Tag Archives: IoT

Raspberry Pi and the Intel Edison

The Intel Edison is an extremely small computing platform suitable for embedded electronics. Intel has packed the Edison with many technical goodies within its tiny package. That makes it a robust single board computer, powered by the Atom SoC dual-core CPU. It includes an integrated Bluetooth LE, Wi-Fi and a 70-pin connector. A huge number of shield-like blocks are available to stack on top of each other on this connector.

Do not be misled by its small size, as the Edison packs a robust set of features within the tiny size. It has a broad spectrum of software support, along with large numbers of IO, delivering great performance with durability. Its versatile features are a great benefit to beginners, makers and inventors. The high-speed processor, Wi-Fi and Bluetooth radio on board makes it ideal for projects that need low power, small footprint but high processing power. These features make the Edison SBC suitable for those who cannot use a large footprint and are not near a larger power source.

In addition, the Intel Edison Mini Breakout exposes the native 1.8V IO of the Intel Edison module. On this board is a power supply, a battery charger, USB OTG power switch, USB OTG port, UART to USB Bridge and an IO header.

So, how does the Intel Edison SBC compare with the RBPi or the Raspberry Pi SBC? The first question that comes to mind when starting a comparison between the two is the lack of a USB port on the Edison to plug in the keyboard and mouse. Compared to the RBPi, the Edison also lacks video output, has low processor speed, higher cost and it is not possible to use the IO connector without an extra board.

Although Intel claims it as an SBC, unlike the RBPi, the Edison is a module meant for deeply embedded IoT computing. On the other hand, the RBPi has always been a low-cost computing terminal to be used as a teaching tool. That the RBPi platform also has hardware hack-ability is a bonus feature and purely incidental.

The Edison, a deeply embedded IoT computing platform, does not have video output because usually, Wi-Fi enabled robots do not need video. Since wearables do not need keyboard and mouse, the Edison does not have a USB port. To keep power consumption on the low side for portable applications, Intel has deliberately kept the processor speed low.

Although the Edison is comparatively higher-priced as compared to the RBPi, the difference is lower when you add the cost of an SD card, a Wi-Fi card and a Bluetooth dongle to that of the RBPi. Not only does the Edison integrate all this, it is more of a bare ARM A9 or A11 SoC that can be integrated easily into a product.

Finally, three things need highlighting. The Edison has a Quark micro-controller; it operates at 1.8V and is very small. The RBPi, without the addition of the communication modules, occupies about 93 cubic centimeters, whereas the Edison and its breakout board together require only 14. The RBPi requires about 48 square centimeters of footprint, while the Edison needs only 17.

Wireless sensors sans batteries

The Internet of Things has led to several simple sensors being used for applications requiring reporting of their readings wirelessly to a gateway or hub. However, most sensors require to be powered from batteries, creating logistical and cost barriers to several use cases. Now, many wireless sensor modules appearing on the market do not require batteries, as they are ultra-low power types.

Several key building blocks are necessary to make up a wireless sensor module meant for IoT use. The first among these is the sensor itself, its signal feeding a micro-controller that processes and packages it for transmission. The final part consists of a radio transceiver to send the information to its destination. Even with the most careful logic design, these building blocks work at a minimum of 1.8V, using up several tens of microamperes at modes requiring the lowest power.

However, in the last decade, extensive research has resulted in development of sub-threshold circuits involving logic, memory and RF. Transistor switching, in conventional logic design, takes place between saturation and an on-off state, dominated by leakage currents. Switching mostly occurs at a gate-to-source voltage or VGS of about 0.5V, which is the threshold voltage or VT for the transistor. In conventional logic, VGS < VT, is the condition for the transistor to remain in the off state. Sub-threshold circuits use this off-state region for the two operational states of a transistor. With the transistor's gate voltage operating below the threshold, the supply voltage can go lower than the conventional 1.8V. An active logic circuit consumes power relative to the square of the supply voltage. Therefore, operating at lower supply voltages can mean considerable power savings. The drawback in this manner of operation is that switching speeds slow down – but that does not hamper many applications. Another requirement of sub-threshold circuits is that a careful control is to be exercised on device physics, including circuit structures. These are necessary to mitigate the effects of temperature variation and noise. However, researchers have provided answers for these problems as well and the solutions have proven themselves practically. Functioning circuits are available for analog, microprocessors and memory devices. Sub-threshold designs are now starting to appear in the market as full SOCs. Universities of Michigan, Virginia and Washington have culminated their research efforts as a two-year old startup, PsiKick. They are preparing a sub-threshold circuitry based wireless sensor module that will operate without batteries. Aside from the RF transceiver, a micro-controller and a sensor front-end, the module will include blocks for energy harvesting. This makes it a self-powered sensor platform that can be used in a wide array of applications. Another design, a second-generation version, is on the cards. This is based on standard CMOS technology and a demonstrable product is due any time soon. The sub-threshold module requires astonishingly small power to operate. Compared to sensor platforms currently available, these modules will consume 100 to 1000 times less power. When fully operating, the micro-controller consumes only 400nW while the RF transmitter generated 10µW, which is effective within a 10m range. The module operates within a supply voltage range of 0.25 to 1.2V. That makes the module eminently suitable to the output capabilities of most energy harvesting methods.

Raspberry Pi accessories from Microstack

If you are looking for accessories for your tiny, credit card sized single board computer, the Raspberry Pi or RBPi, you now have a series of them from the distributer element14. This Microstack range of accessories allows all levels of users to create and prototype physical devices simply and quickly. Most popular among the Microstack accessories are the GPS positioning and accelerometer.

Microstack claims that its modules are the “building blocks for the Internet of Things for All”. The original designers of PiFace Digital and PiFace Control and Display accessories for the RBPi have come together to create Microstack. In fact, building on PiFace, Microstack now offers several types of connected-device possibilities for the RBPi.

Microstack offers a family of stacking accessory boards that a compact and reusable. They offer a common form factor, interface connections and software. All the accessories for the RBPi are built on a platform-specific baseboard called the adapter board.

The GPS module from Microstack is a simple and easy plug-and-play solution. You can use this module for projects requiring GPS positioning for creating geo-location awareness. The GPS module has several worthwhile features. Not only can the module log data in its standalone mode, it allows the RBPi to keep time in a highly accurate and globally synchronized manner. The Microstack GPS module is one of the most complete and advanced modules and it sports an embedded high sensitivity 15×15 mm internal patch antenna with an external socket.

The antenna switching function is automatic as the GPS module has antenna detection feature along with short circuit protection. For better sensitivity, the module has a built-in LNA. The advanced AGPS technology works with an intelligent controller of periodic mode that does not require any external memory. Microstack has provided LOCUS as an innate logger solution that works independently without host and external flash. The GPS module comes with anti-jamming features that sports Multi-tone Active Interference Canceller with 66 acquisition channels and 22 tracking channels. You can combine it with other Microstack add-ons to provide radio links for supporting remote telemetry.

The Accelerometer module from Microstack is also a simple plug-and-play device for the RBPi. It is useful where measuring acceleration is necessary for projects such as tracking and motion, game and tilt sensors and robotics. The module is based on MMA84910, a simple, low power, three-axis low-g accelerometer that offers multi-range 14-bit at +/- 8g resolution.

With a 1.95-3.6 V supply voltage range, the Accelerometer module consumes only 400 nA per Hz, but provides data at ultra-high speeds in about 700µS. Its 14-bit digital output has a sensitivity of 1 mg/LSB with a +/- 8g full-scale range. The Microstack framework compatible accelerometer module has 45° tilt outputs for its three axes and you can link it to your RBPi with the I2C interface.

You can use the Microstack modules as standalone or integrate them into full custom PCBs. Therefore, the modules provide a solution right from prototyping to production. These modules offer powerful building blocks that cut down on the development time with support software and easy installation.

Why is Li-Fi better than Wi-Fi?

Imagine wandering through an art gallery with your PDA. As you reach an interesting canvas, your PDA starts downloading information about the painting. When you move to another, your PDA displays content relative to the current piece of art. This is called content fencing – tailoring information to specific locations so that users receive information relevant to their current location.

Content fencing is impossible to achieve with Wi-Fi – radio waves have a far greater spreading power. However, this is eminently possible if electromagnetic waves of very short wavelength – such as optical beams – are used. We already have the necessary technology with us and it only requires converting LED bulbs into wireless access points as an equivalent of a wireless network. This is LI-Fi, allowing you to move between light sources for effectively remaining connected. At present, Li-Fi is only a complementary technology compared to Wi-Fi, but its potential benefits over Wi-Fi are huge.

Visible light spectrum has a huge bandwidth compared to the RF spectrum – in excess of 10,000 times. Moreover, visible light spectrum is unlicensed and free to use. RF tends to spread out over a large area causing interference, whereas, visible light can illuminate a tight area and can be well contained. This allows Li-Fi to attain over a thousand times the data density than Wi-Fi can achieve.

Low interference means more data can be transferred. Therefore, Li-Fi achieves very high data rates and devices using Li-Fi can have high bandwidths along with high intensity optical output. With illumination infrastructure already available in most places, it is relatively easy to plan for introduction or expansion of Li-Fi capacity with good signal strength.

The presence of illumination infrastructure also means negligible additional power requirements for Li-Fi, more so because LED illumination is inherently efficient. In comparison, radio technology requires additional components and energy to implement. Li-Fi works very well in water, but it is extremely difficult to implement and operate Wi-Fi underwater.

Even today, there is a raging debate about whether RF transmission is safe for life on Earth. Visible light does not court such controversy regarding health and safety, as it is the Sun’s rays that sustain life on Earth. Moreover, in certain environments, radio frequencies are considered dangerous as they can interfere with electronic circuitry. That is why people are asked to switch off their phones in flight.

The closely defined illumination area makes Li-Fi very difficult to eavesdrop. Unlike Wi-Fi that spreads its signals all over, even passing through walls, Li-Fi signals are confined to a specifically defined area. This makes Li-Fi far more secure as compared to Wi-Fi. Moreover, data flow in Li-Fi technology can be visibly directed according to requirement. You only need to point one device towards another to make them communicate. That makes it unnecessary to add a layer of security such as pairing, as is required for a Bluetooth connection.

Considering that LEDs operate more than 50,000 hours, it is necessary for manufacturers to add new services to the light they sell. Li-Fi offers massive new opportunities and myriad of different applications for the future communications market.

Connecting to the web via LEDs: Li-Fi

Connecting to the Internet is best done through copper wire or high-speed wireless connections. Not many are aware of an additional method – using light beams. This is accomplished not by the usual optical fiber stuff, but by using LEDs. Communication with lights is nothing new – it has been done before. The Scottish scientist, Sir Alexander Graham Bell had invented an arsenal of instruments for communication and these included Photophones.

The first instruments to use light for communication were Photophones. Now, after about 110 years after the invention of photophones and their fading into history, Professor Harald Haas is conducting experiments in wireless communication using light-centric technology. At the University of Edinburgh in Scotland, Professor Haas is using the Alexander Graham Bell building for his experiments.

Professor Haas demonstrated his vision for the future of wireless communication way back in 2011. He was using something as simple as LED bulbs for his experiments. This is also the time when the term Li-Fi was coined. Li-Fi is now used to describe bidirectional networked wireless communication using visible light as a replacement for traditional radio frequencies.

With people implementing the Internet of Things in full swing, it will not be very long before there is a spectrum crunch for the radio frequencies. In this context, light modulation and enabling connectivity through simple LED bulbs will have huge ramifications. Li-Fi can allow you to connect to the Internet as soon as you are within the range of an LED beam. Even your car headlights can be used to transmit data.

Professor Haas is working towards PureLiFi, which can offset the global struggle for the vanishing wireless capacity. PureLiFi is striving to develop and drive technology suitable for secure, reliable and high-speed communication networks. This will help to integrate data and lighting utility infrastructure seamlessly while reducing energy consumptions significantly.

One of the most interesting features of Li-Fi is its security over the conventional networking methods. Although Li-Fi is not yet available on the Internet marketing websites, companies from the security-focused fraternity are highly interested parties. That is because prying eyes of third-parties find Li-Fi significantly harder to infiltrate compared to other current networking technologies.

Li-Fi signals travel over narrowly focused beams and they cannot penetrate walls. Additionally, with LED lights, you have natural light beams; therefore, the uplink and downlink channels can be separated leading to increased security. For example, if you are browsing using two-channel Li-Fi, both beams will have to be intercepted for someone to infiltrate into your computer, provided they first gain entry into the same room as you are in.

In practice, Li-Fi networks use a desktop photosensitive unit to communicate with an off-the-shelf unmodified light fixture using infrared LEDs for its uplink and downlink channels. Within a range of about three meters, you can have uplink and downlink channels delivering a typical capacity of 5Mbps. With Li-Fi, it is possible to achieve speeds as high as 10Gbps as well. As an additional benefit, your workspace remains well lit.

Li-Fi allows you to have your content tailored before delivery. Within a single room such as in an exhibition, you could wander through various beams to pick up information relevant to your current location.

Are Biometrics Related To The Internet Of Things?

With the Internet of Things or IoT, users and developers can easily augment its functionality, since the IoT is designed to be extensible. Therefore, it is not a far-fetched expectation that the IoT is going to be all over the place and users will get all types of data from it. According to a recent study by the Biometrics Research Group, biometric sensors are being projected as the next big step in providing the necessary security for accessing that data. That is good news for the biometrics industry – by the year 2018, IoT users alone will need nearly 500 million biometric sensors.

As against the normal practice of identification via a username and a password (which can easily be stolen), a biometric sensor identifies a person using unique physiological or behavioral traits, such as his or her fingerprints or his voice. Not only does this save time, the identification method is inherently more secure, making it more valuable. There is nothing like a password or a key to be misplaced, lost or forgotten. The best example of a biometric sensor in use is on Apple devices, with their Touch ID sensor for unlocking the device. In general, such sensors are typically used in security applications and in high-end access controls.

However, the consumer world is slowly making increasing use of biometric sensors, especially after the Fast Identity Online Alliance lent their support for these devices. The Alliance is a conglomeration of some of the biggest names in the technical and financial industry, and their aim is to create a roadmap for using different types of biometric sensors, policies and systems. Most of the use will be similar to the traditional systems, but the sensors will be linked to the Internet.

The Alliance is promoting the use of biometric sensors because of the real security benefits that consumers will get when they use them; the foremost benefit being the inability of losing your access capability. Although you could lose your key, forget your password or misplace your codes, there is only a very slim chance that you will lose your biometric access capability. And, the method is fast and convenient; you will never be locked out of your home or office.

The biometrics method of identification is also more secure than other methods. Even though attackers could cut off the thumb to use its fingerprint, it may not be of much use to them as biometrics can differentiate between living tissue and dead ones. In the same way, it is impossible to completely duplicate the retina pattern of the user’s eye or mimic the voice to fool the biometrics sensor.

With the IoT focus being strong on biometric sensors, the quality and reliability of the sensors is steadily improving. As consumers become increasingly more educated, affiliated technologies are becoming more popular, and that includes wearable devices with biometric sensors. As the popularity grows, so does the response speed of these biometric sensors. Coupled with falling prices, expect the use of biometrics sensors to go up in more and more devices.

How Are Brilliant Machines Created?

The IoT or the Internet of Things has one more feather in its cap. It has now conquered the industrial machine. With GE spearheading the initiative, the new type of industrial machines is aptly named Brilliant Machines.

Although GE is pouring nearly $1.5 billion into the amalgamation of industrial internet and big data, their plan is rather simple. The industrial internet is actually the business version of the Internet of Things. Instead of people being interconnected, here machines talk to each other. GE plans to mix that connectivity with analytics and software so that the entire arrangement becomes very efficient.

GE has started their foray with a battery factory. Covering a work area of nearly 180,000 square feet, the factory is packed with more than 10,000 sensors. Whatever happens within the factory, the sensors keep a track. This includes, for instance, the type of powders that are used to create the ceramics for use in the batteries and the temperatures of the ovens baking these ceramics. They also monitor the air pressure, the time each battery spends inside a particular oven or in a part of the manufacturing line. With smartphones connected via Wi-Fi, employees are able to keep track of all what is going on.

How does all this help GE? Gathering all this data, GE was surprised to find the cause of failure of some of the parts within a battery. The parts failed when they were left in the oven for longer time. Armed with this revelation, GE is able to cut wastage by monitoring how long specific parts stay in the oven.

GE makes investments in several areas. They make gas and steam turbines where over 52 million man-hours per year translate into $7 billion worth of labor cost and all this goes to service over 55,000 turbines. GE manufactures commercial jet aircrafts that take up 205 million man-hours every year. In the world there are over 120,000 diesel electric rail engines made by GE alone that require over 50 million man-hours for annual maintenance – roughly equal to $3 billion in labor cost.

By incorporating sensors within these machines and monitoring them, GE intends to lessen the time and cost of maintaining the various machines they use for power, healthcare, aviation and rail industries. Engineers collect the machine data on their smartphones, run it through visualization software and analytics, making it easier to interpret. The best part is that no engineer has to be near a machine or even onsite to monitor the machines. They can be anywhere on the globe and yet be able to relay accurate instructions to those on the site. The amount of time and costs reduced with the wealth of information available and its analysis is really helping GE.

Brilliant Machines help GE in asset optimization and problem solving, data collection and insights, generating situational awareness and improved collaboration. For instance, for the year 2013, GE earned segmented profits such as $1.2 billion for transportation, $3.0 billion for healthcare, $4.3 billion for aviation, $2.2 billion for oil and gas, and nearly $5 billion for power and water – that is, a total profit of $15.7 billion.

Managing wearable smart devices

Unless you are confined to an ICU without a choice, no one likes to have a bunch of wires and cables trailing from their body to a machine. What people rather prefer is a user-friendly aiding system capable of remotely monitoring the health. Whether you are in a gymnasium or in an outdoor environment, practicing some sport or doing single exercises, remote monitoring of health parameters is a safe and efficient routine to practice. This is also true for monitoring the health of the elderly and people suffering from chronic diseases. IoT or the Internet of Things is able to bring effective solutions in this regard to improve a person’s level of fitness and health.

Wireless sensor networks or WSNs are very effective for building the IoT paradigm. This is the leading technology to acquire and manage data. For improving the user experience in the IoT, it should also be possible to connect to a WSN some other smart elements such as tablets, watches and smartphones. In fact, these could trigger the use of technology in this field. With smart devices now coming in wearable forms, it is easy to break down the first barrier for the technology-access – allowing the user simply to start wearing the technology as a daily-life garment.

Any WSN node has a differential value. Independent of the network management, data may be sensed with any external sensor connected to the WSN. For example, appropriate external sensors connected to the node can send feedback about the breathing rate, heart rate, blood pressure, etc., should the application require biometric or human physiological parameters.

Bluetooth, a wireless communication protocol, could be considered as an easy and fast solution. However, that scenario presents a new challenge, as there is no standardization in these types of sensors despite different type of devices or platforms being in existence. Therefore, it may be desirable to abstract the protocols and hardware features from high-level layers – an intermediate level of middleware can do this easily.

For integrating several wearable devices in the Internet of Things, a dual-protocol WSN/Bluetooth node is of immense help. In reality, two of these nodes are used. One connects to the wearable health-data monitoring device, while the other connects to the smartphone or the smartwatch. In this way, all data between the wearable device and the WSN node is managed in the same way as is done with information from other WSN nodes. As long as a new wearable device is Bluetooth compliant, its services can be discovered and used as well.

To model the services provided by the WSN, one can develop ontology, which again can be included within the service-oriented semantic middleware. This will enable the user to compose new services based on the existing single services. These semantically annotated services will be able to widen the platform for future applications.

It is also possible to integrate the enterprise service bus or ESB within WSN for IoT-based applications. That enables third party applications to be used for services of wearable devices to be made available with the ESB and published by the WSN nodes. These may include body temperature and heart rate monitors.