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 Forecast of 50 Billion Devices by 2020 Is Outdated.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:
NXP Seeks ‘Edge’ vs. Intel, Cavium
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332402&
TOKYO — As the lines begin to blur between cloud and edge computing, NXP Semiconductors is racing to offer the highest performance SoC of the company’s Layerscape family.
The new chip, LX2160A, can offload heavy-duty computing done at data centers in the cloud, enabling the middle of the network — typically, service operators — to execute network virtualization and run high-performance network applications on network equipment such as base stations.
Toby Foster, senior product manager for NXP, told us that his team developed the new high-performance chip with three goals in mind. They sought first to enable new types of virtualization in the network, second to achieve new heights of integration and performance at low power featuring next-generation I/Os, and third, to double the scale of virtual network functions and crypto, compared to NXP’s previous Layerscape SoC (LS2088A), while maintaining low power consumption.
Specifically, the LX2160A features 16 high-performance ARM Cortex-A72 cores running at over 2 GHz at 20- to 30-watt. It supports both the 100 Gbit/s Ethernet and PCIe Gen4 interconnect standards.
Why edge computing?
The industry, including NXP, tends to view edge processing as the driver for the next phase of networking, computing and IoT infrastructure growth.
By moving workloads from the cloud to the edge, operators will suffer less latency while gaining resiliency and bandwidth reliability, explained Foster.
Bob Wheeler, principal analyst responsible for networking at the Linley Group, told us, “In some cases, such as content delivery networks, the transition from the cloud to the edge is already happening.” He predicted, “Mobile edge computing will primarily happen in conjunction with 5G rollouts starting in 2019.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
EE Times Radio IoT in Security: More At Risk Than You Can Afford to Lose
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1332408&
IoT Security is a concern with a solution waiting to happen. Join us for EE Times Radio show in this episode of Engineering the Internet of Things. Our guest is Leigh-Anne Galloway, Cyber Security Resilience Lead at Positive Technologies.
It’s clear that the Internet of Things is completely changing the way we interact with technology. Today, your cell phone can remember where you parked your car and even suggest when you should leave to arrive on time for your next appointment. This synergy between function and highly detailed data collection enables greater intelligence and more advanced autonomous capabilities. For example, vineyards can automatically monitor crops to make sure grapes are getting the right amount of water. Similarly, smart factories can track inventory as it goes through the production line. The result is substantial gains in efficiency while driving down operating costs.
Oh, and a whole mess of security issues.
Tomi Engdahl says:
It’s easy to ignore the fact that connecting devices to the Internet exposes your entire IoT ecosystem to the risk of being hacked. That is, until your own IoT network is compromised. Then you get to see the impact on your bottom line and your company’s reputation firsthand.
Source: https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1332408&
Tomi Engdahl says:
Let’s Talk About Securing The Industrial Internet of Things
https://semiengineering.com/lets-talk-about-securing-the-industrial-internet-of-things-iiot/
Increased deployment has made IIoT infrastructure an attractive target for attacks.
What is the IIoT?
Objects, sensors, actuators and controllers that were once designed for stand-alone operation are now increasingly connected by means of intelligent software and networks – forming the basis of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT). To be sure, GE defines the IIoT as “a network of a multitude of devices connected by communications technologies that results in systems that can monitor, collect, exchange, analyze, and deliver valuable new insights.”
The IIoT spans multiple industries including power and energy, oil and gas, manufacturing, chemical plants, healthcare, and aviation. As expected, the widespread global deployment of IIoT infrastructure has provided an attractive platform for targeted attacks by cyber criminals and other unscrupulous operators.
Attacks against IIoT infrastructure
Attacks against IIoT devices and infrastructure may be motivated by a number of factors such as corporate espionage or sabotage, financial gain (ransomware), political activism, or personal grievances. It is important to emphasize that an attack executed by a state or terrorist group against a sensitive IIoT target could potentially have a wider environmental impact than anticipated.
For example, in 2016 malicious attackers digitally infiltrated the Kemuri Water Company (KWC) using SQL injection and phishing techniques (note: the real company name has been withheld by Verizon). According to various media reports, the hack exposed KWC’s aging AS/400-based operational control system, with login credentials for the AS/400 stored on the front-end web server.
This system – connected to the internet – managed programmable logic controllers (PLCs) that regulated the valves and ducts controlling the flow of water and chemicals. As Gartner’s Susan Moore confirms, the attackers managed to alter the levels of chemicals used to treat tap water, threatening the health and safety of affected citizens.
Cyber threats are primarily aimed at industrial control systems (ICS) such as distributed control systems (DCS), PLCs, supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) systems and human machine interfaces (HMI). Typical vulnerabilities include unsecured remote access, inadequate firewalls and an inadequate lack of network segmentation.
Securing the IIoT
More specifically, IIoT infrastructure should be protected by a comprehensive security solution (device-to-cloud) that does not disrupt operations, service reliability or profitability. A practical and simple, yet secure solution that can be easily and widely adopted by IIoT operators and their respective services is more effective than a ‘super solution’ that fails to gain serious traction. Such a solution should include the following capabilities:
Firmware integrity and secure boot: Secure boot utilizes cryptographic code signing techniques, ensuring that a device only executes code generated by the device OEM or another trusted party.
Mutual authentication: Every time a smart actuator in the manufacturing floor connects to the network it should be authenticated prior to receiving or transmitting data.
Secure communication (end-to-end encryption): Protecting data in transit between a device and its service infrastructure (the cloud).
Security monitoring and analysis: Capturing data on the overall state of the system, including endpoint devices and connectivity traffic. This data is then analyzed to detect possible security violations or potential system threats.
Scalable and agnostic: The Industrial IoT is still at a relatively nascent stage. As services mature and evolve, OEMs will modify their respective devices accordingly.
In conclusion, the increased deployment of IIoT infrastructure has created an attractive target for cyber criminals and other unscrupulous operators.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Security: Technology Is Only One Part Of The Equation
https://semiengineering.com/iot-security-technology-is-only-one-part-of-the-equation/
A comprehensive security strategy is necessary to protect against damaging breaches.
Survey after survey on the adoption of the IoT punctuates that security and data privacy continue to be the top concerns with any new implementation.
It used to be that security was all about protecting data (business, personal ID, etc.), but as more devices are connected to the IoT, security concerns reach far beyond just the value inherent in the data. According to Gartner, nearly 5.5 million “things” are connected to the Internet each day. It’s no surprise then with an ever-expanding universe of connected devices, cyber criminals are having a field day when it comes to threats, breaches, and all out cyber attacks.
Today we have hackers whose sole directive is to gather data to hold as ransom or to incriminate innocent bystanders caught in the crosshairs.
Much has been written about IoT security and the various types of attacks that occur these days; whether it’s through the software via a DDoS attack, through a network via an exposed node or hub, or a physical attack that exploits a CAN bus, SCADA, or other pieces of hardware. Side channel attacks are also on the increase, where hackers rely on weak authentication and security layers to enter an IoT system.
A strategy around security
Security is one of the toughest challenges within IIoT system development today. A comprehensive strategy can save businesses from having to pay costs associated with a security breach as well as preventing embarrassment or a damaged public reputation. Quite simply, the more systems connected to enterprise and cloud infrastructures, the more devices are exposed to security risks and vulnerabilities.
What is the process?
A security strategy incorporates the latest technologies and intelligently selects the right products to use within the IoT infrastructure. But it doesn’t stop there. Simply having the technology in place is not enough.
Today, the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) publishes a multitude of consensus-based international standards for the electrotechnology sector. For example, the IEC has designated IEC 62443 as a series of standards related to securing Industrial Automation and Control Systems.
For developers, following a defined process from concept through post-deployment is of paramount importance. As devices are defined, security/threat profiles should also be defined. Requirements should reflect those attack vectors and QA should develop a test strategy, test plan, and test cases to ensure those defined vulnerabilities are accounted for. The complexity of this testing can range from simple static code analysis to the extreme case of validation using formal methods.
Once a device is deployed, there is a strong likelihood that latent vulnerabilities will be discovered in your device. These vulnerabilities could be due to newly-discovered software defects, vestiges from development like leaving a debug port open, or it could even be baked into your hardware. Businesses must hope for the best, but plan for the worst; they must plan ahead and define the processes for handling these vulnerabilities.
Security processes must also extend beyond your immediate business, and appropriate considerations should be given to your entire supply chain.
As the threat and modes of cyber attacks continue to grow, businesses should consider staffing a cyber security team, a team trained in security whose sole job is to focus on the technologies that secure IoT products.
Cybersecurity Framework published by the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST).
From the software development perspective, at Mentor we have a dedicated team of security professionals who constantly monitor security sites such as US-CERT for security vulnerabilities.
The technology itself
When building a device, it should be trustworthy and the software that runs on it needs to be authentic. Establishing a software chain of trust begins at the root level (the hardware) and flows up to the application layer. Within my world of embedded systems, vendors in the supply chain often talk about the technologies of securing data in rest, or secure storage; securing data in use, known as secure processing; and securing data in motion, or secure networking.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Functional Safety Issues Rising
https://semiengineering.com/functional-safety-issues-rising/
Cost and time spent in simulation and test grow as more chips are developed for automotive, industrial and medical markets.
Developing semiconductors for safety-critical markets such as automotive, industrial and medical involves a growing list of extra steps that need to be taken pre- and post-manufacturing to ensure product integrity, reliability and security.
This is causing several significant changes:
• Designs are becoming much more complicated because they require such features as failover and redundancy.
• Designs are undergoing multiple changes prior to production because specifications and standards are either still in development or constantly being updated.
• Systems involving functional safety are becoming much more expensive because the cost of verifying, testing and manufacturing these devices is going up.
Tomi Engdahl says:
What’s Next for the IoT?
Industrial IoT now dominates the market, but confusion is still rampant in all sectors.
https://semiengineering.com/whats-next-for-the-iot/
The Internet of Things continues to evolve, attempting to overcome its poor reputation for cybersecurity and making the case for wider adoption, especially by enterprises. Consumer IoT, largely represented in smart-home automation, remains a market being targeted by Amazon, Apple, Google, LG Electronics, Samsung Electronics, and other technology titans.
The big bucks are in Industrial IoT, though. That market has attracted AT&T, IBM, Microsoft, Oracle, Verizon Communications, and hundreds of startups. Some of those startups, such as C3 IoT and Uptake Technologies, have achieved “unicorn” status and attracted significant investments. The Chicago-based Uptake is a shining example of the industry transition from platform-as-a-service business models to software-as-a-service.
Many of the savvier startups are adding artificial intelligence and machine learning to their technology portfolios, complementing their IoT focus.
Ron Lowman, strategic marketing manager for IoT at Synopsys, points to the development of the Industrial IoT, machine learning, audio technology, and voice recognition/processing as important trends in IoT. He notes that connectivity is the big trend in the IoT market and in IoT technology.
“Industrial IoT has been a big conversation piece,” he says. “It’s really moving out of what was smart home last year. There’s now a lot more smart farming, smart industry, smart streetlights – things that have been around, but now they’re becoming a reality. ”
Standards and issues
Complete does not mean perfect, though. The Industrial IoT platform markets are seeing “clashes” among information technology, operational technology, and IoT-focused providers, notes Emil Berthesen, a principal analyst at Machina Research/Gartner. “End-users are experiencing the challenge of moving from proof-of-concept and pilots to scaled implementations.”
Security
One of the biggest problems involves security. When devices are standalone, security requires a physical breach. Once they are connected to the Internet, they can be attacked remotely.
“The IoT is scary wherever you look at it because of the damage that can be done,” said Asaf Ashkenazi, senior director of product management in Rambus‘ Security Division.
Segmenting markets
When the IoT first began making headlines, most analysts and companies described the IoT as a single market. That’s no longer the case.
Berthesen sees three distinct IoT platform markets emerging—industrial, commercial, and consumer. There are also new architectural developments with edge computing/networking technologies. And there are new ways of using technology that never existed before.
AI, machine learning
AI and machine learning startups are drawing the most interest from venture capitalists, and that potentially will have a big impact on the IoT.
“How much of this stuff is real, and how much of this stuff is still basically a giant science project?” asks Jeff Smith, CEO of Arago US. “The real question is how much of this is real in addressing a business problem in a way that today we can’t. There are two ways to think about this. One is AI is a science project, the other is a game-changer. The question for the customer is, ‘Which do I want? Am I interested in a science project to learn, but I don’t really have an appetite or understanding or a risk profile that lets me take on doing something with this if it works? Or am I looking for a game-changer because I have a significant economic or operational business opportunity? I need to fix that opportunity and to address it at speed. And I need something that will commit differently from what my competition can do. Can AI help me with that?’”
The future
What still isn’t clear with the IoT is how all of the platforms will mesh, though. All of the big companies have their own platforms, and startups generally begin from scratch in designing their IoT platforms. There are similarities, but few industry standards in this area, although the Industrial Internet Consortium is now partnering with the oneM2M IoT standards initiative.
“Of course, not all of them will survive,” says Synopsys’ Lowman. “The thing about these platforms is everybody wanted to have these to give customers time-to-market. But what people are starting to identify is that these things need to do much more than identify quicker time-to-market. They actually have to provide some differentiating features in their end-product.”
Most market observers say it’s still early days for the Internet of Things, and the challenges in the field, such as cybersecurity and power will be ironed out over time. But at least for now, there is still enough churn under the IoT umbrella to make international growth opportunities difficult to assess.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Who cares that we no longer have privacy?
https://www.edn.com/electronics-blogs/measure-of-things/4458888/Who-cares-that-we-no-longer-have-privacy-
They know where you are. They know where your car is parked. They know who you’re with. They know your credit rating. If they don’t already, they’ll soon know your pulse rate, whether or not you’re awake, and someday even your electro-encephalogram (EEG).
Whether or not you care probably depends on who has the information and how they’ll use it. Pick your bogeyman—the government, huge corporations, your life/health/car insurance company, your bank, your spouse’s private investigator—they can all get your information.
I leave my cell phone’s GPS positioning turned off. Still, if I’m connected to WiFi or in a well-covered area, Verizon and those who hack it can triangulate base stations and isolate me to within a block. If I’m out in the sticks, the least they know is the time I was last near a base. In any case, they know where you’ve parked.
Police surveillance cameras all but cover the United Kingdom. There are far fewer in the US, but those deployed by companies and home owners make up the difference; most store entrances have them, every ATM machine has at least one, most public transportation has them (and some even function!).
Every person packs biometric signatures—fingerprints, retina, voice, scent, walking gait, and the ultimate: your connectome—and we’re surrounded by devices with microphones and cameras that may or may not be active. Most microphones are active all the time, if only to catch their interrupt phrase—”Ok Google?,” “Alexa?,” “Hey Siri”—or at least that’s what your-most-feared-bogeyman would have you believe, but they analyze every sound.
Always assume that you’re being watched.
That sentence might send chills down your spine, especially if you’re an old geezer who thinks that going incognito is the best way to go.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Door Lock with RFID and Mobile App Access
https://hackaday.io/project/27323-a-door-lock-with-rfid-and-mobile-app-access
Door Lock which can be controlled using RFID tags and Mobile Application using REST API backend Developed on a Raspberry Pi zero(W)
After Having 5 cups of coffee on a weekend while working and watching my mother run to the door every time to open the door for some one visiting us.The thought crossed my mind that what if she never had to run to the Door and she could just open the door with her mobile or when she goes out for some shopping and comes back what if she could just enter the home as we do in office with our RFID Access.
I thought of Making a Door Lock which could be operated using a Mobile Application, RFID key fobs and buttons too. Having no Experience with hardware i looked up the internet how to do that and found this hardware called as Raspberry Pi got them ordered and started working on it and after 2 months after a lot of hickups by amazon and my busy work schedule i have the lock ready which works but still needs some work to make it perfect!
The Circuit Diagram and Code is available in this Article. The code is available on GitHub
Tomi Engdahl says:
Review: New 3G and Cat-M1 Cellular Hardware from Hologram
https://hackaday.com/2017/10/05/review-new-3g-and-cat-m1-cellular-hardware-from-hologram/
In July we reported on the launch of the Hologram developer program that offered a free SIM card and a small amount of monthly cellular data for those who wanted to build connectivity into their prototypes. Today, Hologram has launched some new hardware to go along with that program.
Nova is a cellular modem in a USB thumb drive form factor. It ships in a little box with a PCB that hosts the u-blox cellular module, two different antennas, a plastic enclosure, and a SIM card. The product is aimed at those building connected devices around single-board computers, making it easy to plug Nova in and get connected quickly.
This device that Hologram sent me is a 3G modem. They have something like 1,000 of them available to ship starting today, but what I find really exciting is that there is another flavor of Nova that looks the same but hosts a Cat-M1 version of the u-blox module. This is a Low Power Wide Area Network technology built on the LTE network. We’ve seen 2G and 3G modems available for some time now, but if go that route you’re building a product around a network which has an end-of-life concern.
Cat-M1 will be around for much longer and it is designed to be low power and utilizes a narrower bandwidth for less radio-on time.
AVERAGE current consumption comparisons:
Cat-M1: as low as 100 mA while transmitting and never more than 190 mA
Equivalent 3G: as high as 680 mA while transmitting
PEAK current consumption comparisons (these are typically filtered through capacitors so the power supply doesn’t ever witness these values, and they are only momentary):
Cat-M1: Less than 490 mA
Equivalent 3G: As high as 1550 mA
This is an exciting development because we haven’t yet seen LTE radios available for devices — of course there are hotspots but those are certainly not optimized for low power or inclusion in a product. But if you know your ESP8266 WiFi specs you know that those figures above put Cat-M1 on a similar power budget and in the realm of battery-operated devices.
Hologram Isn’t a Hardware Company
I think the engineers at Hologram straight-up told me at one point that Hologram isn’t a hardware company. Their focus is on a cell network that covers the globe and the coordination tools necessary to deploy a hardware network on it. Their approach is that of an MVNO. In the same way that Google Fi enables you to take a single phone and SIM card just about anywhere in the world and have it just work, Hologram wants your single hardware modem and SIM to do the same.
Is this the solution that cell-connected hardware developers have been waiting for? Imagine you are developing a product to track shipping pallets. It wakes up and squawks some logged data to the cell network from time to time. Wherever it is, your network agreement is already solved and not locked to a single network provider.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Open-source hardware files for various Hologram boards
https://github.com/hologram-io/hologram-hardware
Tomi Engdahl says:
Mattel’s Internet-of-kiddies’-Things Aristotle canned before release
Philosopher, stoned
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/10/06/mattels_internetofkiddiesthings_aristotle_canned_before_release/
Mattel’s Aristotle, a kid’s-Alexa-only-more-creepy, won’t get the chance to invade children’s bedrooms after all: the company’s cancelled it.
CTO Sven Gerjets didn’t tell the Washington Post why the product did not “fully align with Mattel’s new technology strategy”, only that the decision was made after he reviewed the product.
At CES in January, the Aristotle was received as “your plastic pal who’s fun to be with”, described variously as “the most exciting thing toymaker Mattel has ever produced” because it could “read your children bedtime stories”, an “AI to help raise your child”.
We felt it was creepy at the time, and so did the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood, which raised 15,000 signatures warning Mattel of privacy and childhood development concerns.
Mattel has canceled plans for a kid-focused AI device that drew privacy concerns
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-switch/wp/2017/10/04/mattel-has-an-ai-device-to-soothe-babies-experts-are-begging-them-not-to-sell-it/?utm_term=.29c48173d173
This post has been updated.
Mattel said Wednesday that it will not move forward with plans to sell a kid-focused smart hub after new executives decided it did not “fully align with Mattel’s new technology strategy,” according to a company statement. Children’s health and privacy advocates this week petitioned the toy giant not to release the device, which they argued gave the firm an unprecedented look into the personal lives of children.
In a statement, Mattel said that it had decided internally not to take the product to market after a new chief technology officer, Sven Gerjets, joined the company in July. Gerjets, Mattel said, reviewed the product and decided “not to bring Aristotle to the marketplace as part of an ongoing effort to deliver the best possible connected product experience to the consumer.”
Aristotle was designed for a child’s room. It could switch on a night light to soothe a crying baby. It was also designed to keep changing its activities, even to the point where it could help a preteen with homework. And the device would learn about the child along the way.
Aristotle may be gone, but it would have been one of many products firms are marketing to make the parenting world more high-tech. Kid-focused tablets and apps have been around for years, and parents have made their own decisions about the proper place for technology in their children’s lives. But devices are increasingly moving into areas that are far more personal — or more intrusive. There are smart cradles that can rock your baby for you. There’s a smart cushion to calm colicky infants by cradling them while playing a recording that mimics a parent’s heartbeat.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hey, IoT vendors. When a paediatric nurse tells you to fix security, you definitely screwed up
Jelena Milosevic says what we’re all thinking
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/10/05/nurse_iot/
VB2017 A children’s nurse told delegates at the Virus Bulletin conference in Madrid on Thursday to get a grip on Internet of Things security.
Jelena Milosevic, who developed an interest in cybersecurity over the last three years, told attendees that the healthcare sector needs to work with infosec experts and manufacturers to sort out the emerging problem of the security risk posed by internet-connected medical kit.
For one thing there is no medical need for such devices to be connected to the net 24/7, she said.
More fundamentally, government regulation is needed to mandate baseline security standards. Milosevic advocated coordinated vulnerability disclosure, a process that would mean security researchers would work with manufacturers to fix issues before going public. IoT vendors have a reputation for being slow to both acknowledge and remediate security problems.
“You can’t just buy security, you have to build it,” she said.
Milosevic’s thinking on this parallels that of infosec luminaries such as Bruce Schneier.
Security and privacy issues have become increasingly important for hospitals. Ageing systems host troves of personal, medical and financial information that the unscrupulous might easily be able to monetise.
Emergent Tech Arrow Internet of Things
Infosec guru Schneier: Govts WILL intervene to regulate Internet of Sh!t
Crappy software everywhere means we face a world of pain
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/06/08/governments_will_intervene_insecure_iot/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Robots on the rise: 3 million in global manufacturing by 2020
Global report finds IIoT, competitiveness driving growth in robotics market with China leading the way.
http://www.controleng.com/single-article/robots-on-the-rise-3-million-in-global-manufacturing-by-2020/f3a53ceee6356e7fa397f228ddeb8c05.html
By 2020, more than one in 10 workers in American automobile plants will be a robot, according to the global forecast of the International Federation of Robotics (IFR) in its 2017 World Robotics Report.
It’s one of a series of findings in the 2017 report that indicates the global use of robotics continues to grow rapidly. “It is estimated that by 2020 the worldwide stock of operational industrial robots will increase from about 1,828,000 units at the end of 2016 to 3,053,000 units,” IFR officials said in a Sept. 27 press release. “This represents an average annual growth rate of 14% between 2018 and 2020.”
That growth rate is concentrated in five countries—China, South Korea, Japan, the United States and Germany—with China’s robotic installation dwarfing the rest of the world. The report stated that by 2020, there will be almost one million robots in manufacturing plants in China, 50% more than all of Europe combined.
“Robots offer high levels of precision and their connectivity will play a key role in new digital manufacturing environments,” said IFR president Joe Gemma, in the press release. “Increasing availability enables more and more manufacturers from companies of all sizes to automate.” The continued growth of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), or Industrie 4.0 in Europe, is having an impact on both how robots are used and how they are programmed, the report found.
In the United States, the IFR report found that global competition was driving the increasing use of robotics in manufacturing. In 2016, the IFR report stated that U.S. robot installations grew 14%.
Another growth area for robotics is in small to mid-sized manufacturers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Taking Control of Smart Meters with Diagnostic Data
Learn about Analog Devices latest advancements in Smart Metering.
http://www.electronicdesign.com/analog/taking-control-smart-meters-diagnostic-data?partnerref=ED1B&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=13391&utm_medium=email&elq2=0a42ef5d8f734fd3944012424e34f77c
Utilities are using smart metering to analyze electricity consumption patterns, but are not fully using diagnostic data to maintain and operate their meters.
ADI’s mSure® technology. mSure® enables utilities to remotely access, monitor and diagnose machine health and take action before it becomes too late—thus saving overall operating costs and protecting revenue.
mSure: A New Solution to Monitor Meter Health and Protect Revenue
http://www.analog.com/en/products/analog-to-digital-converters/integrated-special-purpose-converters/energy-metering-ics.html
ADE9153B
mSure® diagnostics technology enables direct and noninvasive monitoring of electric meter accuracy and faults in real-time. mSure-enabled meters, combined with a cloud analytics service, provide utility companies with real-time data and actionable insights on meter accuracy over lifetime, meter malfunction, and advanced tamper detection.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Chaim Gartenberg / The Verge:
Sonos announces it is rolling out Alexa support for all its current models in a public beta — Sonos announced today that its Alexa support, which has been in a limited private beta for months at this point, is finally rolling out to all current-model Sonos speakers in a public beta.
Sonos launches public beta for Alexa voice control
https://www.theverge.com/2017/10/4/16418092/sonos-speaker-amazon-alexa-support-voice-assistant
Yoree Koh / Wall Street Journal:
Sonos announces Alexa-powered Sonos One smart speaker for $199, says it will support Google Assistant and Apple AirPlay 2 next year
https://t.co/HEKuUfWxNa
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cat-M1 (eMTC)
Cellular IoT (CIoT)
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smashing the IoT Deployment Hurdle: Introducing the Intel® Secure Device Onboard Service
https://software.intel.com/en-us/blogs/2017/10/03/smashing-iot-deployment-hurdle-with-intel-sdo
Imagine you’re going to install 10,000 smart light bulbs in a factory. How much time should you schedule? Before they can start streaming data, you need to key in each device identity, coordinate network credentials with IT, and register each device with the operational technology (OT) smart building control platform.
If you guessed 20 minutes per bulb, you’re about right. For 10,000 bulbs, you’d need almost two years! Analysts predict tens of billions of connected devices by 2020, but the burden of onboarding devices is huge, and it could keep the Internet of Things (IoT) industry from achieving the penetration and scale we all hope to see.
On Oct. 3, Intel announced a zero-touch device-onboarding service, Intel® Secure Device Onboard (Intel® SDO). It will scale IoT deployments to put more devices into service faster. Intel SDO enables owners to simply power on devices, then the service dynamically sets up the initial connectivity, authenticates the device, and registers it with the IoT platform’s methods—all automatically—in seconds. The service delivers privacy protection and a secure device baseline, ready for update.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Opto-Isolating Automatic Cat Feeder Problems
https://hackaday.com/2017/10/07/opto-isolating-automatic-cat-feeder-problems/
When you buy an off-the-shelf automatic cat feeder, you might well expect it to do the one thing it’s supposed to do. Feed the cat. Well, at least as long as you do your part by keeping it filled with food nuggets. [Stephen] had the sneaking suspicion that his feeder was slacking occasionally, and set out to prove this theory.
He had a few ideas for approaching the investigation. One was to set up a web cam, but that proved unreliable. Another idea was to log the weight changes of the food bowl. This seemed like a possibility because the reading would change dramatically whenever it was filled. The method he settled on is a good one, too — monitor the motor’s activity and look for holes. After all, the motor only runs when it’s feeding time.
The design is based around a smart door/window alarm, which is little more than a reed switch with networking capabilities.
Cat Feeder Alerts
https://github.com/stephen–/CatFeederAlerts
I suspected my Automatic cat feader occassionally failed to dispense scheduled meals. In order to try to prove my suspicions I first set up a motion activated web cam, but found the motion detect wasn’t always reliable.
A webcam wasn’t the way – I needed to measure actual meal dispensing, there must be a better way. I thought of a few ways…
Adding a scale to the machine and logging weight changes (still a very reliable method IMO).
Adding a motion sensor to the front of the machine (not a great method at all)
Adding a sensor to the motor which dispenses the meals (Bingo!)
That last option seemed like a winner – the motor has a few criteria which made it a good candidate:
It has a measurable current change
It only activates when a meal is being dispensed
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dan Thorp-Lancaster / Windows Central:
Cortana adds smart home integrations for Wink, Insteon, Nest, SmartThings, and Hue on Windows 10 for PC and mobile
Cortana Notebook adds Connected Home integrations for Hue, Nest, more
https://www.windowscentral.com/cortana-notebook-adds-connected-home-integrations-hue-nest-and-more
Microsoft has steadily been adding to the ways in which Cortana can assist users whether they’re sitting at their PC or on the move. A lot of what Cortana can do can be customized or enabled through the Cortana Notebook, a sort of settings menu where you can tell Cortana what to keep track of for you as well as enable integrations with different services. New to the menu is a recently added “Connected Home” section
As of right now, Connected Home only works with five services: Wink, Insteon, Nest, SmartThings, and Hue. Once toggled on, you can sign in to each service to allow Cortana to help you manage devices linked to each service.
The fact that Connected Home is available now likely isn’t a coincidence: We’re drawing ever-closer to the launch of the Harman Kardon’s Cortana-powered Invoke speaker, which has been officially pegged for launch at some point in a general fall timeframe.
We’ve spotted Connected Home in the Cortana Notebook on both Windows 10 PC and Mobile
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel Offers Innovative Approach to IoT Scaling and Security
https://newsroom.intel.com/news/intel-offers-innovative-approach-iot-scaling-security/
At the IoT Solutions World Congress, Intel addressed the challenges facing the Internet of Things (IoT) market today, and made a critical announcement designed to empower the industry to make the most of the tremendous opportunities ahead.
While earlier reports claimed that we will see 50 billion devices by 2020, the reality is we are nowhere close to reaching those numbers. In fact, recent research reports are far more tempered and predict closer to 30 billion devices in the same timeframe. The reason for the scaled-down outlook is because of the real-time issues of scaling deployments and security.
To solve these complex issues, today Intel announced the launch of Intel® Secure Device Onboard (Intel® SDO). This technology securely automates and brings IoT devices online within seconds rather than hours. Intel SDO is being offered to IoT platform providers as a service they can provide to customers who wish to onboard thousands of connected devices.
Intel SDO’s “zero touch” model allows devices to dynamically discover the customer’s IoT platform account at power-on for automatic registration. It offers a one-to-many, one-time enablement solution that can be integrated into almost any device or IoT platform, thereby eliminating the need to custom pre-load provisioning configurations for each IoT implementation.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Elephant AI
https://hackaday.io/project/20448-elephant-ai
a system to prevent human-elephant conflict by detecting elephants using machine vision, and warning humans and/or repelling elephants
The conflict that arises between humans and elephants in countries such as India, Sri Lanka, and Kenya, claims many hundreds of human and elephant lives per year. These negative interactions arise when humans meet elephants on their trails, when elephants raid fields for food, and when elephants try to cross railways. Machine vision and automated deterrence can mitigate such conflict.
This is an evolution of ‘Automated Elephant-detection system’ that was a semi-finalist in the Hackaday Prize 2016. The current project differs substantially in that it makes use of more advanced machine vision techniques, and eliminates the usage of RF communication and village base stations. Alternatively using 4G/3G/EDGE/GPRS on each elephant-detection device, and includes elephant-deterrence devices to completely eliminate interaction between humans and elephants whenever possible.
Automated Elephant-detection system
https://hackaday.io/project/10391-automated-elephant-detection-system
Real-time machine-vision based detection of elephants in rural areas: providing warnings to locals and thus prevent human-elephant conflict
Human-elephant conflict (HEC) is a major cause of death and injury for both elephants and humans. Primary sources of conflict: elephants raiding human crops, unexpected encounters between humans and elephants as elephants traverse their established trails, elephants crossing railway lines. One way to prevent HEC is to automatically detect elephants & alert villagers, or train-drivers, to their presence via SMS, cloud-based apps, or LED signs.
In this solution:
1. Cameras mounted on poles or trees will obtain images of elephants
2. Compare images with known images of elephants
3. If probability of match higher than threshold, then notify village base station, and thus villagers
Tomi Engdahl says:
Ry Crist / CNET:
Google Home Mini review: stylish-looking and sounds a bit better than Echo Dot but lacks a line-out jack, requires Chromecast Audio to use with another speaker
Google Home Mini sounds great but lacks vision
https://www.cnet.com/news/google-home-mini-review/
The Google Home Mini sounds better and looks better than the Echo Dot — but Google needs to innovate if it wants to catch Alexa.
The Good: The Google Home Mini is a stylish-looking speaker with surprisingly strong sound quality for its size. The Google Assistant is a capable Alexa competitor, especially thanks to its ability to search out detailed answers to a wide variety of questions.
The Bad: There isn’t much the Home Mini does that Alexa can’t do, too. It also lacks a line-out jack, and requires Chromecast Audio in order to connect with at external speaker setup.
The Bottom Line: The Google Home Mini is a great device, and a no-brainer for existing Google Home users — but it isn’t the Echo Dot-killer Google probably needs it to be.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Week in Review: IoT
FogHorn raises $30M; Dialog buys Silego; onboarding with Intel.
https://semiengineering.com/the-week-in-review-iot-66/
Mountain View, Calif.-based FogHorn Systems has received Series B funding of $30 million, led by Intel Capital and Saudi Aramco Energy Ventures. The new round brings the Industrial Internet of Things edge computing startup’s total funding to $47.5 million.
Dialog Semiconductor has agreed to acquire Silego Technology, a supplier of configurable mixed-signal ICs for the IoT and other applications, for $276 million in cash and additional conditional consideration of up to $30.4 million.
Frost & Sullivan forecasts the number of IoT devices will increase from 12.44 billion last year to more than 45.41 billion by 2023, for a compound annual growth rate of 20.3%. The market research firm has a new report
The Intel Secure Device Onboard service was unveiled this week at the IoT Solutions World Congress in Barcelona, Spain. The chipmaker says Intel SDO securely automates IoT devices and brings them online in seconds. The service, which employs the Intel Enhanced Privacy ID signature software, is being offered to IoT platform providers.
Policy
The Information Technology Industry Council issued the National IoT Strategy Dialogue report, calling on Congress and the Trump Administration to adopt a uniform, broad-based definition of the IoT and passing the bipartisan Developing Innovation and Growing the Internet of Things Act bill, among other recommendations. The council is supported in this initiative by Intel, Samsung Electronics, the Semiconductor Industry Association, and the Chamber Technology Engagement Center (C_TEC) at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Did you know that it’s National Cyber Security Awareness Month? It is!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Teardown: Smart switch provides Bluetooth power control
https://www.edn.com/design/consumer/4458922/Teardown–Smart-switch-provides-Bluetooth-power-control
I’ve tested (and tore down) several network-controllable power switches of late; Belkin’s WeMo and, more recently, TP-Link’s HS100, both Wi-Fi based. Then there’s GE’s (sold under license by Jasco) Avi-on line. Unlike the others I just mentioned, it’s Bluetooth-based, and with a twist.
Each Avi-on unit is not only a receiver but also a mesh transceiver, theoretically enabling you to control any unit in your house from your Android- or iOS-based device, no matter where you are … assuming the units are able to “see” each other, that is. The BT4101 smart switch that’s the subject of today’s teardown
Xiamen Hongfa Electroacoustic’s HF115FD relay
The main PCB handles the AC switching stuff
Its connection to the secondary PCB, housing the Bluetooth and other digital circuitry,
CSR (now Qualcomm) model 1010 single-chip Bluetooth radio with integrated microprocessor and memory
Tomi Engdahl says:
Teardown: Amazon Dash Button keeps you connected
https://www.edn.com/design/consumer/4441569/Teardown–Amazon-Dash-Button-is-the-ultimate-in-consumer-convenience
Amazon’s Dash Button, which I previously mentioned back in late May 2015, is the ultimate in consumer convenience (or, if you prefer, consumerism gone crazy). Simply press a button on the inconspicuous adhesive-backed device (perfect for attaching to your washer and dryer, refrigerator, counter, or cabinet), and your Amazon account is charged for the purchase while the corresponding product gets automatically ordered and shipped to you.
they cost only $4.99, and Amazon more recently announced that it’d even refund the purchase price after your first associated-consumable order
How much hardware was Amazon able to squeeze into such a diminutive bill-of-materials budget, or perhaps more accurately, how much are Amazon and its consumable-supplier partners subsidizing the initial hardware cost in the hope of plenty of future generated profits?
Somewhat surprisingly, the battery is welded to its associated positive and negative terminals, dooming the device it powers to a finite-duration lifetime, since the battery’s also not rechargeable (via Wi-Fi scavenging, a micro-USB tether or some other means).
It’s an InvenSense INMP441 MEMS microphone, actually. Recall that the Dash Button requires connection to an owner’s Wi-Fi network, but there’s no wired Ethernet port alternatively available to send initial configuration data to it. One alternative means of accomplishing this objective, as is also done with products such as the Google Chromecast and Belkin’s WeMo switch, involves the device initially broadcasting a wireless network with SSID “Amazon ConfigureMe,” to which the Android version of the Amazon Shopping app connects. At that point, accessing the Dash Button’s built-in Web server at 192.168.0.1 enables entry of the remaining setup parameters.
The other configuration option is pretty (albeit not completely) unique, and leveraged by the iOS version of Amazon’s configuration app (the reasons for the operating systems’ setup discrepancy are unclear to me; perhaps Apple doesn’t give Amazon sufficient low-level access to accomplish an Android-like Wi-Fi hotspot scheme). In this case, setup parameters are sent via ultrasound from the smartphone or tablet to the Amazon Dash, using the former device’s speaker and the latter device’s aforementioned MEMS microphone.
In the very center is the aforementioned RGB LED, labeled DS1.
Underneath the QR code-embossed sticker to the left of the LED (and to the lower right of the M25P16) is a BCM43362 2.4 GHz 802.11b/g/n Wi-Fi module
More generally, the Amazon Dash appears to be based on a Broadcom WICED (Wireless Internet Connectivity for Embedded Devices) reference design module. Combine the Wi-Fi IC and the microcontroller into one packaged device, by the way, and you end up with the USI (Universal Scientific Industrial) WM-N-BM-09 WICED module, which forms the foundation of the $19 Spark Photon development kit.
Introducing the $19 Photon
http://spark.github.io/staging-blog/2014/11/12/introducing-the-19-dollar-photon/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cobot Invasion at Japan’s CEATEC
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332403
CEATEC Japan, a trade show once described as Japan’s answer to the Consumer Electronics Show, has taken a decidedly new turn, reflecting recent changes in the Japanese CE landscape.&
Long gone are traditional CE brands showing off TV sets, video cams, and mobile phones. Rapidly gaining momentum are suppliers of parts and components — Omron, Rohm, Alps, Murata, and others — promoting sensors and connectivity in modules, dabbling with AI software and the haptic technology that they see as a realistic key to the future of VR.
At this juncture, IoT has become a given for any vendor doing business in the electronics industry.
Generally, Japanese bots are much chattier than others developed elsewhere. Intelligent speakers are designed in Japan to not just take orders from users but to “anticipate” their wants. They like to strike up conversations.
More and more embedded systems come with AI algorithms, designed with a strong focus on “inference.”
We see the emergence of a number of new sensor-rich objects — including a baseball — designed as “tools” to train humans.
In walking the show floor, the robots we bumped into tended to be short in height, with a non-threatening look — cute, if not cuddly. They talk in the voice and speech pattern of a 5- to 7-year-old boy. No Terminator is welcome at CEATEC.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Security Costs are Manageable
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1332412&
Internet of Things device security has become more critical than ever, as the risks now outweigh the opportunities when it comes to potential threats to an individual or even an entire government.
Gone are the days of security-through-obscurity for connected consumer products. Designers can no longer ignore the risk that a potential security compromise poses to their brands.
As a result of growing concerns, U.S. lawmakers recently introduced the Internet of Things Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2017, which seeks to impose minimum security requirements on devices purchased by the government. While the proposed legislation focuses on public sector IoT, it is a likely stepping stone to broader regulation of security in all IoT devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Hackaday Prize Entry: Personal Guardian Keeps an Eye Out
https://hackaday.com/2017/10/08/hackaday-prize-entry-personal-guardian-keeps-an-eye-out/
The Personal Guardian is a wearable tracking and monitoring device intended to help vulnerable people. The project goal is to allow these patients as much independence and activity as possible without a caregiver needing to be present. Wearing a sensor package might allow a memory care patient (for instance) greater freedom to wander.
The device consists of an Arduino 101 development board with a GSM shield that it uses to send SMS messages to the caregiver
Personal Guardian
https://hackaday.io/project/27068-personal-guardian
A wearable device to allow vulnerable people to maintain their independence, by providing a safety link with a remote carer.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Global Thermonuclear War: Tweeted
https://hackaday.com/2017/10/08/connecting-a-50-geiger-counter/
[Andreas Spiess] did a video earlier this year about fallout shelters. So it makes sense now he’s interested in having a Geiger counter connected to the network. He married a prefabricated counter with an ESP32. If it were just that simple, it wouldn’t be very remarkable, but [Andreas] also reverse-engineered the schematic for the counter and discusses the theory of operation, too.
If $50 is out of your budget, we’ve seen cheaper builds.
#162 Build your own 50$ connected Geiger Counter
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K28Az3-gV7E
Tomi Engdahl says:
Arduino code for use with Alibaba RadiationD-v1.1 Geiger counter board, basic use case.
https://github.com/mkheck/ArduinoGeigerCounter
Tomi Engdahl says:
A No-Solder, Scrap-Bin Geiger Counter for $15
https://hackaday.com/2017/01/18/a-no-solder-scrap-bin-geiger-counter-for-15/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Intel Offers Innovative Approach to IoT Scaling and Security
https://newsroom.intel.com/news/intel-offers-innovative-approach-iot-scaling-security/
At the IoT Solutions World Congress, Intel addressed the challenges facing the Internet of Things (IoT) market today, and made a critical announcement designed to empower the industry to make the most of the tremendous opportunities ahead.
While earlier reports claimed that we will see 50 billion devices by 2020, the reality is we are nowhere close to reaching those numbers. In fact, recent research reports are far more tempered and predict closer to 30 billion devices in the same timeframe. The reason for the scaled-down outlook is because of the real-time issues of scaling deployments and security.
Today, provisioning and management of devices is a huge challenge, as IoT devices are added manually. It involves coordination between installation technicians, IT network operations, and operational technology teams and can typically take more than 20 minutes for a single device. Imagine installing 10,000 “smart IoT” light bulbs – at present, it could take two years to complete the process. This is to say nothing of the effort required to maintain device privacy and security.
To solve these complex issues, today Intel announced the launch of Intel® Secure Device Onboard (Intel® SDO). This technology securely automates and brings IoT devices online within seconds rather than hours. Intel SDO is being offered to IoT platform providers as a service they can provide to customers who wish to onboard thousands of connected devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
3 Mandates of the IIoT
The proliferation of smart and connected “things” in the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) provides tremendous opportunities for increased performance and lower costs, but managing these distributed systems is often an overlooked challenge. Explore the three necessities for successfully managing your “things.”
3 Mandates for Successfully Managing Your Things
http://nationalinstruments.lookbookhq.com/trend-watch-2018-en/industrial-internet-of-things-en
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has quickly evolved from concepts
and pilot projects to fleet-wide deployments with impressive returns. These
returns are based largely on the actionable, data-driven insights that have
equipped forward-looking companies, such as Jaguar Land Rover, China
Steel, and Duke Energy, to maximize uptime, boost performance, and drive
future product innovation. Industry is evolving to become smarter and more
connected. Late adopters of the IIoT risk losing market share and incurring
unnecessary costs by not keeping up with the pace of innovation. In fact,
“95 percent of business leaders expect their company to use the IIoT
within the next three years,” according to Accenture’s Connected Business
Transformation report from March 2017.
With today’s edge node hardware and analytics software, it’s fairly
straightforward to extract business benefits from small-scale IIoT pilots for
predictive maintenance and connected smart machine control. Technologies
are readily available today to enable a growing volume of connected systems
and uncover engineering and operational intelligence management challenges
that will define the continuing evolution of the IIoT. Attention and investment
are now shifting toward the next challenge: scaling and managing large IIoT
deployments, including remote systems management, software configuration
management, and data management
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Security Market Watch—Key Market Needs and Solution Providers in the IoT Landscape
90% of Organizations to Consider Security as the Prime Consideration in IoT Deployments
https://go.frost.com/NA_PR_CCastaneda_9838_AA_Sep17?utm_source=prwire&utm_campaign=cc-na-pr-9838-67-28sept17
The key considerations for complete and effective IoT cybersecurity include: 1) Operating within the physical and technical limitations of IoT by using efficient and lightweight security technologies; 2) The ability to accommodate multiple security approaches, including digital certificate-based or certificate-less security mechanisms; 3) The protection of IoT data at rest, in transit, and in the cloud; 4) A standards-based approach for IoT security; and 5) Operating at scale to support millions of IoT devices with no impact on speed and security of IoT operations.
Tomi Engdahl says:
CNBC:
Sources: Amazon is developing a smart doorbell service to allow safe deliveries to inside the home and is partnering on system to deliver to car trunks — – Amazon is in advanced talks with Phrame, a smart license plate maker, to ship packages to your car’s trunk, CNBC has learned.
Amazon is exploring ways to deliver items to your car trunk and the inside of your home
https://www.cnbc.com/2017/10/10/amazon-is-in-talks-with-phrame-and-is-working-on-a-smart-doorbell.html
Amazon is in advanced talks with Phrame, a smart license plate maker, to ship packages to your car’s trunk, CNBC has learned.
The company is also developing a smart doorbell device for safe delivery to the home, sources said.
Amazon is attacking “porch pirates,” who steal packages from doorsteps.
The company is in advanced talks to forge a partnership with Phrame, a maker of smart license plates that allow items to be delivered to a car’s trunk, according to a person with knowledge of the potential deal. Phrame’s product fits around a license plate and contains a secure box that holds the keys to the car. Users unlock the box with their smartphone, and can grant access to others — such as delivery drivers — remotely.
At the same time, Amazon is developing a smart doorbell device that would give delivery drivers one-time access to a person’s home to drop off items, said two people familiar with the matter. The sources asked not to be named because the discussions are confidential.
The new initiatives are part of Amazon’s effort to go beyond convenience and fix problems associated with unattended delivery. As more consumers shop online and have their packages shipped to their homes, valuable items are often left unattended for hours.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Larry Dignan / ZDNet:
Dell says it will invest $1B in R&D for IoT over three years and creates new division focused on IoT
Dell outlines IoT strategy, plans to spend $1 billion on R&D over three years
http://www.zdnet.com/article/dell-outlines-iot-strategy-plans-to-spend-1-billion-on-r-d-over-three-years/
Dell Technologies says the Internet of Things (IoT) is forcing computing into a more decentralized model with more power at the edge.
Dell Technologies launched a new Internet of Things division to integrate products and services across the company, as well as new tools to speed up implementations, and it plans to invest $1 billion in research and development over the next three years.
The new division within Dell Technologies will be run by VMware CTO Ray O’Farrell. His first mission will be to develop IoT products and services throughout the company and develop new technologies.
Dell Technologies, which includes units such as Dell EMC, Pivotal, VMwarem and RSA, touches on many aspects of IoT. In addition, IoT end points and gateways are expected to become more powerful to reduce latency and bring more intelligence to the edge.
For technology vendors, IoT represents a big opportunity by itself as well as in context of broader business shifts. IoT, along with big data analytics, is the centerpiece of most digital transformation efforts. IoT is also an emerging theme for 2018 and a budget priority.
CEO Michael Dell said artificial intelligence and IoT will create one “interdependent ecosystem from the edge to the core to the cloud.” Gartner estimates that IoT will save consumers and businesses more than $1 trillion a year in maintenance, services and consumables by 2022.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nikkei:
Sony announces it will launch a new dog-like Aibo robot for the home next spring, 12+ years after abandoning its robot business
Sony jumps back into robotics after 12-year hiatus
https://asia.nikkei.com/Business/Companies/Sony-jumps-back-into-robotics-after-12-year-hiatus
Company reassembling former Aibo team to focus initial efforts on home-use device
Sony has just emerged from a long restructuring period, but has yet to create products with new value. Still, the company hopes to compete with rivals in the U.S. information technology industry, which has a head start in artificial intelligence, by taking advantage of its expertise in mechanical engineering.
The company’s first foray into the field will be a robotic pet, frolicking like a real dog while controlling home appliances at voice commands. It will be similar to smart speakers equipped with AI and internet connectivity, such as those offered by Amazon.com and Google, except that it will look and, to some extent, act like a dog.
Tomi Engdahl says:
NTT Docomo readies low-cost voice control for AI speakers
Slashing development costs 99% helps adapt tech to variety of services
https://asia.nikkei.com/Tech-Science/Tech/NTT-Docomo-readies-low-cost-voice-control-for-AI-speakers
NTT Docomo looks to release software that could propel the use of voice prompts to control home electronics and other services
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dialog Buys Silego Technology to Muscle into Internet of Things
http://www.electronicdesign.com/analog/dialog-buys-silego-technology-muscle-internet-things?NL=ED-003&Issue=ED-003_20171009_ED-003_870&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=13433&utm_medium=email&elq2=76a6c65a1c3b4ba795c65219bc10e474
Silego sells mixed-signal semiconductors that can be programmed in minutes to help minimize component count, board space, and power consumption. The deal represents Dialog’s latest attempt to sell more chips for cars and sensors.
Dialog Semiconductor is buying Silego Technology – whose one-time programmable chips can replace standard mixed-signal products in connected cars, industrial sensors, and other Internet of Things devices – for $276 million in cash.
Silego sells configurable mixed-signal chips that it claims can be programmed in minutes to help minimize component count, board space, and power consumption.
Silego has sold around 3.1 billion mixed-signal configurable chips – also called CMICs – since it was founded in 2001. The company, which is privately-held and employs around 235 people worldwide, said that it expects to generate over $80 million of revenue in 2017, with double-digit percent growth next year.
Tomi Engdahl says:
BLE SoC senses tire pressure
https://www.edn.com/electronics-products/other/4458877/BLE-SoC-senses-tire-pressure?utm_source=Newsletter&utm_medium=edn&utm_campaign=products-tools
The SmartBond DA14585 BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) SoC from Dialog Semiconductor monitors the air pressure and temperature inside automotive tires. Instead of using proprietary or nonstandard sub-GHz radios to transfer information to the automobile’s computer, the DA14585 TPMS (tire pressure monitoring system) sensor uses Bluetooth connectivity to communicate with the computer.
A BLE-enabled TPMS built with the DA14585 does not require a microcontroller. The part handles all of the processing for a TPMS, while bringing the added benefits of security, upgradable firmware, and connectivity to automobile computers via a single node for all Bluetooth Low Energy functions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Ethernet Kit DM990004
https://www.eeweb.com/project/design_library/iot-ethernet-kit-dm990004
DM990004 device is a IoT Ethernet Kit powered by AWS IoT uses an Ethernet LAN8740A which features deterministic loop back delay, ensuring real-time system performance as well as cable diagnostics which reduce network installation costs. The device also features an easy setup out of the box with your own AWS account and JSON-based data payload.
The kit is controlled by a PIC32MZ EF 32-bit micro-controller that offers 2MB Flash and provides plenty of memory space for your application and provides a smooth user experience with a preloaded firmware allowing the communication with AWS IoT. Additionally, the kit makes use of MPLAB®Harmony, FreeRTOS™, WolfMQTT. The security is addressed using WolfSSL features. The wolfSSL embedded SSL library is a lightweight, portable, C-language-based SSL/TLS library targeted at IoT, embedded, and RTOS environments primarily because of its size, speed, and feature set.
The connection to the Cloud is achieved leveraging the AWS IoT service.
Regarding the sensors, hundreds of different sensors can be plugged into the MikroElektronka mikroBUS™ footprint allowing for prototyping a large variety of IoT proof-of-concepts. The sensors will have to be purchased separately at http://www.mikroe.com
Tomi Engdahl says:
Path to AI is rising for IoT, hyperscale data centers: Report
http://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/pt/2017/09/path-to-ai-is-rising-for-iot-hyperscale-data-centers-report.html?cmpid=enl_cim_cim_data_center_newsletter_2017-10-10
It’s safe to say the Internet of Things (IoT) era has arrived, as we live in a world where things are being connected at pace never seen before. Cars, video cameras, parking meters, building facilities and anything else one can think of are being connected to the internet, generating massive quantities of data.
Nvidia accelerates the path to AI for IoT, hyperscale data centers
https://www.networkworld.com/article/3227610/internet-of-things/nvidia-accelerates-the-path-to-ai-for-iot-hyperscale-data-centers.html
Nvidia’s TensorRT 3 optimizes and compiles complex networks to get the best possible performance for AI inferencing.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A messed up Google Home Mini recorded a tech reporter 24/7
https://techcrunch.com/2017/10/10/google-home-mini-recorded-24-7-androidpolice/?ncid=rss&utm_source=tcfbpage&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&sr_share=facebook
The idea of inviting an always-on recording device into our bedrooms would have once seemed beyond creepy, but now most consumers hardly give it a second thought.
As Android Police reports, a small number of Google Home Mini review units given to tech reviewers malfunctioned, persistently recording audio in the background without being activated by a hotword. The Home Mini units gave no indication they were recording beyond silently flashing their four display lights — a notification that you’d only notice if you were looking directly at the device.
Google is nerfing all Home Minis because mine spied on everything I said 24/7 [Update]
http://www.androidpolice.com/2017/10/10/google-nerfing-home-minis-mine-spied-everything-said-247/
Without fail, every time a new listening device comes to market, some tinfoil hat-wearer points out how perfect they would be as modern-day Trojan horses for any of the three-letter acronym organizations – NSA, CIA, FBI – you name it. Manufacturers, on their part, assure us their devices are perfectly safe and only listen when prompted. We brush the concerns off and move on with our lives
That is until last week, when a 4th case came along – 24/7 recording, transmission to Google’s servers, and storing on them of pretty much everything going on around my Home Mini, which I had just received at the Made by Google October 4th launch event.
As you can see, the Home Mini quietly turns on, flashes its lights, then shuts off after recording every sound. When the volume increases, it actually attempts to respond to random queries. I was even able to get it to turn on just by knocking on the wall.
Google has just published a support page to address the reported issue. The company assures pre-order customers that their units won’t be affected, and the defect should be limited to the batches given out at Made by Google events, which presumably includes 4,000 Home Minis distributed at the donut pop-up events as well as the ones from the October 4th press event.
Additionally, Google has removed all existing activity generated by long pressing the top of a Mini from their servers.
It’s still unclear at this point what the fate of the long-press feature is in the long term.
Tomi Engdahl says:
ST SensorTile: IoT Sensing Magic!
https://www.hackster.io/contests/STMicroelectronics
Build and explore using STMicroelectronics SensorTile Development Kit
This highly integrated reference design that can be plugged into form-factor prototypes, adding sensing and connectivity capabilities to new designs through a smart hub solution. It can also easily support development of monitoring and tracking applications like standalone sensor nodes connected to iOS™ or Android™ smartphone applications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Frank Burge’s New Opportunity
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1332416&
Any situation can be framed as an opportunity, and if it’s a really bad situation, it might be an even bigger opportunity. That’s what Frank Burge taught me.
Years ago, I worked on a spinoff of EE Times called OEM Magazine. It was a small bet on a big upside during a golden age of electronics and publishing before the internet era.
The magazine was launched about the same time as Wired and had ambitions nearly as big. Wired survived; OEM did not.
One of Frank’s last gifts to the publication was a new motto that we ran on the cover page right below our logo. It read, “Technologies. Markets. Opportunities.”
I knew all about technologies and markets — I had been writing about them for years. The word “opportunities” threw me for a loop.
It took a while for it to sink in
For example, the Mirai attacks highlighted a huge opportunity to deliver security products for the Internet of Things. The lack of a distributed air traffic control mechanism for drones is a vast opportunity for smart drone software and services. And so on.
Of course, tasks such as securing the IoT or designing a way that any drone can interact with any other drone are enormous challenges. But maybe I can leave it to you optimistic, hardworking readers to frame these as opportunities.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Security: What We Need Next
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1331644
Do we need a group to certify that IoT products support some baseline security and privacy standards? If so, what are the standards and who is the group?
I get at least one if not handful of pitches a week from people who want to write guest articles about the lack of security in the Internet of Things. They all start the same:
“By 2020 there will be 10 gazillion IoT nodes connected…” The best ones make a few specific recommendations about using authentication and encryption.
It’s not enough. Some of the big thinkers in our industry discussed the issue as part of a panel sponsored by the Association for Computing Machinery on the future of the Internet that marked 50 years of the Turing Award.
Reading a transcript, I wondered aloud if we need a working group to define a set of basic security/privacy standards and a simple certification test for them. A logo could let consumers and business users know the products support at least fundamental capabilities.
Tomi Engdahl says:
EE Times University: IoT — We Aren’t as Ready for IoT as We Think
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1332430&
Some designers may be ready for the IoT and can focus on data management and analysis, but many need a bit more training on the basics.
Are you really ready for the Internet of Things? While some say 95% of industrial companies will be using the IoT within the next three years and we’re ready to move to managing the data deluge, others say we still need to do work on the basics.
Some of that basic work includes security, which is still being ignored due to management pressure to get products to market. “Some managers or companies just don’t think their products will be the target of an attack,” said Jacob Beningo, founder of Beningo Embedded Group, an embedded design consultancy. “Dev says yes [to security], management says no, so it gets ignored.”
The implications of poorly implemented security are enormous, especially given the number of industrial companies about to move to IoT. In its annual Trends Watch report, National Instruments quoted numbers from Accenture that predict that 95% of industrial companies will be using IoT in some form within the next three years.
Seeing this coming, NI has enlarged its focus on data acquisition and test to include data management with a platform-based approach for IIoT that combines its SimpleLink and Data Management Software Suite
The IIoT platform it espouses will help remotely manage asset monitoring, continuously update software, ensure security leaks are plugged and provide a cohesive connection between IT and operations technology (OT) so data can be analyzed at the edge or the cloud.
First optimize the IoT system, and secure the data
However, the old adage, “garbage in, garbage out applies,” and for designers of IoT systems, that garbage can mean inaccurate data, unsecured data, or no data at all, due to a poor connection or battery failure.
According to Beningo, there are a lot more “connected” designs underway, and while security is often overlooked entirely, other parameters, such as architectural and power optimization and on-device data management can also be optimized better.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Will IoT Sensors Lead to Test Headaches?
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1332438&
The number and type of sensors are growing at a high exponential rate, but that proliferation will also lead to many false alarms and unforeseen system-oversight implications.
The “check engine” light in my car recently came on, which could indicate anything from a minor issue to the engine being ready to burn up. A quick check with my on-board diagnostics code scanner showed that the light was related in some way to the engine coolant. The driver-console (dashboard) temperature indicator still showed “normal” engine temperature, though, and it turned out that the problem was not with the powertrain itself, but instead, it was a faulty sensor in the coolant system.
To me, the modern super-sensored car is a forerunner of the much-heralded Internet of Things (IoT). Indeed, for many car models, it is an IoT scenario as the car is connected back to the manufacturer to report various readings, status, and events, like it or not. Whether the car is directly connected as an IoT node or not, today’s cars are sensor-laden vehicles with self-awareness of many temperature, pressure, flow, and switch-on/-off readings. We’re told that this is all good.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Authentication Flash: Closing the Security Gap Left by Conventional NOR Flash ICs
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332289&
In response to demand from security-conscious OEMs, the manufacturers of modern microcontrollers and systems-on-chip (SoCs) commonly equip their products with a broad range of security capabilities: standard, off-the-shelf 32-bit MCUs for mainstream, non-financial applications will today often feature a hardware cryptographic accelerator, a random number generator (RNG) and secure memory locations.
But serial Flash memory – the location in which much of an OEM’s precious intellectual property (IP) is stored – has traditionally been more vulnerable than the SoC or microcontroller. Security weaknesses in the companion Flash memory to an MCU or SoC expose OEMs to the commercially damaging risk of product theft due to the cloning of reverse engineered PCB designs. This article explains how Authentication Flash can be uniquely and securely paired to an authorized host controller.
Today’s security loophole
A fundamental security requirement for every reputable OEM is to prevent the possibility of theft or cloning of the OEM’s IP, including application code that is stored in external serial NOR Flash.
Of course, much of the value embedded in an electronics end product is not secret. Take the example of a smart home Internet of Things (IoT) thermostat: a painstaking tear-down analysis of the thermostat’s board assembly will enable all the components to be precisely identified and the board layout to be faithfully replicated by any factory that wishes to clone the product. The hardware design is not secret.
The application code is secret – or rather, it ought to be. An electronics system, however, is only as strong as its weakest link. Today, the main SoC or MCU is normally strongly protected by encryption, anti-tampering and secure storage capabilities implemented in hardware and software. So if an attacker wishes to clone the product’s application code, it’s most likely entry point is an external Flash memory IC.
For this reason, OEMs today commonly ‘protect’ their code storage hardware with a unique identifier (UID) stored in partitioned memory space in the Flash IC. In truth, however, a UID offers only a trivial barrier to attack. Any engineer with some security knowledge will be able to locate and identify its UID and easily disable the pairing between the MCU and code storage hardware. Once the pairing is removed, the OEM’s root of trust is broken. The code stored on the device can be copied, and cloning of the thermostat design can begin in earnest.
The solution: secure, dynamic authentication
The remedy for this problem is easy to design in theory: the UID needs to be different every time the memory is challenged by the host. But the advantage of the fixed UID used today is its ease of implementation: it just needs to be programmed once into the Flash memory, and once into the host controller; then the two values may be simply compared to authenticate the Flash device.
Symmetric encryption of memory ID
This is the problem that Winbond has set out to solve with its W74M family of Authentication Flash ICs (see Figure 1). Winbond is best known for its broad portfolio of serial NOR and NAND Flash memory ICs: it is the world’s top producer of serial Flash, with around a 30% share of the market. In 2016, Winbond shipped 2.1 billion units of its SpiFlash® serial Flash ICs.
The root key is, however, never directly transmitted between host and memory (the ‘challenger’ and ‘responder’). Instead, an encrypted message (a Hash-based Message Authentication Code, or HMAC) is generated by a combination of the root key and a dynamic element such as a random number; this combination is then processed through an encryption algorithm, the SHA-256.
To authenticate the W74M memory, the host controller compares the value of the memory’s HMAC against the value it computes by use of its root key and the same random number processed through SHA-256. If the values match, normal memory operations can proceed.
Because the HMAC is generated in part by a dynamic element, such as a random number, the value of the HMAC is different every time it is generated.