Tuesday, 26 June 2018

How Does Smart City Promise Big Improvement for Urban Ecosystems



Connected technology is ushering in a new era of “Smart Cities”, which promises to improve the quality of life for billions of people around the world.

Smart cities — which are using technology to make urban areas safer, more efficient, and more livable — represent the transformative power of the Internet of Things. Now, as the new 5G wireless standard is deployed, data transfer will be even faster and more reliable. The transition from 4G to 5G will facilitate the shift to ubiquitous connectivity.

“Our strategy at Intel is to focus on open-standards based data-centric solutions, including artificial intelligence and, more specifically, computer vision technology, which will be powered by 5G infrastructure,” says Sameer Sharma, General Manager for Intel’s Smart Cities IoT Solutions… “Our recent launch of OpenVINO™ toolkit to enable Vision-based intelligence at the edge across multiple architectures is a great example of this. Data from technologies, such as autonomous driving, will be analyzed instantly, providing real-time insights that revolve around IoT connectivity.”

Sharma says that 5G will unlock the potential for utilizing connected devices, from smart cameras to vibration sensors, to collect data that will enable better management of everything from city streets to transit systems.

Economic viability is important, says Sharma, because of the public policy imperative to find cost-effective solutions to the problems facing urban areas. “In general, cities are stretched in terms of their budgets,” he says, “They are thinking about how to efficiently utilize all of the assets they have. For example, better traffic management can be an economic alternative to building a new highway. The ultimate goal is not necessarily to build roads, it’s to improve mobility, and do a better job of getting people from point A to point B.”

Sharma says that social media and awareness of new technology is increasing the motivation of urban planners and politicians to implement smarter solutions to problems such as traffic congestion, parking shortages, security, and first-responder response times. “Citizens are demanding more from their leaders,” he says. “I think this will motivate policymakers, and result in the right decisions when it comes to using digital technology.”

A recently released report from Juniper Research, sponsored by Intel, looks at the evolution of smart cities in the context of mobility, healthcare, public safety and productivity. The report shows the potential to save city residents three weeks of time every year when smart technologies are deployed, underscoring why city-dwellers may soon be pushing for cutting edge IoT solutions.

According to the report, smart traffic systems, including dynamic traffic control and connected parking will yield a mobility savings of 60 hours a year. Better public safety, informed by machine learning algorithms that enable proactive policing of high crime areas, will yield a savings of 35 hours. Preventative healthcare apps and telemedicine will save urbanites nine hours a year. Finally, more efficient delivery of city services will improve administrative productivity, saving residents 21 hours annually.

Singapore tops the list of smart cities, according to Juniper. But other major metros, including New York, San Francisco, Chicago, London, and Seoul are all on the list of top cities implementing technology solutions to improve mobility, health, safety, and productivity.

Many smaller cities are also embracing IoT. For example, San Diego has deployed an intelligent network citywide in an effort to optimize traffic and parking, and facilitate better energy management.

“Fostering innovation and improving infrastructure are important to enhancing the lives of all San Diegans,” says San Diego Mayor Kevin Faulconer. “This new technology will give the city and developers the opportunity to make our neighborhoods safer and smarter.”

The network in San Diego will include 3,200 intelligent sensor nodes that are turning street lights into connected devices. These nodes run on Intel IoT technology, Intel Atom processors, and Wind River software. The system has the ability to extract massive amounts of data, and to produce intelligent analytics in near real-time.

San Diego’s use of smart technology is indicative of how connectivity can benefit a city. “San Diego did not just install cameras for public safety reasons,” says Sharma. “Their system has the potential to handle everything from traffic management and smart parking to license plate recognition and pedestrian recognition.”

Moreover, adds Sharma, San Diego has a scalable solution. “It will get better over time as computer vision and artificial intelligence updates are made over-the-air.”  “So, instead of thinking of a camera as a camera, think of it as a combination of an eye and a brain for the city.”

More RFID BLOG AT http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/how-does-smart-city-promise-big-improvement-for-urban-ecosystems.html

Thursday, 21 June 2018

How Does Artificial Intelligence Transform Healthcare



Big Data, in all its many facets, is the quintessential component of data science. And, data science powers smart machines and applications the world over. Through Artificial Intelligence, computers are trained to emulate two human senses – vision (image recognition and processing), and listening (speech engines). Machine learning and natural language processing enable computers to carry out tasks just as the brain helps humans get things done. The most prominent of these algorithms is the Neural Network – very similar to the network of neurons found in the human brain.

Many industry practitioners are already harnessing the power of Artificial Intelligence, most notably in the healthcare industry. A U.S. News article reported that “Just six months after El Camino Hospital in Silicon Valley implemented artificial intelligence, the rate at which patients suffered dangerous falls dropped by 39 percent.” 

Here are some other examples of how the healthcare industry is leveraging AI:

Advanced processing and assistance:
From X-rays, data capture, CT scans, MRI's and more, AI is creating sweeping change in the proficiency with which healthcare professionals can manage the patient relationship. Through its deep analytic capabilities, AI surfaces more sophisticated treatment options. For example, one does not have to wait for the radiologist to generate a report, and then take it to the doctor for review. Instead, an AI-enabled system analyzes the X-Ray and immediately captures vital information, automatically kicks out reports, and then sends alerts to the doctor within a matter of seconds. Moreover, AI can detect the onset of tumors, osteoporosis, arthritis, and other crippling diseases weeks before any visible signs occur.

Cardiology is another discipline in which AI is helping save lives with early detection of disease such as heart failure. The system identifies the risk and suggests plans to help individuals lead a healthy life.

AI-powered virtual assistance
Virtual Assistants can provide instant answers to queries. Patients can ask questions directly related to a drug, report information, and receive reminders. The virtual assistant can provide a vast amount of data in a matter of seconds.

Physicians can also benefit from virtual assistants because it tracks and follows up on patient records to ensure the best care. While capturing essential information, AI suggests vital parameters to which physicians should adhere.

For example, a patient might not know that he/she is allergic to a medication, but while prescribing a drug, the system alerts the doctor to check for medication allergies thereby making healthcare more accurate at the outset. Similarly, smart suggestions for HPI or histories are also available to the doctor on the fly while charting.

Research and diagnosis
Developing medicines and drugs through clinical trials take many years and can cost a fortune. AI is already speeding up the process and doing it cost effectively. The identification of a molecular structure of drugs that can cure a targeted disease, and then successfully testing it on a set of subjects is where AI can reduce the number of iterations drastically.

There are tons of healthcare records, mainly the patient records stored for analyses and future treatments. Artificial Intelligence is one of the most widely used programs for data management where it can save, format, collect and trace data to provide faster and consistent access to doctors or health institutions. Because of the ability to analyze the data, AI can also make the diagnosis faster, saving money and time. AI can help improve medical diagnosis, provide immediate support via healthcare bots, monitor health-related information, deliver digital consultation, and much more. Frost & Sullivan reports that AI has the potential to improve outcomes by 30- 40% and reduce the cost of treatment by as much as 50%.

New applications for AI in the making:

Apps like Babylon in the UK use AI to give medical consultation based on personal medical history and common medical knowledge. Users report their symptoms into the app, which uses speech recognition to compare against a database of illnesses. Babylon then offers a recommended action, taking the user’s medical history into account.

Genetics and genomics look for mutations and links to disease from the information in DNA. With the help of AI, body scans can spot cancer and vascular diseases early and predict the health issues people might face based on their genetics. 

More RFID Blog information at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/how-does-artificial-intelligence-transform-healthcare.html

Tuesday, 19 June 2018

Smart Agriculture Is Bringing Some Changes You May Touch



Smart farming, an extension of precision agriculture, can increase total yield by up to 5% and total profits by up to 20%.

In precision agriculture, “Internet of Things” devices, global positioning and new technologies are used. Their job is to measure and respond.

With this, we might be able to tackle the challenges of the future in enhancing how we produce and manage food.

As the global population is set out to increase, the total food requirements are likely to follow. The growth estimate for farming lies at 70% by 2050.

The main drivers are the population growth and the rise of average calorie intake. The increase of average calorie consumption lies at 10% (2010–2050).

Fewer Experts

A big challenge for the agriculture industry these days is the low profitability and industry attractiveness. This causes a shrinking number of experts, on whom the traditional agriculture depends on.

Low Efficiency

The cultivation of grains and vegetables suffer from inefficiencies in farming. One of the main causes is a of information and predictability. This leads to a loss of product, waste in irrigation, fertilizing, and pest control. With fewer experts in the field, results become more reliant on the skills. The environmental impact caused by the use of consumables and resources to be considered and minimized.

The keeping of livestock aims to realize yields in milk, wool, eggs, and meat. Specific challenges are the overview of livestock health. Otherwise, the spreading of diseases and lower fertility are possible results. Also, the strain on livestock needs to minimized for best yield and low mortality.

High Yield Risk

A general risk are the long periods between seed and harvest or birth and slaughter. During this time price fluctuations for the product are likely to occur. With the resulting uncertainty the future payout and profit is subject to risk.

If, at the time of sale, the price for cattle is lower than expected, the farmer is subject to a lower margin. The planning accuracy suffers from incomplete information and uncertainty.

Solutions

Farming accuracy is the result of the use of connected devices and new technologies. Benefits include:

Enhanced efficiency

Optimized yield

Higher planning accuracy

This leaves a higher profitability for agriculture, increases industry attractiveness, and provides tools to better handle future challenges.Grains, Fruit & Vegetables
Scouting

Scouting of land is an important factor in success in agriculture. For example, farmers need to think about how to position crops, how to rotate, when to seed and harvest. During growing season, scouting helps to coordinate fertilizing, irrigation, weed and pest control.

Data Sources

Satellite, plane or drone-based imaging technologies use visual scanning: Satellite imaging gives an image resolution of 0.5–10m. Drones, or “RPAS” (remotely piloted aerial systems) deliver up to 2–10cm image resolution.

The cameras deliver imaging in thermal, infrared and visible spectrum. Steve blank’s post about practical use of hyper spectral cameras and customer value is a great example.

A high scanning speed of up to 1000 acres/h makes RPAS suitable for large scale agriculture. They can gather data on moisture level, weeds and chlorophyll content in plants.

In-ground sensors can be installed at fixed locations or they can be attached to vehicles. Typical vehicles include smart tractors or “agri-bots” (ground based unmanned vehicles). Soil sensors can detect electrical conductivity, moisture, radiometric, and pH data. Fixed sensor installations can also include acoustic technology to monitor for larger pests.

The data pool can include more data sources such weather forecasts and climate data. An added benefit can come from interlinking data pools, for example, between neighbouring farms and with farming equipment providers.

Seeding

During seeding, the effectiveness of seeds can be enhanced with precise placement. The necessary field and soil analytics and can come from autonomous or guided agri-bots.

Cultivation

During cultivation, lower manual labour effort can come from remote controlled and automated equipment. Modern farm equipment can also feature maintenance prediction to reduce the inspection effort.

An excellent fuel economy comes from guided tractors that are able to choose the most efficient routing. Also, the field monitoring ensures that tractors are only deployed when needed. With these techniques, one tractor manufacturer reported a decrease of 40% fuel consumption.

The reduction of water, pesticides and fertilizer consumption has an immediate impact. First, on the profitability, and second, on the environmental strain. Information about moisture level and weather predictions by zones are gathered.

More RFID blog at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/smart-agriculture-is-bringing-some-changes-you-may-touch.html

Tuesday, 12 June 2018

Do you know clearly RFID & NFC SMART LABELS?


RFID IN DETAIL
Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) is the generic name for a type of auto-identification technology that uses radio waves to identify unique items. Typical RFID systems are made up of two major components: the reader and the tag.
The reader, which is also known as the interrogator, may be either a fixed or mobile reader or indeed, in many applications, can be a combination of both. Its role is to read and write information from/to the tag through radio waves via the reader’s antennas.
The tag, or transponder, is made up of a microchip that stores the information, an antenna and a carrier to which the chip and antenna are mounted. RFID tags come in many different forms and sizes and can be either Active or Passive.
RFID technology is used in many applications from security and access control through to transportation and logistics. Essentially, RFID can be used in any application where there is a need to collect multiple pieces of data on items for tracking and counting purposes and where other auto-ID technologies such as barcode, etc. are not suitable.
NFC IN DETAIL
Near field communication (NFC) is a set of standards for smartphones and similar devices to establish radio communication with each other by touching them together or bringing them into close proximity, usually no more than a few inches.
Present and anticipated applications include contactless transactions, data exchange, and simplified setup of more complex communications such as Wi-Fi. Communication is also possible between an NFC device and an unpowered NFC chip, called a “tag”.
NFC devices can be used in contactless payment systems, similar to those currently used in credit cards and electronic ticket smartcards, and allow mobile payment to replace or supplement these systems.
VERSATILE
NFC chips do not need elaborate additional readers to scan the encoded data and can be read and written to with many leading smartphones available to the general public.
We use a specialist insertion machine to convert a regular label into a smart label by applying an RFID or NFC tag to the rear. our high speed manufacturing process and in-house design and development team, can deliver everything from small quantities of RFID and EAS labels for pilot application tests right through to larger runs of into the millions of tags per year. We also offer customers the option to overprint and/or encode their RFID/NFC labels with their own unique information, such as EPC or serialised barcode numbers.
Our expertise lie in designing technical labels to perform in the most challenging of environments, you can be assured that no other label converter will beat this reliability and consistency. This commitment to deliver quality RFID/NFC labels is further backed up by our ability to 100% test RFID/NFC labels during the manufacturing process and either mark or replace any failures, or both, depending on the specific requirements of your application.
TINY
The chip itself is very small and once behind a label is hardly noticeable. This helps make the technology unobtrusive and perfect for visual aesthetics.
More info at http://www.asiarfid.com/blog/do-you-know-clearly-rfid-and-nfc-smart-labels.html

Tuesday, 5 June 2018

4 Key Takeaways from IoT World 2018


IoT World 2018 in Santa Clara united thousands of organizations and attendees, hundreds of speakers and exhibitors and dozens of IoT startups.
It’s one of those yearly events where you can meet all cross-industry giants at one place – Microsoft, SAP, Avnet, Boeing, UPS, MasterCard, Bank of America, T Mobile, Google, Amazon, Comcast, General Electronics, etc., and take a peek at the image of the future they suggest.
1. The Power of Data
Data is one of the core pillars in IoT. I’ve already brought up the staggering opportunities IoT data brings to enterprises, governments, and entire countries.
Not surprisingly, data was the center of attention at the event. Speakers and panelists unanimously called data the new gold. Industry leaders envisioned business and industry growth using insights, suggested that companies learn how to understand data and use both new and legacy data, and showed examples with real revenues.
One such speaker was Juan Perez, Chief Information Officer and Chief Engineering Officer at UPS, who showed us how the clever use of IoT data helps UPS save millions of dollars every year.
Juan Perez defined the value of data analytics by a series of insightful examples. At UPS, analysis of sensor data allows them to optimize delivery driver routes, package tracking, and maintenance schedules. This approach helps the company receive impressive bottom line numbers: by reducing one mile per driver a day, for example, the delivery giant saves up to $50 million in the course of a year.
Analytics … is taking raw data and making that raw data be converted into insight, so we can make better decisions. We live by this day in and day out– Juan Perez
This vivid example of UPS shows us how a delivery company – and today also a serious technology company – relies on IoT and data strategy not only to improve efficiency, but to completely reinvent operations and processes and reach formerly unavailable performance standards.
2. Building an IoT Ecosystem
The whole event in Santa Clara projected the concept of an IoT ecosystem for over the course of 4 days. Multiple platforms, products, hardware and software, new standards and connectivity solutions, vendors and innovative ideas represent what can be called an emerging IoT environment.
Avnet, one of the leading global technology companies and a chief sponsor of the event, highlighted the importance of building a unified environment and creating an IoT ecosystem.
The company believes that creating an integral space can help break the barriers and solve the challenges related to IoT – insufficient connectivity, unsettled standards, fragmented market. The company’s presentations, product showcases, and platform demonstrations revealed how Avnet contributes to this goal.
Avnet offers an unmatched ecosystem of products and services to help customers overcome obstacles related to IoT… IoT World presents a unique opportunity for us to meet with engineers, designers and inventors to share our vision and solutions to enable IoT and transforming the way business is done – Lou Lutostanski, Avnet’s vice president global IoT
3. The Synergy Between IoT and Other Technologies
Building a unified ecosystem is necessary for the future of IoT itself, and for all the industries and verticals it impacts. Therefore, it requires tight cooperation between IoT and other technologies that shape the markets and economies today.
There were many briefings and keynotes at the event that demonstrated the connection between IoT and security systems, blockchain, AI, autonomous vehicles, and even semiconductors.
In particular, Frank Mong, a COO of a young company, Helium, explained how the synergy of IoT and blockchain principles can help IoT evolve from a disconnected, fragmented environment into a truly open source and secure network. The entrepreneur showed what happens when you apply the benefits of blockchain’s fail-safe and reliable block connection in IoT and how it can enable building decentralized networks effectively and cheaply. You can watch the whole briefing here.
4. Market Expansion
Last but not the least, an important key of the conference was the growth of the IoT market geography and influence. IoT World is an international event that gathers the enterprises and startups of different scales and origin. This year, the expansion of market boundaries was especially visible.
For example, one of the most exciting briefings, in my opinion, was focused on IoT in Asia and the impact this region has on the global arena.
Wrap-up
IoT World was undoubtedly a big event. On one hand, it allowed industry leaders and emerging companies to showcase their latest products, platforms and solutions, and define and share their vision of connected future. On the other side, it enabled better understanding of industry trends, demonstrated the state of IoT today and forecasted the IoT environment of tomorrow.

Friday, 1 June 2018

What is the Application Direction of RFID in Near Future?

Radio Frequency Identification is a technology that is here to stay for a longer period of time. Many of the world's leading companies are making huge investments for the advancement and growth of this technology. RFID has the potential to offer similar prototyped tools for businesses and consumers. The applications that RFID has today have evolved a lot with time and came to its present structure. And it is assured that, in near future it will turn into something even more advantageous and fruitful for the businesses. 

Presently, RFID devices have a stable international standard, with increased performance and decreased cost of equipment and tags. RFID technology has significant utilization in 2 specific areas; healthcare and financial services for the tracking of IT assets. RFID is used widely for the personal identification, can be used for attendance tracking, payroll and to maximize resource allocation. RFID also have its application for anti shoplifting systems. 

The process of evolution of RFID can divide itself into various eras; proprietary era, compliance era, RFID enabled enterprise era, RFID-enabled industries era and the Internet of things era. Till now, the world has witnessed the evolution of RFID from proprietary era to compliance era. In the upcoming time, it will come the era of RFID enabled enterprise, which will help organization to improve their functioning using RFID information. The era of RFID-enabled industries will be advanced enough in to share information with partners on a secured network, in accordance with the standards. Currently foreseeable, the final era would be the era of Internet of Things (IoT). 

By this time, other technologies and RFID, combined with customer demand for high standards and unique products based on this infrastructure, will step towards the big bang changes in the way of understanding the relationship between physical objects, locations and information. It is unlikely to happen that RFID will replace the barcodes, but it will grow in its own niches and will be applied where bar code or other optical technology is not effective. RFID technology will see a rapid growth in retail, healthcare and many other markets. RFID will also have its applications for anti-counterfeiting. With the overall growth in the technology, it will turn into a bit easy process for RFID in becoming cost-effective and reliable for its numerous applications.

More info visit http://www.asiarfid.com