Here are some IoT trends for year 2019 to watch:
More device: There are four times as many devices connected to the Internet as there are people in the world, and the number of devices is increasing rapidly. There are computers, smart phones and many different kind of connected devices. Gartner forecasts that 14.2 billion connected things will be in use in 2019, and that the total will reach 25 billion by 2021,
Voice: The integration of voice into IoT devices creates an user experience that many consumers seem to enjoy. The next few years will see voice automation take over many aspects of our lives. The current major players in the IoT voice world are Amazon’s Alexa, Apple’s Siri, and Google Assistant. Microsoft’s Cortana seems to have already lost in the game as Satya Nadella says Cortana won’t challenge Alexa and Google Assistant directly; Microsoft will focus on making it a skill on other voice platforms instead. Voice won’t change everything but it will be one part of a movement that heralds a new way to think about our relationship with devices and data. Consider voice as a type of user interface to be added to the existing list of UI technologies. Voice will not kill brands, it won’t hurt keyboard sales or touchscreen devices — it will become an additional way to do stuff; it is incremental. We need to learn to design around it.Deloitte expects the sales of 164 million smart speakers at an average price of $43 in 2019. The smart speaker market will be worth more than $7 billion next year, increasing 63% from 2018’s $4.3 billion.
Automobiles: Automobiles are leading the way in IoT adoption. Gartner predicts that one in five cars will be connected by 2020. Both Google and Apple have tools that allow drivers to control calls, listen to messages and control apps using voice.
IoT clouds: Developing for the Internet of Things is a complex endeavor, and nobody wants to do it from scratch. IoT data platforms offer a jumping-off point by combining many of the tools needed to manage a deployment from device management to data prediction and insights into one service. There are many IoT cloud platforms to choose from. All cloud platforms have their own distinctive areas of pros and cons. Ultimately the project needs and cost-effectiveness determine whom to choose. Utilizing cloud services also brings new potential risks that are good to understand already at the beginning of the project. I wrote on article to Uusiteknologia.fi magazine issue 2/2018 on IoT cloud platforms.
Digital Twins: Digital twin tech, or a virtual representation of a product, is a critical concept in IoT that’s still being sorted out. Digital twin refers to a digital replica of physical assets (physical twin), processes, people, places, systems and devices that can be used for various purposes. Definitions of digital twin technology emphasize two important characteristics: connection from the physical model to the corresponding virtual model and this connection is established by generating real time data using sensors. Physical objects and twin models interact. Digital twins applications typically integrate internet of things, artificial intelligence, machine learning and software analytics with spatial network graphs to create living digital simulation models that update and change as their physical counterparts change. In various industrial sectors, twins are being used to optimize the operation and maintenance of physical assets, systems and manufacturing processes.
Edge computing: The shift from centralized and cloud to edge architectures is well under way in the IoT space. In the future, computing the edge of the network will become an increasingly important way of processing data from networked devices and sensor networks. Compared to traditional centralized cloud computing, the new edge computing brings computing servers closer to the edge of the communications network. Compared to cloud centered IoT solutions, edge computing allow for lower delays and more reliable operation with respect to cloud services. At the same time, it promises improved security as not all potentially sensitive information needs to be transferred from the site to cloud. However, this is not the end point because the neat set of layers associated with edge architecture will evolve to a more unstructured architecture comprising of a wide range of “things” and services connected in a dynamic mesh. In thins kind of system data processing can be done on almost all network devices from IoT modules to gateways and in the future to 5G base stations. Relevant standardizing organizations on this field are Edge Computing Consortium Europe, OpenFog Consortium and Industrial Internet Consortium.
5G: 5G networks start to arrive. The standards for 5G will be defined in large part by the direct integration of Internet of Things (IoT) and Industrial IoT (IIoT) devices into global networks and devices. 5G networks are expected to be 10 to 100 times faster than current LTE technology. If you are in need for very high speed, your application resides inside the small 5G test networks coverage areas and your IoT device is allowed to consume considerable amount of power (more than 4G solutions), then you might be able to consider 5G. For all other cases I don’t see 5G would offer much for IoT applications in 2019. There is not yet ready 5G standards specifically designed for IoT applications. So for 2019 IoT and IIoT will need to be pretty much stick to 4G technologies like NB-IoT and LTE-M. For 5G to shape industrial computing application in larger scale than just some small tests we will have to wait till 2020. Addressing the issues behind Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) devices and 5G is important in next few years. Qualcomm, the largest supplier of modem chips used in smartphones, has introduced the X50 modem to give IIoT devices the ability to communicate over 5G networks. Beware of “fake 5G” marketing in 2019. The promise is that 5G will enable the future enterprise technologies everyone is predicting and waiting for: fleets of self-driving delivery trucks, virtual (VR) and augmented reality (AR), and a world of enterprise Internet of Things (IoT) deployments — systems that will define an era that the World Economic Forum termed the “Fourth Industrial Revolution.” Those promises will take years to realize, you will not see most of them in real use in 2019.
AI: Number one in Gartner’s predictions, no surprise, is artificial intelligence. Artificial intelligence and machine learning will be talked a lot with bold claims that AI goes from expert-only to everywhere. I would not expect it to be everywhere in 2019. Gartner, said in a statement, “AI will be applied to a wide range of IoT information, including video, still images, speech, network traffic activity, and sensor data.” At the moment many neural network systems are power hungry when implemented with traditional computer hardware. “For example, the performance of deep neural networks (DNNs) is often limited by memory bandwidth, rather than processing power.” By 2023, it’s expected that new special-purpose chips will reduce the power consumption required to run a DNN, enabling new edge architectures and embedded DNN functions in low-power IoT endpoints.
IIoT: The concept of a Smart Factory is composed of many different physical and informational subsystems, such as actuators and sensors, control systems, product management systems and manufacturing systems that all work together. This is a very complex system. It is critical to understand differing operational technology (OT) and information technology (IT) priorities to achieve collaboration and integration. Without this, Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) and control projects will fail. Also finding the right Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) vendor partner is crucial to success. OPC Foundation has on initiative to extend OPC UA out to field devices to provide vendor-neutral, end-to-end interoperability beyond the plant. Time-Sensitive Networking (TSN) network works well for OPC UA applications.
Value chain: IoT as an umbrella term will diminish. There are strong views that “Internet of things is not valuable in and of itself” so the conversation is going to shift away from an ambiguous buzzword to the actual use of technology. For product designers this means that when we design our connected world, we need to pull ourselves away from the cool technology that we are building and look at the system through our customers’ eyes. The sales pitch will be more like “It’s about the use cases, it’s about the solutions, it’s about the applications, managing and monitoring assets, performance management solutions, different kinds of solutions coming together to solve a problem—that’s really what the value proposition is.”
IoT platforms: IoT vendors will compete to be the destination for IoT platforms. The IoT supply chain has been moving toward more collaboration to provide development and design kits designed for specific use cases and industries. IoT development kits are sold more and more with bundled IoT could service offer. IoT cloud service providers offer and recommend hardware that is tested to work well with their platforms. IoT platform vendors will be narrowing their scope in 2019, honing in on specific use cases. Business professionals aren’t looking for one industrial IoT platform to manage every process going on at their company, they are instead looking for platforms that specialize in specific tasks.
New development kits: A new breed of development kits is incorporating the three tenets of IoT design — ease of use, security, and business value. The promise is that the design engineers don’t need to have specialized expertise in several areas like networking protocols or security-related tasks, enabling a much faster development time. One way to simplifying design work is by intelligently reusing the fundamental building blocks.
Security: Wireless IoT devices are considered a major threat to the security of industrial networks. A growing number of embedded systems are open to security threats as a result of increasing connectivity and IoT device adoption. And it’s costing OEMs a lot in terms of money and reputation. A 2018 Gartner Inc. survey found that nearly 20% of organizations surveyed experienced at least one IoT-based attack in the past three years. IoT security is already a 1.5 billion dollar market. The market research firm Garnet expects that global spending on IoT security will rise to $3.1 billion in 2021, up from $1.5 billion in 2018. It is not about the spending on IoT security products. Already “a significant portion of OEMs’ existing in-house labor cost is already dedicated to addressing security” and is rising faster than development costs. VDC pegs the worldwide embedded engineering labor spend related to security at $11.6 billion in 2017, representing nearly 8% of the overall cost of embedded engineering labor. There will be different kind of certification marks for IoT product cyber security – some mandated with laws on some countries and some voluntary. 5G is going to increase security risks. Do we understand the 5G security threats to come? Most probably not because we don’t seem to understand well even that 5G really is.
eSIM: The embedded SIM card has been spoken for a long time, and even the first smartphones in which the SIM card has been implemented with an integrated circuit have already been introduced to the market. Infineon has presented the world’s first industrially qualified eSIM. Of course, eSIM shares opinions. Many operators do not like it.
Infonomics and Data Broking: Last year’s Gartner survey of IoT projects showed 35 percent of respondents were selling or planning to sell data collected by their products and services.“Data is the fuel that powers the IoT and the organization’s ability to derive meaning from it will define their long term success,” This brings us to Social, Legal and Ethical IoT because“ Successful deployment of an IoT solution demands that it’s not just technically effective but also socially acceptable,” It is possible tha tIoT Firms Face a ‘Tidal Wave’ of Lawsuits.
IoT Governance: As the IoT continues to expand, the need for a governance framework that ensures appropriate behavior in the creation, storage, use and deletion of information related to IoT projects will become increasingly important. We also need to manage IoT devices to keep them secure and make sure that they do what they are supposed to do. A market for IoT managed services will develop to help manage and operate fragmented IoT assets. “The idea of managing the ongoing end-to-end life cycle of a connected product is becoming more important, and ultimately this managed service opportunity is going to need momentum in the coming year,”
New Wireless Technologies: IoT networking involves balancing a set of competing requirements, such as endpoint cost, power consumption, bandwidth, latency, connection density, operating cost, quality of service, and range. No single networking technology optimizes all of these.
Trusted Hardware and Operating System: Gartner surveys invariably show that security is the most significant area of technical concern for organizations deploying IoT systems. Today organizations often don’t have control over the source and nature of the software and hardware being utilised in IoT initiatives. “However, by 2023, we expect to see the deployment of hardware and software combinations that together create more trustworthy and secure IoT systems.
Home automation: Arm predicts that the intelligent home goes mainstream. In survey results they published two-thirds of respondents said technology became “more a part of my life” during 2018. Cisco Systems is saying connected homes will be a big driver for the Internet of Things. “Connected home applications, such as home automation, home security and video surveillance, connected white goods, and tracking applications, will represent 48%, or nearly half, of the total M2M connections by 2022, showing the pervasiveness of M2M in our lives,” Cisco states in its new white paper, Visual Networking Index: Forecast and Trends, 2017-2022. The market is starting slowly. Bundled IoT services will try to motivate a slow consumer market.
Smart cities: Cities are becoming smarter and smarter in an effort to improve efficiency in operations. Smart cities bring in both benefits and risks. Between smart lighting, traffic controls, and public transportation, smart cities are bringing in a whole new family of threat vectors. Cybercriminals will target smart cities with ransomware attacks. Smart cities need to take precautions.
Silicon Chip Innovation: “Currently, most IoT endpoint devices use conventional processor chips, with low-power ARM architectures being particularly popular. However, traditional instruction sets and memory architectures aren’t well-suited to all the tasks that endpoints need to perform,” New special-purpose chips will reduce the power consumption required to run a DNN. Very low power circuit designs are important in many applications. Battery-powered designs require complex optimizations for power in the context of area, performance and functionality. Devices that work without battery and gather operating power from environment are maybe even more challenging. Clearly, sensors are a big part of any connected device, and there is a lot of innovation occurring in this market that delivers new features — think AI — all housed in smaller packaging.
Open source: 2019 Will Be the Year of Open Source in IoT and embedded systems applications. From software and even hardware, we saw more activity in open source than ever before in 2018. And the momentum isn’t likely to slow down in 2019. Arduino is pushing strongly to IoT markets with MKR1000 series of IoT boards. Raspberry Pi is very widely used in IoT systems, especially on prototyping and small scale deployments
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Links to other articles for IoT trends for 2019:
Internet of Things in 2019: Five predictions
Kymmenen tulevaisuuden kuluttajatrendiä ja ilmiötä
Deloitte’s 9 tech predictions for 2019
New Chip Architectures, Sensors and Trust in Top 10 IoT Trends (Gartner presented its top 10 strategic IoT technology trends)
Week In Review: IoT, Security, Auto (predictions from Arm, Deloitte and Juniper Research)
Predictions 2019: The Internet Of Things
Gartner Identifies Top 10 Strategic IoT Technologies and Trends
1,308 Comments
Tomi Engdahl says:
Piezo-Based Energy Harvesting for Medical Implants May Transcend Alternative Approaches
https://www.electronicdesign.com/power/piezo-based-energy-harvesting-medical-implants-may-transcend-alternative-approaches?NL=ED-003&Issue=ED-003_20190424_ED-003_263&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_1_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=25101&utm_medium=email&elq2=2eeedabd01374be8aea76ec8d98bd426
Researchers developed a prototype energy-harvesting transducer for medical implants, such as pacemakers, using normal motion of the heart-related blood vessels to generate critical power.
Energy harvesting from the human body (approximately 100 W of consumption at rest) in various forms appears to be a near-perfect power source fit for implanted medical devices, but practical issues have impeded its adoption as a solution.
To build the harvester transducer, the researchers used a combination of thin-film energy-conversion materials with a minimally invasive mechanical approach in a modified pacemaker design. They harnessed the kinetic energy of the lead wire that’s attached to a beating heart, and then converted it into electricity to continually charge the batteries
The maximum output was 0.5 V at 43 nA at 1 Hz, a little over 20 nW.
For comparison, today’s ultra-low-power implantable biomedical devices require 0.3 μW for cardiac-activity sensing, 10 to 100 μW for pacemakers, 100 to 2000 μW for cochlear implants, and 1 to 10 mW for neural recording. An advantage of this design is that it’s scalable: two (or more) units can be connected in parallel for a corresponding increase in power output.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Legrand moves to expand strategic IoT alliances for residential, commercial applications
https://www.cablinginstall.com/articles/2019/04/legrand-expands-strategic-iot-alliances-for-residential-commercial.html?cmpid=&utm_source=enl&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=cim_data_center_newsletter&utm_content=2019-04-22&eid=289644432&bid=2424856
Legrand North and Central America (West Hartford, CT), a specialist in power, light and data technologies for homes, workplaces and data centers, announced that it is undertaking a plan to expand the scope of its strategic IoT alliances for both residential and commercial applications.
Since launching Eliot, the company’s global IoT program in 2016, Legrand notes that it has forged over 50 global partnerships, working with some of the world’s largest companies in the consumer electronics, hospitality and automotive markets. Additionally, the company’s comprehensive developer program and simple APIs have enabled partners to quickly design and integrate Legrand interoperability into their solutions.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Taking control of controls
Ford’s 10-year operational evolution started with network standards.
https://www.controleng.com/articles/taking-control-of-controls/
For Ford, edge computing and the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is not as much a new concept as it is giving a name to what they’ve already been doing. “When we think about (IIoT), we’ve been on that journey since 2008. It’s all been about standardization around controls, and network-level hardware.”
In 2017, Ford rebranded its use of digital manufacturing engineering strategies to focus on three concepts:
Digital design: Linking the virtual machining
Digital factory: Embracing the concept of a full digital twin
Digital tools: Mapping the engineering factory.
“We’ve used digital engineering tools across all programs,” said Jon Guske, Livonia’s engineering manager for feasibility. “With standardization, we can pull in information, validate that in early design phase, and that creates a full circle of information. We’re able to take the digital point cloud and build into 3-D models able to better simulate exactly what’s going to happen. 3-D printing has been used across powertrain in prototype castings and for rapid design for fixture development. Digital tools have been an enabler.”
Tomi Engdahl says:
Use context with IIoT to provide automation value
https://www.controleng.com/articles/use-context-with-iiot-to-provide-automation-value/
The Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) has a lot of potential, but without context and a clear goal, value for companies will be less. See 8 ways to move from data to information.
Addressing misperceptions on Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT), presenter Jeremy Drury, vice president, IoT diagnostics, pulled an audible at the start of his presentation on April 10 at Automate 2019. Instead of providing sense about the IIoT, he said it was more important to provide context. “Defining context of IIoT in automation,” for him, is the key to everything he does and everything he believes the IIoT can provide.
There’s been a lot of talk, he said, about Industrie 4.0 and how all this wonderful data can transform manufacturing. There’s one problem. “I would argue many of us are still struggling with Industry 3.0,” he said.
Thinking ahead in manufacturing is great, but getting to Industrie 4.0 created a gap, which is a challenge for companies looking to move forward. “There’s not a clear bridge on how to get Industrie 4.0 from where we are today to close the chasm,” Drury said.
8 ways to move from data to information
Drury said he works for a data company, but what does that mean? What does it mean to make data? If companies want to make data, it’s really the beginning of an eight-step process:
Make data: Gather data from sensors and other devices.
Move data: Route the data through industrial gateways, wireless modules, and data acquisition devices.
View data: Put the data on dashboard interfaces and databases.
Secure data: Ensure the data is securely located whether it’s local or on the cloud, and take steps to safeguard it through cybersecurity and blockchain protocols.
Use data: Allow the user to access the data through digital twins, rapid service response, and more.
Scale data: Take the data beyond a proof of concept (POC) and use it to provide the context companies sorely lock and use it to provide a business model.
Share data: Use the data to form strategic partnerships and build out an ecosystem.
Analyze data: This, Drury said, is really where Industry 5.0 because now all these bits of information are being analyzed to improve decision cycles through predictive analytics and Big Data.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Survey: IoT Developers Prefer Arm-Based Processors
https://www.eeweb.com/profile/groos/articles/survey-iot-developers-prefer-arm-based-processors
IoT developers face a myriad of hardware and software challenges, ranging from connectivity requirements and interoperability to security issues and data management. Plus, they need to keep in mind a host of design constraints, including power, size, and cost. To gain insight into some of the biggest challenges and commercial efforts by IoT developers, the Eclipse Foundation conducted a survey earlier this year and found that IoT development is happening at a fast pace, with most of the investments driven by the industrial markets.
The survey found that the top three concerns of IoT developers are security (38%), connectivity (21%), and data collection and analysis (19%). These were followed by challenges in performance (18%), privacy (18%), and standards (16%).
Tomi Engdahl says:
Week in Review: IoT, Security, Auto
Drone inspections; war exclusion; Apple’s LiDAR; IPOs.
https://semiengineering.com/week-in-review-iot-security-auto-41/
Combining artificial intelligence with unmanned aerial vehicles could provide a quicker and safer alternative to inspecting roadways for cracks, potholes, and other damage, according to a paper posted on arvix.org.
The Internet of Things is being implemented in smart city projects, and AT&T is involved in a lot of those projects. “IoT is a challenge for anybody because no one company does it all. And the approach we’ve taken at AT&T is to move beyond just connectivity – to provide some end-to-end solutions that make it easier for both the public sector, which will be a third of the IoT revenues across the world, and the enterprises to have end-to-end solutions packaged up and ready to go,”
Canalys forecasts the worldwide installed base of smart speakers will grow from 114 million units in 2018 to 207.9 million units by the end of this year. Smart speakers are poised to overtake tablet computers by 2021 in terms of the installed bases, the market research firm predicts.
Researchers at Princeton University have developed IoT Inspector, an application for Mac OS that allows users to keep tabs on their smart home devices. The open-source tool can be downloaded
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Microbots Are on Their Way
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/30/science/microbots-robots-silicon-wafer.html
Tiny sensors with tinier legs, stamped out of silicon wafers, could one day soon help fix your cellphone battery or study your brain.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Amazon dismisses idea of warehouse robots taking over our jobs anytime soon
https://www.zdnet.com/article/amazon-dismisses-idea-of-warehouse-robots-taking-over-our-jobs-anytime-soon/
Industry 4.0 is coming, but fully autonomous warehouses go beyond smart applications in our current grasp.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Make Your Own Energy
https://semiengineering.com/make-your-own-energy/
Efficient use of power and energy in electric vehicles and smart buildings will require innovative thinking.
Tomi Engdahl says:
11 Myths About Energy Harvesting
https://www.mwrf.com/defense/11-myths-about-energy-harvesting?Issue=MWRF-001_20190502_MWRF-001_288&sfvc4enews=42&cl=article_2_b&utm_rid=CPG05000002750211&utm_campaign=25283&utm_medium=email&elq2=3bb265f968d94caa8e65cb75f179f5b5
Is energy harvesting expensive? Hard to implement? We’ll dispel some of the myths surrounding the technology.
Semiconductor technology follows many trends, one of which is the consistent reduction in active power for a given function from one generation to the next. If it wasn’t for this trend, we may never have “discovered” energy-harvesting solutions as a practical alternative to conventional power. The relatively small amounts of power that can be scavenged using existing energy-harvesting technology is meager but, under the right conditions, it’s more than enough to enable a wide range of Internet of Things (IoT) applications.
Sensor nodes in the IoT are perhaps the ideal use-case for energy harvesting, but it still requires a leap of faith to move away from a known and reliable power source like a battery or offline, to something that’s far less tangible. However, just as the availability of ultra-low-power digital solutions has reduced our dependence on power, the technology involved with energy harvesting has improved.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2019/05/03/opiskelijat-paasivat-iot-tekniikan-kimppuun/
https://iothon.io/
IoThon is a focused IoT hackathon for students, researchers and developers working on open source IoT projects.
Tomi Engdahl says:
IoT Devices for Firefighters: Key Certifications and Features
https://www.telit.com/blog/iot-devices-firefighters-certifications-features/
Tomi Engdahl says:
MIT’s Wearable Lab Continuously Monitors Biomarkers Using Saliva
https://blog.hackster.io/mits-wearable-lab-continuously-monitors-biomarkers-using-saliva-87c93aa2d45
Wearable, portable medical devices are already in extensive use, with most used to monitor physiological data, such as heart rates, respiration, EEG, and electrodermal activity (EDA), but none monitor bioactivity within the human system. While there are biosensors being used to detect abnormal biochemical activity, they are usually limited to one use only and don’t have any flexibility in monitoring different biomarkers.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Korea’s New 5G Futuristic Hospital
https://spectrum.ieee.org/the-human-os/biomedical/devices/koreas-new-futuristic-hospital
Very sick patients in isolation rooms can visit with holograms of their loved ones. Visitors will find their way around the hospital using an augmented reality (AR)-based indoor navigation system. Authorized medical workers will use facial recognition to enter secure areas. Patients can call a nurse and control their bed, lights, and TV with an Alexa-style voice assistant.
That’s the vision, at least. Yonsei and Korean telecommunications company SK Telecom, last week jointly announced that they had signed a memorandum of understanding to build technology for the futuristic hospital, scheduled to open in February 2020. SK Telecom will support the technology with a 5G network, and is considering securing it with quantum cryptography, according to the announcement.
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://innovate.ieee.org/innovation-spotlight-ieee-fueling-fourth-industrial-revolution/?LT=FB_SCL_Q1.2019_LM_4IR_IoT_Ad
Tomi Engdahl says:
Week in Review: IoT, Security, Auto
https://semiengineering.com/week-in-review-iot-security-auto-43/
AT&T reports the activation of its narrowband Internet of Things network in the U.S. The carrier upgraded its 4G LTE cell sites across the country. It now offers two low-power wide-area networks to business customers, including its LTE-M network in Mexico and the U.S.
The University of Maryland developed a drone that delivered a kidney to its medical center, covering three miles in a test flight.
ZTE signed an agreement with Malaysia’s Plantation PLS to work together on smart agriculture technology, incorporating big data, cloud computing, electronic tagging, and the IoT.
Tomi Engdahl says:
AT&T Lights Up NB-IoT Network Across the U.S.
https://about.att.com/innovationblog/2019/04/nbiot_network_live.html
Last year, we said that we would launch our NarrowBand Internet of Things (NB-IoT) network in the U.S. by spring. I’m proud to announce today that our nationwide NB-IoT network is live!
The software upgrades at our 4G LTE cell sites across the country are now complete and our NB-IoT network is open for business. This new network will help unlock the next wave of IoT connections. And it’s a big step toward massive IoT and 5G.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Smart farming: How IoT, robotics, and AI are tackling one of the biggest problems of the century
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/smart-farming-how-iot-robotics-and-ai-are-tackling-one-of-the-biggest-problems-of-the-century/
It’s still early days for precision agriculture, but two UK-based projects are proving the feasibility and value of the concept.
The world’s human population currently stands at around 7.6 billion and is projected to reach 11.2 billion by 2100. We will therefore need a food production and distribution system that can accommodate another 3.6 billion people—ideally while consuming as little additional land and leaving as small an environmental footprint as possible, in order to maintain vital ecosystem services and conserve Earth’s remaining wildlife.
Tomi Engdahl says:
How self-driving tractors, AI, and precision agriculture will save us from the impending food crisis
https://www.techrepublic.com/article/how-self-driving-tractors-ai-and-precision-agriculture-will-save-us-from-the-impending-food-crisis/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kyle Wiggers / VentureBeat:
Microsoft rolls out IoT, mapping, databases, storage, and analytics updates across Azure services, says Azure IoT Edge now integrates with Kubernetes
Microsoft rolls out IoT, mapping, databases, storage, and analytics updates across Azure services
https://venturebeat.com/2019/05/06/microsoft-rolls-out-iot-mapping-databases-storage-and-analytics-updates-across-azure-services/
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.immuniweb.com/blog/governments-begin-to-take-on-iot-security.html
Tomi Engdahl says:
What Wireless Communication Standard to Use for Your Next Project
https://blog.hackster.io/what-wireless-communication-standard-to-use-for-your-next-project-2db9570eabaf
The hobbyist wireless communications space is becoming increasingly crowded with different radios and protocols — this guide will help you choose the right one for your next project!
Tomi Engdahl says:
Man’s Homemade Electronics Disrupt Entire Neighborhood’s Car Keys and Garage Openers
https://jalopnik.com/mans-homemade-electronics-disrupt-entire-neighborhoods-1834550748?rev=1557153579290&utm_medium=socialflow&utm_campaign=socialflow_jalopnik_twitter&utm_source=jalopnik_twitter
Tomi Engdahl says:
From automated to autonomous systems: Microsoft’s developer platform aims to accelerate the journey
https://news.microsoft.com/innovation-stories/microsoft-build-autonomous-systems/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Princeton IoT Inspector
https://iot-inspector.princeton.edu
Our smart devices are watching us
It’s time for us to watch them
Download our open-source tool
Works on macOS and Linux
(including Raspberry Pi)
Tomi Engdahl says:
P.J. Bednarski / MediaPost:
Survey of 4,500 online shoppers: 17% buy regularly from voice assistants, up 6% YoY; 62% have clicked on an ad on social media with 31% making a purchase
Study: Voice Assistants Far From Hot Marketplace For Buying
https://www.mediapost.com/publications/article/335481/study-voice-assistants-far-from-hot-marketplace-f.html
Some shoppers like to get information about consumer goods from Alexa and the Google Home voice assistant. But when they get down to buying, those shoppers tend to go elsewhere.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Tom Warren / The Verge:
As Cortana loses out to Assistant and Alexa, Cortana chief Andrew Shuman says Microsoft is refocusing on conversational interactions in the workplace
Microsoft’s new Cortana chief outlines the company’s digital assistant vision
Cortana will appear in Microsoft products where it makes sense
https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/8/18536088/microsoft-cortana-interview-vision-build-2019
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rani Molla / Vox:
Experts say apps like Nextdoor and Ring’s Neighbors give people a false sense that the US crime rate is worsening even as violent crime reaches record lows
The rise of fear-based social media like Nextdoor, Citizen, and now Amazon’s Neighbors
Why people are socializing more about crime even as it becomes rarer.
https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/5/7/18528014/fear-social-media-nextdoor-citizen-amazon-ring-neighbors
Tomi Engdahl says:
Vlog #63: Australia, worst place in the world for DIY home automation
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3K9QjRDIwuw
Is it true that DIY electrical work can invalidate your home insurance policy? Can you go to prison for replacing the plug on a power board?
In Australia: yes. With the harshest restrictions in the world, Australian regulations don’t let you do *anything* unless you complete a 4 year apprenticeship, complete some certifications, and become a licensed electrician.
Vlog #63: Australia, worst place in the world for DIY home automation
https://www.superhouse.tv/vlog-63-australia-worst-place-in-the-world-for-diy-home-automation/
Is it true that DIY electrical work can invalidate your home insurance policy? Can you go to prison for replacing the plug on a power board?
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2019/05/08/jaakiekkoliiga-pelaamaan-pelkkaa-alykiekkoa/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Why Modern Manufacturing Needs the Digital Twin
The digital twin helps manufacturers see, understand, and improve the manufacturing process.
https://www.designnews.com/automation-motion-control/why-modern-manufacturing-needs-digital-twin/25808265960742?ADTRK=UBM&elq_mid=8598&elq_cid=876648
We live in a digital era. Data is all around us and, at the manufacturing level, the huge volumes of real-time data available provides new insights into processes. Used intelligently, these data offer a pathway to continuous process improvements and significant increase in production efficiency. For these benefits to be brought to bear, however, requires clear visualization, contextualization, and advanced analysis of the data, which is most efficiently achieved using a digital mirror of the physical world – a ‘digital twin.’
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Digital Transformation of the Utility Industry
https://blog.wesco.com/digital-transformation-utility-industry
The utility industry is faced with a digital transformation. As technology continues to advance, there are more and more opportunities becoming available to improve facilities and processes. Advancements in new technology offer safer, smarter and more efficient production and move away from the power plants of the past.
As the demand for data continues to grow, there is a need to improve and digitalize power plants. This is where the digital transformation begins.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Enabling the Internet of Wireless Things
https://www.electronicdesign.com/iot/enabling-internet-wireless-things
Almost all electronic devices now have the ability to be part of a network, and beyond that a network of networks. This is the vision for the IoT, and wireless connectivity is making it a reality.
Tomi Engdahl says:
The Limits Of Energy Harvesting
https://semiengineering.com/the-limits-of-energy-harvesting/
Why the promise of unlimited power in end devices has achieved only spotty success.
Energy harvesting, once considered an inexpensive alternative to low-power design and a way of achieving nearly unlimited power in mobile devices, has settled down to more modest expectations.
This approach to generating energy through a variety of means—from solar to motion to ambient RF and even pH differences between soil and trees—has been proven to work. The problem is that it doesn’t generate sufficient energy quickly enough for most applications. And like most analog circuits, it doesn’t shrink. Energy-harvesting modules tend to be bulky, adding area and cost to designs.
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/9452-rakennukset-tuottavat-pian-reaaliaikaista-dataa
Tomi Engdahl says:
https://www.uusiteknologia.fi/2019/04/12/etaohjaus-leikkaisi-kotien-sahkonkulutusta/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Nest, the company, died at Google I/O 2019
https://arstechnica.com/gadgets/2019/05/nest-the-company-died-at-google-io-2019/?amp=1&fbclid=IwAR0y8YySF82CsLyz-Wian7IpqOn64s7YKlyBjp7kK6XIYY2k2FI-93Rzqbk
Don’t be distracted by the shiny new “Nest” smart display that was just announced: Nest died at Google I/O 2019. “Google Nest” is the new reality now, where Nest is no longer a standalone company but instead is a sub-brand (not even a division) of Google. The shutdown of Nest as an independent company was announced in 2018
Tomi Engdahl says:
Week in Review: IoT, Security, Auto
Microsoft’s IoT; election security; GM plant
https://semiengineering.com/week-in-review-iot-security-auto-44/
Microsoft this week introduced IoT Plug and Play, a no-code toolkit for connecting Internet of Things devices to the cloud. The company touts it as a new modeling language to pump up the capabilities of IoT devices through the Microsoft Azure cloud service.
Cisco Systems signed a memorandum of understanding with Snam of Italy to conduct joint research, development, and innovation in the Industrial Internet of Things field. The companies will collaborate on IIoT infrastructure
Tyson Tuttle, president and CEO of Silicon Labs, talked to TheStreet.com about 5G, the IoT, and other topics. The Austin-based chip company got about 53% of its $868.3 million in 2018 revenue from IoT-related products. Its IoT revenue grew from $395 million in 2017 to $463.8 million last year.
Vodafone reports that 34% of companies now use IoT technology, up from 29% a year ago. In the near future, 5G cellular communications will support relatively niche IoT use cases.
Frost & Sullivan evaluated more than 1,000 IoT platforms, with its team determining that 400 companies have true platform capabilities across multiple vertical markets and consumer segments. The analysts and experts selected 29 companies for the Frost Radar: Global Internet of Things (IoT) Platforms Market, 2019,
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kännykkäverkoissa nyt yli miljardi IoT-laitetta
http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9463&via=n&datum=2019-05-13_15:58:04&mottagare=31202
Esineiden internetiin liityttiin pitkään käytännössä erilaisilla LPWAN-tekniikoilla kuten LoRa tai Sigfox. Nyt tutkimuslaitos Berg Insight ilmoittaa, että viime vuoden lopulla kännykkäverkoissa oli jo 1,2 miljardia laitetta.
Viime vuonna kännykkäverkkoon liitettyjen IoT-laitteiden määrä kasvoi 70 prosenttia.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Building Skills for IoT
https://iotbusinessnews.com/2019/02/19/20710-building-skills-for-iot/
Tomi Engdahl says:
The IoT: Yesterday’s Predictions Vs. Today’s Reality
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2019/05/02/the-iot-yesterdays-predictions-vs-todays-reality/#14758d0512b0
By now, most people have heard about the internet of things (IoT). While the term was first coined in 1999, the modern interpretation really took shape within the last decade when we began to see the promise of a world of connected “things” working together to make business and leisure more efficient, convenient, and affordable. But that’s not really what ended up happening … yet.
The reality turned out to be far less rosy. Fragmented markets, ecosystems and organizations, security breaches and data losses, lack of skills, process and integration challenges — all of these factors made adoption of the IoT more complex, costlier and riskier. It also took all of us significantly longer than anticipated to develop a firm understanding of these new environments, markets, technologies, what our place would be in emerging ecosystems, and how to develop repeatable models and return on investment (ROIs).
Prediction No. 1: The IoT would be an overnight sensation
In 2011, my own company predicted that there would be 50 billion connected devices in play by 2020. Even though the IoT appeared twice on top of Gartner’s hype curve in 2014 and 2018, we still believed that the technology would move straight from the peak of inflated expectations to productivity and scale. As we get closer to the 2020 milestone, we know this prediction has fallen short. In fact, experts now suspect there will only be closer to 20 billion connected devices by that time.
Reality: Complexity and cost slowed adoption
Prediction No. 2: Vendors thought they could go it alone
Many horizontal and vertical vendors believed they could build horizontal and vertical platforms to capture key value points from the cloud to the edge and from sensors to visualization software.
Reality: The IoT requires collaboration
A decade later, the visions of generic IoT platforms have crumbled. Vendors have refocused on core capabilities and customers became the driving factor behind why and how we should develop and implement IoT solutions. Across industries, customers are pushing vertical, horizontal and regional specialists to work together.
Prediction No. 3: IoT technology would be seamlessly interconnected
We envisioned the IoT would bring us a world where billions of devices could connect and communicate seamlessly. But bridging the gap between the digital and physical proved harder than expected. Most deployments were brownfield and required technological, architectural, and organizational integration with legacy solutions. Too many consortia were created on top of too many standards bodies already in existence, which ultimately slowed down the emergence of cross-market standards.
Reality: We need shared standards and interoperability
Customers continue driving vendor communities to coalesce on joint standards. In the industrial market, OPC/UA is emerging as a common ground to develop one set of standards.
Prediction No. 4: Traditional security solutions would be enough
Reality: Security needs to be the top priority
Security has turned out to be one of the greatest obstacles to widespread IoT adoption.
Great expectations elicit great challenges
Mass development, deployment and adoption of paradigm-shifting movements like the IoT are sure to continue to have growing pains. Solutions built on data collected and analyzed through IoT devices are dramatically improving operations of many companies while enabling others to create new value propositions, new services, new revenue streams and new business models. Although some of the predictions of the IoT didn’t quite pan out the way we had envisioned, businesses must take note of the realities and adjust expectations and approaches accordingly.
Tomi Engdahl says:
http://www.etn.fi/index.php/13-news/9463-kannykkaverkoissa-nyt-yli-miljardi-iot-laitetta
Tomi Engdahl says:
ST and Air Liquide Collaborate on IIoT
https://www.eetimes.com/document.asp?doc_id=1334686
STMicroelectronics will help Air Liquide to implement industrial internet of things (IIoT) solutions for operational activities such as asset tracking and management, predictive maintenance, and cybersecurity.
The two invoked “digital transformation,” a buzzword that encapsulates the implementation of technologies like the IoT to enable operational improvements in a wide variety of different processes. Industrial automation is one such outcome of digital transformation. The challenge for many organizations is in the practical knowledge of how to implement such systems.
Air Liquide has been supplying ST with industrial gases and materials for over 30 years; the company is one of ST’s top 10 suppliers.
The companies anticipate working together to identify cases where ST’s technologies would best fit industrial and logistics needs, and then prototype the selected digital solutions and test them in Air Liquide’s operating environments.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Cameron Faulkner / The Verge:
Amazon says Alexa Guard, which lets Echo speakers listen for security incidents in homes and send Smart Alerts in case of danger, is now rolling out in the US
Alexa Guard is coming soon for all Echo owners in the US
https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/14/18618098/alexa-guard-amazon-echo-speaker-security-feature
This free feature turns your smart speaker into a useful security device
Amazon’s Alexa Guard feature is now rolling out in the US, following an invite-only preview that lasted a few months. This free update lets your Echo speaker listen for signs of danger in your home while you’re away. Sounds like glass breaking (caused by a burglar or a moody cat) or a smoke alarm going off will trigger Alexa to send out Smart Alerts consisting of audio clips. If your Echo has a built-in camera, it will show a direct video feed into your home.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Rani Molla / Vox:
A survey of 6,000+ consumers in developed countries finds ~63% of them find connected devices to be “creepy” but nearly 70% owned one or more connected device — Experts explain why people are giving mixed signals about smart tech. — Many of us are in unhealthy relationships — with tech companies.
People say they care about privacy but buy devices that can spy on them anyway
https://www.vox.com/recode/2019/5/13/18547235/trust-smart-devices-privacy-security
Experts explain why people are giving mixed signals about smart tech.
Many of us are in unhealthy relationships — with tech companies.
The makers of some our most omnipresent technology like Google, Facebook, and Amazon have continually jeopardized user trust by tracking or sharing data they weren’t supposed to, either on purpose or through hacks. And yet, incident after incident, we keep them at the center of our digital lives.
A new smart device survey by Consumers International and the Internet Society highlights this seeming contradiction. Some 63 percent of people find connected devices to be “creepy,” and 75 percent don’t trust the way their data is shared by those devices, according to a survey of people in the United States, Canada, Japan, Australia, France, and the United Kingdom.
That hasn’t stopped them from buying these devices, which through an array of cameras, microphones and other sensors, have intimate access to our lives.
early 70 percent of survey takers said they own one or more connected device, which include smart home appliances, fitness monitors, and gaming consoles. For the study, smart or connected devices were defined broadly as everyday products and devices that can connect to the internet using Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, and include things like Amazon’s Echo speakers, Google’s Nest smart lock, and Furbo’s pet camera/treat dispenser. Mobile phones, tablets, and computers weren’t included.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Inside a smart meter, and the REAL problem with them.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G32NYQpvy8Q
A look at the insides of a modern smart meter with wireless modem.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Taylor Hatmaker / TechCrunch:
San Francisco passes a ban on the use of facial recognition technology by city agencies, the first ban of its kind for a major American city — On Tuesday, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted to approve a ban on the use of facial recognition tech by city agencies.
San Francisco passes city government ban on facial recognition tech
https://techcrunch.com/2019/05/14/san-francisco-facial-recognition-ban/
On Tuesday, San Francisco’s Board of Supervisors voted to approve a ban on the use of facial recognition tech by city agencies, including the police department. The Stop Secret Surveillance Ordinance, introduced by San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin, is the first ban of its kind for a major American city and the seventh major surveillance oversight effort for a municipality in California.
“I want to be clear — this is not an anti-technology policy,”
Importantly, the ordinance also includes a provision that would require city departments to seek specific approval before acquiring any new surveillance equipment. The ban would not impact facial recognition tech deployed by private companies, though it would affect any companies selling tech to the city government.
Tomi Engdahl says:
Kännykkäverkoissa nyt yli miljardi IoT-laitetta
http://etn.fi/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=9463&via=n&datum=2019-05-13_15:58:04&mottagare=31202
Tomi Engdahl says:
Dan Seifert / The Verge:
Google clarifies Works with Nest shutdown, says connections will continue to work beyond Aug. 31 until they are replicated in new Works with Assistant program
Google clarifies Works with Nest shutdown, provides extension on existing connections
https://www.theverge.com/2019/5/16/18627719/google-works-with-nest-shutdown-clarification-statement-update
Works with Nest moves from fully dead to on life support
Google has issued a response to criticisms of its recent announcement to close the Works with Nest program, a set of connections and controls that link third-party smart home devices with Nest thermostats, cameras, and other products. The company had originally announced that the Works with Nest program would be shutting down on August 31st, 2019, and all existing connections will stop working on that date. Nest customers would have to migrate their accounts to Google accounts and use Google Assistant controls to rebuild their smart home connections and setups.
In a blog post published today, Michele Turner, director of product and smart home ecosystem for Google Nest, says that existing Works with Nest connections will continue to work beyond August 31st, and customers will be able to use those services and connections until they are replicated in the new Works with Google Assistant program.
We hear you: updates to Works with Nest
https://blog.google/products/google-nest/updates-works-with-nest/
Tomi Engdahl says:
Human Media Lab’s LightBee Drone Can Project Holographic Images
https://blog.hackster.io/human-media-labs-lightbee-drone-can-project-holographic-images-7e1ad4d5c046
“Virtual Reality allows avatars to appear elsewhere in 3D, but they are not physical and cannot move through the physical space. Teleconferencing robots alleviate this issue, but cannot always traverse obstacles. With LightBee, we’re bringing actual holograms to physical robots that are not bound by gravity.” — Roel Vertegaal, HML Director