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 Forecast of 50 Billion Devices by 2020 Is Outdated.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:
What Are You Going To Do About IoT Security?
Everyone agrees there’s a big problem. So now what?
https://semiengineering.com/what-are-you-going-to-do-about-iot-security/
We’re almost inured these days to cybercrime—the frequency of the hacks, the incomprehensible scale of compromised accounts, their contents vulture-pecked clean. It’s estimated that cybercrime steals half a trillion dollars each year from the global economy.
Much of this is enabled by us as users, succumbing to phishing attacks and just being lazy about good password hygiene. The cyberpsychologist Mary Aiken reminded us at the recent Arm TechCon that we are not all IT experts, and security is not always built into devices and systems by default. As users, we assume too much and often have a false sense of protection – fake safety, she called it.
Editors here at Semiconductor Engineering and at other industry publications write about IoT security issues more now than ever because the problems are growing. Indeed, this publication now devotes an entire section to it, a level above this article.
Technology companies bear a responsibility for ensuring devices and systems are secure, especially now as we ramp toward a trillion connected IoT devices. And companies need to step up their game to think beyond the terms and conditions of their contracts with users.
https://semiengineering.com/category-main-page-iot-security/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Week in Review: IoT
Mocana mix; merger fever; LTE traffic.
https://semiengineering.com/the-week-in-review-iot-71/
Mocana said it is working with Avnet, Infineon Technologies, Microsoft, and Xilinx to provide Industrial Internet of Things systems that meet cybersecurity standards. The systems utilize the Avnet UltraZed-EG system-on-module, Mocana’s security software running on the Xilinx Zynq Ultrascale+ MPSoc, and Infineon’s OPTIGA Trusted Platform Module 2.0 security chip. The Microsoft Azure cloud helps to tie it all together.
Broadcom this week made an unsolicited takeover bid for Qualcomm, valued at between $103 billion and $105 billion in cash and stock.
Meanwhile, Marvell Technology Group and Cavium are reportedly discussing a possible merger.
Forrester Research has a new report out, Predictions 2018: IoT Moves from Experimentation to Business Scale. Gil Press summarizes the report’s conclusions for Forbes.com. Some takes: Builders of industrial IoT platforms will exit the infrastructure-as-a-service business; IoT platform offerings will begin to specialize in design and operate scenarios; a developer drive to the edge will precipitate IoT platform consolidation; IoT will be at the center of broader and more damaging cyberattacks. Go here to get the report.
Unisys predicts the IoT and other connected technologies, such as intelligent scanners, will improve operational efficiencies in health care and life sciences, enhance supply chain visibility, and provide better patient care.
Silicon Labs brought out multiprotocol software for its Wireless Gecko system-on-a-chip devices and modules, enabling Bluetooth Low Energy and Zigbee connectivity on a single SoC.
Parasoft has introduced the newest release of Parasoft C/C++test, the static analysis and unit testing tool for C and C++ software, and Parasoft DTP
Oracle reports LTE diameter signaling traffic growth is being propelled by IoT-enabled devices, smartphones, connected cars, LTE broadcast technology, voice-over-LTE communications, and signaling associated with policy management for more sophisticated data plans and applications.
Bsquare issued its first annual IIoT Maturity Study, looking at IoT adoption in manufacturing, oil and gas, and transportation. The study says 86% of industrial organizations are adopting IoT technology, 84% see IoT as very or extremely effective, and 95% believe that IoT has a significant or tremendous impact on their industry. Most IIoT investments are in connectivity (78%) and data visualization (83%), the study finds, while just 48% are doing advanced analytics on their data and 28% are automating the application of insights from their analytics.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Stop your moaning, says maker of buggy Bluetooth sex toy
Companion app recorded audio you while you – ahem – played, but it never left your phone
https://www.theregister.co.uk/2017/11/13/lovesense_fixes_audio_recording_bug_in_adult_toy/
Sex-toy maker Lovsense has told its customers to stop moaning about one of its products, which recorded audio of users as they – ahem – played, and stored it on their Android phones.
News of the recording emerged on Reddit where an entity by the name of “tydoctor” wrote “control vibrator app (used to control remote control sex toys made by Lovense, such as this one) seems to be recording while the vibrator is on. I was going through my phone media to prepare it for a factory reset and came across a .3gp file named ‘tempSoundPlay.3gp’ in the folder for the App.”
“The file was a FULL audio recording six minutes long of the last time I had used the app to control my [significant other's] SO’s remote control vibrator (We used it at a bar while playing pool).”
“The app permissions allow for mic and camera use, but this was supposed to be for use with the in-app chat function to send voice clips on command. At no time had I wanted the app to record entire sessions using the vibrator.”
Lovesense’s response says “Regarding the sound file in question, it has already been confirmed that this is a minor bug – a temporary file that is created when someone uses the Sound Control feature. Your concern is completely understandable. But rest assured, no information or data is sent to our servers.”
“This cache file currently remains on you phone instead of deleting itself once your session is finished. Also, when the file is created it overwrites itself (no new files are created).”
Tomi Engdahl says:
There’s an Internet of Things thing from 4D Systems. It’s an ESP8266 and a nice small display.
IoD-09TH Product Video
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6n0_gTyiNMM&feature=youtu.be
The IoD-09 (Internet of Displays) series is a range of miniature display modules Designed and Manufactured by 4D Systems.
The IoD-09 modules feature a full colour 0.9” TFT LCD display. They are powered by the WiFi enabled ESP8266, which offers an array of functionality and options for any Designer / Integrator / User. The IoD-09 modules can be easily programmed using 4D Systems Workshop4 or the Arduino IDE installed with the ESP8266 core.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Alexa, Hack My TV
https://hackaday.com/2017/11/12/alexa-hack-my-tv/
If you have an Alexa, one of the best things you can buy to go with it is a Harmony Hub remote. Sure, you get a universal remote to control all your home theater equipment, but you’ll hardly use it because the Alexa can virtually push the Harmony buttons for you. The negative word in this paragraph, though, is “buy.” The Harmony Hub isn’t inexpensive. Fortunately [Michael Higginis] has you covered. He has an ESP8266 universal remote that you can control with Alexa
On the one hand, the idea is fairly simple. An ESP8266 has plenty of horsepower to read and recreate IR codes. However, we were very impressed with the web portal used to configure the device and integrating it with Alexa is a neat trick.
Unlike a real Harmony Hub, however, the remote only controls IR devices. However, since the Alexa to device connection is WiFi, you probably won’t miss having an RF remote, even if you need to tuck the remote away in an enclosure somewhere.
ESP8266 Compatible IR Blaster that accepts HTTP commands for use with services like Amazon Echo
https://github.com/mdhiggins/ESP8266-HTTP-IR-Blaster/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Weather Station Needs Almost No Batteries
https://hackaday.com/2017/11/13/weather-station-needs-almost-no-batteries/
While the ESP8266 has made its way into virtually every situation where a low-cost WiFi solution is needed, it’s not known as being a low-power solution due to the amount of energy it takes to run WiFi. [Alex] took this design constraint as more of a challenge though, and with the help of an ATtiny microcontroller was able to develop a weather station using an ESP8266 that only needs new batteries every 2-4 years.
ESP8266 on batteries for years – part 1
https://www.cron.dk/esp8266-on-batteries-for-years-part-1/
For some time I have been fascinated by the possibilities of the ESP8266, but I never really considered it good for a life on batteries. I got an idea of making an outdoor weather station that would send measured light level, temperature and humidity to my home automation server.
The ESP is a hungry beast when it’s doing WiFi. According to different sources on the internet it uses about 70 mA on average when WiFi is on! This would mean that I have to change batteries on my sensor quite some times every year.
I instead came up with the idea of a design using an AtTiny85 for doing frequent measurements and then once in a while to wake up the ESP beast to transmit it’s recorded data to the server.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Basic sensors that interact with the physical world have evolved into intelligent sensors that contain a computational block (such as a processor), software, and communication hardware to connect to the Internet.
Intelligent sensors provide unlimited opportunities to create unique solutions in the IoT and Industrial IoT markets. But, the average selling price of individual sensors is below $1.
Sensors are Fundamental to New Intelligent Systems
https://www.mentor.com/tannereda/resources/overview/sensors-are-fundamental-to-new-intelligent-systems-6e456ec7-e7a1-430a-a668-a6c4572f897a?clp=1&contactid=1&PC=L&c=2017_11_13_ic_tanner_sensors_new_systems_wp
The evolution of intelligent electronic sensors is creating a revolution for IoT and Industrial IoT as companies bring new sensor-based, intelligent systems to market. These systems now incorporate processors and software and they include communication hardware in order to move data into the Cloud for analysis. While the sensor market continues to garner billions of dollars, the average selling price of a MEMS sensor, for example, is only 60 cents. How will vendors make money in the IoT intelligent systems market?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Lighting controls can no longer be ‘set and forget’ with IoT advances
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/print/volume-14/issue-8/features/industry-insights/lighting-controls-can-no-longer-be-set-and-forget-with-iot-advances.html?eid=293591077&bid=1923282
The days of convoluted programming for lighting scenes have ended. With the advent of IoT, lighting designers must embrace flexible wireless lighting schemes with intuitive interfaces and controls, advises BEATRICE WITZGALL.
Any change to a lighting scene or a setting required the secure password and the inevitable and expensive onsite visit by a tech-IT integrator. For all users and designers, the hours of the final light setting were precious and we often found ourselves having a long wait. Once they arrived, they’d settle into their IT closets with their laptops, clicking on keys and making changes for us, sometimes even with a walkie-talkie as the control logic wasn’t inside the space where you programmed. Each change of a setting required deciphering control zones, symbols, and minutes in the laptop to identify the corresponding setting. From an end user’s or designer’s standpoint, lighting scene setting has been a challenging and arduous process. It is neither intuitive nor easily accessible. No one ever wanted to repeat this complicated and pricy process. The goal became to set it once and then forget about it.
Now, this complex process is a thing of the past. You can forget those old DOS PC terminals that were only understood by programmers. With the advent of the Internet of Things (IoT) and controls, anyone can get an intuitive GUI (graphical user interface) just like you’d find on an iPhone or any Apple product. Steve Jobs and Apple’s intuitive GUIs left their mark, rendering programmers a thing of the past and empowering users to take control (Fig. 1). Why is lighting still stuck in a multiple-decade-old technology?
Is it due to the established distribution and sales structures of a handful of companies that keep a firm grip on the market? Is it because the lighting industry still thinks users are not ready to embrace all the possibilities that come with IoT-enabled lighting controls? We live in a society where all consumers have come to expect the best and most technologically- advanced options to simplify their lives. Are clients not asking for it, or do we ignore their requests, since we don’t know of better alternatives? With that in mind, there are many new possibilities and features available for lighting control that we’d never thought about. Why do we still accept a static light-scene button in a world of personalization and flexibility as the Holy Grail of controls?
Is the lack of understanding a result of being unaware of alternative options, or is there inherent mistrust in innovation that causes us to still hang onto the conventional?
Lighting has so much more potential than as a one-time programmed scene switch at the door that we set once and forget. Lighting should be dynamic and transformative not only for space but also for the humans within. Why don’t we try to engage with lighting in new forms and ways?
Embrace new possibilities and technology and don’t hide behind legacy structures just because that’s all you know.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth’s range just widened, and IoT lighting companies are thrilled (UPDATED)
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/07/bluetooth-s-range-just-widened-and-iot-lighting-companies-are-thrilled.html?eid=293591077&bid=1923282
Some vendors think the brand new “Bluetooth mesh” standard will kick off a commercial smart lighting bonanza.
The organization that oversees Bluetooth wireless communication protocols at long last issued a standard today that extends Bluetooth’s physical range, a move that could help open commercial and industrial market opportunities for Internet of Things (IoT) lighting.
Mesh standard adapts wireless technology to professional lighting needs (MAGAZINE)
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/print/volume-14/issue-9/features/mesh-standard-adapts-wireless-technology-to-professional-lighting-needs.html?eid=293591077&bid=1923282
For Silvair, the interest in Bluetooth all started back in 2013 when Google rolled out Android 4.3 with API level 18, introducing support for Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). At that time, the company wasn’t too familiar with Bluetooth, but already knew that IPv6 over the 802.15.4 standard (used by ZigBee, for example) was a pipe dream. Even with the 6Lo compression (6LoWPAN – Ipv6 over Low Power Wireless Personal Area Network, a lightweight protocol envisioned to bring IP networking to embedded or IoT devices), IPv6 was simply too heavy to fly, and 802.15.4 turned out to be too slow to give it a lift. Back in 2012-2013, Silvair was experimenting with something very similar to what Thread is today. But eventually we found this combination (IPv6 + 802.15.4) incapable of addressing the needs of professional wireless lighting. Hence, Silvair kept looking for a suitable radio technology.
Google’s announcement of support for Bluetooth Low Energy in Android sparked hopes. BLE was already supported by iOS, so with Android on board, it seemed like a good candidate to try. But it did not fly, either. The single-hop range was very limited and the hub-and-spoke topology was far from anything usable for lighting needs; it could provide only a handful of point-to-point connections. Great for linking a heart rate monitor to a phone but certainly not to control a ceiling with 500 lights in a hotel lobby. There was hope, though.
The underlying physics of BLE was very promising. Within a couple of months, Silvair managed to build a BLE module capable of communicating over a 500m single-hop distance. The company also discovered that with proper software engineering, it was able to run multiple Bluetooth roles (a GAP Observer and a GAP Broadcaster) at the same time (GAP stands for General Access Profile). This experiment was carried out in early 2014 and you can see it now being the fundamental requirement of the Mesh Profile specification
Securing the system
MICs, or Message Integrity Checks, define the level of security of the system. Bluetooth mesh has dual-layer security – it includes the network layer and the application layer. Messages may be secured with two independent keys. This is useful for relay nodes to authenticate a message on a network layer without enabling tampering with the application payload. A lightbulb that relays a message to a door lock cannot change the payload from “open” to “close,” but it does check whether the packet belongs to its own network. The network layer MIC can be either 8 or 4 bytes long. In its shorter form, it is combined with the application layer MIC that can again be 8 or 4 bytes long.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Oh, No! Not Another IIoT Wireless Technology
802.16s: a superior option for the Industrial Internet of Things.
http://www.mwrf.com/systems/oh-no-not-another-iiot-wireless-technology?NL=MWRF-001&Issue=MWRF-001_20171114_MWRF-001_571&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=14051&utm_medium=email&elq2=20283a51facc49bc8fb5ebd5682ebc5c
There are dozens of wireless technology options for the Internet of Things (IoT), but only a few offer the broad coverage, increased security, and superior reliability that the industrial sector requires. The recently published standard from the IEEE designated 802.16s may be just the technology that some mission-critical users are demanding.
You may remember the 802.16 designation by its trade name, WiMAX.
This new standard was developed primarily for electric utilities with input from the Electric Power Research Institute (EPRI), the Utilities Technology Council (UTC), and the WiMAX Forum. One application is advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) backhaul that handles smart meter traffic from remote concentrators back to a central office. Electric substation data acquisition is another use. The standard also works with SCADA systems.
The standard also addresses other serious applications such as oil and gas pipelines, water and gas utilities, nuclear facilities, rail transportation, environmental monitoring, military, and homeland security. Aside from its superior benefits of security and reliability, the standard permits the network to be fully disconnected and separated from the public internet.
The 802.16s standard is based essentially upon the specifications of the older WiMAX 802.16e version. It uses OFDMA and time division duplexing (TDD) that does not require the paired spectrum of FDD LTE. It is designed to work at lower data rates using channel bandwidths from 100 kHz to 1.25 MHz. Modulation can be BPSK, QPSK, 16QAM, or 64QAM, but an adaptive modulation and coding scheme lets the system optimize the throughput depending upon local conditions. Encryption is the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES). Other features include a longer frame size to increase throughput, as well as a way to adjust the asymmetrical downlink (DL) to uplink (UL) ratio to optimize throughput for some common asymmetrical industrial applications.
While the original 802.16 standard was designed to be used in the 2 to 66 GHz range, the 802.16s version is adjusted to work at much lower frequencies since utilities and other industrial users do not typically have access to more the widely used broadband spectrum. But the utilities and other industries do have allocations for their own licensed spectrum. Some examples are 217-218 MHz, 406 MHz, 901 MHz, 1.4 GHz, or 3.65 GHz. The upper A block of the 700 MHz spectrum is also available.
The utilities simply wanted their own standard and did not want to rely upon standard cellular IoT carriers for their critical infrastructure.
One company making 802.16s gear is Full Spectrum, using its patented software-defined radio (SDR) technology. The firm’s FullMAX radios work on all licensed frequencies below 1 GHz, featuring high transmit power and software-configurable channel sizes from 50 kHz to 5 MHz.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smart Fabric Uses Magnetic Fields to Store, Transmit Data Without Electronics
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/smart-fabric-uses-magnetic-fields-store-transmit-data-without-electronics/104613276457800?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=2017&elq_cid=876648
Researchers at the University of Washington have found a way to make clothes smarter without on-board electronics using a new type of data-storing fabric that leverages technology already found in smartphones.
One limitation to wearable technology is the need for electronics and wiring that make so-called “smart” clothing not so comfortable to wear.
Researchers at the University of Washington (UW) have found a way to make clothes smarter without on-board electronics using a new type of data-storing fabric that leverages technology already found in smartphones.
“One thing preventing the adoption of smart fabrics is the fact that they typically require an electronic chip or microcontroller to be attached to your clothing,” he explained to Design News. “This can be cumbersome as they require charging. By taking an electronic-free approach, we can create smart fabrics that are highly durable and waterproof against rainwater and laundry cycles.”
The fabric and accessories created from the fabric can store data–such as security codes and identification tags–without sensors or electronics by using previously unexplored magnetic properties of off-the-shelf conductive thread, he said. An instrument embedded in existing smartphones that enables navigation applications can read the data.
“Conductive threads are typically used in smart-fabric designs as a wire to carry electricity from one point to another,” Chan explained. “What we discovered was that we could magnetize these threads using a magnet like a fridge magnet. We could then sense the thread’s presence or absence using a magnetometer, a sensor used to measure magnetic fields.”
Smartphones already all have magnetometers because they are used in navigation apps like GPS to determine direction, he said. Researchers leveraged this existing technology to sense whether conductive thread is nearby.
“We can encode data onto these magnetized fabrics in the same way that data is stored on the magnetic hard drive on your computer,” Chan explained.
“We can easily encode data like serial numbers, or 2D images with a unique pattern like miniature QR codes,” he said.
The UW team created prototype fashion accessories out of the magnetized fabric, including a tie, belt, necklace, and wristband. In one instance to test the material, they stored the passcode to an electronic door lock on a patch of conductive fabric sewn to a shirt cuff, then unlocked the door by waving the cuff in front of an array of magnetometers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
“Hey! Don’t Lock the Door, I’m in Here!”
https://hackaday.com/2017/11/13/hey-dont-lock-the-door-im-in-here/
Those that work in front of a computer for a living spend most of the time making very little sound. Unless you’re a member of the clicky mechanical keyboard club, your working time is a low-observables time during which people can forget about you. You can make sure you’re not overlooked with this smartphone hotspot presence detector.
Your HotSpot is a presence detector
http://ficara.altervista.org/?p=3744
I never connect my devices to “free wifi” hotspots. I’ve seen what a (bad) hacker can do, using one laptop, a battery powered Raspberry PI board and a collection of software tools. He can spy (almost) any smartphone that is connected to the same “free wifi” hotspot.
For this reason, I always use my own LTE 4G connection and my smartphone is always enabled to share such internet connection with my other devices (one laptop, another smartphone and some other) using an access filter based on MAC address of every device. This is more secure than use “free wifi” hotspots and I suggest to everyone the same approach. However, this isn’t the subject of my post.
Having my own hotspot, with the SSID choosen by myself, I can use the smartphone for a lot of nice services. In this article I will describe one of them.
I thought about a passive IR sensor, but such devices work only if there is a movement in the room, and I don’t move so often. Also microwave sensors based on Doppler effect work in the same way; they activate the output when there is a movement. Finally, I decided to use my smartphone as a presence detector… I built a small device based on the well known ESP-01 module. This device has an ATtiny2313 microcontroller and a blue led (high luminosity) that blinks when I am in the room (with my smartphone). When my smartphone goes out (with me) the led stops blinking…
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tiny Tensor Brings Machine Deep Learning to Micros
https://hackaday.com/2017/11/13/tiny-tensor-brings-machine-deep-learning-to-micros/
We’ve talked about TensorFlow before — Google’s deep learning library. Crunching all that data is the province of big computers, not embedded systems, right? Not so fast. [Neil-Tan] and others have been working on uTensor, an implementation that runs on boards that support Mbed-OS 5.6 or higher.
Mbed of course is the embedded framework for ARM, and uTensor requires at least 256K of RAM on the chip and an SD card less than (that’s right; less than) 32 GB. If your board of choice doesn’t already have an SD card slot, you’ll need to add one.
Of course, you can install TensorFlow on a Raspberry Pi, too, but that’s not really a proper microcontroller.
AI inference library based on mbed and TensorFlow
https://github.com/neil-tan/uTensor
uTensor is an extremely light-weight Deep-Learning Inference framework built on mbed and Tensorflow.
The related Tensorflow training script please refer to the node-viewer project.
Tomi Engdahl says:
0.9″ Internet of Displays (IoD) Display Modules
http://www.4dsystems.com.au/product/IoD-09
The IoD-09 (Internet of Displays) series is a range of miniature display modules Designed and Manufactured by 4D Systems.
The IoD-09 modules feature a full colour 0.9” TFT LCD display. They are powered by the WiFi enabled ESP8266, which offers an array of functionality and options for any Designer / Integrator / User.
The IoD-09 modules can be easily programmed using 4D Systems Workshop4 or the Arduino IDE installed with the ESP8266 core.
The feature rich 4D Systems GFX4dIoD09 library enables speedy development of applications by providing extensive primitive graphics functions, enhanced graphics via Workshop4, SD card access, and much more, all integrated into a single library.
The on-board SD card socket enables the use of FAT16 or FAT32 formatted cards for extensive storage capabilities.
The IoD-09 modules feature 12 pads, 6 on each end, for easy and simple connection to an application or mother board, or for connecting to accessory boards for a range of functionality advancements. The IoD-09TH features Through Hole (TH) pads with male pin headers mounted, and the IoD-09SM features Surface Mount (SM) pads.
Powerful Intelligent LCD-TFT display module powered by the Espressif ESP8266 SoC.
80 x 160 Resolution, RGB 65K true to life colours, TFT Screen.
Built in WiFi suitable for ‘Internet of things’ applications.
802.11 b/g/n/e/i support
Integrated TCP/IP protocol stack
WiFi 2.4 GHz, supporting WPA/WPA2 and WEP/TKIP/AES, along with STA/AP/STA+AP/P2P operation modes
4Mbit (512kb) of Flash memory for User Application Code and Data.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Beckhoff, the German pioneer of PC-based industrial and automation control systems, is introducing a Finnish toolkit to develop a range of control and monitoring applications on all different devices and operating systems – as long as they have a browser. With the TwinCAT HMI, displaying graphical user interfaces can easily be bent on different displays.
The TwinCAT HMI tool produces responsive HTML5 web graphics that automatically transforms to different screens, which fortunately has become a standard for web publishing. Over the years, many have drawn their user interface components, for example, to Microsoft Silverlight, but the money invested in HTML5 seems to be a market leader.
TwinCAT HMI is an integrated plug-in for Microsoft Visual Studio. In the familiar style, you can drag and drop different components and interfaces to the user interface, define those functions and priorities, and the tool handle the rest.
The user interface is wired in wysiwyg style on the screen. Of course, the developer can access the source code, but the actual HTML5 skill tool does not have to. On the other hand, adjusting HTML and Javascript is not a very big threshold for programming for the skilled person.
Beckhoff’s new software tool for the first time brings Beckhoff’s own centralized control software. HTML5 based also means that the user interface naturally sits on different sized screens across devices. At the same time, HTML5 3D support enables, for example, maintenance of devices to be displayed as 3D blasting screens.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7156&via=n&datum=2017-11-14_15:15:22&mottagare=31202
Tomi Engdahl says:
Modbus to Cloud
Modbus to Cloud
https://gspplatform.cfemedia.com/pe/productProfile/59f8a7e5e4b053d9c07cdf41
Real Time Logic provides OEM network and HMI enabling software modules used by leading brands such as Schneider Electric’s Modicon and Mitsubishi’s C Controller. The flagship product is the Barracuda App Server, which enables device manufacturers to design modern web based HMIs and connect industrial products to cloud services.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rewire the process industry with IIoT
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/rewire-the-process-industry-with-iiot/194c09dd7339f07f00f8371d0badf54b.html
Digitalization can offer process industries increased process optimization and plant efficiency. The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) adds predictive maintenance, asset information management, and open device configurability.
82% Efficiency increase
If reports are to be believed, manufacturing plants experience an 82% efficiency increase with digitized processes. Addressing utility costs, a major Japanese chemical producer embedded 148 steam traps with sensors, leading to a 7% reduction in the cost of steam.
With IIoT, plant operators can access an increasing volume of asset-related data. As the bridge between edge sensors and analytics, it will provide benefits by:
Cost-effectively collecting data using wireless, low-energy sensors
Developing data-driven, strategic, actionable operational intelligence
Presenting this information to plant managers at the right time
Delivering performance improvements once corrective actions have been taken.
Going by present standards, operators have been leveraging this information to transition from reactive maintenance activities to a more efficient predictive maintenance framework. Implementing efficient maintenance prioritization across multiple sites is a major hurdle that remains.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT and ERP: A potentially profitable partnership for manufacturers
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/iot-and-erp-a-potentially-profitable-partnership-for-manufacturers/9df5b266cc32fbcfd97db3b51c048275.html
The Internet of Things (IoT) can help cut costs for manufacturers; the next step is leveraging it for business growth through enterprise resource planning (ERP) and other enterprise systems.
It’s easy to see why manufacturers like the concept of the Internet of Things (IoT). It represents something most of them have been seeking for decades-an end-to-end information network that provides real-time visibility into all their operations.
That possibility is the likely reason manufacturers are expected to spend the biggest share of the $800 billion that International Data Corporation (IDC), an industry analyst firm, expects companies to invest in IoT technology throughout 2017. That figure, which includes all industries and all forms of IoT technology spending—hardware, software, services, and connectivity—represents a 16.7% increase over 2016. IDC expects that trend to continue with overall IoT spending exceeding $1.4 trillion by 2021.
Manufacturers will lead the way, spending $183 billion in 2017 alone, according to IDC. Most of the money manufacturers spend on the IoT in 2017 will be earmarked for projects designed to improve production operations. That fact points to one piece of good news and one piece of bad news about the state of IoT in the manufacturing sector.
The good news is IoT technology can have a major positive impact on production operations. There are, in fact, many instances of manufacturers revamping business processes in ways that reduce costs, or boost revenues, using IoT technology. Some have leveraged the technology to create entire new business models and generate new revenue streams.
The bad news is IoT technology is not mature enough to help most manufacturers take the final step of creating networks that can convert production-related data into information that can be viewed and analyzed by enterprise resources planning (ERP) users and other enterprise systems. Such networks, which would allow manufacturers to anticipate and respond to potential problems before they cause business disruptions, are the true promise of the IoT. Manufacturers are getting a glimpse as they incorporate this technology into their operations.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Accelerate IIoT with hardware, software
More intelligent manufacturing is possible more quickly by choosing hardware and software that help with Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) architectures.
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/accelerate-iiot-with-hardware-software/83621d0084d0865575868e51a4259c44.html
IIoT platform architecture
Collection and analysis of Big Data runs through IIoT processes, from front-end data acquisition, transmission, transfer to the cloud, and to a decision-making terminal. Data acquisition and analysis are core to NI offerings, an advantage for those seeking an IIoT platform architecture.
“As for IIoT, we will help customers build a basic architecture, emancipate them from data acquisition, and allow greater focus on data analysis,” said Peng. “In the past, the customers spent 80% of their time to carry out the front-end system architecture and data acquisition, with 20% left for data analysis.” A platform of hardware and software can help customers to speed up IIoT deployment, Peng suggested. Elements to help with IIoT deployment include embedded industrial controllers, systems on modules, machine vision, motion control, industrial touch screens, data acquisition and control platforms, and cloud-based data management and analysis software.
Xilu added, “The basic architecture of IIoT as produced by NI can realize the intelligent test and protocol test, as well as monitor equipment in the industrial field. In such cases, early design verification and later mass production will be monitored online in real time to enable predictive maintenance, protect stable operation of assets, help customers enhance production efficiency, and shorten the production period.”
Build an IIoT ecosystem, supply chain
As IIoT develops into a comprehensive systemic engineering architecture, a cooperative ecosystem helps. Companies that offer open-ended platforms of integrated hardware and software also help. Peng said, “Another extension of the NI platform concept lies in the industry development, jointly promoted by cooperative partners under the assistance of the ecosphere…. Generally, we will provide a platform offering to satisfy customer-defined demands.” To supply customer solutions, Peng continued, “We will adopt two methods. First, we will join with local or global professional partners to build the solution suitable for the specific field. Second, we cooperate with end customers to develop the specified system.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Sensors and IIoT device implementation
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/sensors-and-iiot-device-implementation/5fc7b3e369be0c0d65eb905e3a519a42.html
Sensors and networks are important to Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) implementations, according to experts at the Sensors Midwest conference.
How sensors and networks are enabling Internet of Things (IoT) implementations across industries were among topics and case studies discussed at the Sensors Midwest Conference at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Ill.
“You really need IoT skills to work with the right sensors, database skills, and process fulfillment to bring it together and increase the value to our partners,” said Scott Schwalbe, CEO of NimbeLink and keynote speaker.
Schwalbe also stressed that the role sensors play in the IoT space is significant and that organizations need to think about how they’re going to tackle an IoT implementation and a solution for customers. Currently, only 26% of companies have a successful IoT launch. Do they have the internal resources to do it or does it need to be outsourced? Schwalbe said to fail big, fail small, and fail fast.
The conference session, with an IIoT University theme, maintained the momentum of the IoT and the sensors discussions, and included cybersecurity issues, how wireless sensors are collecting data and creating actionable data with IoT networks, and use cases for embedded sensors.
If the complexity of IoT devices isn’t thought through, a company can leave itself vulnerable to a data leak, among other types of attacks at the network, firmware, and hardware levels. It critical to have security measures in place, as well as proper monitoring.
“It’s like locking the door but leaving the keys underneath the doormat. How you manage the secret key is critical. You need a constant monitoring solution to identify if IoT devices are functioning properly,” said Sundaram. IIoT device security is difficult for many reasons including:
Resource constraints (lightweight cryptography and intrusion detection)
Secret key management (identity, authentication, and authorization)
Security configuration and policy management.
While cybersecurity is difficult to implement fully, ways to help prevent cyberattacks include network intrusion detection, secure networking, edge intrusion detection, and lightweight cryptography.
Turn data into actions: Four steps
Another issue is what to do with sensor data. Murali Kashaboina, chief data scientist at Entrigna, broke down the steps on how to turn collected data into actionable data during one of the technical sessions.
Step 1: Locate the data you’re collecting. If you don’t know the characteristics of the data, the outcome may be less than optimal.
Step 2: Understand what the data means. Review the process that touches the collected data. Talk to all of the people who use the systems to better understand data sources.
Step 3: Identify the next step. What do you want to do next? Brainstorm action items that would benefit the business (such as improve workflows or increase inventory returns). The focus needs to be on prescriptive, rather than predictive, actions. What are the “missed” actions?
Step 4: Implement in small steps. Don’t get into analysis paralysis, said Kashaboina. Start small. There’s lower risk and it costs less if you can take corrective action right away and build upon that solution for a larger project down the line.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Technology collaborations thrive regardless of the bungling bureaucrats
https://www.electropages.com/2017/11/technology-collaborations-thrive-regardless-of-bungling-bureaucrats/?utm_campaign=&utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_term=article&utm_content=Technology+collaborations+thrive+regardless+of+the+bungling+bureaucrats
British satellite communications company Immarsat has struck a partnership agreement that will see it develop what it describes as a comprehensive worldwide Internet of Things (IoT) network. Immarsat will be working with the JT group, the parent company of Jersey Telecom and Wave Telecom Limited.
The partnership is planning to deliver an IoT connectivity solution that will combine Inmarsat’s existing satellite communication infrastructure with cellular data provided by JT. This say the partners will mean Inmarsat’s customers will have access to a global connectivity network from a single provider to deliver the next generation of IoT technology.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Google Devs / Google Developers Blog:
Google announces TensorFlow Lite to enable fast inference of machine learning models on mobile and embedded devices
Announcing TensorFlow Lite
http://developers.googleblog.com/2017/11/announcing-tensorflow-lite.html
Today, we’re happy to announce the developer preview of TensorFlow Lite, TensorFlow’s lightweight solution for mobile and embedded devices! TensorFlow has always run on many platforms, from racks of servers to tiny IoT devices, but as the adoption of machine learning models has grown exponentially over the last few years, so has the need to deploy them on mobile and embedded devices. TensorFlow Lite enables low-latency inference of on-device machine learning models.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Pam Belluck / New York Times:
FDA approves first digital pill, which has an embedded sensor that will show doctors whether and when patients are taking it, sparking privacy concerns — For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a digital pill — a medication embedded with a sensor that can tell doctors whether …
First Digital Pill Approved to Worries About Biomedical ‘Big Brother’
https://www.nytimes.com/2017/11/13/health/digital-pill-fda.html
For the first time, the Food and Drug Administration has approved a digital pill — a medication embedded with a sensor that can tell doctors whether, and when, patients take their medicine.
The approval, announced late on Monday, marks a significant advance in the growing field of digital devices designed to monitor medicine-taking and to address the expensive, longstanding problem that millions of patients do not take drugs as prescribed.
Experts estimate that so-called nonadherence or noncompliance to medication costs about $100 billion a year, much of it because patients get sicker and need additional treatment or hospitalization.
Ameet Sarpatwari, an instructor in medicine at Harvard Medical School, said the digital pill “has the potential to improve public health,” especially for patients who want to take their medication but forget.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Strangers can talk to your child through ‘connected’ toys, investigation finds
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/nov/14/retailers-urged-to-withdraw-toys-that-allow-hackers-to-talk-to-children
Which? investigation finds security flaws in ‘intelligent’ toys such as CloudPets and Hasbro’s Furby Connect
A consumer group is urging major retailers to withdraw a number of “connected” or “intelligent” toys
Tests carried out by Which? with the German consumer group Stiftung Warentest, and other security research experts, found flaws in Bluetooth and wifi-enabled toys that could enable a stranger to talk to a child.
The investigation found that four out of seven of the tested toys could be used to communicate with the children playing with them. Security failures were discovered in the Furby Connect, i-Que Intelligent Robot, Toy-Fi Teddy and CloudPets.
With each of these toys, the Bluetooth connection had not been secured, meaning the researcher did not need a password, pin or any other authentication to gain access.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazon Echo, Google Home Vulnerable to BlueBorne Attacks
http://www.securityweek.com/amazon-echo-google-home-vulnerable-blueborne-attacks
Amazon Echo and Google Home devices are vulnerable to attacks exploiting a series of recently disclosed Bluetooth flaws dubbed “BlueBorne.”
IoT security firm Armis reported in September that billions of Android, iOS, Windows and Linux devices using Bluetooth had been exposed to a new attack that can be carried out remotely without any user interaction.
A total of eight Bluetooth implementation vulnerabilities allow a hacker who is in range of the targeted device to execute arbitrary code, obtain sensitive information, and launch man-in-the-middle (MitM) attacks. There is no need for the victim to click on a link or open the file in order to trigger the exploit, and most security products would likely not detect an attack.
Google patched the vulnerabilities affecting Android in September and Microsoft released fixes for Windows in July. Apple had already addressed the issue in iOS one year prior to disclosure, and Linux distributions released updates shortly after disclosure.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Garage Door Opener from Scrap
https://hackaday.com/2017/11/15/iot-garage-door-opener-from-scrap/
[Hans Nielsen] has a couple roommates, and his garage has become a catch-all for various items. And like any good hacker’s garage, it boasts an IoT controlled garage door opener. It had a problem though, it used a Particle Photon – a popular IoT board that required internet access and a web server to operate. So [Hans] raided his roommate’s spare parts bin and set-forth to rebuild it!
Making an IoT Garage Door Opener
https://www.stackallocated.com/blog/2017/garage-door-opener/
Because it’s California, nobody actually stores cars in the garage. We do keep stuff like bicycles and car covers there though! For a while, we had a wifi-based opener built by one of my roommates (based on a Particle Photon), but it was so IoT that it needed internet access and an in-home server for the web interface. Once the server in our house disappeared, we needed something new.
The most important feature the old garage door opener had was that by joining the local wifi, you could open and close the door. Since I was rebuilding it, I set a few other goals, such as making it work entirely on local wifi. This means if our internet goes down, we can still open the door!
There are three main parts to put together:
Connect to the local wifi network
Run a webserver that we can access
Do some Electronics Things when we get certain web requests
The board I ended up using for the new one is the C.H.I.P., a $9 board that runs Linux, has onboard wifi and Bluetooth (solving part 1), and most importantly was in my roommate’s spare parts bin.
Linux makes our lives easier
Since I already had some vaguely-working circuitry from the previous opener, I left that alone and started by trying to get input / output working on the C.H.I.P. The documentation notes that there are eight GPIO ports provided by an I/O expander, and there are some fancy libraries for using it.
Linux grew a GPIO interface in SysFS! The documentation provides a clear explanation about how you can use this interface. From what I can tell, it’s designed for slower applications that aren’t timing-critical. In other words, it’ll work great for a garage door opener.
Tomi Engdahl says:
DOE publishes first of an intended series of reports on connected LED lighting
http://www.ledsmagazine.com/articles/2017/11/doe-publishes-first-of-an-intended-series-of-reports-on-connected-led-lighting.html?eid=293591077&bid=1926167
US Department of Energy has evaluated how well application programming interfaces can deliver a homogenous experience when dealing with multiple connected SSL systems from different vendors.
The US Department of Energy (DOE) has published its initial report studying interoperability among what the agency terms connected lighting systems (CLS) from different vendors. In the Part 1 work, the DOE’s Pacific Northwest National Laboratory (PNNL) focused on whether common application programming interfaces (APIs) in different CLS implementations could deliver a homogenous experience for developers, specifiers, and end users. For now, the news in terms of interoperability among different connected solid-state lighting (SSL) systems is not positive, although the DOE has identified next steps that the lighting industry and the Internet of Things (IoT) sector should take to move the situation forward in a positive manner.
Of course, there has been effort both in industry organizations, commercial companies, and standards organizations to push interoperability forward. The TALQ Consortium for instance has been focused on interoperability in CMS for outdoor SSL installations. And TALQ has made some progress as we will soon report in another article. Even companies such as Daintree Networks were focused on open standards and interoperability. Of course, Daintree was acquired by Current, powered by GE and there has been little if any news since the acquisition about Daintree technology being used outside of the Current universe.
As it has done with many of its research projects, the DOE will focus on connected LED lighting hoping to ensure that the technology matriculates in a manner that endures maximum energy savings, implying broad acceptance and deployment.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The customized circuit is perfect for industrial internet applications
Industrial Internet of Things (IPO) is very simple: making production facilities as efficient as possible by optimizing all operations, including production, materials management and maintenance.
IIoT depends on a large number of sensors designed to measure the state of the machine or device, or its output or the environment in which it operates. Sensors feed data into embedded systems with microprocessors and memory associated with feeds such as local control actuators, and external processing systems, such as clouds.
The current trend emphasizes integration, which allows many components and functions described above to be integrated into one microcircuit. However, full IIoT implementation still requires many additional components to work on the field.
Current IIoT cards are complicated
In the current market, even the simplest cards can have hundreds of individual components. Working with such a large number of components can be very laborious and technically challenging. Components must be defined, searched, purchased, integrated and tested.
Once the components are defined, you will probably not find the ideal component for each role so you have to make technical compromises. You may need to choose different capacity, size or weight, or come up with higher power consumption than you originally thought. Pre-commercial components always include compromises that are likely to affect your project’s financial or efficiency budget, or require a larger physical area.
Another big lack of dedicated components is their aging. Many component manufacturers are aiming more on the consumer electronics market, where product life cycles are shorter. These manufacturers often change their components regularly. IIoT designs require components with a much longer life cycle. The expiry of the component may force product redesign, or at least to look for, buy, and test returns. And there is no guarantee that once you get back to the finish line, another component will get older suddenly.
Separate cards, using pre-commercial components, are also more vulnerable to copying competitors. In reverse engineering, they can create a card that has the same functionality.
Technical superiority of a customized circuit
Taking over the situations described above is a real headache for designers who want to create separate solutions. Naturally, IIoT designers would like to find a way to simplify this process and find a technologically better way to produce their products.
A customized circuit provides more opportunities for differentiation and provides a higher level of protection for IP, since a single chip is more difficult to reverse by inverse design.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7169-kustomoitu-piiri-on-taeydellinen-teollisen-internetin-sovelluksiin
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tackling the challenges of IoT device development
http://electronics-know-how.com/article/2571/tackling-the-challenges-of-iot-device-development
This article describes the ARIS (Arrow Renesas IoT Synergy) development platforms, which leverage the Renesas Synergy framework and address the specific needs of IoT device developers in ways that many established conventional embedded development platforms cannot do.
The first ARIS IoT board, introduced in 2016, brought together the efficient and high-performing Renesas S7 microcontroller, featuring a 240MHz ARM Cortex-M4 core, with a rich set of sensors, and support for Wi-Fi, BLE 4.1/4.2 and NFC wireless communications including fully integrated software stacks. Ethernet and USB ports are also provided, while indicator LEDs, pushbuttons, a TFT-LCD controller, and a resistive touchscreen controller give the option to implement a sophisticated user interface. Ready-to-use on-board sensors include a three-axis acceleration sensor and two-axis gyroscope, a thermal sensor, and a humidity sensor. Device security and future-proofing are assured through features such as the integrated crypto bootloader and support for over-the-air (OTA) firmware updates.
Now, to help meet the specific challenges facing designers of small resource-constrained devices like smart sensors at the extreme edges of the IoT, Arrow has extended the ARIS concept by introducing the ARIS EDGE platform. ARIS EDGE is based on the ultra-low-power Renesas S1 32MHz ARM Cortex-M0+ microcontroller with analog and digital peripherals.
The on-board Silicon Labs MGM111 multi-protocol RF module supports BLE 4.1/4.2, ZigBee and Thread. Modules enable the fastest time to market and are suited for use in products that will be built in lower volumes.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Consumers Are Holding Off On Buying Smart-Home Gadgets Due To Security, Privacy Fears
https://yro.slashdot.org/story/17/11/16/0125255/consumers-are-holding-off-on-buying-smart-home-gadgets-due-to-security-privacy-fears
According to a new survey from consulting firm Deloitte, consumers are uneasy about being watched, listened to, or tracked by devices they place in their homes. The firm found that consumer interest in connected home technology lags behind their interest in other types of IoT devices. Business Insider reports
“Consumers are more open to, and interested in, the connected world,” the firm said in its report. Noting the concerns about smart home devices, it added: “But not all IoT is created equal.” Nearly 40% of those who participated in the survey said they were concerned about connected-home devices tracking their usage. More than 40% said they were worried that such gadgets would expose too much about their daily lives. Meanwhile, the vast majority of consumers think gadget makers weren’t doing a good job of telling them about security risks. Fewer than 20% of survey respondents said they were very well informed about such risks and almost 40% said they weren’t informed at all.
Consumers are holding off on buying smart-home gadgets thanks to security and privacy fears
http://nordic.businessinsider.com/consumers-holding-off-on-smart-home-gadgets-thanks-to-privacy-fears-2017-11?r=US&IR=T
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Air Freshener (w/ NodeMCU, Arduino, Adafruit.io, IFTTT)
https://www.hackster.io/igorF2/iot-air-freshener-w-nodemcu-arduino-adafruit-io-ifttt-dcf959
An IoT Air Freshener, using some 3D printing, a NodeMCU, Arduino IDE, IFTTT and Adafruit.IO. Configure your own triggers and have fun!
Tomi Engdahl says:
An NFC-enabled multi-parameter bio-signal monitor for wearable systems
https://www.edn.com/design/analog/4442911/2/An-NFC-enabled-multi-parameter-bio-signal-monitor-for-wearable-systems?utm_content=buffer1aba3&utm_medium=social&utm_source=twitter.com&utm_campaign=buffer
The MPBSM reference design is classified as a wearable technology since it was designed using flexible substrates in order to adapt to the shape of the human body. The system is placed on the chest diagonally across the heart. It is adhered to the chest with skin safe adhesive tape. It is a development platform that solves the problems associated with wearable devices available today.
The bio-signal sensor data is transmitted wirelessly through near field communication (NFC) to a smartphone which acts as gateway to provide self-monitoring or remote monitoring by a healthcare professional. The disposable nature of the solution also helps meet patient safety requirements due to the one-time use of the bio-patch, which aids in preventing exposure to hospital infections associated with reuse of medical equipment.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smart Home Device Sales to Near 55 Million in 2020
http://www.broadbandtechreport.com/articles/2017/11/smart-home-device-sales-to-near-55-million-in-2020.html?cmpid=enl_btr_weekly_2017-11-16
According to Parks Associates, U.S. broadband households will buy almost 55 million smart home devices in 2020. Currently many smart home devices, including smart thermostats, lights, locks and networked cameras, are still in the early adopter stage, at adoption levels less than 15% of U.S. households.
“Collectively U.S. adoption of smart home products is nearing the threshold of the early majority, thanks to marketing efforts of large players, popularity of voice-based products, lower product costs, and a focus on the consumer experience in the purchase process,”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Andy Greenberg / Wired:
Researchers find flaw in Amazon Key that lets any computer in WiFi range freeze and disable Cloud Cam; Amazon says a fix is coming later this week — WHEN AMAZON LAUNCHED its Amazon Key service last month, it also offered a remedy for anyone—realistically, most people …
Amazon Key Flaw Could Let Rogue Deliverymen Disable Your Camera
https://www.wired.com/story/amazon-key-flaw-let-deliverymen-disable-your-camera/
When Amazon launched its Amazon Key service last month, it also offered a remedy for anyone—realistically, most people—who might be creeped out that the service gives random strangers unfettered access to your home. That security antidote? An internet-enabled camera called Cloud Cam, designed to sit opposite your door and reassuringly record every Amazon Key delivery.
But now security researchers have demonstrated that with a simple program run from any computer in Wi-Fi range, that camera can be not only disabled but frozen. A viewer watching its live or recorded stream sees only a closed door, even as their actual door is opened and someone slips inside. That attack would potentially enable rogue delivery people to stealthily steal from Amazon customers, or otherwise invade their inner sanctum.
Tomi Engdahl says:
7 smart city strategies from cities across the world
http://www.ioti.com/smart-cities/7-smart-city-strategies-cities-across-world
We highlight the innovative efforts of several of the leading international smart cities, drawing advice from their efforts.
There still isn’t much of a consensus on how to define the term “smart city.” Most explanations of the term, however, describe using information technology, most notably the Internet of Things, to improve how cities are run and the quality of life for residents. The Smart Cities Council, a for-profit industry-led organization, states that a smart city harnesses information and communications technology to improve livability, workability and sustainability. In essence, a smart city uses connected sensors and information technology to improve the quality of life of residents.
The underlying idea of using technology to improve the quality of life may be simple, but it’s also an abstract and partly subjective concept. A vast range of cities across the world are attempting to deploy IoT technology to reimagine urban living and are adopting an array of strategies to do so. As a result, it isn’t clear when a city deserves the “smart” moniker. At present, “smart city” seems to be more of an aspirational term than a reality, although many cities are making quick progress in deploying cutting-edge information systems that are beginning to up the IQ of their municipalities. Here, we share the early experiences of several of these projects.
1. It starts with having a realistic plan
2. Smart cities require extensive experimentation
3. A smart city vision should energize the private sector
4. Smart cities demand smart data
5. Get creative when rethinking transportation
6. Don’t downplay digital security
7. Smart city initiatives should complement low-tech initiatives
Cities aspiring to become “smart” run the risk of becoming so focused on technology that they lose sight of promising initiatives that don’t require connected sensors, kiosks or any other type of widget.
Cities like Barcelona help remind us that, for a smart city to make good on its promises to improve quality of life for residents, it needs data and innovative thinking.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Manufacturing the Internet of Things
http://pages.anritsu-emearesponse.com/rs/937-UWP-683/images/Manufacturing_the_IoT.pdf?mkt_tok=eyJpIjoiWTJSaE5HVmlOVGMyWVRkaCIsInQiOiIyYkRPdlZWRlNDRk5sc2FSUFRYaDB6YXlab0d3NkFPM1cybTh6UkRKaEhHazROeUZmMnd6bVNaOHRGUUJqZHZzSGF3dzJSanFSN2U5ZmFhZW1MMklTamM5dmQ1ZVJydGZIeW02NlFEK1ZTMEZoNzhhQ3RZc0puSld4SW1adW9vMnozUTArTWpLN05Qck1rbXM5V3VqdXc9PSJ9
The Internet of Things (IoT), along with 5G, are “the next big thing” in the Tech World. Many industries are excited about the opportunities it presents, worried about the changes and perplexed by the challenges.
Even if the realm of possibility for the IoT seems infinite it will be enabled by a finite number of
Technologies. In this paper we will focus on the radio frequency (RF) technologies enabling a wireless connection.
The amount and complexity of testing of IoT devices will vary immensely depending on the technology combination chosen for the product and the reliability requirements
As the Internet of Things envelops such a wide variety of industries it is clear that most companies
entering the IoT world will not have electronics design and manufacturing as their core competence.
Software, machine tools, logistics – there is no industry that is not affected. However they will still need that physical connection to be designed and manufactured.
The use cases for IoT reach from the bottom of the sea into space. As the scope of solutions is so broad it is inevitable that many different types of products are required to enable each idea to reach its full potential.
The testing of IoT devices does not have to be all that
complex. Wireless IoT technologies are many but the
production testing for all of them is handled in a very
similar manner. This means that a huge portion of the
production test needs of the wireless IoT device world can
be handled with one single solution: The Anritsu MT8870A.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Python on ESP32 for Industrial IoT Applications
https://goo.gl/Kgvoev
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth Hack Affects 20 Million Amazon Echo, Google Home Devices
https://it.slashdot.org/story/17/11/17/0037251/bluetooth-hack-affects-20-million-amazon-echo-google-home-devices
In September, security researchers discovered eight vulnerabilities — codenamed collectively as BlueBorne — in the Bluetooth implementations used by over 5.3 billion devices. We have now learned that an estimated 20 million Amazon Echo and Google Home devices are also vulnerable to attacks leveraging the BlueBorne vulnerabilities.
Tomi Engdahl says:
MQTT Window Weather Station
https://www.hackster.io/thanksmister/mqtt-window-weather-station-64e798
Use a Raspberry Pi, a MPL3115A2 temp/pressure sensor, and 3D printed case to measure local weather outside and send data over MQTT.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Germany bans smartwatches for kids over spying concerns
https://techcrunch.com/2017/11/17/germany-bans-smartwatches-for-kids-over-spying-concerns/?ncid=rss&utm_source=tcfbpage&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+Techcrunch+%28TechCrunch%29&utm_content=FaceBook&sr_share=facebook
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Germany bans smartwatches for kids over spying concerns
Posted 9 hours ago by Brian Heater (@bheater)
Germany’s Federal Network Agency (Bundesnetzagentur) issued a blanket ban on smartwatches aimed at children this week — and asked parents who’d already purchased such a device to destroy them, for good measure. The aggressive move is a response to growing privacy concerns surrounding devices aimed at minors.
“Via an app, parents can use such children’s watches to listen unnoticed to the child’s environment and they are to be regarded as an unauthorized transmitting system,”
Germany bans children’s smartwatches
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-42030109
A German regulator has banned the sale of smartwatches aimed at children, describing them as spying devices.
It had previously banned an internet-connected doll called, My Friend Cayla, for similar reasons.
Telecoms regulator the Federal Network Agency urged parents who had such watches to destroy them.
One expert said the decision could be a “game-changer” for internet-connected devices.
“Poorly secured smart devices often allow for privacy invasion. That is really concerning when it comes to kids’ GPS tracking watches – the very watches that are supposed to help keep them safe,” said Ken Munro, a security expert at Pen Test Partners.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AutoFuse: Plug and Use Automation & power monitor
https://hackaday.io/project/27760-autofuse-plug-and-use-automation-power-monitor
Plugs into the fuse socket of mediocre switch boards, connects it to WiFi and monitors the power consumption of that room through smartphone
Replaces the standard AC fuse placed on Electrical Switchboards. It monitors the Power consumption of all the appliances connected to that board. It can also power off the entire board in case there are no occupants in that room. It doesn’t need to modify the board just pull out the normal fuse and plug this in its place and you have got your room automated, hence the name.
Power consumption can be monitored and the device can be configured through your smartphone.
Arduino(Bluetooth HC 05) or ESP8266(future)
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cloud Power Meter
The cloud-enabled electric power meter based on ESP8266
https://hackaday.io/project/11330-cloud-power-meter
Tomi Engdahl says:
IOTap
a remote controlled gate valve for a water heater
https://hackaday.io/project/28200-iotap
use two esp8266 modules and a stepper motor to operate the gate valve.
So the only solution left was to control the gate value which switched the water going to the heater. The gate value when on lets the water go directly from the tank, bypassing the heater. When closed the water is passed though the geyser which heats it..
Tomi Engdahl says:
Your Next Wearable May Not Need Electricity
https://hackaday.com/2017/11/17/your-next-wearable-may-not-need-electricity/
What if you could unlock a door with your shirtsleeve, or code a secret message into your tie? This could soon be a thing, because researchers at the University of Washington have created a fabric that can store data without any electronics whatsoever. The fabric can be washed, dried, and even ironed without losing data. Oh, and it’s way cheaper than RFID.
By harnessing the ferromagnetic properties of conductive thread, [Justin Chen] and [Shyam Gollakota] have proved the ability to store bit strings and 2D images through magnetization.
How to store information in your clothes invisibly, without electronics
https://www.washington.edu/news/2017/10/31/how-to-store-information-in-your-clothes-invisibly-without-electronics/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Week in Review: IoT
https://semiengineering.com/the-week-in-review-iot-72/
The city of Dresden, Germany, is touting its prospects as a tech hub in the “Silicon Saxony” ecosystem, particularly for Internet of Things technology. Bosch, the German Aerospace Center, GlobalFoundries, Infineon Technologies, and other organizations are planning to invest about €4.5 billion (approximately $5.3 billion) over several years to develop processors, sensors, and 5G mobile communication modules, along with related software tools and IoT platforms.
Emerson Electric has increased its acquisition bid for Rockwell Automation to $29 billion, offering $225
Dialog Semiconductor reported completing its $276 million acquisition of Silego Technology, a supplier of configurable mixed-signal ICs.
Komatsu has implemented a cloud-based Industrial IoT analytics platform using Cloudera Enterprise and Microsoft Azure. Komatsu’s JoySmart Solutions
Gemalto is collaborating with HiSilicon Technologies, the semiconductor arm of Huawei Technologies, on development of narrowband IoT modules. Gemalto will provide its cybersecurity expertise in crafting those low-power modules. ABI Research forecasts NB-IoT modules will represent more than 20% of all cellular shipments by 2021.
The IoT lighting market is forecast to increase to $4.5 billion in 2026, compared with $651.1 million this year, according to Navigant Research.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Beating IoT Big Data With Brain Emulation
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332618&
To beat Big Data, according to German electronics company Robert Bosch, we need to tier the solution by making every level smart — from edge sensors to concentration hubs to analytics in the cloud.
Luckily, we have the smart sensors of the brain — eye, ears, nose, taste-buds and touch sensitivity — as the smartest model in the universe (as we know it) after which to fashion our electronic Big Data solutions to the Internet of Things (IoT), said Marcellino Gemelli, head of business development at Bosch Sensortec.
“We need to feed our Big Data problems into a model generator based on the human brain, then use this model to generate a prediction of what the optimal solution will look like,” Gemelli told the attendees at the recent SEMI MEMS & Sensor Executive Congress (MSEC). “These machine learning solutions will work on multiple levels, because of the versatility of the neuron.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Iot is growing rapidly: specialization, clouds and bigger cyber risks
The pace of rapid growth will move from next year’s experimental stage to the scale of genuine business. The Internet of Things specializes, utilizes more clouds – and suffers from bigger cybersprints.
The research house Forrester tries to answer many of the interesting questions about the future of the Internet of Things in the short term. In the Predictions 2018: IoT Moves From Experimentation To Business Scale published last week, Forrester raises a number of important and interesting issues alongside the huge growth rate and growing importance of the iot
Iot specializes ever further
In the coming year, iot will develop towards the specialty areas developed for different industries. Such’design and operate ‘activities allow developers to focus on the different needs of industries and users.
As iot grows as an industry at an explosive rate, the benefits of the magnitude are also achieved more quickly in narrow sectors. Besides, iot services customers want products that fit their needs, so specializing in the Internet of Things
The information monsters are always in the wake
Integrating the objects into the public cloud raises concerns about security at increasingly new levels. This is also foretold by Forrester, according to which more and more disastrous cybercaps will increase as iot grows. Next year, information holes will be reported more than the end of the year.
In general, a very pessimistic view is that more successful cybercrime is implemented through both combined devices and data networks. In its second projection, the cybercrime report, Forrester expects the money to ignore all the other causes of iot attacks. Thus, companies should be protected, especially from tightening programs.
All in all, the future of iot is associated with myriad controversies that all run around connected devices, networks, and security.
Experts warn that companies will swoop on the Internet of things too quickly and without thinking at all about the security of their networks and the deep vulnerabilities of their systems.
Source: http://www.tivi.fi/CIO/iot-kasvaa-vauhdilla-erikoistumista-pilvea-ja-entista-isommat-kyberriskit-6688212
Tomi Engdahl says:
Forrester predicts what’s next for IoT
As the Internet of Things moves from “experimentation to business scale,” research firm Forrester shares its predictions for 2018. Think
specialization and cloud — and big security risks.
https://www.networkworld.com/article/3237268/internet-of-things/forrester-predicts-what-s-next-for-iot.html
Predictions 2018: IoT Moves From Experimentation To Business Scale
https://www.forrester.com/report/Predictions+2018+IoT+Moves+From+Experimentation+To+Business+Scale/-/E-RES139752
Business stakeholders and CIOs across all vertical markets are planning and deploying IoT solutions to bridge the physical and digital worlds of their organizations to create new opportunities for growth.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Industrial computing: How systems are adapting to decentralised grids
https://www.engerati.com/transmission-and-distribution/article/measurement-energy-control-technology/industrial-computing-how?utm_source=eCampaign&utm_medium=E_mail&utm_campaign=eDM-IA-AOLKACP-1711-AEU-SmartGrids-SelectTopic-Q42017_1.0&CampId=f074ccedab&UID=vKYPLp
“Before 2010, energy providers were limited to operating systems built on a centralised system based on either a server-client or even older mainframe-terminal system,” Munro explains.
He says these systems weren’t sufficiently stable for industrial computing needs and left some utilities running technology that was outdated and unable to be patched with new security updates.
Deploying decentralised computing
Munro believes the case for decentralised computing is sound “and had to happen – how much larger could industrial computers get?” but stresses that the shift from a centralised control system to localised computing can be small and gradual.
“The advantage of undertaking IoT projects is that you can start small,” he says. “Under this model, you don’t need to take substations out of service to deploy automation technology, which obviously carries a high risk of disrupting service to your customers.”
Smaller computers can be installed at one point in the grid by shutting down the network one leg at a time to build up the network.
And there is no need to completely switch off legacy computing systems, says Munro. “Utilities can keep these as supervisory stations without control capability.”
He adds: “The key thing to remember is don’t overthink decentralised computing. Start small, gather data to see where the problems are, and then build out your computing system from that point.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Digitising low voltage substations – challenges and opportunities
https://www.engerati.com/article/digitising-low-voltage-substations-challenges-Advantech?utm_source=eCampaign&utm_medium=E_mail&utm_campaign=eDM-IA-AOLKACP-1711-AEU-SmartGrids-SelectTopic-Q42017_1.0&CampId=f074ccedab&UID=vKYPLp
In three years’ time, European Union member states will need to draw 20% of their energy needs from renewable resources.
European distribution system operators (DSOs) will soon be using smart meters at scale as grid sensors to help monitor energy usages behind the meter.
Monitoring and visibility are therefore essential to manage a post-2020 energy network but do DSOs have sufficient ‘eyes’ on the network?
In France, where Milne works as business development manager, most of the country’s 2,000 HV substations are fully automated but the country has around 700,000 LV substations.
“DSOs have known for years that they could automate more but the cost of automating a pole outside a customer’s house with today’s technology could be €5,000-10,000,” he says.
And with some poles only producing €1000 in revenue, the automation is ten times more than its value.
Industrial Internet of Things – solutions for LV substations
Industrial Internet of Things technology and control systems do offer solutions to improving monitoring and visibility at substation level.
Advantech, which supplies equipment to suppliers of large HV substations, says the LV segment has much to learn from experiences of information technology and operational technology integration.
Milne concludes: “The internet business model, where a consumer decides the requirements, places the order, pays, usually in advance of delivery; and where the supplier automatically receives the order and ships the product has a lot to offer the energy supply business.
“The energy is already supplied in a continuous stream, and today’s bottleneck will become tomorrow’s smart substations.”