takes IoT projects with VMware
Samsung and VMware report on IoT World 2017 event in California to start collaborating with Artik-IoT cards. The aim is to simplify the requirements for Internet and IoT services.
Samsung is presenting with VMware the combination of the Artik-IoT development platform and the VMware Pulse IoT Center, providing a secure, end-to-end solution for comprehensive management of IoT systems.
The companies presented the integration of the Artik 530 development card and the Liotan (Little IoT Agent). Soot is an open source SDK that is independent of VMware’s vendor, helping companies manage, monitor, and secure IoT implementations.
VMware Horizon Cloud will also be available in the second half of 2017 via Microsoft Azure.
Source: http://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2017/05/17/samsung-ottaa-iot-projekteihin-vmwaren/
Tomi Engdahl says:
‘Smarten’ Your Window AC Unit With ESP8266 and Alexa
https://blog.hackster.io/smarten-your-window-ac-unit-with-esp8266-and-alexa-d12ed2d0c006
His solution comes in the form of a sort of DIY smart thermostat, using a temperature sensor and an ESP8266 module to sense the air temperature, which then controls the AC directly via a Sonoff POW switch.
https://github.com/aleks-azen/AcController
Tomi Engdahl says:
IFTTT
Become a Maker
Build and publish Applets
https://platform.ifttt.com/maker
Over 450 services work with IFTTT, and you can build with all of them. It’s your API playground. Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, BMW, Slack, Fitbit, Telegram — even Domino’s pizza! In the past, you could only build Applets that worked with services you actually owned and had connected. As a Maker, you’ll have access to everything.
Build Applets with custom filters and multiple actions
You’ll be using the same Applet building tools as our official partners. Adding another action to an Applet is as easy as an extra click. Want even more control? You can use Javascript to add filter code that fine-tunes how an Applet runs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Megan Molteni / Wired:
FDA to open a unit of 13 engineers including devs, experts in AI and cloud computing, to keep pace with changes to medical devices powered by machine learning
Medicine Is Going Digital. The FDA Is Racing to Catch Up
https://www.wired.com/2017/05/medicine-going-digital-fda-racing-catch/
When Bakul Patel started as a policy advisor in the US Food and Drug Administration in 2008, he could pretty much pinpoint when a product was going to land in front of the reviewers in his division. Back when medical devices were heavy on the hardware—your pacemakers and your IUDs—it would take manufacturers years to get them ready for regulatory approval. FDA reviewers could keep up pretty well.
But as computer code took on more complex tasks, like spotting specious moles and quantifying blood flow, their duties began to accelerate. Software developers needed months, not years, to make it to the market. And there were a lot of them. It got harder to match pace. And then came artificial intelligence.
Today, machine learning powers more and more medical device software. And because it is always learning and improving, it is constantly changing products on the fly. For most regulators, an ever-changing algorithm is their worst nightmare.
FDA is creating a new unit dedicated strictly to digital health. Patel will be hiring 13 engineers—software developers, AI experts, cloud computing whizzes—to prepare his agency to regulate a future in which health care is increasingly mediated by machines.
Over the last year, FDA has put out a number of documents describing the agency’s current thinking on digital health. These guidances help developers understand what FDA does and what it doesn’t regulate as a medical device, and they reflect a largely hands-off approach. The FDA focuses its limited resources mostly on high-risk products
“We’ve been trying to translate the current regulation paradigm for digital,”
Rather than reviewing each line of code or medical device on its own merits for each of its intended uses, Patel wants to flip that framework on its head. Instead, he envisions a model something more like the TSA security line at the airport: New developers or manufacturers with spotty track records would still have to take off their shoes and go through the body scanner. But trusted companies with demonstrated histories of excellence could keep their footwear and stroll through the metal detector. Patel’s not yet sure exactly how it would work, but it’s one of the ideas he’s toying with and running by industry stakeholders.
“We’re headed toward a zero code world, where AI writes it for you or you just say what you want and natural language processing takes care of the rest,” says Patel.
Tomi Engdahl says:
If You Look at X-Rays or Moles for a Living, AI Is Coming for Your Job
https://www.wired.com/2017/01/look-x-rays-moles-living-ai-coming-job/
Ever since algorithms began recognizing patterns faster and better than humans, computers have been making doctors’ lives easier and diagnoses more accurate.