Here is a list f IoT predictions for year 2018. With the number of connected devices set to top 11 billion – and that’s not including computers and phones – in 2018, Internet of Things will clearly continue to be a hot topic. Here is my prediction list:
1. Artifical Intelligence – it will be talked a lot
2. Blockchain – blockchain will be hyped to be a solution for many IoT problems, and it will turn out that it is not the best solution for most of problems it is hyped for – and maybe it will find few sensible uses for it in IoT. Blockchain can add immutability and integrity to some IoT transactions.
3. 4G mobile for IoT: NB-IoT and LTE-M are ready to be tested or used in many markets
4. 5G will be hyped a lot for IoT applications but it is nowhere near for any real big IoT use cases
6. Security issues will be talked a lot. IoT security is far from solved issue.
7. Privacy issues of IoT will be talked a lot when our homes and pockets are starting to be filled with ever listening digital assistants.
8. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) will be massive
9. More CPU power will be added or used in the edge. Pushing processing power to the “edge” brings a number of benefits and opportunities.
10. Hardware based security: Hardware based security on microprocessors will be talked a lot after “Meltdown” and “Spectre” disaster
Links to more predictions:
https://www.forbes.com/sites/danielnewman/2017/12/19/the-top-8-iot-trends-for-2018/#17a9943267f7
https://www.ibm.com/blogs/internet-of-things/top-5-iot-trends-in-2018/
https://www.inc.com/james-paine/3-internet-of-things-trends-to-watch-in-2018.html
https://www.i-scoop.eu/iot-2018-1/
https://dzone.com/articles/iot-trends-for-2018
1,393 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
2018 prediction: securing IoT-connected devices will be a major cybersecurity challenge
https://www.csoonline.com/article/3244467/internet-of-things/2018-prediction-securing-iot-connected-devices-will-be-a-major-cybersecurity-challenge.html
For careless operators, an IoT-connected device could lead to breaches bigger and more invasive than we’ve ever seen.
Internet of Things (IoT)-connected devices no longer represent a niche market; rather they’ve become a mainstream part of our lives both inside and outside the workplace. Gartner predicts that nearly 20 billion IoT–connected devices will be online by 2020.
And while your coffee maker may not have been hacked, the last few years have seen some major breaches of IoT devices that have serious implications.
The August 2016 Mirai botnet attack targeted Internet recording devices to create one of the largest DDoS attacks in history, and an August 2017 attack lead to the recall of 500,000 pacemakers
While these devices are undoubtedly improving our lives and businesses in many ways, securing this massive number of devices will represent one of our biggest challenges in 2018. Fortunately, identity management can help because each device has an identity, as well as potentially multiple user credentials to manage. By creating three-way trust between the device, user and application we can drastically reduce the attack surface.
companies should adopt a set of guidelines to ensure the secure development and deployment of IoT devices. At the heart of these standards ought to be identity-focused security solutions, which can help spur IoT security by managing the relationships between these devices, the entities controlling them, and the data being sent and received.
Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP), a repository of information on web application security, which lays out cybersecurity suggestions in its IoT Attack Surface Areas Project.
From device firmware to network surfaces and physical interfaces, the OWASP guidance acts as a set of best practices for those who want the convenience of IoT without the inherent risk of connecting hundreds of devices across an organization. Just by laying out those risks, it is clear identity and access management capabilities are the best security options across every category.
It’s imperative to both authenticate the user’s identity with each interaction and make sure the user is authorized for each activity on their IoT-connected device.
Companies must also manage the human-device relationship. That means giving different permission levels for difference users of the IoT device.
The device lifecycle presents another attack surface. Organizations need to keep track of version configurations on devices, monitor the baseline behaviors of the users and employ more granular control of the user permissions throughout the lifecycle of the device.
But with some relatively simple cyber hygiene practices that stretch from the IT department to on-the-ground employees, organizations can stay connected and still be safe from cyberattacks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jacob Kastrenakes / The Verge:
Belkin starts shipping WeMo HomeKit Bridge hub with Apple HomeKit support, announced 8 months ago, for $40
Belkin releases Wemo hub with Apple HomeKit support
https://www.theverge.com/circuitbreaker/2018/1/7/16858820/wemo-homekit-apple-belkin-hub-released-ces-2018
Tomi Engdahl says:
Everything is too complicated
What are you assuming people already know?
https://www.theverge.com/2018/1/7/16861056/ces-2018-bad-assumptions-smart-assistants-tech-confusion
It’s the very beginning of CES 2018, and the first trickles of gadget news are starting to come out — the flood begins tomorrow as the show floor opens and keynotes and press conferences begin in earnest. It’s easy to see the broad themes of the show and the tech industry at large already forming: smart assistants everywhere, sensors and radios in every device you can think of, and an eternal hope that something, anything, will be the reason people will finally upgrade their TVs.
All of that is exciting — I love gadgets and am one of the few crazy people that think CES is incredibly fun! — but I want to take a half-step back before it all begins and point out something obvious: most people have no idea how any of these things work, and are already hopelessly confused by the tech they have.
Think of the tech industry as being built on an ever-increasing number of assumptions: that you know what a computer is, that saying “enter your Wi-Fi password” means something to you, that you understand what an app is, that you have the desire to manage your Bluetooth device list, that you’ll figure out what USB-C dongles you need, and on and on.
CES is great for seeing a little glimpse of the future, but real lives in the present are messy and complicated. Assuming that anyone cares about one downloading one more app or creating one more secure password is a huge and potentially dangerous mistake.
I think the most important questions we can ask right now are actually the simplest: how does it work? How do you set it up? What happens when people don’t understand something? Do I need to create a new username and password? Is all of that secure? Does it work well with other things I’ve already bought? What assumptions are you making?
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jon Evans / TechCrunch:
As prices of Bitcoin and Ethereum have skyrocketed, so have transaction fees on their blockchains, making entire categories of decentralized apps impractical
The cryptocurrency bubble is strangling innovation
https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/07/the-cryptocurrency-bubble-is-strangling-innovation/
Sure, fine, maybe it’s a bubble. OK it’s definitely a bubble, but that’s a good thing, a bubble brings attention and investment in infrastructure, which breeds real innovation. Right? Look at the dot-com boom.
Cryptocurrencies have now ascended to speculative values that actually preclude any non-speculative uses. They have become so expensive that they are preventing innovation.
Most “crypto tokens” are, in fact, just glorified hash values stored on the Ethereum blockchain — literally nothing more than a table of numbers like “address A: 10,000. address B: 20,000,” wrapped in standard blocks of code (the ERC20 and ERC721 standards, for fungible and non-fungible tokens respectively) so that they can be easily transacted.
…Which means that every transfer of such tokens requires a transaction to be performed on the Ethereum blockchain. And as the price of ether has skyrocketed — to more than $1,000 as I write this — transaction fees have done so as well, so that the average fee for an Ethereum transaction is now around US$2.50.
This is fine if you’re just speculating, trading hundreds/thousands of dollars worth of tokens at a time. But it is crippling if you’re actually trying to build an app that people use for anything else.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Now there’s a new magic do-everything chip appearing on AliExpress and Taobao. It’s the RDA5981, a chip with an ARM Cortex M4 core, 32Mbit of Flash, 192k or user RAM, b/g/n WiFi, I2S, and enough peripherals to be useful. Given the support for a MIC, line in, MP3, WAV, WMA and AAC, it appears this is an all-in-one chip designed for Bluetooth speakers or some other audio application. You can find modules on Alibaba and a few breakout boards on Taobao.
Source: https://hackaday.com/2018/01/07/hackaday-links-january-7-2018/
More: http://www.electrodragon.com/w/RDA
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Week in Review: IoT
“Press for Jet” button; CES; so long, Otto.
https://semiengineering.com/the-week-in-review-iot-79/
GrandView Aviation, is bringing out a Web-enabled “Press for Jet” button, an Amazon Web Services Internet of Things button enabled by ButtonJoy Software.
Sercomm has developed an LTE IoT button device, based on the Monarch LTE Cat M1/NB1 Platform from Sequans Communications. Meanwhile, Sequans wrapped up an agreement with NTT DOCOMO to develop LTE-M devices and applications on DOCOMO’s network, using the Monarch LTE Platform.
CES 2018 is nearly upon us, and there will be a strong IoT presence at the annual showcase next week in Las Vegas, Nevada. The Consumer Technology Association had more than 184,000 attendees at CES 2017, with 4,000 companies exhibiting at various venues. Smart cities, smart homes, augmented and virtual reality, self-driving cars, and artificial intelligence will be among the technology fields to be discussed and exhibited.
Bret Greenstein, vice president of IBM’s Watson IoT Consumer Business, identifies four key trends for the IoT in 2018. They are: Artificial intelligence will make the IoT smarter and more productive; more CPU power will be spent at the network’s edge; blockchain adds immutability and integrity to IoT transactions; and there will be substantial growth of IoT in manufacturing and industries.
A vulnerability in routers from Huawei Technologies was at the center of activity last month with the Satori IoT botnet. Cybersecurity researchers and Internet service providers collaborated to limit the botnet’s infections. Check Point Software had reported the vulnerability in late November to Huawei, and a month later NewSky Security researchers reported the router code involved had been publicly posted on the Internet.
Otto, a startup that developed a digital lock for homes and manufactured the device, shut down its operations when an acquisition of the company fell through.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Internet Of Things (IOT) Will Be Massive In 2018: Here Are The 4 Predictions From IBM
https://www.forbes.com/sites/bernardmarr/2018/01/04/the-internet-of-things-iot-will-be-massive-in-2018-here-are-the-4-predictions-from-ibm/#487e1bfeedd3
Tomi Engdahl says:
Jon Evans / TechCrunch:
As prices of Bitcoin and Ethereum have skyrocketed, so have transaction fees on their blockchains, making entire categories of decentralized apps impractical
The cryptocurrency bubble is strangling innovation
https://techcrunch.com/2018/01/07/the-cryptocurrency-bubble-is-strangling-innovation/
…Which means that every transfer of such tokens requires a transaction to be performed on the Ethereum blockchain. And as the price of ether has skyrocketed — to more than $1,000 as I write this — transaction fees have done so as well, so that the average fee for an Ethereum transaction is now around US$2.50.
(Ethereum’s variable-gas-price mechanism doesn’t really help; fees are driven by supply and demand. And of course it’s not just Ethereum. Blockstack’s DNS uses the Bitcoin blockchain as its source of truth, and Bitcoin transaction costs have also gone through the roof. SegWit transactions are cheaper / more efficient but that’s noise compared to the overall trend.)
This is fine if you’re just speculating, trading hundreds/thousands of dollars worth of tokens at a time. But it is crippling if you’re actually trying to build an app that people use for anything else.
If you’re trying to build a decentralized name / identity service … your names now cost more than many top-level Internet domains that automatically resolve in browsers. If your tokens represent ownership of virtual entities, or access to decentralized storage … suddenly just using the token at all, never mind transferring the value associated with the tokens, makes your cost structure somewhere between punitive and prohibitive.
So if you’re trying to build anything even remotely high-volume atop an Ethereum token — forget it. Your entire business model is catastrophically doomed at today’s prices.
As a result, entire categories of cryptocurrency experimentation and innovation are on hold until the bubble bursts, or until / unless Ethereum finds a way to scale such that transaction fees plummet. Oh, people can still write and deploy code. But nobody will use it. Curious would-be users will be repelled by the nontrivial expense of mere experimentation, never mind ongoing usage.
So developers won’t be able to find real-world users, and get any feedback from real-world use; they won’t discover any emergent properties; and nobody will use and then iterate on their work. That whole continent of the blockchain ecosystem is now essentially in a deep freeze, covered by glaciers.
It remains an open question whether even much, much lower fees would be viable in the long run. Proponents of micropayments don’t seem to realize that the fundamental problem with micropayments is not their cost, or the absence of supporting infrastructure; it’s the cognitive load that they induce. Parker Thompson of AngelList argues that fee-free decentralized apps are the only ones which might possibly succeed in consumer markets, and I think he’s right, but that raises the question of how you prioritize and prevent spam blockchain transactions in the absence of fees.
most non-speculative token projects are doomed to indefinite hibernation
Tomi Engdahl says:
Valentina Palladino / Ars Technica:
Netatmo debuts Smart Home Bot, a Facebook Messenger chatbot for its own and partner devices like thermostats, cameras, smart lights, and blinds
Netatmo’s Smart Home Bot uses AI to let you text commands to your devices
Voice controls not your thing? No problem.
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2018/01/netatmos-smart-home-bot-uses-ai-to-let-you-text-commands-to-your-devices/
While voice assistants like Amazon’s Alexa and Google’s Assistant are taking over the home, there are still some users who don’t want to talk to their devices. The French company Netatmo, maker of a number of smart home products, wants users to text—not speak—to control their devices no matter where they are. At CES, Netatmo debuted its Smart Home Bot, a digital assistant of sorts that lives within Facebook Messenger that users can text commands to, thereby controlling their smart home devices.
Any of the “with Netatmo” devices, as well as Netatmo’s own products, can be controlled through the Smart Home Bot via Facebook Messenger. Essentially, it’s a contact that uses artificial intelligence algorithms and natural language processing to decipher text commands you send it to control different smart home devices. You could text the bot, “Who is at home?” when you’re out, and it’ll reply with photos of the individuals that the Netatmo Welcome recognized in your home. You could also text a command to set your home’s temperature to 70 degrees and a “with Netatmo” smart thermostat would be set to your liking shortly thereafter.
Netatmo also claims that the Smart Home Bot will eventually be able to control multiple devices at once, depending on the command. For example, texting, “I’m leaving,” could close the blinds, turn off the lights, and reduce the thermostat’s temperature all in one go.
This isn’t the first instance of text commands being used to start smart devices. LG showed off HomeChat, a similar text-controlled bot built into the popular Line messaging app, a few years ago at CES. However in recent years, text-based bots have been pushed to the back burner as virtual, voice-controlled assistants became more popular.
Netatmo believes the Smart Home Bot will give users “greater mobility and privacy.” Voice commands are convenient for hands-free use, but many users have questions about the privacy implications of devices that are always listening. While texting requires your full attention and your fingertips, commands can be sent from anywhere, allowing you to control your home’s devices when you’re not near those devices. It’s also less likely for you to accidentally text the Smart Home Bot an incorrect command or something you didn’t want it to know at all.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazon DeepLens – First Look
https://www.hackster.io/bltrobotics/amazon-deeplens-first-look-ac0bf8
A first look at Amazon’s DeepLens machine learning platform.
Amazon DeepLens – What Is It?
According to Amazon, DeepLens is “the world’s first deep learning enabled video camera for developers.”
AWS DeepLens is a wireless video camera and API that you can use to learn how to use the latest Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools and technology and develop your own computer vision applications. Use AWS DeepLens to get hands-on experience using a physical camera that runs real-time computer vision models, examples, and tutorials.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How To Deal With The Flood Of Analog Data
Strategies for leveraging big analog data more effectively.
https://semiengineering.com/how-to-with-the-flood-of-analog-data/
Analog data from a variety of sensors and other devices is a huge problem. Here are three approaches to overcoming the problems that big analog data can cause.
Approach 1: Analyze at the Edge
A lot of data can be collected at the point of capture, but most of it’s uninteresting. You can save and analyze it all or you can take advantage of intelligent embedded software that constantly measures and processes that data, focusing on the information that’s deemed worthy. Using this method, you can:
Drastically reduce the amount of data you have to manage
Be confident you’re keeping the important nuggets of information
Validate collected data
Analyze data right at the source
Using the intelligent embedded software of the system, most of the data collected is filtered out so that only the important events detected are kept.
Approach 2: Harness Server Technology to Automate Data Management and Analysis
Sometimes analyzing data at the edge isn’t an option. Like when you don’t know exactly what type of phenomena you’re searching for. In cases like these, you have to collect the entire data set, making it crucial that you have the proper tools to find the important information, validate the data, and analyze it as efficiently as possible. This means automating as much of the process as possible and taking advantage of a server system’s computing power.
Jaguar Land Rover put this into action to help manage the 500 GB of data being produced every day for over 400 engineers in their powertrain calibration and controls department.
Choose the Right Tools to Wrangle the Big Analog Data Problem
Regardless of the approach you choose, off-the-shelf hardware and software can efficiently and automatically validate, search, and analyze your data so you can make better data-driven decisions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Digital Twin Can Improve Production and Reduce Downtime
Data gathered into digital twin technology can be used to optimize equipment.
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/digital-twin-can-improve-production-and-reduce-downtime/172068891258037?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=2789&elq_cid=876648
A digital twin is a virtual replica of a physical asset. But it’s a lot more than that. The digital twin is a combination of IoT, machine learning, and AI put together to create a replica of your physical machine. It will analyze and predict the impact of actions on that machine.
A digital twin draws on the Big Data trend. We have entered an era where data is one of the most important resources companies can get, either for their users and their machines. The goal now is to gather as much data as possible in order to detect trends or to react to given situations.
Moving to Predictive Solutions with the Digital Twin
If you’re managing a robot, you’re observing trends.
What we generally see in the industry is reactive and proactive solutions to problems. With a digital twin – once you have enough data, experience, and a sufficient sample size – you get the ability to move to predictive, and eventually, prescriptive solutions.
The digital twin is not simply a robot or a turbine that acts like the actual machine that you are operating. The digital twin the summation of all the past experiences and previous data about your physical machine joined into a digital representation. The digital twin can draw on part experiences to predict when a certain failure or other unwanted event will occur, and it can learn how to avoid that event.
Good Principle, But How Will a Digital Twin Help Me?
Tesla has all its cars connected to the cloud. They can likely log data from all sensors placed in all cars. They are putting this together in order to build an accurate representation of their cars and predict what will happen if one performs a certain action. This goes beyond maintenance and enters into deeper decisions that the car can make.
Gathering data on equipment or products is an investment. If you can use that data to optimize your cycle time, reduce downtime, or improve your production, the investment may be returned quickly.
For now, keep logging your data. Who knows what you will be able to do with it in the future.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Evaluating the Business Impact of Industrial IoT
An IoT system can deliver efficiency, as well as competitive advantages.
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/evaluating-business-impact-industrial-iot/95347012958024?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=2789&elq_cid=876648
Most of the technology used in IoT solutions has been around for some time. A recent trend driving its growth is commercial: the reduced cost of sensors and the affordability of cloud computing. Yet companies must still assess the business value that can be achieved before deciding to go ahead with a project. Technology providers need to understand this before investing in solution development. Manufacturing companies are benefiting from IoT in a number of ways, and technology vendors are providing solutions that are having an effect on the market.
The Business Case for IoT
As for any investment in business systems or technology, there are two main reasons to invest in IoT. One is efficiency, which means doing more for less. Another is the reduction in the total cost of design, production, supply, distribution, marketing, or general administration. Quality can also improve, and regulatory compliance becomes more efficient.
Efficiency Savings Are Low Risk
The advantage of going for efficiency savings, is that it is a low-risk effort. Problems or areas for improvement can always be identified, and an incremental solution can be implemente
Yet there is more overall value in IoT. Cutting costs will save you money, cutting your customers’ costs will help you stay competitive, but an IoT vision can be larger.
A well-executed IoT solution can offer competitive advantage This can include introducing a new (disruptive) business opportunity; a new payment model (making it easier for a customer to buy); enhancing an existing product or service to attract new customers or more revenue; and on the other side of the coin, disruptive actions may be needed in order to remain competitive.
Currently CNH Industrial enables three categories in its IoT offerings:
Monitoring: allows for the comprehensive monitoring of a product’s condition, operation, and external environment through sensors and external data sources.
Control: uses software, embedded in the product or in the cloud, to allow customization of product performance and personalization of the user experience.
Connected vehicles: CNH can predict failures and reduce downtime via remote services and help farmers monitor their fields and equipment to improve efficiency.
Starting an IoT Implementation
In whatever ways companies decide to balance efficiency and competitive advantage, there are three ways to get started. First, build from scratch, using an IoT platform and other components. Second, use a packaged solution or build upon an existing enterprise system, such as ERP or MES. Third, go for a proof-of-concept’ experiment to learn from and create a plan.
To get a clear idea where to start, Maciej Kranz, in his book Building the Internet of Things identifies four paths to IoT payback:
Connected operations, such as joining meters to a network.
Remote operations, such as asset management.
Predictive analytics, to identify an issue and quickly take corrective action.
Predictive maintenance, to increase uptime by pre-empting failures.
Making the Business Impact Clear
The business impact on a company using IoT will depend on the overall approach a company takes. Going for efficiency is incremental and doesn’t require major changes to the business. Going for competitive advantage may require business transformation, and it may change the relationship with the customer.
The impact of IoT on each industry will be very different.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Consolidating software on a single platform
Company sees greater efficiency, can share data across divisions.
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/consolidating-software-on-a-single-platform/5f4cd289391ebc75fd6fb217a0c6abf4.html?OCVALIDATE&[email protected]&ocid=101781
“With Kinetrex, we were able to replace several existing software solutions, as well as make most of their process paperless,”
The platform includes solutions for supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA), high-performance human-machine interface (HMI), accounting, timesheets, truck scheduling, reporting, data historian, document management, and maintenance. Dashboards allow managers to get a quick overview of operations whenever they need it.
Kinetrex had numerous disparate software packages that didn’t work together.
For this solution, Miller-Eads brought in Ignition, an industrial application platform from Inductive Automation with tools for building solutions in HMI, SCADA, and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT).
The platform brought plenty of improvements, and made data available across divisions. “That’s the unique thing about this project,” said Hendrixson. “We are doing so many different things on one software platform—from accounting, to the truck drivers, to SCADA, to timesheets and historian. It just goes on and on at Kinetrex. It’s truly an integrated solution for their entire business.”
Once Kinetrex saw what the software platform could do, the company had numerous ideas for more projects that could capitalize on the solution’s flexibility. One example is reporting. “We created an automatic report that’s generated every day,” said Hopwood. “It’s printed out at the local printer for the operators. It takes all the manual input, and the potential for errors, and gets rid of them.”
Better, smarter, faster
By leveraging the Ignition software, Miller-Eads helped Kinetrex consolidate its existing software solutions—both software-as-a-service and on premises—to gain efficiency and functionality. Numerous software packages have been combined into a comprehensive, flexible system that was custom-made for Kinetrex. Now maintenance, expansion, and information-sharing are all much easier than they had been in the past.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The evolution of power monitoring and maintenance
IIoT and Big Data have changed the power monitoring and preventive maintenance landscapes.
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/the-evolution-of-power-monitoring-and-maintenance/e7e88e22beae5cf9e643f241b7f50022.html
In a perfect world, organizations would be able to keep their eyes on IT infrastructure and power management equipment constantly, making sure they are protecting critical power and running efficiently. The reality for organizations such as data centers and other facilities is that they have much more to tend to than the IT environment. Plus, people in an organization are likely to have different experience levels when it comes to responding to power issues.
As the industry evolves with Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and Big Data technologies, there has been a lot of innovation in power monitoring and management. Capabilities like predictive analytics offer a second set of eyes on mission-critical equipment, notifying necessary personnel of issues and helping proactively replace components to ensure systems stay up-and-running.
Downtime is disastrous
Downtime carries an enormous price tag, so it is critical to minimize interruption in operations. Consequences can result in corrupted files, hardware malfunctions, and the inability to access critical systems. These are just a few possible negatives outcomes of unexpected downtime, which can significantly impact the ability to conduct business.
Additionally, there is the potential for lost revenue and damaged reputations if business services such as online ordering, phone systems, or other sales tools are unavailable to customers. In many instances, there is very little lag time between system downtime and financial disaster.
While any data center or facility outage is damaging, the downtime downside is perhaps the greatest in a multi-tenant data center (MTDC) environment. A MTDC outage does not impact just a single organization as a service interruption in a private data center would. It can affect several or even dozens of customers depending on the size of the facility, multiplying the impact of downtime.
Despite these challenges, an effective power monitoring and management solution can help to ensure more reliable, higher quality and more cost-effective power. All of which helps to minimize the risk of downtime and disruption.
Changing times in power monitoring
As IIoT and Big Data innovations continue to make their way into IT infrastructures, companies are beginning to understand how they strategically can harness the power of data sciences to enhance organizational operations. Diagnostics, in alignment with advances in analytics, can now be leveraged to establish a power management strategy that greatly impacts operations.
Insights in action
Batteries are a great example of how next-generation power monitoring and management systems for infrastructures can predict the risk of component failures. Valved-regulated lead-acid (VRLA) batteries are a leading cause of failures in uninterruptible power supply (UPS) systems since they provide the power backup and degrade over time. An advanced power monitoring solution can capture some critical inputs surrounding battery health, such as:
UPS load percentage, operating mode, service and other logistics
Battery make and model—defining maximum and average life based on UPS rating
Battery age and temperature
Frequency and depth of battery discharge in minutes and percentage
Battery test results measuring voltage and resistance over time based on battery age
After inspecting and onboarding a UPS platform, a predictive remote monitoring and management solution can calibrate algorithms to specific factors like those listed above.
It’s safe to say that employing the manual, reactive power monitoring approaches of the past isn’t sustainable in today’s fast-paced environments. Unfortunately, in many organizations, administrators still are working with basic point monitoring tools
Tomi Engdahl says:
ERP trends in 2018
The Industrial Internet of Things, cloud, and AI are predicted to have the biggest impact on ERP in 2018.
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/erp-trends-in-2018/785ca3b9cdb1c900d825a9284e359f19.html?OCVALIDATE&[email protected]&ocid=101781
Gartner has identified the top 10 technology trends for 2018, including the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), cloud, and AI. The IIoT and AI will create systems that learn, adapt, and potentially act autonomously. Together, these trends will improve decision making, business modeling, and the customer experience with significant benefits for enterprises over the next 10 years.
IIoT and ERP in 2018
The IIoT combined with ERP methodology, gives manufacturers the ability to leverage data for faster decision making from actionable intelligence and creates a significant competitive advantage. Machine-to-machine data sharing is fostering tremendous changes in manufacturing as enterprises adopt new technology. The IIoT leads the trends we’re seeing relating to ERP in 2018.
By expanding data availability and improving accuracy, the IIoT brings much needed transparency into the enterprise. Accessing business intelligence data in this way effects any process touched by today’s ERP solutions, including forecasting, inventory control, and customer service. BI, rather than relying on historical data, now reveals real-time reality.
Manufacturers adopting new technologies to achieve true IIoT integration will be far ahead of their competitors in 2018. Slow adopting manufacturers will be left behind at the IIoT delivers efficiency and cost savings.
Solid Gains in the Cloud
Interest and adoption of cloud ERP is growing as its advantages become better understood and we expect more of this as ERP in 2018 matures. The model delivers timely product upgrades and all users operate from one version of the software.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Five technology trends for 2018
With advancements in automation, industries need to stay on top of the challenges ahead.
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/five-technology-trends-for-2018/4e1110e1a5933de60084029fa6fda65a.html
1. Three mandates to successfully manage IIoT efforts
Accenture estimates that 95% of companies will adopt the IIoT in the next three years to maximize uptime, optimize performance, and drive product and process innovation. In other words, implementing the IIoT is no longer about getting ahead; it’s about not being left behind. Now, smart and connected “things” give companies opportunities for increased performance and lower costs, but managing these distributed systems is often an overlooked challenge.
2. Progress of 5G set to disrupt test processes
5G signifies a generational transformation that will profoundly impact businesses and consumers globally. It promises an experience that many consumers are hungry for: faster data, shorter network response times (lower latency), instant access anywhere and everywhere, and the capacity for billions of devices.
3. Breaking Moore’s Law
Recent publications say Moore’s Law (the observation that the number of transistors on an integrated circuit doubles about every two years) is dead. Though it may be experiencing some health challenges, it’s not time to start digging the grave for the semiconductor and electronics market yet.
4. Vehicle electrification: Disrupting the automotive industry and beyond
5. Automating engineering insights with machine learning
Machine learning already has delivered beneficial results in certain niches, but it has potential for a bigger and longer lasting impact because of the demand for broad insights and efficiencies across industries.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Gartner Says Artificial Intelligence Is a Game Changer for Personal Devices
AI Will Drive the Most Compelling User Experiences at Home and in the Workplace
https://www.gartner.com/newsroom/id/3843263
motion artificial intelligence (AI) systems are becoming so sophisticated that Gartner, Inc. predicts that by 2022, personal devices will know more about an individual’s emotional state than his or her own family. AI is generating multiple disruptive forces that are reshaping the way we interact with personal technologies.
“Emotion AI systems and affective computing are allowing everyday objects to detect, analyze, process and respond to people’s emotional states and moods to provide better context and a more personalized experience,” said Roberta Cozza, research director at Gartner. “To remain relevant, technology vendors must integrate AI into every aspect of their devices, or face marginalization.”
The current wave of emotion AI systems is being driven by the proliferation of virtual personal assistants (VPAs) and other AI-based technology for conversational systems. As a second wave emerges, AI technology will add value to more and more customer experience scenarios, including educational software, video games, diagnostic software, athletic and health performance, and the autonomous car.
By 2021, 10 percent of wearables users will have changed lifestyles, and thereby extend their life spans by an average of six months.
By 2020, 60 percent of personal technology device vendors will use third-party AI cloud services to enhance functionality and services.
Through 2022, security technology combining machine learning, biometrics and user behavior will reduce passwords to account for less than 10 percent of all digital authentications.
Tomi Engdahl says:
LoRa Taps New Chips, Smart Homes
Sigfox may be third in race with NB-IoT, LoRa
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332811
Semtech is sampling next-generation LoRa chips that can lower battery consumption and cost while boosting reach and data rates. Separately, a LoRa startup announced a suite of sensor products for consumers using Semtech’s existing chips.
The news comes as one market watcher upgraded its forecast for LoRa, predicting that it will take one of the largest chunks of the rapidly expanding market for low-power wide-area (LPWA) networks in the Internet of Things. It will be closely followed by the Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) version of LTE, with Sigfox a distant third, according to the forecast (below) from IHS Markit.
“We’re not seeing a fundamental shakeout in licensed or unlicensed networks; there’s tremendous growth across the board … but over the past year, the outlook has gotten brighter for LoRa and dimmer for Sigfox,” said Sam Lucero, a senior principal analyst for cellular IoT at IHS Markit.
Last year, Comcast and Verizon announced plans to deploy LoRa networks. For its part, Semtech announced that its annual revenue for LoRa chips doubled to $50 million and forecast that it will hit $100 million in 2018.
It also was a good year for NB-IoT, especially in China, where the government announced in June a policy with goals of reaching 600 million NB-IoT nodes by 2020. Its three carriers followed up with aggressive plans for deployments.
Huawei is creating an NB-IoT ecosystem around its silicon
In unlicensed networks, “we’ve had a lot of feedback that the Semtech model of being a public component supplier made for positive evaluations for long-term deployments,” he added. “Its more problematic for Sigfox as a service provider without an option for private networks, and the company can be seen as a single point of failure, particularly given [that] it is venture-backed.”
IHS estimates that LoRa has about three times the unit sales of modules for IoT end nodes as Sigfox. But most of Sigfox’s nodes are based on discrete device designs, not modules, said Jay.
Sigfox showed in September an end-node design capable of sending a Sigfox message that cost just 20 cents using a printed antenna and oscillator. It is perhaps the lowest cost of many ultra-simple designs competing for use in millions of end nodes, including smart packages for retailers such as Walmart.
This year, Sigfox will enable global roaming capabilities with nodes that automatically switch among four frequencies, depending on their region. It also aims to enhance its location-tracking capabilities to within a kilometer using a form of triangulation.
Walmart Calls for Sub-$1 IoT Sensor
Retailer wants to lick-and-stick for pennies
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332669
Tomi Engdahl says:
With WPA3, Wi-Fi security is about to get a lot tougher
http://www.zdnet.com/article/wpa3-wireless-standard-tougher-wifi-security-revealed/
Finally, a security reprieve for open Wi-Fi hotspot users.
The Wi-Fi Alliance, an industry body made up of device makers including Apple, Microsoft, and Qualcomm, announced Monday its next-generation wireless network security standard, WPA3. The standard will replace WPA2, a near-two decades-old security protocol that’s built in to protect almost every wireless device today — including phones, laptops, and the Internet of Things.
WPA3 Announced After KRACK Attack to Improve Security for Personal and Enterprise Wi-Fi Networks
https://gbhackers.com/wpa3-announced-enhance-security/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The world’s smallest wearable device can save your life
UV radiation is dangerous. It would be convenient if the amount of radiation could be measured continuously, but who would now be able to carry the meters with them? Scientists from Northwestern University, together with a fashion house with L’Oreal, have developed such a device and presented it at Las Vegas CES.
According to researcher John A. Rogers, “UV Sense” is “light as a rain drop” and smaller than a pastille. It is a sensor film that is powered by sunlight – of course – that goes unnoticed along the nail.
According to Rodgers, UV Sense is the world’s smallest portable electronic device. It allows people to limit their exposure to dangerous UV rays, and ultimately the goal of the device is to save lives.
The sensor film has no moving parts or battery. It is water-resistant and can be placed almost anywhere: on skin or on clothing.
Source: http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=7365&via=n&datum=2018-01-09_15:11:14&mottagare=31202
Tomi Engdahl says:
Demand for IoT Edge Processors Will Continue to Grow in 2018
Factories, farms, and smart homes will all need low-cost MCUs with on-board connectivity.
https://www.designnews.com/electronics-test/demand-iot-edge-processors-will-continue-grow-2018/160450071057973
Indeed, it will be a huge deal. Analysts at The Linley Group say shipments of IoT edge devices will soar in the next few years – from 600 million units in 2017, to 1 billion in 2019, to 2 billion in 2021. “Right now, the greatest opportunities are in the industrial categories, for things like asset trackers,” Mike Demler, senior analyst for The Linley Group, told us. “It’s a huge opportunity for low power, low performance, wireless processors.”
A New Breed of Edge Clients
By virtually all accounts, the cumulative number of IoT devices is expected to reach into the tens of billions in the next few years, and edge computing will make up much of that. Smart homes will employ edge devices on door locks and appliances. Smart factories will use them to monitor machinery and processes. And agriculture will use edge devices, not only for equipment, but to track soil conditions, crop growth, and even animals.
“There are three billion cattle on the planet,” Demler said. “Obviously, not all of them need to be tracked, but that’s a huge potential market. If it’s only going to cost a few dollars per animal for an asset tracker, and if the animal is worth thousands, why not?”
The thought of cows and chickens as “edge clients” may sound almost comical, but the numbers are no laughing matter. A quick study reveals that there are 50 million corporate farms around the globe and 500 million family farms, Demler said.
Add to that a global total of more than 10 million factories, and it’s easy to see why chipmakers are bracing for such huge demand. Many of them plan to meet the needs of embedded developers by rolling out processors that combine such IoT basics as connectivity, low cost and ease of use. Texas Instruments, for example, offers five SimpleLink Bluetooth wireless MCUs (including the CC2640R2F and CC2640R2F-Q1), along with a sub-1-GHz CC1310 wireless MCU, all suited for edge processing. It also markets a device called the SimpleLink MSP432P4, designed for IoT edge processing in motor maintenance applications. Similarly, Intel Corp.’s E3900 family is aimed at IoT processing, as is Marvell Semiconductor’s EZ-Connect Wi-Fi microcontroller, NXP Semiconductor’s LPC54018 MCU-based IoT module, and NXP’s i.MX 8M applications processors.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT sensors bring data corruption – new tools are needed
Current chip technology is not able to control data volumes generated by the Internet of objects. Even one smart clock, a cleaning robot, or a self-guided car can produce data per day per gigabyte. At Aalto University, the components of computers that mimic brain function are developed.
A research team led by Aalto University researcher Sayani Majumdari develops basic blocks for the neuromorphic components of brain-replicating computers. Even the largest IT companies in the world and the EU invest heavily in the research of neuromorphic computers, but no one has yet been able to create a working nano-sized hardware that could also be manufactured industrially.
Computers assembled from neuromorphic components will challenge quantum computers in future technology. “The technology required by neuromorphic computers is now developing faster than their challengers or quantum computers,”
Only one airplane wing can have over 10,000 sensors. It is estimated that the Internet of Things will use more than 50 billion probes in 2020.
Source: https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/01/10/iot-anturit-tuovat-tietotulvan-uusia-keinoja-tarvitaan/
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Smart Sensors Use Cloud for Low Power Motor Condition Monitoring
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/iot-smart-sensors-use-cloud-low-power-motor-condition-monitoring/39780907258071?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=2820&elq_cid=876648
Condition monitoring algorithms have the potential to improve availability. New sensor, IoT communications and cloud connectivity is making it simpler to deploy and manage.
Condition monitoring, a technology that has been slowly moving forward for a number of years, is reaching toward its potential with new solutions for low voltage motors. Monitoring the operating condition of motors has obvious availability and productivity benefits, enabling a new level of preventive maintenance. But now the combination of compact sensors, cloud connectivity, and application software is creating a new level of operating data transparency.
Siemens demonstrated a new IoT concept for its Simotics drive technology for monitoring the operating condition of low voltage motors using a connection to the MindSphere open IoT operating system. Using a compact sensor box to capture operating and condition parameters, and transmit them via WiFi to the cloud, operating data can then be analyzed by the Simotics IQ MindApp on MindSphere.
Improved monitoring of key performance indicators such as temperature or transient oscillation allows the user to react more quickly to changing conditions. By applying specifically configurable warning limits and intelligent analytics, the customer can plan maintenance activities and react before plant downtime occurs.
Recently, ABB also introduced its Ability Smart Sensor condition monitoring solution targeting low voltage motors. By monitoring and analyzing data on motor operating parameters, ABB claims this approach will enable motors to reduce downtime by as much as 70 percent, extend motor lifetimes by up to 30 percent and reduce energy consumption by up to 10%.
The sensor monitors motor signals and measures key parameters at regular intervals. At this point, it transfers the data using Bluetooth to a smartphone but the future plan is to communicate with an ABB gateway and ultimately to a secure cloud-based server. Using the ABB Ability Smart Sensor app, users can check the status of motors with a smartphone.
The simplicity of combining smart sensors, wireless communications and cloud connectivity seems to offer a path for implementing condition monitoring on a much wider basis, even if the initial products are targeting low voltage motors.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Info-Graphs, Technology
Problems With IoT Devices – How To Stop Your Home From Being Hacked
http://www.valuewalk.com/2016/12/iot-devices-stop-home-hacked/
The problem with all these IoT devices is that they are often rushed to market with little to no security. They then provide a backdoor into your home network, oftentimes allowing hackers access to your entire network. IoT refrigerators were recently found to give access to users’ Gmail accounts, but this wasn’t even the beginning of this problem, nor will it be the end.
So what can you do to secure your network against IoT issues? Start by segmenting your network and use one segment for less secure items and another segment for things that have better security. Turn off the WiFi when you aren’t home- no internet access means nothing to hack! Ask yourself if you really need to be able to talk to your crock pot and refrigerator when you are away from home, and if the answer is no go with an analog version.
Tomi Engdahl says:
100,000 IoT Sensors Monitor a 1,400-Kilometer Canal in China
https://spectrum.ieee.org/tech-talk/telecom/internet/a-massive-iot-sensor-network-keeps-watch-over-a-1400kilometer-canal
The massive internet-of-things (IoT) network that has been quietly overseeing the middle route is impressive in its own right. More than 100,000 individual sensors stud the 1400-kilometer waterway, which connects the Danjiangkou reservoir to Beijing and Tianjin. For the last year, it’s been scanning the canal for structural damage, tracking water quality and flow rates, and watching for intruders, whether humans or animals.
“This system benefits more than 50 million people daily, not mentioning the people along the project”
what they learn from the network will likely be applied to other massive infrastructure projects
Planning for the IoT network started back to 2012.
settled on more than 130 different kinds of internet-connected sensors to install along the canal. Infrastructure sensors measuring stress, strain, vibration, displacement, earth pressure, and water seepage
Yang and his team developed the so-called Smart Gateway to receive data continuously from local sensors and then transmit it to a cloud server using whatever signal was available at the moment. That could include fiber, Ethernet, 2G, 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, or Zigbee.
“The Smart Gateway can learn the availability of the connection to the cloud. After a successful transmission, it will follow that network next time. Otherwise, it will try another one,”
The Smart Gateway periodically transmits data to the nearest server, which may be any one of 47 regional branch servers in counties along the canal. Under normal circumstances, the transmissions occur at intervals of five minutes, thirty minutes or once a day
Yang and his team designed a web platform and interface, which allows people working at the server stations to read the data and respond to any alerts via a website
Tomi Engdahl says:
Machine Learning’s Growing Divide
https://semiengineering.com/machine-learnings-growing-divide/
Is the industry heading toward another hardware/software divide in machine learning? Both sides have different objectives.
Machine learning is one of the hottest areas of development, but most of the attention so far has focused on the cloud, algorithms and GPUs. For the semiconductor industry, the real opportunity is in optimizing and packaging solutions into usable forms, such as within the automotive industry or for battery-operated consumer or IoT products.
Inefficiencies often arise because of what is readily available, and that is most certainly the case with machine learning. For example, GPUs have been shown to be the highest-performance solution for training. Because these devices are based on floating point, then machine learning algorithms are developed that rely on floating point.
Inferencing in edge devices cannot afford to use floating point, and it is necessary to transform the coefficients into fixed point. But could training be done using fixed point? Quite possibly, although special-purpose hardware is only starting to be considered.
The big question is whether the industry heading toward another hardware-software divide. It may manifest itself as a cloud/embedded divide this time, unless something can be done to bring the two sides together.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Turning Down The Power
Why ultra-low power is suddenly an issue for everyone.
https://semiengineering.com/turning-down-the-power/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Many of the drivers for the semiconductor industry are tightly interwoven. The Internet of Things, automotive, machine learning and others are coming together to set the direction for technology and tools and each area is leveraging the advancements in the others. Semiconductor Security, safety and power are common factors that influence designs in all of these categories. It is thus difficult to fully separate these issues.
Source: https://semiengineering.com/predictions-markets-and-drivers/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Beacons Beckon Ubiquity In IoT Era
Context-aware devices are possible with Bluetooth Low Energy, but battery life is crucial.
https://semiengineering.com/in-iot-era-beacons-beckon-ubiquity/
In the early 1900s, radio beacons were created with the aim of tracking ships and planes. Prior to this innovation, pilots and ships’ captains usually relied on celestial navigation, and anyone who wanted to know their location was in the dark.
A century later, engineers took the concept and devised Bluetooth Low Energy-enabled beacons, a vast use never envisaged by their 20th century predecessors. Bluetooth Low Energy-enabled beacons might not track ships and trains but they do track millions of Internet of Things devices; they form the foundation of smarter homes and smarter events facilities (think sports stadiums), making the human experience in those places smoother and more efficient. Beacons transmit small packets of data that wake-up the listener. Actions can then be taken based not on a user’s general location, but on their proximity to something. Thus, beacons are ‘nearables.’
Beacons, like most Bluetooth Low Energy node devices, are essentially peripheral devices that spend most of their time asleep only waking up when it needs to send data and thereby consume low power.
With Bluetooth Low Energy, unlike classic Bluetooth, messages can be broadcast to unfamiliar phones – a paired connection is not necessary.
Advertising packets had the ability to send out signal strength information, a local name and manufacturer-specific identifier, which was powerful. With Bluetooth 5, advertising extensions and 37 additional advertising channels, the broadcasting capabilities of Bluetooth beacons have dramatically increased, allowing transmission of about 8x the amount of data.
What this enables is contextual awareness. Content and experience can be delivered based on the things we are ‘near’ – based on proximity to things in the physical world. This technology is transforming the physical world into a digital channel: ultimately moving from ‘What’ people buy/eat/watch/do to ‘How’ people buy/eat/watch/do.
This real-time consumer data is the priceless output of beacon technology. This can be analyzed, sliced and diced to better understand the market and consumers, increase efficiencies and ultimately revenues and profits. There is an immense potential for everybody – or should we say every space.
Retail: Malls and stores – purveyors of food products, durables and consumables
Mass Transit: Airports, train stations, parking lots and highways
Entertainment: Stadiums, theatres, restaurants and convention centers
Tourism: Stadiums, restaurants, theatres, parks, museums, hotels and ultimately cities
All these spaces have the potential to be “beacon-ized.” Silicon and solution providers hold the keys to unlock the potential of this market.
With hundreds/thousands of beacons deployed in each of the spaces, this concept will not take off if one needs to change batteries every few months. Most beacons will need to be updated every 2-3 years due to the underlying technology it employs. The batteries in beacons should last longer than the rate at which the technology standards change.
To increase battery life the Bluetooth Low Energy ICs incorporated in beacons need to satisfy four tenets of low-power design:
Low Power Standard (Bluetooth Low Energy 5)
Low Peak Currents (< 10 mA)
Low Sleep current (< 1uA)
Low Voltage (Sub-Volt)
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bluetooth connectivity makes VFDs safer, easier to use
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/bluetooth-connectivity-makes-vfds-safer-easier-to-use/786ea297d7194c9f68e0ec9cfdf063e6.html
Variable frequency drive (VFD) manufacturers are introducing a wide range of product advances that improve performance, simplify installation and operation, and increase safety.
In many industrial facilities, the full array of drives is installed in a control room cabinet, isolated from the motors they control. With each VFD charged with 480 V of power, the potential for an arc flash is high when an operator opens the door to access the drive keypads. Rather than requiring an operator to put on cumbersome arc flash personal protective equipment (PPE), it is easier and more efficient to access the VFDs through the Bluetooth connection via the smartphone.
The same convenience is applicable to drives mounted high on a wall, in a loud room, or behind a partition. Using a smartphone is safer and easier than climbing a ladder, entering a high decibel area, or walking to a far-flung location only for the operator to have forgotten the keys to the door.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Using wireless in safety shower alarm retrofits
Wireless monitoring systems save money compared to wired solutions.
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/using-wireless-in-safety-shower-alarm-retrofits/d49623535991a43595ada47ffcd45797.html?OCVALIDATE&[email protected]&ocid=101781
A chemical plant or refinery of any size has dozens to hundreds of safety shower and eyewash stations. Workers who have been splashed with or come in more direct contact with chemicals are trained to proceed to the nearest station, use the facility as necessary, and call for help using a plant radio.
The practicality of using a wireless network to support safety shower sensors has increased as more companies deploy WirelessHART networks for process instruments. Where such networks already exist, it is a simple matter to add safety shower sensors. Where no wireless networks have been deployed, the initial gateway and backhaul infrastructure will have to be added, but this can in turn support wireless instrumentation.
Full implementation
Adding the hardware and setting up the transmitters on the WirelessHART network is only the beginning of creating a comprehensive program. To get to the point where activation of either the shower or eyewash activates an alarm in the control room or security room, where one or more people are on duty 24/7, requires the implementation of corresponding safety and work procedures.
In a typical setup, the WirelessHART transmitters at each of the stations communicate to a gateway mounted in a central location. The gateway typically is located close to the main control room, and it always is hardwired to the DCS or other automation system. System status should be shown on a new human-machine interface (HMI) screen, added as part of the project. If there are multiple control rooms, the central location should be staffed 24/7.
The new HMI typically shows a diagram of the plant and the locations of the shower/eyewash stations. Each station should be represented on the screen using an appropriate graphic. Each transmitter on the network sends a “heartbeat” to the system showing it is working, along with basic diagnostic information such as battery condition. If a shower or eyewash handle is pulled, an alarm should sound and screen graphics should supply a clear indication of the station’s location.
Safety shower station alarms normally are treated the same as a high-priority process alarm. The operator in the control room should send out a broadcast message immediately to all radios. Unless there is an immediate response indicating the situation is under control, individuals in the plant who are trained as first responders should have standing orders to drop whatever they’re doing and provide assistance.
As an additional safety measure, once activated, the shower/eyewash alarm must be reset at the magnetic proximity sensor using a ferromagnetic key.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Bringing safety and security together for process control applications
It is important to understand the interaction between safety and security in process control applications to make better overall decisions.
https://www.controleng.com/single-article/bringing-safety-and-security-together-for-process-control-applications/412f09ec6e154f705bd7483d0810270a.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
What You Need to Know About the Internet of Things and Medical Devices
https://www.mddionline.com/what-you-need-know-about-internet-things-and-medical-devices?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=2848&elq_cid=876648
IoT capabilities are enabling users to interact with medical devices in ways we never even imagined, posing new questions for medical device developers.
Everyone is connected, and now our things are becoming connected: thermostats, lights, door locks, cars, cameras, baby monitors, and a plethora of other gadgets.
Some connect to a server in the cloud, some connect to mobile devices, some connect to each other, and some connect to everything. It was only 25 years ago that the Web really started to take off. Today, the Web gives us information at our fingertips, perhaps not as it was envisioned a few decades ago, but we’ve reached a point of widespread connectivity and accessibility.
Depending on who you listen to, year-over-year growth of the Internet of Things (IoT) could slow to 40% in 2020 and have a dollar value in the hundreds of billions. We are still in the early days of rapid expansion and, as always, there are issues—enough such that we have the ‘‘IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2017’’ appearing in the news. As we think about the projected growth of IoT in particular, this is probably a good thing.
The growth of IoT is driving advancements in base technologies, products, and consumer expectations, and the effects it has on our daily lives will continue to evolve. If you need to be convinced of this, shut down your internet access for a few days.
How does IoT intersect with medical devices?
Imagine the potential serviceability of the device, the impact on consumables, the new usage models, and the opportunities for new business models.
The affordability of IoT technologies and the growth of consumer expectations will continue to change the landscape. Does this mean that every medical device needs to be connected?
Yes.
To plan for this future, we will look at the value that can be realized, how we address security, how we think about service, what the data is and how we realize its value, and what technologies are relevant.
What is the value?
We first need to understand the value of IoT and who realizes it.
More direct value propositions?
There are a number of areas to explore. In the case of a therapeutic device, or a device which monitors patient therapy compliance, there is clear value to both the caregiver and the patient. The caregiver has data on patient compliance and has an input to help assess the effectiveness of treatment. The patient can be provided a gentle reminder, a message from the caregiver, or other feedback to better engage them. In some cases, a family member can be included in the information/feedback loop to assist in compliance.
What is the downstream value?
As we collect data via IoT devices, curation will become significant. Longitudinal data in a specific treatment will be invaluable to understand efficacy. To realize this value, we must address consent, privacy, and security.
What about security?
Before people start to fear security, they should remember that many millions of credit card transactions happen online every day. With the development of protection methods and protocols over the years, we seem to have achieved an acceptable level of security.
Now, we need to think about securing the function and data of a connected device at the start of the product cycle. We can bifurcate into two main areas: patient information and cybersecurity.
A good definition of patient information is any medical information that can be tied to a patient or reasonably small set of patients.
Patient information needs to be thought of with the same diligence as we would think about financial information. If you do not have or need this information, do not generate or store it. This is the simplest solution.
Retrofitting the management of patient information is expensive. Considering it as part of the system from the start can make this a straightforward effort.
What about upgrading?
A very attractive aspect of this extensive connectivity is the ability to upgrade our device remotely. With straightforward security measures in place, this can mean significant savings in cost. We need to ensure that our processes can accommodate this kind of deployment and track it appropriately. There are a number of details to manage, including identifying the version of the product and making sure our traceability is adequate, but, like security, consider and address these issues at the early design phase.
What data do we need to collect? What data do we need to provide?
How do we ensure data consistency?
In the short term, the data will likely be consistent. Throughout the life cycle of the product, however, this will not be the case. A common source of issue will be tacit knowledge of what the data means. To illustrate, say we define “any treatment length of less than 10 minutes means it was aborted and should not be considered.” Later, we decide that if a treatment lasted less than one minute, it means it was aborted. We are now reinterpreting the data that was previously one to 10minutes, which might not be valid.
How does it affect product quality?
There will likely be data collected that contains details on device operation, and it will often provide insight into unanticipated behaviours. This frequently leads to a pattern through the development cycle involving the analysis and modification of data logged.
What technologies should I be using?
Bluetooth X, Wi-Fi, and Custom Radios. Bluetooth LE is everywhere and is a great low-power solution with low to moderate data requirements. Wi-Fi is reliable and can provide high data throughput, but consumes more power. Then we have a variety of custom and semi-custom solutions that can provide different speed, throughput, and power consumption. As a general rule, a longer range requires more power, and a higher data rate require more power. When we have portable devices, power usage will be one of the key issues we will need to consider.
Sometimes the problem is simple and clear: “We need to interface to a system using Wi-Fi and a rest protocol with TLS and the device is plugged into the wall.” Other times, requirements are not so clear and we need to dig further.
The best path is to define the usage environment.
How does this affect my project team?
This level of integration will require teams to be able to access some additional capabilities. Security and communications are commonly overlooked, as are data definition and analysis. When the value propositions are defined, highlight how these areas can be addressed.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Home> Sensors Design Center > How To Article
Solving smart clothing design challenges with printed flexible sensor technology
https://www.edn.com/design/sensors/4459081/Solving-smart-clothing-design-challenges-with-printed–flexible-sensor-technology-
From fitness trackers and smart watches to virtual and augmented reality (VR/AR) headgear, wearable devices now permeate the everyday lives of consumers worldwide. People have come to rely on wearables to monitor their health and well-being, keep them connected to the outside world, and provide endless opportunities for engagement. Analysts predict that the wearable technology market will reach US$51.60 billion by 2022, driven by these consumer preferences for sophisticated gadgets, the growing incorporation of next-generation displays in wearables, and their intersection with the rapidly rising popularity of the Internet of Things (IoT) and other connected devices.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Problems With IoT Devices – How To Stop Your Home From Being Hacked
Tomi Engdahl says:
What Will 2018 Bring To The IoT?
Money pours into IoT/IIoT technology. Security and ROI are leading topics.
https://semiengineering.com/what-will-2018-bring-to-the-iot/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Neuromorphic computer solves the problem of data roaming
Organic thin films that can be easily manufactured at Aalto University can store data for more than ten years with a few volt electric impulses. Such neuromorroric computing components, which work on brain functions, challenge quantum computers as a technology for the future.
The current component and PCB technology is not capable of managing data volumes generated by the Internet of objects. Even one smart clock, a cleaning robot, or a self-propelled car can produce gigabytes of data a day, and together with the airplane wings can have over 10,000 sensors. It is estimated that the Internet of Things will use more than 50 billion sensors in 2020.
In order to get enough computing power for the devices, the current transistors used for PCBs should be able to shrink to a few nanometers – so they would no longer function properly. In addition, handling and storing unprecedented amounts of data will require tremendous energy.
A research team led by Aalto University researcher Sayani Majumdari, develops both of the problems as a key technology: the basic palettes of neuromorphic components of brain-replicating computers.
Source: http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/7373-neuromorfinen-tietokone-ratkaisee-datavyoryn-ongelman
Tomi Engdahl says:
Graphene Research Targets Wireless Sensors for IoT
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332828
Researchers at The University of Manchester in the United Kingdom have embedded graphene sensors into radio-frequency identification (RFID) devices to enable a battery-free, wireless, smart humidity monitor. The work targets Internet of Things (IoT) applications in manufacturing, food safety, health care, and sensitive operating environments such as nuclear waste handling.
Tomi Engdahl says:
March of A Billion Sensors Unveiled at CES
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332822
LAS VEGAS — The annual CES Unveiled showcase proved that the Internet of Things (IoT) is not only still “in” but it’s even deeper in. Now, it’s “a given.”
Vendors apparently feel the holy trinity of connectivity, big data and apps in every IoT gadget is just too important to let go. New this year is that many IoT devices are beginning to directly connect with 4G cellular networks. Yes, they may have Bluetooth Low Energy and Wi-Fi but they are not afraid of bypassing them.
This year is the debut of blockchain at CES Unveiled. A Chinese company showed off a new Windows PC designed to work during off hours as a mining machine for a decentralized public blockchain platform.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AI and IoT Need Each Other
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1332818
Together, AI and IoT bring out the best in each other and are perfect partners to drive digital transformation.
For decades scientists, writers and filmmakers have been fascinated with the concept of artificial intelligence (AI)—from Isaac Asimov’s iRobot series to the the endearing droids of “Star Wars.” We tend to view these examples through the lens of AI, but what you might not realize is that without the Internet of Things (IoT) they wouldn’t exist.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Drives Arrow, Avnet to Apps
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1332813
In separate announcements, Arrow Electronics and Avnet leapt into the business of developing custom end-user software for the Internet of Things.
Archrivals Arrow Electronics and Avnet started a race to become one-stop shops for the Internet of Things. So far, visibility on the course ahead is low.
Arrow came rushing out of the gates in 2018 with a Jan. 2 announcement that it aims to buy eInfoChips, a medium-sized contract designer of chips and software with offices in India, Japan, and the U.S. Arrow declined an interview until the deal is consummated, perhaps later this month. (Note: Aspencore, the publisher of EE Times, is owned by Arrow).
A day later, Avnet announced IoTConnect, a software platform designed by an unnamed partner hosted on Microsoft’s Azure cloud. An interview with the new head of Avnet’s IoT group made it clear that the company’s ambitions are broad, but details are still scarce.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Wireless Network – Major Trend in Industrial Network
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/wireless-network-major-trend-industrial-aman-deep-cisa-pmp/?trackingId=tC%2BHr%2Fa%2FOm2Y9aAD51bXEg%3D%3D&lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_feed%3BIgVdSTKIT5aaLjrxE1KiDQ%3D%3D&licu=urn%3Ali%3Acontrol%3Ad_flagship3_feed-object
Industrial wireless sensor network have attracted much attention as a cornerstone to making the smart factories real. Utilizing industrial wireless sensor networks as a base for smart factories makes it possible to optimize the production line without human resources.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Week in Review: IoT
Happy 20th birthday, Bluetooth; CES; Cisco and Quanergy.
https://semiengineering.com/the-week-in-review-iot-80/
The Bluetooth Special Interest Group is celebrating its 20th anniversary this year, and it kicked off the commemoration at CES 2018. The group now has more than 33,000 corporate members.
Samsung Electronics used the CES 2018 event to report on its progress in Internet of Things products and services. The company’s SmartThings technology now connects 370 certified devices from 40 brands. The Samsung SmartThings Cloud, the Bixby voice controls, connected-car technology, and 5G wireless communications will be at the center of Samsung’s IoT strategy.
Comcast will offer additional home-automation services to 15 million of its 29 million cable television and Internet service customers through its Xfinity XFi Internet gateways.
Ring has acquired Mr. Beams, a supplier of light-emitting diode lighting that has wireless connectivity and motion-sensing capabilities.
Paris-based NUMA is establishing an IoT startup accelerator program in Angers, France
Tomi Engdahl says:
Huge Digital Divide Between IIoT Promise and Practice
While most IT and OT leaders see the value in IIoT technology, few are actually deploying it.
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/huge-digital-divide-between-iiot-promise-and-practice/66890666258073?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=2888&elq_cid=876648
GE Digital has released research that highlights a gap between the executive outlook for digital transformation and the actual initiatives companies are putting in place. GE’s survey of IT and OT leaders found that while companies see the Industrial IoT as presenting significant opportunities for growth and competitiveness, the vast majority of companies are not yet taking actions to implement this technology.
According to the study, optimism for the potential of the Industrial Internet runs high. More than 80% believe the IIoT will or could transform their companies and industries. Even more consider digital industrial transformation to be important to their competitiveness. At the same time, only 8% say digital transformation is ingrained in their businesses, and 10% do not have a digital transformation plan in place at all.
“The contrast between outlook and action is striking. The 8% number is incredible, meaning more than 90% are not ready, or are not taking the steps to take advantage of the opportunities they see,” Eddie Amos, VP of industrial applications and CTO at GE Digital, told Design News. “That number represents both a challenge and an opportunity for companies seeking to benefit from the IIoT.”
When asked whether digital transformation is critical to growth and competitiveness, 86% said yes, with 76% rating the ability to provide higher quality services as the foremost outcome of digital industrial transformation. IT and OT leaders cited connectivity (63%) and industrial applications (58%) as the primary technologies required for digital transformation.
Respondents clearly saw the correlation between digital technology and positive business outcomes.
Cost, Security, and Privacy Are the Hitches
As for the reasons companies are holding back from deploying IIoT, respondents pleaded expense, cybersecurity, and privacy as their concerns. Many cited investment costs (42%) as the leading barrier to digital transformation, while others pointed to system security (32%) and data privacy (32%).
Watching the list of cyber hacks in the news certainly doesn’t encourage confidence in the safety of Internet connectivity in industrial settings. “In the wake of Equifax’s hack, companies operating in every industry have cybersecurity, and to a lesser extent, data privacy top of mind,” said Amos. “You’re talking about assets that span areas like energy, aviation, and healthcare that impact lives and operate in highly regulated environments, so we are not surprised that system security is a top concern.”
Workforce Skills Become A Barrier
61% believe IT functions will need to become part of the central operating function of their company. Many are waiting for management to prepare the ground for IIoT deployment: 55% believe their companies are responsible for ensuring the workforce is ready for the IIoT.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AI and IoT Need Each Other
https://www.eetimes.com/author.asp?section_id=36&doc_id=1332818
Together, AI and IoT bring out the best in each other and are perfect partners to drive digital transformation.
If “the whole earth will be converted into a huge brain,” as Nikola Tesla envisioned back in the 1920s, an interconnected network of things is required for that brain to actually do anything. You might say that if AI is the brain, then IoT is the body.
For example, connected operations, remote operations, predictive analytics and preventive maintenance are well-proven fast paths to IoT payback that often incorporate AI capabilities. But that’s really just the beginning. There are rich opportunities for more transformative solutions in virtually every industry.
These opportunities deliver more than incremental process improvements–they have the potential to transform entire industries. AI could not do this alone because it needs IoT to link to the physical world. IoT could not do this alone because it needs AI to make it smart and insightful. It is only when you combine their capabilities that you get truly transformational results.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Voice and AI Explosion Rocks CES
Voice is ‘really hard,’ AI moves to the edge
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1332845
Voice, connectivity and AI took center stage at the Consumer Electronics Show last week. If this year’s CES is any indication, these three building blocks will compose the holy trinity of consumer electronics devices that will drive the market in 2018 and further into the future.
Voice assistants are now poised to move into wearables, headphones, baby monitors, lamps, TV remotes and vehicles. Paul Beckmann, founder and chief technology officer of DSP Concepts, told EE Times, “We are witnessing a Cambrian explosion around voice.”
At CES, Baidu, known as “China’s Google,” shouted out most loudly for voice by unveiling and opening to developers its Duer OS-based platform. Neither its voice-enabled lamp, ceiling-mounted projector nor screen need Alexa or Google Assist. A growing number of vendors are gravitating toward voice, as Baidu loves to say, at “China speed.”
Connectivity in consumer devices is already a given. The next necessity is the ability to “mix and match” different wireless networks, stressed Silicon Labs CEO Tyson Tuttle. Casually slapping onto IoT devices a connectivity chip originally designed for smartphones will no longer suffice, he explained. Systems need dynamic multi-protocol software and the ability to time-slice different wireless networks.
Tomi Engdahl says:
A Wearable UV Sensor — At Your Fingertips
https://www.techbriefs.com/component/content/article/1198-tb/news/news/28251?utm_source=TBnewsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=20180116_Main_Insider&eid=376641819&bid=1974968
Creators of a new, M&M-sized wearable device aim to bring UV detection to users’ fingertips – or more precisely, fingernails.
Cosmetics company L’Oréal, in partnership with Northwestern University engineers, developed UV Sense, an 8 mm-sized sensor that can be placed onto clothing, jewelry, and the hand.
The miniaturized wireless platform measures exposure to the sun’s ultraviolet light – a radiation that can cause freckling, sunburn, and dermatological disorders. UV Sense sends warnings of too-much-sun to a wearer’s phone.
The product’s inventors hope that the monitoring technology will lead users to adopt safer behavior patterns, such as seeking shade, and help to prevent skin cancers like melanoma.
How Does UV Sense Work?
UV Sense is, essentially, an ultraviolet LED operating in reverse. Instead of emitting light, however, the LED takes in UV photons, which create a small amount of current that is then captured on a capacitor.
Researchers Develop World’s Smallest Wearable Device
Tiny wearable electronic device monitors UV exposure
http://www.mccormick.northwestern.edu/news/articles/2018/01/researchers-develop-worlds-smallest-wearable-device.html
The device, as light as a raindrop and smaller in circumference than an M&M, is powered by the sun and contains the world’s most sophisticated and accurate UV dosimeter. It was unveiled Sunday, Jan. 7, at the 2018 Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas and will be called UV Sense.
“We think it provides the most convenient, most accurate way for people to measure sun exposure in a quantitative manner,”
UV Sense has no moving parts, no battery, is waterproof and can be attached to almost any part of the body or clothing, where it continuously measures UV exposure in a unique accumulation mode.
“It is orders of magnitude smaller than anything else out there,”
Users need only to download an app on their smartphone, then swipe the phone over the device to see their exposure to the sun, either for that day or over time. The app can suggest other, less UV-intense times for outdoor activities or give peace of mind to individuals who are concerned about overexposure.
“Sunlight is the most potent known carcinogen,” Rogers said. “It’s responsible for more cancers than any other carcinogen known to man, and it’s everywhere — even in Chicago.”
On average, half the US population experiences a sunburn once a year or more, he said, and there are more than a million melanoma survivors in the US alone.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Teaming humans with robotic AI will remake modern manufacturing
3D printing technology will play a critical role as well.
https://www.engadget.com/2017/09/11/human-robot-ai-manufacturing/
“The government at the time recognized [the need for public education],” TIm Weber, Global Head of 3D Printing and Advanced Applications at HP, told Engadget. “Basically to uplift the skills of people in the United States to adapt to an industrial revolution.”
The world is currently in the midst of its 4th Industrial Revolution — one driven by information and automation. As with previous revolutions, today’s technological advancements are threatening to upend established industry and labor practices through overwhelming productivity increases. Artificial Intelligence and machine-learning systems are not just fundamentally shifting the ways we interact with computers and data, they’re also changing how we’ll manufacture the modern world.
We’ve been using robots to augment (and to a degree, replace) human efforts on the assembly line since the days of Henry Ford. Automation and AI are simply the next logical step in that advancement. Robots can serve in a variety of roles, from the design and prototyping stages through production and shipping.
The days of “dumb” production line robots that repetitively weld or rivet in a preprogrammed sequence without fail are coming to an end. Tomorrow’s factories will run themselves and coordinate along the entire supply chain, with human oversight of course, but they won’t look — or operate — like any manufacturing facility you’ve seen before.
“I believe that we are going to see localized manufacturing,”
“I think about it like the Amazon Marketplace,” Weber said. Companies from all over the world gather there to do business under the Amazon banner. Weber envisions a day in which, while the designer of that toaster oven you’re about to buy may live in Lithuania, when you hit the order button, the toaster would simply print out at a local production facility for you to pick up.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The use of smartphones decreases as voice-controlled smartphones become more common, estimates the consulting firm Accenture Digital Consumer. Consumers with voice-controlled virtual assistants at home, such as the smart speaker, use Accenture’s smart phones to spend less on entertainment and network purchasing.
According to Accenture’s latest Digital Consumer survey, the number of consumers owning voice-controlled smartphones may more than double over 2018.
According to the study, 66 per cent of consumers owning a voice-controlled smartphone assessed their smartphone usage diminished after the device was purchased.
64% of the voice-controlled smartphone owners said they were using smartphones less for entertainment, 58% used less smartphones for online shopping and 56% for information retrieval.
“Digital assistants challenge smartphones as a center for home activities,”
Source: https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2018/01/17/puheohjatut-alylaitteet-tulevat-korvaavat-osin-kannykat/