Technologies That Could Transform Our Future III

Nanomaterials

Nanomaterials are materials made from particles of nanoscale dimensions, produced by nanotechnology. The components measure below 100 nm. What makes nanomaterials unique are their two key characteristics. Their structure and their quantum effects.
By their structure, nanomaterials have a greater relative surface area than other materials. This attribute can improve certain properties in target objects, such as the strength or the reactivity of that material. Also, the quantum properties of nanomaterials can affect the electrical, magnetic or optical performance of the “target” objects.
Current applications include healthcare (in targeted drug delivery, regenerative medicine, and diagnostics), electronics, cosmetics, textiles, information technology and environmental protection.

Terahertz Imaging

 

 Terahertz Imaging is a new technology that can detect explosives previously considered invisible. It also “helps” in path-planning for self-driving cars. Terahertz Imaging “extends sensory capabilities by moving beyond the realm of the human body.”
The market for Terahertz devices is predicted to grow by 35% per year annually and to reach more than $1.4 billion by 2020.

3D Printing

3D Printing is the process of “making” a three-dimensional object from a digital file on your computer using a special printer. The materials can be anything, from plastic to metal and more recently human cells. The 3D printed objects that we use in healthcare, fashion, auto industry, etc.
The process is simple. The printer is laying down successive layers of material until the entire object is ready. You can see the layers as thin, horizontal, cross-section slices that “put” on the top of each other.
3D printing is already a $3.1 billion industry. An industry that is growing by 35% each year. An industry that will “touch” all future aspects of life.

Advanced Energy Storage And Generation

It is not only technology that needs power. The need for advanced energy storage technologies is growing as a direct consequence of new tech developments and population growth.
At the same time, we see significant improvements in battery technology in the last five years. Green products are more incentivised, cold fusion power could become viable by the end of 2020 and solar energy has also developed considerably.



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Technologies That Could Transform Our Future II

Robotics and Artificial Intelligence

 

Artificial intelligence (AI) is the most exciting and the most controversial field in robotics. Still, roboticists are nowhere near achieving a human level of artificial intelligence. Saying that, in recent years we have made a lot of progress with the “limited” AI.
The ideal AI would be a replica of the human thought process. Like a man-made machine but with human intellectual abilities. This man-made machine will have the cognitive level to learn anything, just like us. Will have the capacity to reason, the ability to use a language and the power to formulate original ideas.
Soon, robots will play a larger role in our daily lives. In the coming decades, robots will “leave” the industrial environment and scientific labs and come into our daily lives. A slow “migration” that will start with utilitarian robots like autonomous vacuum cleaners, kitchen helpers, etc. A gradual process. If you like, just as the computers took over our homes in the 80’s.

Augmented Reality

Augmented reality (AR) allows an “enhanced” view of the “real-world.” Reality enhanced by augmented elements, generated by a computer and its sensors such as sound, video, graphics, etc. A “reality” that is digitally manipulable and interactive.
AR is seen as one of the emerging technologies to reshape the way we interact with the physical world and the gaming industry. Companies like Google, Facebook and even META are looking to capitalise on the AR market. We expect the AR consumer products to hit the markets starting with the first quarter of 2016.

Biotechnology

 

In simple terms, biotechnology is tech based on biology. Thanks to biotechnology we now understand bio-molecular and cellular processes that help us develop products that improve our planet and our lives. Biotechnology is still at the beginning despite reaching new heights in the recent years. It is true, we now have plants that are drought-resistant, crops with better vitamin content and salinity tolerance.



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Technologies That Could Transform Our Future

 


The world is changing fast. Faster than any time in the human history. For example, it took fifty years for one in four Americans to adopt electricity. Then, it got faster. It took thirty years for the same number to utilise the radio. Then, even faster. Eighteen years to “accept” the colour TV. Thirteen years for mobile phones and only seven for laptops. That’s how fast the world is changing.
We see changes in education, agriculture, energy, banking, health and even in fashion. There is hardly anything that is not changing. But all these changes would not be possible without one “ingredient”. The technology.

Big Data

 Big Data is a term used to describe datasets whose size is beyond the ability of traditional databases. However, the term’s meaning has changed over the last few years. Nowadays, “Big Data” not only refers to the data you create but also the “tools” that capture, store, and analyse this data.
Cisco expects “Big Data” to become a $50 billion industry by 2020 and investments in “Big Data” to reach between $75 to $85 Billion by 2020.
It sounds a lot. But there is a reason behind. The Internet of Things, wearable tech and all related industries are dependent on the “Big Data” in a way or another. All these new “industries” produce data that has to be stored and analysed.
The amount of data generated every day grows at a tremendous rate. On the other half, the cost of data storage has declined, year by year.
To give you a better idea how important “Big Data” is, I have some statistics for you: We generate 2.5 quintillion bytes of data every day. That is 2.5 followed by 18 zeros. All that data, properly used can change save lives, eradicate diseases, stop world hunger. That is how important the “Big Data” is.
 

Internet of Things

You can imagine IoT as an invisible network, made from the physical objects or “things” around you. Objects you see at work, at home, in the car, etc. These objects will be “embedded” with smart, connected sensors one day. Sensors connected to the internet, capable of collecting and exchanging the data. With you, with other smart objects, with your doctor or your insurance for example.
I already have smart sensors in my home and, in my car. Lights go off when I leave my home and turn back on when I return. I can turn the heating on from my mobile even if I am abroad. My car unlocks the doors on my proximity and when I touch the driving wheel the engine starts. Oh, yes, the fridge. I have a relation with my fridge.
It is true, my fridge messages me more often than my partner but no, it is not that kind of relationship. My fridge lets me know if any of the food expired or if I need to replenish the stock.
We are now in 2015 and there are not many devices connected to the internet. From a Cisco press release, de’ Medici gathered that only 1% of IoT devices are “networked”.

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Android Fingerprint Sensor Flaw Could Open Up Enterprises To Security Risks

 

Security is uppermost in the minds of IT managers when considering whether to allow BYOD. The recent slate of Android vulnerabilities uncovered by security researchers is certain to unnerve many IT folks.

The latest Android flaw uncovered involves the fingerprint sensor on Android phones, which could provide hackers the ability to steal the user's fingerprints.

FireEye researchers Yulong Zhang and Tao Wei gave a presentation at the BlackHat security conference last week in which they showed how an attacker could gain access to not only the user's fingerprint but to anyone who scanned their fingerprints using the compromised sensor. And once the hackers steal the fingerprint, they can abuse it for the rest of the victim's life.

Fingerprint sensors on mobile devices are being used to secure everything from access to banking accounts to corporate data. So a compromised sensor could pose significant security risks for organizations, particularly those that allow employees to bring their own devices.

The researchers warned that the flaw in the fingerprint sensor could enable attackers to "remotely harvest fingerprints on a large scale," according to a paper they prepared based on their work.

The FireEye researchers recommended that Android users "choose mobile device vendors with timely patching/upgrading to the latest version (e.g., Android Lollipop)…and install popular apps from reliable sources."

Facing Stagefright, Google, Samsung, LG all commit to pushing monthly security patches for Android devices

Following the revelation of Android-focused malware Stagefright, Google is working to push monthly security fixes to its millions of mobile users worldwide. Samsung and LG have both committed to streamline that update process to push patches to their Android devices.

The complicated Android ecosystem, where mobile operators and handset makers serve as gatekeepers to software updates, has traditionally made it difficult for Google to push out any kind of update to all end users. Having Samsung and LG on board with the new monthly fix plan helps but doesn't entirely solve the problem. 

The newfound MMS-based attack put an estimated 950 million Android devices at risk, according to Joshua Drake, Zimperium VP of platform research and exploitation. The exploit has likely done no favors for the unsecure perception of Android in the enterprise, an image Google has been trying to shed.

The first of those patches went out Wednesday to Google devices to shore up the flaw that Stagefright exploited. While the blog post points to Google pushing over-the-air updates to only its own branded devices, statements from OEMs show they will try to institute those updates as soon as they can, carriers permitting.

In an email statement, Google did not make clear how all OEMs would handle the updates. However, Samsung and LG made their own statements that showed their intentions to set up systems to fix security flaws as soon as possible.

Samsung, whose devices make up 37.8 percent of the entire Android market share, fast tracked the Stagefright security updates to its Galaxy devices and will build on that incident to optimize future monthly processes.

In a similar move, LG will push the Stagefright updates to all of its in-market devices susceptible to the attack and set up its own monthly fixes for Android.

All said, much of the onus for providing security fixes will fall on the carriers for whom the OEMs supply phones. LG and Samsung said they are both working with carriers to push updates as quickly as possible.

If anything, Android's fractured OS ecosystem could use a bit of top-down unification. Whether that crystallizes around security, and whether Google and its OEM partners can figure out a way to seamlessly do it, remains to be seen.

Microsoft teams with Jasper to integrate IoT platforms

Microsoft is partnering with Jasper, an Internet of Things platform provider, to integrate Microsoft Azure IoT Suite, set to be released later this year, with Jasper's IoT services platform.

The integration, which has been ongoing for months, will provide enterprises with an integrated IoT management platform that will enable them to bring new IoT services to market faster, facilitate their shift from product to services businesses, and rapidly scale their IoT deployments, explained Jasper.

Microsoft unveiled its Azure IoT Suite at its Convergence conference in March. The suite will integrate Azure cloud capabilities to help firms connect, manage and analyze their IoT devices. The suite will provide enterprises with apps targeting IoT use cases – such as remote monitoring, asset management and predictive maintenance.

Jasper's cloud-based IoT platform, known as the Control Center, gives companies visibility, intelligence and control so that they can deploy, manage and monetize IoT services for connected devices.

What Jasper is doing with Microsoft is enabling an integration of all of the data coming from Control Center and exposing that to the users of the Azure IoT Suite. The work started a few months back and it will be available when Microsoft releases the Azure IoT Suite later this year.

Commercial and Industrial Use of IoT to Fuel Tripling of Devices by 2020

The commercial, industrial and public services sectors are expected to fuel growth in the Internet of Things, with the number of IoT connected devices forecast by Juniper Research tripling to 38 billion units by 2020.

In particular, retail, manufacturing, agriculture, energy and smart buildings are expected to drive demand for IoT devices. These sectors will be enabled to see a high return on investment through IoT projects, owing to more efficient business processes, Juniper Research predicted.

Juniper Research defined IoT as the "combination of devices and software systems, connected via the Internet, that produce, receive and analyse data. These systems must have the aim of transcending traditional siloed ecosystems of electronic information in order to improve quality of life, efficiency, create value and reduce cost."

Interoperability hurdles owing to conflicting standards continues to slow progress in the market. Nevertheless, there are signs that standards bodies and alliances are beginning to engage to overcome these hurdles, explained Sorrell.

IoT connections create data, but this data need to be gathered, analyzed and understood. The analytics back-end systems of the IoT will therefore form the backbone of its long-term success, Sorrell concluded.

Nigeria’s digital economy’ll grow with IoT — Buitelaar

The Managing Director, Smile Communications, Mr. Michiel Buitelaar, has said that for the digital economy to grow in the country, the government needs to give priority to the Internet of Things.

He said the IoT was the only practicable determinant to growing a viable digital economy in Nigeria, saying, it would make the people to become more productive.

“Fundamentally, the economy is very positive and will benefit a lot by becoming digital in the way it does business,” he said.

The Smile MD said that the concept of IoT was already happening in Nigeria, but stated that businesses and individuals should be more open to it.

“We have a very innovative climate here. One will be amazed with the number of people, vehicles and machines hooking up and finding new ways of doing business,” Buitelaar added.

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Meanwhile, he said Smile Communications, with the deployment of 4G/LTE technology that runs on 800GHz spectrum, offered the “best connectivity and high network availability index in the country.”

Buitelaar quoted the Nigerian Communications Commission Monthly Internet Subscribers Data, which indicated that users on the country’s telecom networks increased to 83,362,814 as of February 2015.

He, therefore, said that Smile understood the type of broadband services Nigerians had been waiting for, “even at a reduced price and has consistently provided them with excellent services.”

He said that it was a common thing among some operators that as more customers subscribed to their network, the quality depreciated, saying, “but at Smile and after our successful start, we are working to ensure there is no such backlash to customers coming to the network.”

He said, “We are prepared and working through densification of the network. Where we see issues, we quickly address them.

“More so, we are deploying more capacity and the figure shows we are actually meeting our brand promise which is for everybody to get six megabytes per second on download, even as the busy hours of the day.

“Our team has always been on its oars to meet the target and we don’t get congestion. In other words, we are ready to offer corporate organisations the kind of connectivity that will enhance their productivity.”

However, Smile Communications Chief Marketing Officer, Mrs. Alero Ladipo, said that after two years in operations, the network session with the CEOs, CTOs and CIOs of major firms operating in Nigeria was to alert the participants about “our service offering and how we can help reduce their costs.”

Speaking through the Head of Corporate and Enterprises Sales, Mr. Chiekezi Dozie, Ladipo said, “We use 800GHz spectrum, which itself offers efficiency for mobile communications.

“It is a pure Internet provider network. So, we can do corporate voice, data, and can make life very simple for them.”

She said, “The era we are in, people are increasingly engaging in mobile communications; therefore, we have MiFis, mobile and fixed solutions to cover the whole gamut of corporate requirements. The testimonials are out there.

“Apart from the fact that our network is very fast even at reduced cost, we have had a couple of tests with some Automated Teller Machines.

“We compared the network on the ATMs with machines in other networks. A normal ATM with a different connectivity provider records about 43 seconds speed on transaction. But with our network, such transaction was done in 23 seconds. That is an improvement on customer experience.”

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Cisco Backs UK IoT Start Ups With $150M Investment

Cisco committed to investing $150 million (€134 million) in UK Internet of Things (IoT) start ups as part of a broader plan to pump $1 billion into the country's digital economy.

The U.S.-based infrastructure company announced a major extension of its UK investment strategy following a meeting with UK Prime Minister David Cameron, Business Secretary Sajid Javid, Cisco chairman and CEO John Chambers, incoming Cisco CEO Chuck Robbins, and Cisco UK CEO Phil Smith.

In a statement, Cisco said its UK IoT investments will focus on the financial, retail and healthcare industries, along with smart city development. The company also plans to acquire businesses focussing on wireless software, next generation video delivery, and cloud-based security technologies. Cisco is also aiming to make corporate investments to accelerate innovation in cyber-security.

The latest investment also covers extending the work of the Cisco Networking Academy--an education programme established to boost the number of students utilising science, technology, engineering and maths skills--to promote innovation and entrepreneurship.

Cisco said its latest investment will also seek to address UK government concerns about a north/south economic divide by adding new centres of expertise, funding university collaborations, investing in skills and expanding apprenticeship programmes. The company said the UK is its second largest country market and that it plans to add 200 new jobs to its operations in the market, and construct a new "state of the art" office in central London by the end of the year.

David Cameron said Cisco's investment plan "is great news for the UK's growing digital economy" and a "clear vote of confidence in our long term economic plan."

Cisco in February announced a similar ($100 million) investment in France's digital economy as part of an overseas investment programme the company started eight years ago, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Tour de France and IoT Together At Last

South African IT firm Dimension Data proclaimed that it was partnering with Amaury Sport Organisation, which owns the Tour de France, to deliver big data cycling analytics platform for the first time in the history of professional cycling. This would be accomplished through sensors installed on cyclists' seats, with the data collected and analyzed by Dimension Data's cloud-based platform and delivered to a website that could be customized by the users depending on which cyclists they wanted to follow.
They are collecting sensor data, such as the cyclist's speed, location, and position relative to other cyclists, and processing the data through its cloud platform. 198 riders in 22 teams are generating 42,000 geospatial points and 75 million GPS readings. In addition, the website, once it is up and running, will support 17 million viewers and 2,000 page requests per second. This would probably be the coolest domestic and sport application of IoT ever.

Luxul Unveiled World’s First IOT Switch-based Lighting Control System at LFI 2015

Luxul Technology unveiled its latest innovation at LIGHTFAIRR International: MATCH - the world’s first IOT switch-based lighting control system, where you can control, monitor and manage your light switch and energy consumption directly from your mobile phone or tablet.
During the exhibition, Luxul Technology hosted multiple seminars and Q&A sessions, introducing and demonstrating MATCH to industry experts. Using a scale model, dubbed the MATCH TOWER, Luxul Technology CEO Dr. James Pan wowed the crowd as he illustrated the numerous applications of MATCH.
”We have created a simple product with complex functionality, giving the user more control in one click” said Luxul’s CEO Dr. James Pan. “The positive feedbacks are overwhelming. LIGHTFAIRR International 2015 has been a huge success for Luxul Technology”.
MATCH system control functions allows users to turn lights on and off from any location. One unique function of MATCH is its meter capabilities, which provides users with analysis and reports on voltage, current and energy usage. Thus helping users manage and control their energy consumption.  

Accenture, Cisco And Others Form Wireless IoT Standards Group

Another standards group has been formed to accelerate the adoption of wireless Internet of Things technologies. Called the Wireless IoT Forum, the group's board includes Accenture, Arkessa, BT, Cisco, Telensa and WSN. The group joins at least five other standards groups, including the Industrial Internet Consortium, the Allseen Alliance, Thread and the Open Interconnect Consortium, that have been created to streamline the IoT space.

The Wireless IoT Forum said its goal is to stop fragmentation and consolidate around a minimal set of standards for both licensed and unlicensed wireless IoT solutions. In addition, the group said it will work with various end users to establish requirements and also work to build the IoT ecosystem.

The non-profit group will also help promote and market wireless IoT for wireless operators, infrastructure providers, fixed line operators, application developers and more.

The Open Interconnect Consortium, (OIC) was launched by Intel, Samsung Electronics, Broadcom and other firms to try to formulate standards for IoT and stop fragmentation. Cisco Systems, General Electric, IBM and Intel formed the Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC)  to create standards for the sensors inside machines and around cities as part of the Internet of Things.

Cisco Invests In 6WIND For High-Performance Networking

During a recent visit to France, Cisco CEO John Chambers committed to investing $100 million in the country's innovative technology businesses, and it looks like the networking vendor is already making good on that promise. The company is now investing in and working with 6WIND, a high-performance networking software business.

6WIND's technology includes packet processing software, accelerated virtual networking infrastructure software and IPSec software appliances. The company uses software-defined networking (SDN) and network functions virtualization (NFV) technology to boost the performance of networks for enterprises, cloud services providers and telecommunications firms.

"6WIND's networking software enables a new paradigm of NFV and SDN use cases. 6WIND's fast growing number of design wins with key market players, including Cisco, exemplifies its strong added value for the telecom and networking industry," said Frederic Rombaut, head of Cisco M&A and Investments International, in a statement.

It's interesting that it's the head of mergers and acquisitions quoted in the press release. It's easy to speculate that 6WIND could be a future target for acquisition by Cisco. The company has made no such announcement, but it would follow Cisco's history of M&A – invest in a technology vendor first, ease it along and then bring it into the Cisco fold.

The investment also makes sense for Cisco because of its growing interest in SDN and NFV technologies. It's a long-term play for all networking vendors, but it's also becoming a highly competitive one, particularly as the battle between open-source and proprietary technologies heats up.

Sprint looks beyond Kansas City for future smart city deployments

 

Sprint  is considering partnerships with other cities on smart city deployments similar to the one it has struck with Kansas City, Mo.

Meanwhile, Sprint's partners in Kansas City, beyond Cisco Systems, are gearing up for the deployment near the carrier's headquarters in Overland Park, Kan. They include construction and engineering firm Black & Veatch and Sensity, a company that makes and manages smart sensors for lighting and other applications.

In Kansas City Sprint will deploy hardware from Cisco to construct, own and manage the intelligent Wi-Fi network as part of a smart city deployment covering a 2.2-mile Kansas City streetcar line through downtown,

The project is expected to cost more than $15 million over the next decade. The city is investing $3.7 million in public funds, Sprint is spending around $7 million and Cisco is going to pony up $5 million. The service is expected to be operational when the streetcar opens to the public, probably on or before March 1, 2016, and if the system works well, it could be expanded beyond downtown.

The project is expected to cost more than $15 million over the next decade. The city is investing $3.7 million in public funds, Sprint is spending around $7 million and Cisco is going to pony up $5 million. The service is expected to be operational when the streetcar opens to the public, probably on or before March 1, 2016, and if the system works well, it could be expanded beyond downtown.

The network will also support smart city applications that deliver maps and information, as well as help manage parking, traffic, city lighting, water and waste management. Additionally, Sprint said that its subsidiary Pinsight Media+ will operate the data analytics and advertising platform and will e-enable commerce.

One of Sprint's partners is Black & Veatch, which is also based in Overland Park. The 100-year-old engineering and construction firm supports oil and gas projects, wastewater management, telecoms and also has clients in the federal government. The company is also working with Tesla on electric charging infrastructure for Teslas's cars in California, Connecticut and New York. Several years ago, the firm started a smart cities-focused division that cuts across all of the vertical industries Black & Veatch supports. The unit supports applications for transportation, energy grids, smart parking and lighting, roadways and more.  

Black & Veatch works closely with Cisco but Cisco needed a systems integrator for the project, which is the role Ellermeier's firm will serve. Black & Veatch is also going to bring its expertise in water systems, watershed management and other areas and is working with Cisco and the city's water department on projects like advanced leak detection in pipelines.

The deployment schedule of the smart city systems has not been set yet, Ellermeier said, but will proceed in phases that will extend past the opening of the street car line.

Another partner is Sensity, which was founded in 2012 and is based in Sunnyvale, Calif. The firm decided that smart LEDs were the perfect infrastructure to embed sensors that could collect data for use in smart city applications, since many cities are moving to LED lighting.

Sensity has an application platform that exposes the data its sensors are collecting and analyzing through a set of APIs. Harrington said that lets application developers "go far beyond lighting control" and develop apps for security, smart parking traffic analytics and people counting for retail stores.

Sensity is deploying 125 core nodes and 125 video nodes as part of the Kansas City deployment and there are prototype or reference design applications that Sensity will enable directly via its partnership with Cisco. One potential use case could be using video cameras in lights to identify open parking spots, and then having an app tell citizens where the spots are and letting them pay for the spot, which cuts down on emission from cars. Another could let cities dynamically price parking based on demand. Another could store security camera footage locally in cameras embedded in street lights and only send back data when it is requested.

Pinsight, noted that the company is "a hometown team" with its headquarters in downtown Kansas City, in the streetcar line's footprint. Part of the company's role will be to deliver the free public Wi-Fi portal, which could also promote local apps, businesses and services. The firm will also enable local companies to promote targeted advertising and offers based on factors like customer location profiles and foot traffic.

Microsoft Wi-Fi Service is Coming Soon for Business travelers

Business travelers are often frustrated in their efforts to get reliable Wi-Fi service in airports and hotels. Even when they do find Wi-Fi, the user often has to fill out a form and provide a credit card number for the paid service.

Well, Microsoft appears to be working to eliminate public Wi-Fi service hassles with a service called Microsoft Wi-Fi, according to various reports about a draft website, microsoftwifi.com, that prematurely released details of the service.

Microsoft is planning to rebrand its Skype Wi-Fi service to Microsoft Wi-Fi and offer the service to Office 365 for business subscribers.

Microsoft Wi-Fi will have 10 million hotspots, up from the 2 million that Skype Wi-Fi boasts. Users can pay for Wi-Fi access using Microsoft Wi-Fi cards that can be topped off when needed.

A Microsoft Wi-Fi app will be available for Windows, Windows Phone, Mac OS X, Android and iOS operating systems. Users will be able to find the nearest Wi-Fi hotspot using an interactive map.

Cisco Prepares Customers for Wave 2 with New Access Points and Wireless Controllers

The next wave of wireless access points are starting to hit the market. Cisco is among the first to release not only 802.11ac Wave 2 wireless access points, but also Wave 2-compliant controllers.

Cisco unveiled the Cisco Aironet 1850 Access Point, a Wave 2 AP that makes use of the protocol's multi-user, multi-in, multi-out – or MU-MIMO – features to provide faster Wi-Fi connections with an enterprise.

Among the trends driving a need for Wave 2 are the proliferation of devices to the WLAN (including the Internet of Things) and the fact that apps are very chatty.

The Aironet 1850 represents Cisco's first Wave 2 AP. Compared to the previous generation of 802.11ac APs, the 1850 offers greater coverage and performance.

Cisco plans to begin shipping the 1850 AP in July

In addition to the access point, Cisco also announced two controllers to support Wave 2. They're both aimed at campus environments, although at different scales. Here's more information on both:

• The Cisco 8540 Services Controller was designed to be highly scalable and service-rich. It's intended for large campus deployments and offers up to 40Gbps of throughput, as well as support for up to 6,000 access points and 64,000 clients. According to Sethuraman, it's a 75 percent performance increase over previous controllers.
• The Cisco 5520 Services Controller was designed for medium to large campus environments. It offers up to 20Gbps of throughput and can handle 1,500 access points and 20,000 clients. Sethuraman noted the 5520 has a 33 percent performance gain over previous access points.

It's a truth for many enterprises, particularly those considering cutting the cord and Wi-Fi-enabling every device on their premises. Wave 2 makes that easier, although some industry analysts have questioned how quickly deployments of the new standard will happen.

Google's Vision For How Phones, Watches and IoT Will Work Together

During a Google I/O presentation, Google developers offered up some details about how they built some of Android's location-aware apps, like an automatic car finder feature, and said that new products like watches and connected devices promise much more interesting apps in the future. 

The speakers showed how combining data from various sensors and devices can let developers predict what kind of activity a user is doing and thus trigger certain functions.

To collect data about user movements in order to build models, Google enlisted employees who recorded 65,000 "sensor traces," which are essentially graphs that show movement based on data collected from a phone's accelerometer. The employees labeled the activity they were doing at the time so that Google could create models for activities like walking or biking.

It found that adding data from additional devices and sensors helped improve accuracy a lot. For instance, Stogaitis showed a sensor trace graph from accelerometer data that looked just like data from someone walking. But when he added data from the barometer on the phone, he noticed that there was a slight spike in barometric pressure, which correlates to elevation. It turned out that the employee who collected this data was walking down stairs.

In another example, the accelerometer data again looked like someone walking. But that same user was also wearing a watch and its accelerometer data was much steadier. The user was riding a bike.

Once Google collected this user data, it created machine learning models that can examine sensor data to predict what users are doing.

That kind of information was useful when Google built its car finder app. That app first looks at accelerometer data to determine that a user is in the car. It then looks at the tilt sensor in the phone to determine when the user goes from a sitting to a standing position, indicating that they are leaving the car. At that moment the app saves the location of the user.

A number of apps or features that developers could write that take advantage of this kind of contextual awareness. For instance, an IM app might automatically read text messages when the app detects that a user is in the car. An app could show users at the end of the week how much time they spent commuting to work during the week.

That's the kind of application that could be useful to businesses that might want to measure the time it takes workers to complete certain jobs as a way to improve efficiencies.

When developers combine that better data with new kinds of connected devices, they'll be able to build even more interesting apps, he predicted. "The ability to understand context becomes richer," he said. For instance, a user could say "turn on lights" and because your phone knows your precise location, it can instruct the nearest light to turn on. Or, a user might be able to knock on their own door and the system would recognize the knock and the movement as the home owner and unlock the door.

Many of the APIs required to build the kinds of apps Kadous and Stogaitis discussed are already available from Google.

Orlando Airport Upgrades to 802.11ac Wi-Fi Network, Deploys Beacons and Mobile App for Travelers

Orlando International Airport recently deployed an advanced Wi-Fi network, Bluetooth beacons and a mobile app to help business and leisure travelers navigate their way around the airport.

With 36.1 million annual passengers, Orlando is the second busiest airport in Florida and fourteenth busiest in the United States.
The airport has also installed more than 1,000 Bluetooth beacons throughout the facility.

A new mobile app developed by the Faith Group for the airport provides travelers the ability to locate their ticket counter, terminal or gate, check their flight information, find restaurants and shops, and locate the correct baggage claim upon arrival.

The app indicates a traveler's position and provides him or her with a path to a selected point of interest in all terminals of the airport. You select a destination and the app displays a path with a blue line from where you are currently to that point.

More than 14,000 devices connect to the Wi-Fi network daily, with peak levels reaching 3,000 devices at one time.

The airport also has plans to use data about passenger traffic and flow patterns to determine staffing levels at security checkpoints. "We have huge fluctuations in traffic because the second largest cruise port in the U.S. is located 40 miles away, and most European flights arrive within a three-hour period," Newsome noted.

In addition, the airport is building a Wi-Fi-enabled parking lot for people to park, wait for their party's flight to arrive, while still conducting business or enjoying entertainment via their mobile devices. In addition to Wi-Fi, the parking lot will have electrical outlets and restrooms.

A New OS and Communications Layer for IoT From Google

Google has announced it will introduce a stripped down version of Android designed to run Internet of Things devices. It also said it will offer a communications layer so devices can communicate with each other, the Internet and phones.

The platforms join several other efforts, many of which have a host of major companies backing them and are aimed at creating standards or de facto standards around various technologies required to enable IoT.

It's notable that Google didn't mention any partner companies that are backing its technologies since many of the major companies that have expressed interest in playing a role in IoT have already aligned with other efforts.

Google has a leg up in IoT world because it already has important pieces of the puzzle in place. For instance, it owns Nest, the popular smart thermostat. Android is the No. 1 phone platform in the world. And Google has a cloud platform in place that vendors can use to collect and process data from IoT devices. Brillo, the new IoT OS, is "derived from Android," but includes only what's required to run devices with minimal footprints. It will support Wi-Fi and Bluetooth.

Google is also planning to offer a communications layer it calls Weave that will let devices talk to each other, the cloud and phones. Weave is essentially standardized schemas so that all the devices can have a common language, he said. Developers will be able to submit new schemas, and Google plans to run a certification program for them.

Weave can run on Brillo-powered devices or on top of existing stack. That implies that proprietary or other IoT OS platforms could use Weave. One key feature Brillo and Weave enable is that Android devices will recognize other devices based on Brillo or Weave.

Google has the weight and established cadre of developers to allow these new technologies to take off. But the company still faces some of the same challenges that have so far held back other efforts at enabling IoT.

The biggest such challenge is that the truly interesting possibilities of IoT aren't possible unless all devices can communicate with each other. Unless all device makers adopt the same technologies, though, that won't happen.

There are already a number of initiatives aimed at developing technologies that can enable IoT. Some are competitive, others are more complimentary. They include the Open Internet Consortium, backed by Cisco, Samsung, GE, Intel, ADT, Honeywell, Siemens, HP, Dell and others; the Allseen Alliance, backed by Microsoft, Qualcomm, LG, Canon, Sony, Panasonic and other big names; the Industrial Internet Consortium with Cisco, AT&T, GE, IBM and Intel involved; and the IPSO Alliance, which counts ARM and Ericsson as backers.

Google working on IoT Operating System under Android brand

Google is working on an operating system to run Internet of Things devices under the Android brand. The new OS, code named "Brillo," is being designed to run on low-powered devices with as few as 64 or 32 megabytes of random-access memory. By contrast, the current Android OS runs on smartphones with at least 512 megabytes of RAM, the report observed.

Google will be competing with its largest Android device manufacturer Samsung in the IoT platform market. 

Other big IT firms looking to define the IoT platform space include Microsoft, which unveiled an IOT version of its upcoming Windows 10 OS, and Huawei, which recently announced its LiteOS for IoT devices for infrastructure companies. 

Ladies and Gentlemen, start your IoT engines!

#InsideInnovation at Cisco IOE Innovation Center openBerlin

We can control the lights, the AC consumption, and power consumption. I can see everything here running on a dashboard, running on an iPad.
Berlin is a great city. It's a melting pot for a lot of young people coming here. And it has a huge research community that is not only attracting German talent but also international talent. Berlin is really planning to be the digital city of Europe.
We came here because we want to be close to these world market leaders to learn from them and get their ideas, and develop products and solutions.
Cisco openBerlin, as a Center of Innovation based in Germany has the main focus of enabling innovations in manufacturing, in transportation and logistics. Because Internet of Everything is happening so fast the only way to adopt it is rapid prototyping.
The solution that we created between Cisco and Azeti Networks helps tracking and managing assets for different verticals.
 With the Azeti Cloud App, we can control the remote sites. For example, turning on and off a generator or opening a door. Turning on and off the light or the AC. And this is done through the intelligent devices from Cisco and our software stack from Azeti Networks.
The innovations that we are developing in openBerlin are going to ease the digitalization of life, make the data smart today, and also do a real showcase of what is possible with Internet of Everything.

http://newsroom.cisco.com

CIOs beware, IoT is coming

The Internet of Things revolution is under way, and CIOs need to consider ways to incorporate IoT devices, apps and platforms into their company.
Azmi Jafarey, CIO at Ipswitch, offers some areas for CIOs to consider when contemplating an IoT deployment, in a Computerworld article. 
"At the business level there will be two imperatives. For those manufacturing physical goods, there will be the pressure for 'smart everything'--what should be measured and why, how the data should be used and when, and how such sensors can be made virtually invisible," Jafarey wrote. "The second imperative, and this will be for all: How can IoT data be used to understand and optimize business processes, tools, communications and buying and selling behavior?".
CIOs will need to seize the initiative and use IoT to their firm's competitive advantage, Jafarey advised.
But the task will not be easy. The quantity, collection, analysis and employment of the data generated by IoT devices will be challenging. In fact, SanDisk is forecasting a 14-fold increase in enterprises data by 2020, even without include IoT in the forecast.
To help handle the data volume, cloud computing will be vital for IoT data transmission, storage and analysis.
Jafarey noted that IoT data will also bring issues about privacy, security and theft, particularly when the data is coming a wide array of sources.
So what is a CIO to do? "The leading IT departments will embrace IoT as a green-field for partnership with the business to explore how new business models and predictive customer knowledge can evolve," he concluded.
As with any new enterprise technology, CIOs need to get ahead of the IoT curve or be overwhelmed by it.

Fred Donovan - http://www.fiercemobileit.com

Samsung launches family of ARTIK IoT development platforms

Samsung, the leading maker of Android mobile devices, is looking to make its mark in the Internet of Things. As part of that effort, the Korean company purchased IoT startup SmartThings last year and announced earlier this year that it is investing $100 million in IoT development, noted by eWeek.

This week, Samsung took another step on its IoT journey by unveiling at IoT World 2015 its family of ARTIK platforms to help developers build IoT apps.

"Our goals in building ARTIK were to minimize fragmentation and enable faster adoption of IoT….ARTIK provides an end-to-end solution for making interconnected applications, from low-power wearables to high-end smart homes," explained the ARTIK team.

The ARTIK platform come in three sizes--ARTIK 1, 12mm x 12mm; ARTIK 5, 29mm x 25mm; and ARTIK 10, 29mm x 39mm. The larger the size, the greater number of features and increasing performance levels there are.

ARTIK 1 has a dual-core processor, 1 MB of one-chip memory and 4 MB of flash memory, Bluetooth low energy connectivity, a secure element, and a 9-axis motion sensor; ARTIK 5 has a dual-core ARM-A7 processor, 512 MB LPDDR 3 memory and 4GB eMMC memory, WiFi/BT/BLE + ZigBee/Thread (802.11 b/g/n) connectivity, and secure element; ARTIK 10 sports an ARM-based Octa Core processor, 2GB of LPDDR3 memory and 16GB eMMC memory, WiFi/BT/BLE + ZigBee/Thread (802.11 b/g/n) connectivity, and a secure element.

The Internet of Things: Where healthcare and electronics converge

On the technology front, Internet of Things use cases are plentiful when imagining a medical device industry of the future. The term “connected health” has entered popular nomenclature and will likely become ubiquitous as innovative organizations seek Internet of Things use cases that solve some of our most challenging health-related issues.
Imagine a future in which your medical profile, vitals and dialysis machine inputs are captured with the help of connected medical devices. You won’t even have to visit the doctor to receive treatment. Data captured is analyzed and used to make well-informed decisions regarding your health. Doctors can monitor your vitals remotely and respond to any concerns proactively.
Imagine a future in which pediatric and elderly care is done largely through the use of sophisticated wearable devices that can            monitor heart rate, blood pressure, movement, sleeping patterns and even blood sugar. Data collected is scaled up to do bulk analysis on specific treatment types or prescribed medicines. Emergency response is fully automated, so when a fall is detected, or heart rate rises to dangerous levels, emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are alerted and on the way well before any caregiver notices a problem.
Imagine a future in which personal health is managed through wearable devices similar to the Fitbit, or the iWatch. Steps are counted, and sleep patterns are recorded. How often you stand or walk or run or bike is all collected and analyzed for the purpose of providing guidance on how best to achieve personal health goals. If you don’t walk enough one day, perhaps you’re notified the following day that you’ll need to make up for your lack of exercise by running a given distance in a given time period. And of course you shouldn’t eat desert that day, or else you may be off your plan.
Systems such as these can provide the insight needed for average people to manage their own day-to-day fitness and health. And these systems will likely aid the individual in achieving fitness goals. The data that is captured and displayed may certainly compel the individual to be more accountable.
Someone recently said: “The human body has become a source of real-time contextual data.” If a small device such as a Fitbit can be worn without inconvenience, yet still collect significant volumes of data on the wearer’s health, the use-case scenarios are quite numerous. They are only limited by our own creativity and the economics supporting the adoption of these devices.
As regulation and the emergence of the Internet of Things compels huge changes, the medical device industry will likely look much different by 2020, when full UDI compliance is mandated. In addition, by 2020 the Internet of Things is estimated to have fifty percent more connected devices used globally than are being used today.
The convergence of these two industry characteristics will make for some interesting times. I’m excited to see what the future holds.

http://www.ibmbigdatahub.com

Connected Devices and Your Privacy

Baby monitor

What it does. Modern multitasking parents can check in on their infants via smartphone using fully networked, motion-sensing, HD video-streaming systems with built-in speakers that let them talk to their baby while loading up the washing machine.

That type of right-there access is comforting for a parent, but it’s positively sickening if a hacker is also tuning in. The threat isn’t theoretical. In January, it was reported that a nanny in Houston heard an unfamiliar voice coming from a two-way baby monitor made by Foscam. According to reports, the voice said, “That’s a really poopy diaper,” then warned her to password-protect the camera.

In 2013 and 2014, the British press reported that sadistic hackers took over monitors to scream at sleeping children, and last fall officials in the U.K. warned that live feeds from baby monitors and home security cameras around the world were accessible to the public on the Internet. When Consumer Reports checked recently, we found a site that was still hosting security-camera feeds, including some that appeared to be from people’s homes.

What you need to know. An unprotected camera is worse than no camera at all. Internet-­connected baby monitors and home security cameras use your home Wi-Fi network, and certain models can communicate directly with a phone using Bluetooth when you’re home. Parents need strong passwords on their home network and on the baby monitor itself to keep the feeds secure.

Thermostat

What it does. Connected thermostats are like ordinary programmable thermostats on steroids. They may sense when people are home, learn a family’s preferred temperature settings, and allow users to make adjustments remotely using a smartphone. Features vary: The Honey­well Lyric employs geofencing—it tracks whether homeowners’ phones are nearby—and the Nest programs itself by observing when users are home or away. Nest, which is owned by Google, is courting connected-­home partners including LG refrigerators, lock companies, and Dropcam security cameras (also owned by Google).

What you need to know. In order to work, some smart thermostats need to track when you are home. If that unnerves you, you’re not going to want one of those products.

www.consumerreports.org

Self Driving Cars (Power by the Internet of Things)

Watch this video on driverless cars powered by the Internet of Things.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JCj9v88pq8M

How The 'Internet Of Everything' Is Helping ‘Unbanked' Citizens Around The World

Unbanked, underbanked, underrepresented, and nearly uncounted are a few adjectives describing three quarters of the world's population. Many adults are in this state due to poverty, travel distance, and a plethora of paperwork. More than 50% of people living in developing countries don't have bank accounts, leaving them vulnerable to theft and exploitation. Most of this segment consists of women. Fortunately, with some low-income countries quickly adopting mobile phone use, financial services such as mobile payments and money transfers are becoming accessible for communities that would otherwise be precluded from banking privileges. Sub-Saharan Africa has the lowest number of adults using banking institutions. But according to Frost & Sullivan, mobile payments in that region could reach $1.3 billion by 2019.

MasterCard is expanding its mobile remittance services in Nigeria and Zimbabwe, enabling African citizens living abroad to send funds through mobile money transfers, payment cards, bank accounts, or cash outlets from their homeland. During Mobile World Congress on March 3rd, MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga delivered a keynote address emphasizing the importance of financial inclusion for citizens everywhere.

The Future of Retail Banking
"In the future with the Internet of Things, where every device will be connected to the Internet, what kind of life will those who are financially excluded have?" said Banga during his speech.
"We'll have the Internet of Everything but not the Inclusion of Everyone."
It's worth noting that developing countries aren't the ones lacking financial inclusion in some parts. In 2013, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation collected data showing that 20% of U.S. households were underbanked, meaning they had a bank account, but also used alternative financial services.
Global Payout CEO, Jim Hancock, says great strides are being made in financial inclusion. "The ‘non-bank' industry is starting to find ways to establish transactional history and therefore use that to assist in establishing a credit rating for users, he says. "As a result, companies like ours may become a great kick-starter to eventually getting a traditional bank account, credit card or consumer loan."

What Role do Telecommunication Operators Play?
WorldRemit, an online service that allows people to send money to people abroad, is aiming to digitize the receive-side of remittances, moving people from cash to mobile money for speed, convenience and security. Iain Mackenzie, Communications Director of WorldRemit says interoperability is helping to drive the adoption of mobile money, as many countries have several different systems and until recently most didn't work together. Prior to these partnerships, users had to constantly cash-in and cash-out when sending money to friends.
"Tanzania is a great example of the progress being made, with all four operators now cooperating," says Mackenzie. "Remittances to mobile money are also helping to extend financial inclusion. It is much faster and safer to receive an international transfer on a mobile phone than a cash pickup, and once the money is received it can be used to buy insurance, pay bills and open a savings account."

Are Apps the Answer?
Of course, apps are part and parcel of the mobile revolution and financial inclusion. WorldRemit's app allows people to send money to more than 110 countries across six continents. Users of Global Payout's free mobile payment app receive their own eWallet account, direct deposit capabilities, domestic or international money transfer abilities, automatic currency exchange, and other services. The M-Ledger app enables users to keep a journal of their M-PESA (mobile money scheme) transactions in their phones. Originally created as a mobile microfinance system for Kenyans in 2005, M-PESA evolved into a general mobile money-transfer system, which people pay into by handing cash to an agent of the mobile network operator Safaricom. Money is then credited to a user's M-PESA account. M-PESA has provided cash flow for a number of startups in Nairobi.
It's clear that not only is financial inclusion good for financial technology companies, it's good for local economies, emerging markets, and the world's prosperity on a macro level.


Source: http://newsroom.cisco.com

This is how 5G networks will follow their users

www.linked.com

5G massive broadband will offer enough capacity to perform every function users desire – wherever they go, without a drop in speed or connection, and no matter how many people are connected at the same time. Basically, it will be network nirvana for the “I want it now” generation. For example, subscribers will be able to enjoy 8K films in 3D, which is 16 times the pixel count of full HD, while they are on the move. And they’ll be able to download a full movie in a matter of seconds over the mobile network.
Whether deployed in ‘traditional’ frequencies below 6 GHz or in higher frequency bands, new technology will be needed to achieve the necessary peak rates in the range of 10 Gbps and data rates of 100 Mbps anywhere, even under high-load conditions or at the cell edge.

Massive broadband requires massive MIMO
Nokia Networks’ new 5G radio systems therefore feature advanced antennas and operate in the bands up to 100 GHz for extreme throughput and virtual zero latency. This year’s Brooklyn 5G Summit showed great advances in 5G radio by already demonstrating 10 Gbps over the air. Active antenna technology that uses a large number of antenna elements is a key technology for 5G massive broadband. Adaptive MIMO (multiple input, multiple output) and beamforming technologies are expected to form a central part of 5G as they greatly enhance coverage and user experience across the whole range of frequency bands.

Focused power
Beamforming will be an important feature for 5G base stations because high data rates require sufficient signal strength. In particular for higher frequencies, beamforming is considered to be essential in overcoming the high path loss associated with the high frequency. The energy must therefore be concentrated and continuously steered to where user demand is. This means the transmitting power is used much more effectively, and also causes less interference to neighboring cells.

Serving moving targets
With beamforming, the base station transmits its signal into the direction of the receiving terminal instead of into the whole cell. In order to cope with moving terminals, the base station must be able to track the terminal and adaptively steer its beam into the direction of the terminal. Such adaptive beamforming can be implemented with phased array antennas.
A phased array antenna consists of various interconnected individual transmitters. With a variable and intelligent arrangement of the individual transmitters, the resulting antenna pattern achieves high directivity and the resulting beam can be flexibly adjusted to moving users and varying capacity needs.

From: blog.networks.nokia.com

How Harvested Energy Will Shape the Internet of Things and Smart Cities

The Internet of Things is expected to incorporate billions of devices in the future. That's a lot—far too many to all run on battery energy alone. For this reason, the harvesting of energy, or deriving energy from external sources, is growing in importance and being done with more ingenuity every day. Research firm IDTechEx expects the annual global sales of energy harvesting products, which is currently at $300 million, to reach $2.6 billion by 2024. Heat generated from the human body, leg movement, and finger tapping are just a few ways mobile devices are beginning to harness kinetic energy.  Experts predict that walking and running could one day be used to power buildings—a sign of what's to come for Smart Cities across the globe.
Taking wearables to a new level, a pair of smart shoes developed by a team of German designers may one day power wireless devices as the wearer walks. But the harvesting of energy to fuel technology is already moving beyond wearables. For example, the consumer electronics company Phillips sells a switch that wirelessly operates room lights, powered by the tap of a finger.

Dr. Wald Siskens, CEO of EnOcean, says finger tap energy will be the most popular energy source for gadgets in the near future for two reasons. One is that people are fascinated by having wireless control with just the small force of their finger press. The second reason is how easily kinetic energy can be transferred to a number of applications. Siskens says the same principle enables wireless and maintenance-free bus stop actions. The act of pressing the bell push generates enough electrical power for a wireless module to activate the stop display and audible stop signal. This energy harvesting wireless solution saves up to 100 meters of cabling in the bus.

"Being batteryless, and therefore maintenance-free, energy harvesting wireless sensors and switches are the assistants we need to collect and transmit the first data bit in an IoT system," says Siskens. "The intelligence to make use of the data can and will be implemented anywhere, but the systems that collect the initial information need to be reliable and perpetual so that we can "install and forget" this. Energy harvesting sensors will be the "Things" in the Internet of Things.'

What can harvested energy do for Smart Cities?
If the idea of walking and running motion being used to energize buildings and wireless bus stop actions becoming more prevalent are any indication, intelligent data collection and control will also be used to coordinate the lives of people in cities, and may ultimately prevent a city from collapsing. "This can only be realized with millions of sensor nodes collecting and delivering the data needed," says Siskens. "Malfunctions of battery-powered sensors could cause chaos in such a deeply connected system. But cables are no alternative either, as they are too complex and costly to install. In contrast, energy harvesting-powered devices can overcome both issues. Solar-powered occupancy sensors, for example, notify when somebody is walking a street and send a signal to activate the street light. The same can function with motion-powered sensors in the streets' surface when a vehicle passes."

Goldcorp Raises the Bar and Builds the Mine of the Future

The connection of people, process, data and things has propelled innovation across a variety of industries. Now, the Internet of Everything has gone underground, streamlining operations, maximizing production and enhancing safety practices for one of the world’s largest gold producers. In the Baie-James region of Northern Quebec, Goldcorp has incorporated Cisco’s Connected Mining solution, enabling them to create the ‘Mine of the Future’ at its Éléonore location.



‘High-Tech’ Mining and Technological Innovations
While the age-old process of blasting, mucking, and milling hasn’t changed much over the years, the technology used to make the processes safer, sustainable and more efficient has. Goldcorp’s connected ‘Mine of the Future’ has sensor networks, command and control rooms, innovation centers for developing next-generation solutions, and six-sigma programs for continuous improvement projects both above and below ground. Every miner and any piece of equipment Goldcorp has under its umbrella can be managed and monitored on a single secure, multiservice IP network.
Developed in a unique partnership with the Cree First Nation, the Éléonore Project has gold reserves of almost five million ounces expected to be retrieved over the next 15-20 years. According to Guy Belleau, Mine General Manager of Éléonore, this next generation mine was developed from the ground up under Goldcorp’s six pillars: – growing people; safety; partnerships; production; reserves and margins. Every detail in the mine’s construction considered the comfort & safety of the workforce, its environmental footprint, and the operational productivity of the mine.

Enabling Operational Excellence with Technology
Goldcorp has deployed one of the most efficient WiFi underground communication networks in the industry. The WiFi network was the driver for automated ventilation, real-time visibility and range-finding to underground operations.
According to Luis Canepari, VP of IT for Goldcorp, “The health and safety of our workforce is Goldcorp’s number one priority. So, we invested in technologies that boost workers’ connectivity to enhance safe production. Using Cisco and AeroScout technologies, we provide our workers with the means to communicate quickly and effectively with decision makers, ensuring the right flow of information, at the right time.  This provides us with safer, more cost effective and more efficient operations.” Take a look at this video to see the Goldcorp story.

A Focus on Miner Safety
According to Wade Bristol, Goldcorp’s VP, Mine Improvement, “Adapting our mines with modern technology and data transmission not only promotes better efficiencies, but more importantly, improves the workplace environment and worker safety.  This is a true win-win for our site teams and a real step-change for the industry.”
Every person entering (or exiting) the 650 meter deep mine is accounted for. As the miners enter the tag-in area, an AeroScout tag affixed to the band of the hardhat beacons presence over the Cisco Wi-Fi network and the system displays their name, picture and remaining tag battery life on a digital display. With an estimated 90% Wi-Fi coverage underground, the miners and their families have an extra level of comfort knowing that they have been accounted for.
In the underground control room, visual maps allows for real-time visibility to both personnel and vehicles at all levels underground. The AeroScout maps and dashboards are key safety tools used to ensure that nobody is left underground while blasting. In fact, Éléonore’s safety record is world-class and has improved 20% every year since the project started construction 4 years ago.

A Budding New Role for the Internet of Everything

softdevblogs.com

Even vegetables can be smart in the Internet of Everything (IoE). Amid the massive growth of connected devices expected between now and 2020, a small but increasing number of sensor technologies are being put to agricultural or horticultural use.

Stroll through the leafy boulevards of Mollet del Vallès in Catalunya, Spain, for example, and what you may not realize is that the health of the trees around you is being monitored through a smart system installed by the Spanish public sector services firm Urbaser.

"The use of sensors helps to monitor nutrients in the soil, humidity, temperature, density of weeds, and factors affecting production." - Sol Chip

In Avilés, northern Spain, a similar system allows Urbaser technicians to take ultrasound ‘x-rays' of tree trunks to check the plants are well. Spotting early signs of rot or other problems is not just important for the health of the plants.
If undetected, a rotten tree could break or fall and potentially hurt people nearby, particularly in an urban setting. A similar problem can occur when a tree becomes too top-heavy for its roots, so that it becomes more likely to topple over in high winds.

See Also: Forests get Smarter With Sensor Technology

An Australian firm called ENSPEC has come up with a smart sensor system designed to overcome just this issue.
Its Treesensor system is "the only method available to measure root-plate stability using natural wind forces, scientifically," according to Craig Hallam, managing director.
"Treesensor is designed to read accelerometers," he explains. "The data is stored on memory cards then uploaded to Treesensor in the cloud. There is also a software version to load on computers. It allows the arborist to determine if a tree is within the limits of stability."
These arboriculture applications are still in their infancy. In agriculture, though, the use of wireless sensor technology is already popular.
Sol Chip, which makes power systems for IoE devices, says: "The use of sensors helps to monitor nutrients in the soil, humidity, temperature, density of weeds, and factors affecting production."
The application of technology to farming has even led to the rise of new disciplines such as precision agriculture, where crop growth is carefully monitored and controlled through the use of satellite imaging and sensors.
This transition from ‘green digits' to ‘green digital' in agriculture is credited with helping to get young people back into farming. Rural youngsters are returning to farmsteads because of the intellectual challenges arising from the use of new technologies.
Another big area for IoE in agriculture is traceability systems. To date, RF identity tagging has been most extensively used to track livestock, but recently the Indian government has been studying the possibility of introducing a tracking system for mangoes.
‘Mangonet', as it is being named, is designed to help India circumvent a European ban on mango imports that was introduced in May 2014 because of fruit fly infestations.
Indian farmers resorted to technology to control the outbreak in their crops, logging field notes on iPads and introducing a pest surveillance system called HortiSAP (for Horticulture Pest Surveillance and Advisory Project), developed by the Indian National Centre for Integrated Pest Management.
Even so, nowadays you don't need to take a trip to India, or even to your local farm, if you want to see plants benefiting from network technology. With Parrot's Flower Power sensor system you can offer a dose of IoE to your floral friends at home.
"Flower Power monitors the four parameters that are crucial for your plant's health: sunlight, soil moisture, ambient temperature and fertilizer levels, parameters people cannot really verify by themselves," says Parrot's PR director, Vanessa Loury.
"Via this application, you'll be able to associate the sensor to the plant you'd like to monitor, out of a library of 8000 plants, trees, and vegetables. This means the sensor will know exactly what your plant requires to grow."
Loury says Flower Power was originally designed for "rookie gardeners, expert gardeners, or involuntary perpetual plant killers," but the company now wants to "make precision agriculture and horticulture accessible to everyone."
Whether it is in the field, roadside, or living room, what is clear is that the trend for Internet-connected plants is set to blossom.

By Jason Deign   newsroom.cisco.com

Welcome to the Connected Car Era - The Internet of Things

Is our car becoming a jumbo smartphone? The new ones, at least, are loaded with apps, can be accessed remotely via other devices, be opened using a passcode, and have (sometimes multiple) electronic displays. It's a whole new era in driving. And some cars even do the driving themselves.
We're not there, quite yet. But innovation in automobiles is happening at a blistering pace, even in a part of the automobile industry that has always been seen as a tech laggard.


www.pipelinepub.com

And then there are dozens of sensors that go into your car on the factory floor. David Buchko is at BMW's U.S. headquarters in New Jersey and says there's a ton of data even in the BMW Key Reader.
"The ‘key' has become far more important than just for starting the car. And it's all wireless – there's no physical connection to the car whatsoever."  Buchko says a lot of data is now stored in the Key Leader, which mechanics can use during service checks.

A glimpse into the future

Buchko at BMW's NJ headquarters, says the company is working with chief of trauma at the William Layman Research Center in Miami, Florida, to use data coming from car sensors to help in accidents.
"Sometimes, an accident victim may look fine but then go to the ER and have a catastrophic medical condition. We created new algorithms so the data can be sent to an ER from the scene, and even to the first responders (paramedics) before they arrive at the accident. They know earlier whether to call a medevac helicopter, etc."

www.techandinnovationdaily.com

In the medical profession, they call this "the golden hour" – when many life-threatening injuries can be treated.
This is all what's happening today. Now think what this will look like in the future. With a simple hand gesture, your car will drive itself to your new home – no need for a carrier truck.

Reference: newsroom.cisco.com

Nokia Networks Paves Way for 5G with 10 Gbps Demo - Another Driver of The Internet of Things

Nokia Networks NYU Wireless kicked off their inaugural Brooklyn 5G Summit last year, and they're back this year with another installment, this time featuring a Nokia demo of a 10 Gbps system.

Specifically, Nokia, along with National Instruments (NI), is demonstrating a 10 Gbps peak rate system over the air at 73 GHz. The 10 Gbps system in the demonstration uses 2x2 MIMO using single carrier Null Cyclic Prefix modulation and frame size of 100 micro seconds to achieve low latency and "impressive" data rates, according to a press release.

 Picture from buybackworld.com

Nokia's 10 Gbps demonstration with NI is designed to show that extremely fast broadband speeds will offer users enough capacity wherever they go to perform every function they want without a drop in speed or connection, regardless of how many people are connected at the same time.

Users, for example, will have the ability to download a full-length HD movie to their phone in a matter of seconds rather than minutes. Video chats will be "so immersive that users will feel like they can reach out and touch the other person right through the screen," according to the press release. 8K quality films in 3D will be available for view--which is 16 times the pixel count of full HD.

Nokia is using NI's software development platform in its demonstrations. NI says its software-defined platform based on LabView and PXI is ideal for researching and prototyping cutting-edge technology like what Nokia is doing with 10 Gbps data rates in the mmWave spectrum.

Reference: Monica Alleven - FierceWireless