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 Forecast of 50 Billion Devices by 2020 Is Outdated.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.
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Tomi Engdahl says:
Hackaday Prize Entry: An Internet Doorbell
http://hackaday.com/2017/07/05/hackaday-prize-entry-an-internet-doorbell/
The Internet of Things will kill us all and is the worst idea anyone has ever had. However, just because something could be labeled an ‘Internet of Things thing’ doesn’t mean it’s a bad idea. The Hackaday Prize’s Internet of Useful Things challenge was all about finding the Internet of Useful things, and one of these projects is so simple yet so elegant, we’re surprised no one has thought of it yet.
[David]’s entry to the Hackaday Prize is effectively an Internet of Things doorbell. You might think an IoT doorbell would just consist of a device sending push notifications to your phone. That’s part of the project, but it gets so much better.
The brilliant part of this build boils down to a simple relay. On command, [David] can turn his doorbell off. This means no ringing doorbell interrupting meals or naps. By sending a command to the ESP32 in this little device, [David] can enable or disable his doorbell.
iDONT (Internet Doorbell ON/off Trigger)
iDon’t as in I don’t want my doorbell to ring.
https://hackaday.io/project/20545-idont-internet-doorbell-onoff-trigger
I don’t know about you, but the doorbell seems to ring at the wrong time at our house. It’s time to find a way to mute the bell on demand some open source technology!
Using an ESP32 and a relay, the AC lines to the doorbell signal path are interruptible. A web page or app will handle the controls with an automatic timer reset planned.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Linux Is Not As Safe As You Think
https://linux.slashdot.org/story/17/07/05/2148200/linux-is-not-as-safe-as-you-think?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Slashdot%2Fslashdot%2Fto+%28%28Title%29Slashdot+%28rdf%29%29
Would you be surprised if I told you that threat methods for Linux increased an astonishing 300 percent in 2016, while Microsoft’s operating systems saw a decrease? Well, according to a new report, that is true. Does this mean Linux is unsafe? No way, Jose! There are some important takeaways here. Microsoft’s Windows operating systems are still the most targeted platforms despite the year over year decline — far beyond Linux. Also, just because there is an increase in malware attack methods doesn’t necessarily mean that more systems will be infected. Let us not forget that it is easier to find a vulnerability with open source too; Microsoft largely uses closed source code.
Linux is not as safe as you think
https://betanews.com/2017/07/05/linux-safe/
There is a notion by many people that Linux-based operating systems are impervious to malware and are 100 percent safe. While operating systems that use that kernel are rather secure, they are certainly not impenetrable. In fact, users are arguably less safe when they believe that stereotype, since they could be less vigilant.
Many of these same people view Windows as being Swiss cheese-like. With that said, would you be surprised if I told you that threat methods for Linux increased an astonishing 300 percent in 2016, while Microsoft’s operating systems saw a decrease? Well, according to a new report, that is true.
“At the end of November, criminals with other variants of the same Linux malware unleashed devastating attacks against DSL routers of Telekom customers. 900,000 devices were taken down. In October, the Mirai code appeared freely available on the Internet. Since then, the AV-TEST systems have been investigating an increasing number of samples with spikes at the end of October,November and beginning of December,” says AV Test of the Mirai malware.
The company also says, “Other Linux malware, such as the Tsunami backdoor, has been causing trouble for several years now and can be easily modified for attacks against IoT devices. The detection systems of AV-TEST first detected the Tsunami malicious code in the year 2003. Although, at that time, practically no IoT devices existed, the Linux backdoor already offered attack functions which even today would be suitable for virtually unprotected attacks on routers: In this manner, Tsunami can download additional malicious code onto infected devices and thus make devices remote controllable for criminals. But the old malware can also be used for DDoS attacks. The Darlloz worm, known since 2013, as well as many other Linux and Unix malware programs, have similar attack patterns which AV-TEST has been detecting and analyzing for years.”
As you can see, many of the increases in Linux attacks aren’t aimed at workstations. Actually, it can largely be attributed to IoT and other devices, such as routers, which some manufacturers abandon from an update perspective.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Four Technologies for Industry 4.0
http://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1331975&
The challenge of merging IT with OT domains is to assemble in one place four requisite industrial IoT technologies: networking, processing, user interface, and security.
Under a transformation known as Industry 4.0, savvy manufacturers are busy conceiving and creating the intelligent industrial enterprise of the future. By merging their information technology (IT) and operational technology (OT) domains, they’re building next-generation smart systems to optimize manufacturability, improve operations, enhance customer support, and analyze real-time data provided by the Industrial Internet of Things (IoT).
Time-Sensitive Networking
The merger of IT and OT is only possible by adapting the networks that bind each domain. Because the domains differ so greatly in function, their networks fundamentally differ.
A factory may use an Industrial Ethernet technology that adapts standard Ethernet to deliver real-time response and work with legacy industrial communication protocols. Unfortunately, the many Industrial Ethernet protocols neither interoperate with each other nor with standard Ethernet, limiting the economies of scale for technology suppliers and thus slowing innovation
Because of their limited interoperability, Industrial Ethernet protocols are not well suited to Industry 4.0. At the same time, standard IT-oriented Ethernet does not deliver the real-time performance that control systems demand.
The IEEE, however, in 2004 had formed a group for audio/video streaming for consumer applications, later extending its efforts to meet professional standards.
Recognizing the potential to adapt AVB for industrial use, the IEEE group changed its name to Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) and began revising the 802 standards family to address the needs of industrial and automotive applications, as well as improving features for professional audio-video use.
Processing
Just as networks must support time-critical functions, so must processing. A real-time operating system (RTOS) helps ensure that a CPU is available to receive and process control packets when they arrive on a TSN-enabled port
Commercial RTOSs include VxWorks from Wind River and Nucleus from Mentor Graphics. These vendors have a long history of supporting the NXP QorIQ family and its predecessors.
Unlike IT-focused and non-real-time embedded Linux distributions, industrial-grade ones provide the determinism, manageability, industrial networking, and security required of OT. One approach to adding real-time capability to Linux is to apply the PREEMPT_RT patch to the kernel to eliminate situations where a software process is blocked indefinitely by another process. In this scheme, applications are coded to the usual Linux API.
Human-Machine Interfaces
Another function demanding processing power is the human-machine interface (HMI). Smartphone-inspired interfaces will increasingly permeate the staid world of industrial equipment. Easy-to-use, visual interfaces simplify operator control of machines.
Security
Convergence of OT and IT increases the risk of security threats. In the past, operations were isolated—almost impenetrable from the outside world. A hacker would need a physical link to attack a machine. A converged industrial setting erodes barriers isolating operations so that information can be shared among systems to improve efficiency.
New barriers must be erected to ensure the integrity of systems while maintaining permeability to data flow. The first step for equipment manufacturers is to secure processing platforms in their equipment. They must ensure that their systems execute only approved software and connect securely to other systems.
Conclusion and Call to Action
NXP is proud to enable Industry 4.0 equipment manufacturers to incorporate state-of-the-art networking, processing, HMI, and security in their designs with NXP’s new QorIQ Layerscape LS1028A processor. This SoC integrates in one place the technologies needed in next-generation industrial systems: time-sensitive networking, high-performance processing, hardware-accelerated user interfaces, and high security.
The LS1028 integrates a four-port Gigabit Ethernet switch and two additional Ethernet ports running at up to 2.5Gbps, all implementing TSN protocols. Two powerful 64-bit ARM CPUs provide the computing performance required for modern industrial applications and support RTOSs such as Linux with preemptive real-time patches, Xenomai Linux, Nucleus from Mentor Graphics, and VxWorks from Wind River.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Stalk Your Cats With A Browser-Controlled Robot
http://hackaday.com/2017/07/06/stalk-your-cats-with-a-browser-controlled-robot/
A good robot is always welcome around here at Hackaday, and Hackaday.io user [igorfonseca83]’browser-controlled ‘bot s is no exception.
An Arduino Uno gets two D/C motors a-driving using an H-bridge circuit — granting independent control the wheels — an ESP8266 enabling WiFi access, with power provided by a simple 5V USB power bank.
Android smartphone to transmit audio and video data; though this was mostly for convenience on his part, a Raspberry Pi and camera module combo as another great option!
WiDC – Wi-Fi Controlled FPV Robot (with Arduino, ESP8266 and DC Motors)
http://www.instructables.com/id/WiDC-Wi-Fi-Controlled-FPV-Robot-with-Arduino-ESP82/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smarter, connected networks add complexity
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/smarter-connected-networks-add-complexity/9d7816307267d9395ee8eebc24c5ddf2.html
Enterprises need a combination of operations technology’s (OT’s) reliable data and information technology’s (IT’s) and innovation to become a smart, connected enterprise that will embrace and profit from the digital transformation.
A smart, connected enterprise can embrace the digital transformation in the coming Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) world by collecting data that could result in new levels of collaboration, operational excellence, agility, and profitability.
But the reality is that total adoption of IIoT is a ways off, and users today need to start the digital transformation for their enterprise to reap benefits before the total technological integration. In many ways, and contrary to what the old guard thinks, the way things used to be are just not the “good old days” anymore.
In a move to enhance productivity and to remain more competitive in an emerging global landscape, companies need to apply smarter and more connected technology. While that can add complexity to solutions, nothing—not even the plant floor—can be an island anymore.
Living in a more “connected” world is why being able to understand and monitor what is occurring on the network gives operators needed visibility into what is happening in the complex world they oversee. With the advance toward digitization, users will need increased data granularity, as well as a near real-time measurement of how applications are running with key performance indicators (KPI’s) that provide insight on overall performance.
From an IT perspective, digitization has been happening for years. In the IT space, everything needs to drive data into the cloud. If it can’t end up in the cloud, then it needs to integrate into another set of tools. If it can’t do that, then why have the technology?
While the digital evolution of the $10 trillion global manufacturing sector will take time, manufacturers need to reap benefits today, according to a McKinsey & Company report.
Manufacturers are starting to use data analytics to optimize factory operations, boosting equipment utilization and product quality while reducing energy consumption.
Pharmaceutical manufacturers cultivate their deeper understanding of end-to-end processes to develop continuous manufacturing suites with footprints less than half the size of conventional factories. Some have even developed portable factories that can go in 40-foot trailers.
The aerospace-and-defense industry is using digital tools to integrate a complex supply network. A modern jet turbine engine has hundreds of individual parts, some of which the engine manufacturer makes in-house and others it sources from a network of dozens of vendors.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digital developments, cloud platform help with IIoT, robotics, automation, electrical products, and power grid
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/digital-developments-cloud-platform-help-with-iiot-robotics-automation-electrical-products-and-power-grid/33b019e561624cfafd0795ffecac0cac.html
New digital products based on an integrated cloud platform aim to help with opportunities from the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and digitalization, according to ABB, which has formed new departments for robotics and motion control, industrial automation, electrical products, and power grids, according to Control Engineering China.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digitization trends to leave large footprint on automotive industry
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/digitization-trends-to-leave-large-footprint-on-automotive-industry/24c397814fce95960e62cca9106425c5.html
A rise in average vehicle life, shift in repair opportunities and sales outlets, and emerging online sales have all created an opportunity for major growth in the automotive aftermarket industry that will likely continue to grow in the future.
While Internet of Things (IoT) connected vehicles and driverless cars have been drawing all the buzz lately in automotive world, the automotive aftermarket industry segment is witnessing a fundamental shift subject to changing consumer preferences regarding vehicle repair, service accessibility, and component purchase. In fact, the automotive industry generates only 37% of their overall revenues through initial sale of a vehicle whereas the remaining 63% is made from the automotive aftermarket.
1. Rise in average vehicle life
For a long time now, the increasing shelf life of vehicles has positively influenced automotive aftermarket trends. The overall vehicle population has been growing continuously over the years. While the average age of a vehicle in 2002 was 9.6 years, in 2015, it was estimated to be 11.5 years.
2. Shifting repair opportunities and sales outlets
Aftermarket suppliers need to come up with innovative ways for routine vehicle maintenance. Vehicles that have a long shelf life and the potential to still be driven over long distances represent growth opportunities for dealers and service centers, thereby propelling automotive aftermarket.
3. Globalization of automotive aftermarket industry
The easy access to the internet and myriad digital marketing platforms has opened a bag full of opportunities for automakers, paving ways for direct marketing and enhancing client service relationships. Many online players have found a taste of success in automotive aftermarket industry by targeting consumers frequently requiring spare parts and new features. Moreover, today’s digital savvy buyers prefer conducting self-research and have an opinion of their own, owing to which they no longer rely solely on sale via retail outlets
A study depicts the top three reasons that a given percentage of consumers visit a manufacturer’s website:
94%—to get product information and details
84%—to check whether a part fits their vehicle
57%—to get installation instructions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lauren Goode / The Verge:
Amazon Echo Look review: useful for taking hands-free photos and it works well with Alexa, but its outfit analysis needs more work and its speaker is subpar
Amazon’s Echo Look does more for Amazon than it does for your style
Clothes are personal
https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/6/15924120/amazon-echo-look-review-camera-clothes-style
Over the past couple of years, Amazon’s connected devices have slowly made their way into the home with increasing levels of boldness and oddity..
Now, it’s all “smart” stuff, and no one is smarter for it all than Amazon.
Using these devices generally means you have not only purchased something from Amazon, but also that Amazon can now gain even deeper knowledge about the things you’re interested in, the things you find intriguing enough to buy, and the things you’re likely to go back and buy again and again. In a lot of ways these virtual assistants are as much about assisting the companies that make them as they are about helping you.
Amazon’s new Echo Look camera is no exception. This $200 hands-free camera doubles as a speaker and runs Alexa, Amazon’s popular voice-controlled assistant. You can talk to it and ask it for the news and ask it to set timers and ask to play music and do almost all the things you would do with Alexa on another Echo device.
But Amazon is taking a fully integrated approach: buy our hardware, use our software, and reap the benefits of our massive e-commerce site and our “you might also like this” algorithms.
The result is a slightly bizarre gadget that works as promised: it takes photos of your outfits, and the photos are nice. But in its first iteration, it serves to do more for Amazon than it does for you.
The Echo Look is a voice-controlled camera that snaps a photo of you, then sends it to an app for immediate judgement
Tomi Engdahl says:
Overnight Hack inspires smart-city innovation in Peterborough
https://www.cambridgenetwork.co.uk/news/overnight-hack-inspires-smart-city-innovation-in-peterboroug185/
The winning team, ‘Park Life’, had travelled up from London to join the event. Their application used ultrasound sensors, built into cars, to locate and measure the availability of on street parking in real-time.
Teams were each provided with a ‘starter kit’ with micro PCs from Raspberry Pi and Arduino, and a range of sensors to help them face their challenges. They were also given access to Allia’s state-of-the-art rapid prototyping facility, the Innovation Lab, one of the UK’s leading IoT facilities, which provided a test environment fitted with a range of LPWAN systems to push their ideas.
‘The kit was great, we had lots of different ideas before settling on ParkLife, and we had everything we needed to make each of them work, there really wasn’t a limit to what you could build.’
The runner up prize went to IO Parking, who used land based sensors to achieve the same effect.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Underwater Robots Learn a New Language, JANUS
https://spectrum.ieee.org/video/telecom/standards/underwater-robots-learn-a-new-language-janus
The new JANUS acoustic signal will connect aquatic robots and sensors into an “Internet of Underwater Things”
Alves and other NATO researchers have established the first international standard for underwater communications. Named JANUS, after the Roman god of gateways, it creates a common protocol for an acoustic signal with which underwater systems can connect.
Acoustics has long been a popular medium for underwater communications. Generally, optical signals could deliver high data rates underwater at distances up to 100 meters, while sound waves covered much greater distances at lower data rates.
The main role of JANUS is to bring today’s acoustic systems into sync with one another. It does this in part by defining a common frequency—11.5 kilohertz—over which all systems can announce their presence. Once two systems make contact through JANUS, they may decide to switch to a different frequency or protocol that could deliver higher data rates or travel further.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A new era of digital underwater communications
http://www.nato.int/cps/bu/natohq/news_143247.htm
The NATO Science and Technology Organization’s Centre for Maritime Research and Experimentation (CMRE, see below for more info) has developed a standard for underwater acoustic communications called JANUS, which is recognised as a NATO standard by all NATO Allies since 24 March 2017. This marks the first time that a digital underwater communication protocol has been acknowledged at international level and opens the way to develop many exciting underwater communication applications.
Adopted globally, JANUS can make military and civilian, NATO and non-NATO devices interoperable, providing them all with a common language with which to communicate and arrange to cooperate.
JANUS has been extensively tested at sea in exercises involving a number of partners (universities, industries and research institutions) covering a range of application scenarios. Close collaboration with NATO Allies has been particularly fruitful in developing JANUS for use in cases that may improve the safety of maritime operations.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Send Slack Alerts With a Staples Easy Button
https://blog.hackster.io/send-slack-alerts-with-a-staples-easy-button-cf865678fbf0
We’ve all seen the Easy Button commercials from Staples, but though that store might make office tasks easier, you have to do more than literally press a button, right?
hacker Nick Sypteras decided to mod one of these buttons into a device that notifies him via Slack
wired in the ESP8266-based Adafruit HUZZAH board, which listens for a button press and sends him a Slack alert over Wi-Fi.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Controlling RGB LED Strip with Google Home
https://www.hackster.io/50822/controlling-rgb-led-strip-with-google-home-4f1685?ref=explore&ref_id=recent___&offset=2
Controlling RGB LED strip with Google Home using api.ai, heroku, phpmyadmin and ESP8266.
already had controlled my RGB led strip mounted to my ceiling using Amazon echo. But hey, who doesn’t wants to control his home with Google home
. To be honest, there is almost no example of doing such thing. Since I used esp8266 with arduino along with an IR led to send signal to my led strip, I had to write the code for everything from scratch.
I wrote a php api that will give color name in json format. My esp8266 was polling from the api for getting the updated color. And again I wrote update api, which will update the color name which was done by my Google home when it received instructions from me.
the first things which I did was to use TSOP1738 and receive the signals coming out from LED remote. I used this library for that : https://github.com/z3t0/Arduino-IRremote
So if my esp8266 gets “red” keyword from my api then it will send the signal “red” cloned from remote to my led strip receiver.
after this I had to make a project in api.ai, create intents and utterances for what user might say, and what intent it would mean. After that I created webhook in heroku, so if any intent is identified, my python code in heroku will then take the actions defined in the intent.
the action will be to go the update api and set the color to red via get request
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why I Think Home Robots Will Become Invisible
http://spectrum.ieee.org/automaton/robotics/home-robots/why-i-think-home-robots-will-become-invisible
How many computers do you own?
If you picked a number close to three (say, laptop, tablet, and smartphone) you’re way off. The answer is probably dozens. There are computers in your car, in your appliances, in your thermostat, and maybe even in your light bulbs. Every year the number goes up.
Today, visible computers are just the slimmest tip of the iceberg. Most computers are hidden away, quietly performing their jobs without you even being aware of the work they do for you. That’s as it should be. You have no interest in the computers themselves, you just want certain tasks done.
Cute, social robots currently get a lot of press, but are these engaging devices early emissaries of our robotic future?
Rather than being front and center, home robots, I believe, will follow computers into the shadows. Why? Because people don’t want robots.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Simon Says Game Using Android Things
https://www.hackster.io/novoda/simon-says-game-using-android-things-165ea2
So we re-made the Simon Says game we created in 2016. This time using Android Things and hardware peripherals rather than a gamepad. Simon Says displays a sequence of colours on four LEDs, which then has to be repeated on four hardware buttons. This was all soldered together onto a prototyping board, including a buzzer to make game sounds to help players audibly distinguish between the patterns.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jason Del Rey / Recode:
Amazon has quietly rolled out free smart home consultation and $99 in-home product installation service in seven markets — The new service is aimed at educating customers about “the smart home” — and, naturally, about Alexa. — For 15 years, Best Buy’s Geek Squad installation …
Amazon is quietly rolling out its own Geek Squad to set up gadgets in your home
The new service is aimed at educating customers about “the smart home” — and, naturally, about Alexa
https://www.recode.net/2017/7/10/15930998/amazon-geek-squad-smart-home-alexa-set-up-installation-consultation
For 15 years, Best Buy’s Geek Squad installation and repair service has served as one key advantage over Amazon that the e-commerce giant seemed unlikely to match.
But over the last few months, Amazon has quietly been hiring an army of in-house gadget experts to offer free Alexa consultations as well as product installations for a fee inside customer homes, multiple sources told Recode, and job postings confirm.
The new offering, which has already rolled out in seven markets without much fanfare, is aimed at helping customers set up a “smart home” — the industry term used to describe household systems like heating and lighting that can be controlled via apps, and increasingly by voice.
Smart-home gadgets make up one of the fastest-growing segments of the consumer electronics industry, but they can be difficult to set up and integrate with each other. That hurdle has led to higher-than-normal return rates, experts say, so Amazon is likely looking at the in-home services as one way to lower that number.
Perhaps more importantly, controlling the smart home by voice is one of the most promising use cases for Alexa, the virtual assistant built into the Echo line of gadgets, which Amazon is betting heavily on. So it’s not totally surprising that Amazon would make the effort to close the education gap for these products by sending its own hires into customer homes.
Amazon is charging $99 for installation services like setting up an Ecobee4 Alexa-enabled smart thermostat
Amazon is also offering free 45-minute “Alexa Smart Home Consultations,”
The new in-home services are currently available in seven markets — Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, San Diego, Los Angeles, San Jose and Orange County, Calif — and appointments can be booked through Amazon.com
It seems as though a large expansion is on the horizon
If Amazon has success with the in-home visits — as of now, 95 percent of the 551 reviews for the free Alexa consultations are rated five stars — you have to wonder what other services Amazon might think up for an employee that customers trust to be in their homes.
Still, Amazon is playing a bit of catch-up. Best Buy’s Geek Squad has been offering free smart-home consultations as well as similarly-priced paid installations. Best Buy also recently announced that it will be offering Alexa and Google Home demos and tutorials in 700 of its stores.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Web of Things Gateway for the Raspberry Pi From Mozilla
https://blog.hackster.io/a-web-of-things-gateway-for-the-raspberry-pi-from-mozilla-77e39b6b5be0
While they might be network enabled, a lot of today’s Internet of Things ‘smart devices’ make use of a variety of protocols and radio stacks—from NFC, to Bluetooth, to Zigbee and Z-Wave—that don’t necessarily allow them to directly connect to the Internet.
So for at least 10 years now there has been a vocal faction arguing that we should settle on the existing web standards and tools as a single unifying substrate for connected devices to talk to one another and the Internet—and to differentiate it from a more general Internet of Things vision this has been dubbed the ‘Web of Things.’
at the tail end of last month it received a boost as the Mozilla Foundation launched their Project Things.
While still in early stages the project launch was accompanied by the release of a Things Gateway, a fully open-source implementation of a Web of Things gateway to help bridge existing Internet of Things devices onto the web. While at the moment the gateway only supports Zigbee and Z-Wave smart plugs, other devices should be supported soon. Built on top of the Raspberry Pi you’ll need a Digi XStick (ZB mesh version) for ZigBee support, and the Aeotec Z-Stick (Gen5) for Z-Wave—although other OpenZWave compatible dongles may also work.
In the future the project also hopes to develop a Things Cloud—a collection of Mozilla-hosted cloud services to help manage a large number of smart devices over a large geographic area
Mozilla have published a draft Web Thing API specification which includes a Web Thing Description format based on JSON and a REST along side a WebSockets Web Thing API.
That means we’re probably always going to need gateway devices, boxes to bridge between local ad-hoc networks that might be using two, or even three, different protocols and the ‘real’ network—the one we’re familiar with, the Internet.
http://iot.mozilla.org/gateway/
Tomi Engdahl says:
ReSpeaker Home Automation
https://www.hackster.io/krvarma/respeaker-home-automation-5b099f
ReSpeaker Home Automation Sample using Arduino MKR1000, Microsoft Cognitive Service Speech API, Api.ai and MQTT
Probably you all heard about ReSpeaker, it is a hackable open hardware voice inteface. It is a development board based on Mediatek’s MT7688 WiFi module and runs on OpenWrt. You an program it using Arduino, Python, Node.js, Lua and C/C++. ReSpeaker also supports various hardware add-ons like Groove Expansion, Microphone Array, etc…
ReSpeaker supports speech recognition using Microsoft Cognitive Service, Amazon Alexa Voice Service, Google Speech API, Wit.ai, Houndify, etc…
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/seeed/respeaker-an-open-modular-voice-interface-to-hack?token=fe8b1f79
Tomi Engdahl says:
Best Product Entry: Open Source Internet of Dosimeter
http://hackaday.com/2017/07/08/hackaday-prize-entry-open-source-iot-dosimeter/
[Radu Motisan] Has entered a cool project into the Best Product portion of this year’s Hackaday Prize. It’s called an Open Source IoT Dosimeter. It has a Geiger tube for detecting radiation levels along with Internet connectivity and a host of other goodies.
Dubbed the KIT1, this IoT dosimeter can be used as a portable radiation detector with its Nokia 5110 LCD as an output or a monitoring station with Ethernet. With its inbuilt speaker, it alerts users to areas with excessive radiation. KIT1 is a fully functioning system with no need for a computer to get readouts, making it very handy and easy to use.
Open Source IOT Platform
https://hackaday.io/project/7935-open-source-iot-platform/
Open-Source, easy to build IOT Dosimeter with sensors and Internet connectivity to centralise data.
Designed for makers, this circuit will provide excellent performance comparable to commercial detectors or better. The extension slot allows adding more sensors.
Intended as open source for those who want to build their own dosimeter with their own tools, this is an IOT device that can take several sensors and have the data centralised online. The readings are accessible via a RESTful API, or by connecting directly to the KIT1 unit, in the local LAN. This is useful when you want to monitor several locations, and plot charts or analyse the data.
By default it comes with a SBM20 tube to measure Gamma radiation and has an extension slot (v1.2.105) to add additional sensors. The code on GITHUB offers support for the Bosch BME280 sensor by default.
With the integrated Ethernet connectivity will send all measurements automatically via the Internet, to the uRADMonitor server, or to any backend you want.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hackaday Prize Entry: Watching Out for Forest Fires
http://hackaday.com/2017/07/09/hackaday-prize-entry-watching-out-for-forest-fires/
Hackaday Prize entrant [Danie Copnradie] lives in South Africa where wildfires are a major problem. Every year, humans and animals are killed, crops are destroyed, and property is lost. The FireBreakNet project aims to deploy wireless environmental sensors that alert farmers, park rangers, and emergency personnel when fires break out.
FireBreakNet
An affordable wireless sensor network that acts as a wildfire early warning system
https://hackaday.io/project/25093-firebreaknet
The FireBreakNet project aims to develop low cost, easily deployable wireless environmental sensors that can provide early warning in the event of veld fires. This would allow farmers, fire fighters and game rangers to respond quickly and efficiently to fires as soon as they start, preventing major damage and loss of life.
Develop a network of wireless sensor nodes that detect when a veld fires start, provide early warning and reduce response time.
Each node would consist of a range of temperature, humidity, gas, particulate and optical sensors that would detect the presence of smoke and/or flames. This combination of sensors would most likely be required for accurate detection. The nodes each connect to a collector via a long range Sub-Ghz radio connection.
Each of the collectors (which can also be sensor nodes) then send their data to the cloud, either through a central hub, or directly via a GSM connection if it is available in the area. Remote end user devices can then view the data from the cloud, and receive fire alerts.
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This project was created on 05/28/2017 and last updated 19 days ago.
Description
Uncontrolled wild fires are a major problem in Southern Africa. These veld fires kill many humans and animals, and destroy infrastructure and tens of thousands of hectares of grazing, crops, and environmentally sensitive areas every year.
The FireBreakNet project aims to develop low cost, easily deployable wireless environmental sensors that can provide early warning in the event of veld fires. This would allow farmers, fire fighters and game rangers to respond quickly and efficiently to fires as soon as they start, preventing major damage and loss of life.
Details
The Problem
Out of control wildfires can be a major problem worldwide, and especially so in my native South Africa. Between 2010 and 2014, a total of 118 952 veld, forest and agricultural fires were reported in South Africa, with estimated financial losses of R 194,653,000 (US $ 15,000,000). There was also a increase in reported incidents of 68% between 2010 and 2014. Although newer statistics are not available, the number of incidents during the drought of 2015-2017 (the worst in decades) will probably be even more shocking. In many cases the causes are unknown, but where it could be determined the top causes were human negligence, arson and lightning.
Fire fighting services are severely lacking in resources and manpower in South Africa, so farmers and farm workers are often left to put out fires themselves, with their own equipment. Farmers often struggle to make ends meet financially and receive little or no help from the government, so the expensive commercially available fire detection systems are simply not a viable solution for most.
Project Goals
Develop a network of wireless sensor nodes that detect when a veld fires start, provide early warning and reduce response time.
If veld fires can be detected early enough while they are still small, they can be extinguished early, thereby preventing major damage to grazing, ecologically sensitive areas and infrastructure and possibly save the lives of people and animals that would have been caught in the path of the fire. The sensors nodes can be deployed easily to vulnerable areas and provide constant environmental monitoring.
To be viable, it would have to meet the following requirements:
Accurate: It must should be able to detect the presence of fire quickly as possible, without giving false alarms
Low Cost: It must be affordable to the people who need it
Easy to deploy: It should not require advanced knowledge or extensive work to deploy and use.
Low power: The system must be able to run on small solar cells and batteries for years at a time.
Rugged: The system will have to endure the harsh African environment for extended periods of time.
Scalable: The system must work for any number of sensors, even for large game reserves that can be tens of thousands of hectares in size.
Basic Concept Overview
Each node would consist of a range of temperature, humidity, gas, particulate and optical sensors that would detect the presence of smoke and/or flames. This combination of sensors would most likely be required for accurate detection. The nodes each connect to a collector via a long range Sub-Ghz radio connection.
Each of the collectors (which can also be sensor nodes) then send their data to the cloud, either through a central hub, or directly via a GSM connection if it is available in the area. Remote end user devices can then view the data from the cloud, and receive fire alerts.
Licenses
Published work for this project licensed under Creative Commons Share-alike 4.0, unless where otherwise specified
Texas Instruments Sensor Tag and Launchpad Terms
Important Notice for TI Designs covering authorized use, intellectual property matters and disclaimers
Sparkfun breakouts licensed under Creative Commons Share-alike 4.0
Adafruit hardware licensed under Creative Commons Share-alike 4.0
TODO
Range tests for Feather and TI modules.
Complete software for testing, integrating all sensors
Test and document power consumption for relevant components
Select appropriate power source.
Design and build modules and base station for field testing.
Deploy prototypes to field to gather baseline environmental data
Expose system to fire conditions to gather data for accurate detection.
User interface and cloud integration
Design and build pre-production prototypes and deploy at different pilot sites during fire season for continued refinement
Components
2 × Adafruit Feather 32u4 RFM95 LoRa ATmega 32u4 MCU Dev board with integrated 868/915 Mhz radio and Lipo charger
1 × Texas Instrument CC1350 SensorTag CC1350 development kit. Integrate Dual Band Sub-Ghz/BLE radio, ARM MCU, 10 on-board sensors
1 × Texas Instrument CC1350 Launchpad CC1350 development kit. Integrate Dual Band Sub-Ghz/BLE radio, ARM MCU
1 × Texas Instruments SensorTag Debugger DevPack Debugger for TI Sensortag
1 × DHT22 Temperature/Humidity Sensor
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tweet The Power Of Lightning!
http://hackaday.com/2017/07/08/tweet-the-power-of-lightning/
How quickly would you say yes to being granted the power to control lightning? Ok, since that has hitherto been impossible, what about the lesser power of detecting and tweeting any nearby lightning strikes?
Tingling at the possibility of connecting with lightning’s awesome power in one shape or another, [Hexalyse] combined AMS’s lightning sensor chip with a Raspberry Pi and a whipped up a spot of Python code to tweet the approach of a potential storm. Trusting the chip to correctly calculate strike data, [Hexalyse]’s detector only tweets at five minute intervals — because nobody likes a spambot — but waits for at least five strikes in a given time frame before announcing that a storm’s-a-brewing.
Raspberry Pi lightning strikes detection station that tweets storm information
https://hexaly.se/2017/06/27/lightning-strikes-detection-station-that-tweets-storm-alerts/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cosmic Array
https://hackaday.io/project/16568-cosmic-array
An array of individual cosmic ray detectors distributed across a landscape to display how cosmic rays arrive as showers of muons.
The aim of this detector project is to deploy many detectors across a park or landscape. So that an observer from a distance or walking amongst them will experience how cosmic rays are all around us and arrive in showers of particles. Each detector will seem to randomly twinkle with colours and sounds that are triggered by cosmic rays.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IuT voltmeter for a breadboard
https://hackaday.io/project/23122-iut-voltmeter-for-a-breadboard
Measure several voltages on a breadboard and display results on a smartphone for less than $10 for parts
MOTIVATION: Conventional digital multimeters (DMMs) are usually quite bulky and inconvenient to use along with a breadboard. In many cases one wants to monitor/observe voltages at several circuit nodes, ideally at the same time. The latter is not possible with a single DMM; re-connecting the DMM lead(s) may affect the existing breadboard connections.
AIM: build an inexpensive IuT voltemeter, which can be easily connected to a breadboard and reports data from several measurement channels through a web server to a smartphone or tablet
- use of inexpensive ESP8266 then ESP8285 modules for implementing both a web server and an access point
- use of ADS1x15 module for voltage measurements
- protect inputs of ADS1x15 from overvoltage with resistors in series (no damage if the voltmeter’s input is connected to a voltage source of up to 50 V)
- rechargable Li-ion battery for powering the device (to be capable of 4 hour operation without recharging it
- ESP82xx is to be programmed in Lua (NodeMCU firmware) for the ease of development and debugging at first; other options may be used to improve operation of the functional design at later stages if desirable
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino – Web-Based Keypad
https://www.hackster.io/khanhhs/arduino-web-based-keypad-80015f?ref=explore&ref_id=recent___&offset=11
We can control everything with this project. In this article, I just display the pressed key on 8×8 LED matrix as an example.
PHPoC PHPoC WiFi Shield for Arduino
https://www.hackster.io/phpoc/products/phpoc-wifi-shield-for-arduino
Tomi Engdahl says:
No coding required: Node-RED on a Raspberry Pi
https://opensource.com/article/17/7/nodered-raspberrypi-hardware?sc_cid=7016000000127ECAAY
Check out this tutorial to see how easy it is to set up hardware flows with Node-RED’s drag-and-drop interface.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoTuesday: Four Impressive IoT Projects
https://www.sparkfun.com/news/2430?utm_content=57346267&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter
find things that are fun or useful that fall under the giant “Internet of Things” umbrella.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Code Sample: Equipment Activity Monitor in Python*
https://software.intel.com/en-us/articles/code-sample-equipment-activity-monitor-in-python?utm_campaign=IHI-IoT-Broad-Q1_17&utm_medium=Syndication&utm_source=Taboola&utm_content=&utm_term=&&utm_term=cbsinteractive-cnet&utm_content=Code+Sample%3A+Equipment+Activity+Monitor+in+Python*
This Equipment Activity Monitor application is part of a series of how-to Internet of Things (IoT) code sample exercises using the Intel® IoT Developer Kit, Intel® Edison board, Intel® IoT Gateway, cloud platforms, APIs, and other technologies.
Equipment Activity Monitor in Python*
https://github.com/intel-iot-devkit/how-to-code-samples/blob/master/equipment-activity-monitor/python/README.md
What it is
Using an Intel® Edison board or Intel® IoT Gateway, this project lets you create a shop-floor equipment activity monitor that:
tracks equipment usage by monitoring sound and vibration sensors.
issues a visual notification whenever the equipment is in use.
logs equipment usage using cloud-based data storage.
How it works
This equipment activity monitor watches for sound and vibration.
If both exceed a defined threshold, it lights up the display to indicate the equipment is in use.
Once the equipment is no longer used, it clears the display.
Optionally, data can be stored using your own Microsoft Azure*, IBM Bluemix*, AT&T M2X*, AWS*, Predix*, or SAP* account.
Hardware requirements
This sample can be used with either the Grove* Transportation and Safety Kit from Seeed Studio*, or else the Starter Kit for Intel® Edison/Galileo from DFRobot*.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ingrid Lunden / TechCrunch:
Samsung quietly acquires Greek text-to-speech startup Innoetics, which also has voice-to-speech tech that replicates voices, for under $50M
Samsung quietly acquires Greek text-to-speech startup Innoetics for under $50M
https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/11/samsung-acquires-greek-text-to-speech-startup-innoetics-for-under-50m/
With the launch of Bixby and reports that Samsung is building its own competitor to Amazon’s Echo, the consumer electronics giant has now made an acquisition that could help power its next generation of voice-powered services.
Samsung has acquired Innoetics, a startup out of Greece that has developed text-to-speech and voice-to-speech technology that can, among other things, listen to a person speaking, train on what that person is saying, and then read out a piece of completely unrelated text in that same voice.
“Samsung has agreed to acquire Innoetics,”
Innoetics had been working primarily on B2B services up to now, with telcos and other businesses using its tech by way of a set of APIs. Innoetics has now posted a note on on the homepage of its website announcing that these B2B services have now been discontinued.
It’s not clear yet what Samsung plans to do with the tech, but according to one person, “it is perfectly suited for consumer services.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
It seems Nokia just cannot deal with software
It seems that software rebranding process is gone wrongly..
Nokia ‘regrets’ Withings health app backlash
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-40555752
Nokia says it is “regrettable” that problems with its Health Mate fitness-tracking app have frustrated users.
Nokia took over health tech firm Withings in 2016 and recently replaced the Withings Health Mate app with a Nokia-branded version.
Health Mate has been downloaded more than one million times from app stores.
But many users have left one-star reviews, saying the new app removed popular features from the Withings version and had technical issues
Before being taken over by Nokia, Withings made internet-connected health products such as weighing scales and air quality monitors, which provided data for the Health Mate app
“Nokia took over and totally trashed the Withings app in one swoop,” one user, Tony, told the BBC.
“This version is a huge degradation in functionality. This is not why I bought this smart scale.”
Nokia told the BBC the Withings Health Mate app had been replaced as part of a transition of Withings products “to the Nokia brand”.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hey Mycroft, Where Is the International Space Station?
https://www.hackster.io/gov/hey-mycroft-where-is-the-international-space-station-5f2f04?ref=explore&ref_id=trending___&offset=1
Mycroftt Skill ISS Location – tested with Picroft 0.8
This repository contains all the files needed to implement this SKill on Myrcoft
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Smarten” Your RGB Flood Lights with an ESP8266 Module
https://blog.hackster.io/smarten-your-rgb-flood-lights-with-an-esp8266-module-9ae5e11b7fee
After purchasing RGB flood lights — which are normally controlled with an IR remote—from Amazon, hacker Thomas Porter decided to upgrade them with smartphone connectivity. After opening them up, he realized that all he had to do was hijack the signals going to each RGB light and implement PWM control.
To accomplish this, he wired in an ESP8266 module
He’s using an MQTT server in the form of openHAB for control, meaning that integration with Alexa or Google Home is quite easy.
Hijack RGB Flood Light With Arduino or ESP8266
http://www.instructables.com/id/Hijack-RGB-Flood-Light-With-Arduino-or-ESP8266/
Tomi Engdahl says:
HeartyPatch
https://www.crowdsupply.com/protocentral/heartypatch
An open-source, connected ECG patch for the open hearted
This project is coming soon.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nick Statt / The Verge:
Report: Amazon is considering giving Alexa developers access to transcripts of what people say when their applications are used
Amazon may give app developers access to Alexa audio recordings
A substantial shift in Amazon’s stance on consumer privacy
https://www.theverge.com/2017/7/12/15960596/amazon-alexa-echo-speaker-audio-recordings-developers-data
Amazon is considering granting third-party app developers access to transcripts of audio recordings saved by Alexa-powered devices, according to a report from The Information today. The change would be aimed at enticing developers to continue investing in Alexa as a voice assistant platform, by giving those app makers more data that could help improve their software over time. Amazon’s goal, according to The Information, is to stay competitive with more recent entrants in the smart speaker market, like Apple and Google.
“When you use a skill, we provide the developer the information they need to process your request. We do not share customer identifiable information to third-party skills without the customer’s consent,” an Amazon spokesperson told The Verge. “We do not share audio recordings with developers.”
Facing New Rivals, Amazon May Open Up Alexa Data for Developers
https://www.theinformation.com/facing-new-rivals-amazon-may-open-up-alexa-data-for-developers
Amazon.com is mulling a far-reaching policy change that would give Alexa developers access to raw transcripts of what people say when using Alexa applications, said three people familiar with the matter.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lauren Thomas / CNBC:
Amazon Prime Day drove record levels of Prime sign-ups and sales, with sales growing 60% YoY; the Echo Dot was the most popular purchase among Prime members — – Prime Day sales this year surpassed Amazon’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the e-commerce giant says.
Amazon Prime Day breaks record; sales grew by more than 60 percent
http://www.cnbc.com/2017/07/12/amazon-prime-day-breaks-record-event-grew-by-more-than-60-percent.html
Prime Day sales this year surpassed Amazon’s Black Friday and Cyber Monday, the e-commerce giant says.
It says sales grew by more than 60 percent from 2016.
A “record number” of Prime members shopped across 13 countries, Amazon says; The most popular purchase was the Echo Dot.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rich Woods / Neowin:
Amazon updates Fire TVs and Fire Sticks allowing users to control them via Alexa-enabled devices such as Echo or Echo Dot
You can now use Alexa devices to control your Fire TV
https://www.neowin.net/news/you-can-now-use-alexa-devices-to-control-your-fire-tv
Amazon is rolling out a software update for its family of Fire TV set-top boxes and sticks, which allows users to control them via an Alexa-enabled device, such as an Echo or Echo Dot. The version number will either be Fire OS 5.2.4.1 or 5.2.4.2, depending on which device you’re using.
According to the changelog, you can use it for playback commands such as play, pause, rewind, etc., but you can also use it to open apps and search Amazon’s library of movies and TV shows. You’ll first need to pair the two devices through the Alexa app.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Megan Rose Dickey / TechCrunch:
Apple debuts HomeKit smart home experiences in retail stores worldwide to show off controlling various product like the Philips Hue light bulb with Home app
Apple unveils smart home experiences in its retail stores worldwide
https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/12/apple-unveils-smart-home-experiences-in-its-retail-stores-worldwide/
Unless you’ve had a chance to try some Apple HomeKit products in someone’s home or apartment, it can be hard to understand how it all works. In order to help with that, Apple has unveiled interactive HomeKit experiences in 46 of its retail stores worldwide.
Now, when you go into Apple’s new retail stores, you’ll be able to use the Home app from either an Apple Watch, iPhone or iPad to control devices like the Philips Hue light bulb, the Hunter ceiling fan and many others. If you tap to lower the shades in the living room, for example, you’ll see the shades lower in the house shown on the screen.
For those unfamiliar with Apple’s move into automation, Apple’s Home app lets people control all of their HomeKit-enabled smart devices from one app. You can group together certain HomeKit devices in the app to create or edit a new scene. Doing so enables you to activate multiple devices with one command — either a tap of the screen or via Siri.
By offering HomeKit experiences inside retail stores, Apple is bringing the experience I had inside that house to its physical retail stores in order to better familiarize everyday people with the capabilities of HomeKit. And with the HomePod smart speaker set to debut in December — going up against Amazon’s Echo and Google’s Home devices — Apple is clearly looking to put a greater emphasis on the role it can play in your home.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Turn Raspberry Pi into an Amazon Echo with $49 pi-topPULSE
http://www.zdnet.com/article/turns-raspberry-pi-into-an-amazon-echo-with-pi-toppulse/
UK firm pi-top has released a new Raspberry Pi add-on gadget with built-in speaker, microphone and LED matrix.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Raspberry Shake 4D- Detect earthquakes & “invisible” motion!
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1158786437/raspberry-shake-4d-detect-earthquakes-and-invisibl/description
The Raspberry Shake 4D gives people like you the ability to truly observe unseen vibrations that happen all around, as well as the big ones that really shake things up. These Earth movements affect us all in some way or another, the more serious ones hitting the news with increasing frequency. These movements are no longer limited to just “natural” movements such as sinkholes, landslides and earthquakes. Human factors are becoming increasingly more apparent with quarry explosions, nuclear blast testing, deep well waste water injection and fracking, processes that have impacted many of our friends and relatives directly.
Until now, only government institutions with deep pockets could afford to monitor earthquakes. This all changed with the introduction of Raspberry Shake.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Logitech’s Harmony Alexa skill now simplifies home theater voice control
https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/13/logitechs-harmony-alexa-skill-now-simplifies-home-theater-voice-control/?utm_source=tcfbpage&sr_share=facebook
Logitech has updated the Alexa skill for its Harmony line of universal remotes, making it very easy to control your home theater with your voice if you have an Echo, Echo Dot, Echo Show or Dash Wand.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazon Alexa and Echo chief Mike George is leaving after nearly two decades with the company
https://www.geekwire.com/2017/amazon-exec-charge-alexa-echo-leaving-nearly-two-decades/
Mike George, the Amazon vice president who oversaw two of the company’s most successful products — the Alexa virtual assistant and Echo smart devices — is leaving after nearly two decades with the Seattle-based tech giant.
George’s LinkedIn profile now lists him as “retired” with one of the nerdiest farewell messages ever: a long post in binary code that translates to, “Retired from Amazon after ~20 years. Loved every minute. Not checking out, just changing the game :-)”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sneak Thieves Beware: A Pi Watcheth
http://hackaday.com/2017/07/13/sneak-thieves-beware-a-pi-watcheth/
Ever have that strange feeling that somebody is breaking into your workshop? Well, Hackaday.io user [Kenny] has whipped up a tutorial on how to scratch that itch by turning a spare Raspberry Pi you may have kicking around into a security camera system that notifies you at a moment’s notice.
The system works like this: a Raspberry Pi 3 and connected camera module remain vigilant, constantly scanning for motion and recording video. If motion is detected, it immediately snaps and sends a picture to the user’s mobile via PushBullet, then begins recording video. If there is still movement after a few seconds, the process repeats until the area is once again devoid of motion. This also permits a two-way communication with your Pi security system, so you can check in on the live feed whenever you feel the urge.
setup requires setting up a PushBullet account as well as installing it on your mobile and linking it with an API. For your Pi, you can go ahead with setting up some Python PushBullet libraries, installing FFmpeg, Pi Camera Notifier, and others. Or, install the ready-to-go image
Build a Camera Alert Application With RaspberryPi
https://hackaday.io/project/25112-build-a-camera-alert-application-with-raspberrypi
How to build a simple application that detects motion and sends notification to the your smart phone using raspberry pi and camera Module.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The first smart meter with the new 4G technology
Portugal has now taken an important first step when introducing the first NB-IoT intelligence meter.
The case is NOS operator and Huawei. A new u-Blox is delivered to the modem’s new device. The meter can not only monitor consumption but also analyze the state of the power grid, companies say.
NB-IoT is an extension to 3GPP specifications for 4G-frequency connections. It works on a 180 kHz channel across the 4G data. The technology is well suited for connections where data transfer is enough for a hundred kilobytes per second occasionally.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/6568-ensimmainen-alymittari-uudella-4g-tekniikalla
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jet.com is installing Latch access systems in 1,000 NYC apartment buildings for easier deliveries
https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/13/jet-com-is-installing-latch-access-systems-in-1000-nyc-apartment-buildings-for-easier-deliveries/?ncid=rss&utm_source=tcfbpage&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&utm_content=FaceBook&sr_share=facebook
Jet, the online retailer bought by Walmart last year, has struck a deal with smart access provider Latch in an effort to make deliveries easier for its customers in urban areas.
Over 100,000 residents living in 1,000 buildings will get free and full access to Latch’s residential “R” system for the exterior door of their building
This means residents can use their phone as a key, grant access to guests without walking downstairs and of course get packages delivered safely without being home. Building managers can also use Latch’s system to grant access to trusted delivery providers like USPS at their discretion
To be clear, this is a marketing partnership and not an operational one. There won’t be any significant integrations with Jet’s backend, besides the startup knowing if you live in a Latch building and prompting you to take advantage of this
And as anyone that lives in a city knows, if you don’t have a doorman or smart access system it’s basically impossible to receive packages to your house.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Siri usage and engagement dropped since last year, as Alexa and Cortana grew
https://techcrunch.com/2017/07/11/siri-usage-and-engagement-dropped-since-last-year-as-alexa-and-cortana-grew/?ncid=rss&utm_source=tcfbpage&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&utm_content=FaceBook&sr_share=facebook
Siri remains the most popular virtual assistant with 41.4 million monthly active users in the U.S., according to a new report from measurement firm Verto Analytics out this morning, but it has seen a 15 percent decline since last year
Meanwhile, Amazon Alexa usage has been skyrocketing – jumping 325 percent in monthly active users – that is, from 0.8 million to 2.6 million monthly users
Cortana has seen an increase as well, growing from 0.2 million monthly users in the U.S. to 0.7 million, or a 350 percent increase.
Overall, the study found that phone-based personal assistants, Siri and Samsung’s S-Voice, are declining in popularity, while those associated with voice computing in the home, like Alexa and Google Home’s mobile app, are growing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Turn any Linux-based device into your own Amazon Echo.
How to Add Alexa to a Raspberry Pi
https://www.hackster.io/devicehive/how-to-add-alexa-to-a-raspberry-pi-1aa7f7
Voice assistants have definitely become a trend, with options like Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa, and Apple’s Siri. What really differs them from each other is their ecosystems, and this is where Amazon Alexa shines the most.
Amazon provides the API for using its voice service, Alexa. Integrating custom devices with it allows you to bring the full Amazon Echo functionality to those devices and open a wide range of opportunities both for DIY/PoC and enterprise solutions.
DataArt developed an open solution that allows turning any Linux-based device into an Amazon Echo device.
https://github.com/devicehive/AlexaDevice/releases/tag/v1.1
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smart Gates
https://www.hackster.io/swink/smart-gates-810cf0
This project was created in order to automate the process of driving cars through gates, barriers, etc. using Raspberry Pi + Telegram.
The principle of operation:
The car drives up to the gates.
Camera reads the car plate numbers.
Checks the read number with the database; if it finds one, then it opens the gate and lets the car pass.
Each car at the gates is photographed, then a photo is sent to the Telegram application with the car plate number and its status.
Telegram bot has the ability to open and close the gates, take a current photo and add an unknown car to the database.
It’s done with OpenCV + Python + Bash + Telegram Bot.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Entrance Master Remote (w/ Raspberry Pi)
https://www.hackster.io/naran-inc/entrance-master-remote-w-raspberry-pi-558214?ref=explore&ref_id=recent___&offset=6
Build a remote control that triggers all your smart home automation workflows based on a scenario system.
In a very simple and inexpensive way, you can create a DIY remote that will trigger all your favorite appliances, lights and devices by setting up pre-organized scenarios based on your daily needs. The main place of transition of your house is your doorstep, where you leave/enter your house, the place where you go from one scenario to another. That’s why we decided to create a master remote control installed right at the entrance of your smart home so that you can tell what you want to your home right when passing its threshold.
Step 2: SET UP PROTA OS ON YOUR RASPBERRY PI IN 15 MINUTES
Prota OS can be downloaded for free on https://prota.info/prota/pi/. It’s only 3.8GB and easy to burn on a SD card (make sure to use a 16GB card).
Step 3: CREATE YOUR SMART BUTTONS ON YOUR BREADBOARD AND CONNECT TO PROTA PI
Step 4: CONNECT YOUR RF SOCKETS AND SET THEM UP
You need two things for this step: RF sockets and an RF transceiver module with an antenna.
Step 6: TURN YOUR OLD WEBCAM INTO a SMART CAM + SET UP a TELEGRAM BOT
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sensly HAT for Raspberry Pi Air Quality & Gas Detector
https://www.hackster.io/altitude-tech/sensly-hat-for-raspberry-pi-air-quality-gas-detector-723aa2?ref=explore&ref_id=recent___&offset=4
Sensly is a portable pollution sensor capable of detecting the pollution levels in the air using its onboard gas sensors.
This information can be fed directly to your smartphone for real-time push notification updates. Sensly uses industrial sensors that assure an accurate reading of the office, home, or work environment. Being aware of this data helps you to take action and bring the pollution levels down around you.
We’ve developed the Sensly Hat for the Raspberry Pi. Initially launched on Kickstarter
There are a few ways to do this, first you can download the Raspbian image here . This will be preconfigured to work. Secondly, you can download the install script from https://github.com/Altitude-Tech/Sensly_Install
Now we need to calibrate the Gas Sensors to be able to calculate the PPM. To do this we need to put the Sensly HAT in a clean air environment.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Non-Intrusive Load Identification for Smart Outlets
http://www.ecs.umass.edu/~irwin/nili.pdf
One problem with the pervasive deployment of smart
outlets is that users must currently identify the specific device
plugged into each meter, and then manually update the outlets
meta-data in software whenever a new device is plugged into
the outlet. Correct meta-data is important in both interpreting
historical outlet energy data and using the data for building
management. To address this problem, we propose
Non-Intrusive
Load Identification
(NILI), which
automatically
identifies the
device attached to a smart outlet without any human intervention.
In particular, in our approach to NILI, we identify an intuitive
and simple-to-compute set of features from time-series energy
data and then employ well-known classifiers. Our results achieve
accuracy of over 90% across 15 device types on outlet-level energy
traces collected from multiple real homes.
We propose an approach to performing
NILI that transforms energy time-series data into a compact
set of intuitive features, then uses an off-the-shelf classifier to
identify unknown devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Building Your Own Voice Assistant Is Getting Simpler and More Affordable
https://blog.hackster.io/building-your-own-voice-assistant-is-getting-simpler-and-more-affordable-bdc6ab7c8998
Over the last couple of months we’ve seen a number of third party developer kits for Amazon’s Alexa Voice Service. Ranging from rather expensive options to somewhat less expensive ones, along with others kits aimed directly at pro makers and manufacturers wanting to evaluate new chips before building their product around them and Amazon’s Alexa.