There will be 6.4 billion connected devices by next year

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By 2016, 5.5 million things will become connected to the Internet each day.

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Just in case you needed any more validation that the Internet of Things has arrived, get ready for several billion smart objects in our world by as early as next year. According to Gartner, the number of devices connected to the Internet is actually expected to exceed 6.4 BILLION come the end of 2016. This mind-blowing figure represents a 30% increase from 2015, and is projected to continuing rising to 20.8 billion by 2020.

To put this number into perspective, 5.5 million new “things” will become connected every day. As a result, the growing IoT will support total services spending of $235 billion in 2016, up 22% from 2015. Beyond that, Gartner anticipates most of that money will be spent on what it calls the “professional category” — services in which businesses contract with external providers in order to design, install and operate intelligent systems. At the same time, both “connectivity services” and “consumer services” are also expected to grow at an exceptionally fast pace.

“IoT services are the real driver of value in IoT, and increasing attention is being focused on new services by end-user organisations and vendors,” Gartner VP Jim Tully explains.

Aside from connected cars, Gartner believes that consumer applications will account for the greatest number of smart gadgets, while enterprise will account for the largest spending. The analyst firm estimates that four billion connected things will be in use in the consumer sector next year, and will hit 13.5 billion over the next five years.

In terms of hardware spending, consumer applications will amount to $546 billion in 2016, while the use of connected things in the enterprise will drive $868 billion in 2016.

When examining the enterprise computing segment, Gartner says it considers two classes of connected things. The first class consists of generic or cross-industry devices that are used in multiple industries, such as smart light bulbs, HVAC and building management systems that are mainly deployed for purposes of cost savings. Meanwhile, the second class includes vertical-specific machines that are found in particular industries, like specializes equipment used in hospital operating theaters and tracking devices in container ships.

“Connected things for specialised use are currently the largest category, however, this is quickly changing with the increased use of generic devices. By 2020, cross-industry devices will dominate the number of connected things used in the enterprise,” Tully adds.

13-year-old Maker builds his own pair of smart glasses

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Pedosa Glass is a pair of DIY smart glasses — powered by Arduino and built by a 13-year-old app developer.

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Hong Kong resident, app developer and 13-year-old Jordan Fung has, according to him, developed “the coolest project [he has] ever made.” This new project, dubbed Pedosa Glass, is essentially a smart glasses attachment powered by an Arduino Nano (ATmega328) that shows him data and control information via a tiny FLCoS (Fast Liquid Crystal on Silicon) display.

As of now, the display has three buttons that can select one of two apps or go to an “about” page. Though it might not have all the bells and whistles of Google Glass, the two apps, a timer and a flashlight could be quite useful in real life. Fung admits that the timer could be a bit more accurate, but the small LED flashlight looks quite bright.

Menu and data display are accomplished using an Arduino TV output library running on the Nano. This seems to work well for his application, even though the resolution is limited to 120 x 96 pixels and displays in black and white.

This device is currently in a prototype state, and Fung plans to eventually make a 3D-printed case for it to hide the electronics. Another improvement would be to get rid of the USB power cable in exchange for a battery. Beyond that, further enhancements include Bluetooth connectivity and more applications. In true Maker spirit, the 13-year-old is asking for suggestions on this or anything else people think he should added to his build.

Feeling InspEYEred? Fung has made the project’s instructions, though limited, available on his Instructables page. Or, you can see what it’s all about in the video below.

Ario is a smart lamp that mimics natural lighting

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Ario learns your habits, syncs to your body clock, and keeps you healthy through natural lighting patterns.

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While the idea of a smart bulb waking you up in the morning is nothing new, one Bay Area startup has decided to take that concept one step further to help get you through the day and then ease into sleep at night. Ario is an intelligent lamp that not only mimics natural sunlight by changing its color as the day goes on, but its direction as well, to keep your body clock in sync and improve health.

The lamp itself is connected to the Internet via Wi-Fi and boasts LEDs that generate bright blue light in the morning, followed by warmer amber light in the later hours. Ario can be controlled using its accompanying mobile app, on-device buttons, a wall switch, and is even fully capable of functioning autonomously.

To get started, you simply plug Ario into the wall, link it to your Wi-Fi network and then sit back and let it do the work. The lamp will then determine where you are and comes up with a lighting schedule that evolves with you over time. Even better, Ario works automatically. So if you unplug your lamp for days or weeks and then plug it back in, Ario knows what to do, even when the Wi-Fi is down. It is equipped with a battery-backed real-time clock and program storage, and intelligently calculates the appropriate variations in light depending on the lamp’s geographical location, the time of day, seasonal and local weather patterns, and your daily schedule. Ario is rated to produce 2400 lumens.

Is there a need for such a lighting system? You bet! According to its creators, the vast majority of Americans spend more than  eight hours a day under unnatural light, which can throw off the body’s internal clock by as much as three hours and prevent it from performing at optimum levels. Instead, Ario will help improve your circadian rhythm, sleep habits and general health.

“Today’s indoor lighting is static, as if the sun were fixed in the sky. This is unnatural and has major implications on our sleep, mood, immune system, weight, and overall well-being,” the team writes.

Previous studies show that staring into bright, blue-white computer digital screens at night can disrupt your ability to catch some Zs. What’s nice is that this smart lamp can be programmed to automatically dim by a certain time each night. And what’s more, Ario integrates with other Wi-Fi smart home appliances to make your life easier.

In terms of hardware, the unit is built around an ARM Cortex-M3 core along with two light engines, a highly-integrated LED controller and a Particle P1 Wi-Fi module, which together provide Ario’s lighting power and control.

Are you ready to make long, dark days a thing of the past? Then head over to Ario’s Kickstarter campaign, where its team has already garnered well over its asking goal of $50,000. Delivery is expected to get underway in September 2016.

This smart robotic finger will push your buttons, literally

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Microbot Push lets you control buttons in your home remotely using a smartphone or computer.

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The hottest topic in tech right now is undoubtedly the Internet of Things, a broad term that refers to devices and consumer products connected to the Internet and outfitted with expanded digital features — emphasis on connected. So what about our gizmos and gadgets that aren’t web-enabled? In an effort towards a more inclusive IoT, one South Korean startup has developed a product capable of making ordinary things smart.

Meet Microbot Push, a wireless robotic finger that can literally push analog buttons, just like a human finger does. It’s the latest suite of devices by Naran, a company that aims to “break barriers by technology innovations.” You’re probably wondering, if it performs such a simple task, what makes this button-pushing unit so innovative?

The novelty behind Microbot Push is its technology — Prota, which is Naran’s hardware and software ecosystem that brings users’ home to life. With Prota, Microbot Push works similar to IFTTT, where you can apply a set of instructions on the mobile app, and Microbot will automate buttons and switches whenever it fulfills your set of conditions.

For instance, you want coffee to be made as soon as you wake up. You can set a time for the Microbot to turn your coffee maker on. Now you can connect your ordinary appliances to the Internet, and it doesn’t require much brain power to set up. You simply adhere and adjust the Microbot to where you need a button or switch pushed, and then you can control it from your smartphone or computer. These robotic fingers can be activated from its accompanying app, or automated from the Prota system platform. It also allows for manual activation through Microbot’s capacitive touch button, so you can always push it yourself whenever it’s within reach.

Microbot Push measures at 2.46″ x 1.06″ x  1.25″, a compact size that can fit on pretty much any appliance. Aside from that, it boasts Bluetooth Low Energy connectivity, a max torque of 1.6kgf, and a battery that can last for about six months until it has to be recharged via microUSB.

Are you looking for a simple way to make ‘dumb’ things smart? Microbot Push may be the solution. Naran is currently seeking $50,000 on Indiegogo, with delivery slated for April 2016.

This dress can sense its surrounding environment

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Talk about a fashion sense! This smart dress measures the aggressiveness of the environment to analyze how it affects the mood and behavior of individuals.

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According to co-creator Marìa Castellanos’ website, her custom dress is “equipped with sensors to analyze questions such as variations in noise, temperature, atmospheric pressure, ultraviolet radiation or the amount of carbon monoxide present in our daily life. All this information will be transferred, via Bluetooth or open Wi-Fi networks, to a mobile phone connected to the Internet and it will generate a big database set up with the geolocated references collected.”

This may see like a lofty goal for Castellanos and fellow co-creator Alberto Valverde, but a very good prototype has already been made as seen in the video below featuring model Irene Arroyo in this futuristic (Matrix-esque even) ensemble. Giving this project further credence, the dress was the winning project for Next Things 2015 – Conducta, a Spainish art and technology challenge.

To accomplish environmental monitoring, sensor modules with 3D-printed housings take environmental data and displays this in other modules via an Arduino Yún (ATmega32U4). Interestingly, some of these modules use LED lights to interact with humans, while others use a servo to spin a dial in a clock-like display.

Intrigued? You can head over to the project’s page more information to learn more. The site is in Spanish, so depending on your linguistics skills, you may have to dust off your high school Español or use Google Translate to do the heavy lifting for you!

[h/t Adafruit]

Turning drones into a hologram you can physically touch

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Queens University researchers developing a real-life AR system that will enable users to physically interact with data through different types of drones.

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Get ready to file this recent project from researchers at Queen’s University’s Human Media Lab under the “What the…” category. That’s because the team is developing a human-computer interface that employs a swarm of tiny drones as flying pixels in an immersive 3D display. The hope is that BitDrones one day can revolutionize the way people interact with virtual reality. These itsy bitsy flying apparatuses will enable users to explore virtual 3D information by engaging with physical self-levitating building blocks. In other words, they’re turning drones into holograms that people can actually touch.

According to Queen’s professor Roel Vertegaal and his team, BitDrones will be the first step towards creating interactive self-levitating programmable matter — materials capable of changing their 3D shape in a programmable fashion — using swarms of nano quadcopters. The work highlights many possible applications for the new technology, including real-reality 3D modeling, gaming, molecular modeling, medical imaging, robotics and online information visualization.

“BitDrones brings flying programmable matter, such as featured in the futuristic Disney movie Big Hero 6, closer to reality. It is a first step towards allowing people to interact with virtual 3D objects as real physical objects,” Dr. Vertegaal explains.

The team has already built three types of BitDrones: First, PixelDrones are equipped with one LED and a small dot matrix display. Next, ShapeDrones are augmented with a lightweight mesh and a 3D-printed geometric frame and serve as building blocks for complex 3D models. Meanwhile, DisplayDrones are fitted with a curved flexible high resolution touchscreen, a forward-facing video camera and Android smartphone board. All three models have reflective markers, which allow them to be individually tracked and positioned in real-time via motion capture technology. The system can detect a user’s hand motion and touch, which lets them manipulate the pixels in midair as if they were standing inside a 3D display.

But that’s not all — it gets even cooler. Since the program that commands the drones knows where each drone is, it can tell when someone has moved the tiny drone around in space. So what can the technology be used for, you ask? Thus far, the team has been able to demonstrate using the system to browse through files by simply swiping drones left and right to show their contents. The operator of the drone was able to open an architectural drawing, and the ShapeDrones then formed the basic positioning of the building in 3D. From there, users can drag drones to adjust the orientation of the building, and even modify parameters of the ShapeDrone using the touchscreen.

Aside from that, the BitDrone platform can be used for telepresence by letting remote users move around locally through a DisplayDrone with Skype. In this scenario, the DisplayDrone can automatically track and replicate all of the remote user’s head movements, giving a remote person the ability to virtually inspect a location and make it easier for the local user to understand the other individual’s actions.

While the platform currently only supports a dozen of comparatively large 2.5” – 5” sized drones, the team at the Human Media Lab is working hard to scale BitDrones so that it could thousands of other ‘copters. These future flying machines would measure no more than a half inch in size, and provide users the opportunity to render more high-res, programmable holograms. More importantly, it opens the doors to countess new interactions. Until then, you can check out the project on its official page, or see it all in action below!

Pixelio is a 3D scanning turntable for your phone

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Goodbye, shaky hand effect! Pixelio lets you create high-quality 3D scans and 360-degree photos with nothing more than your phone. 

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Having noticed a void in the market for a high quality yet affordable 3D scanning device, Smart 3D set out to fill this gap. In doing so, the UK-based startup created Pixelio — a simple, clever and user-friendly scanner that only requires a smartphone or GoPro to function. How great is that?

With hopes of introducing users to a whole new dimension in 3D photography, the system is built around a turntable, an accompanying app and a mobile device’s camera that enables you to shoot 360-degre images and time-lapse videos. Given is compact and super portable size, Pixelio lets you bring a mini 3D scanning lab and photo studio wherever you want to go.

Smart3D suggests that Pixelio is a perfect solution for anyone who needs panoramic views of objects, whether that’s a Maker for his 3D printer, an architect, an engineer, a graphic designer, bloggers, real estate developers, tourists, or anyone who’s looking to sell things on sites like eBay.

Pixelio works in tandem with Autodesk 123D’s Catch software running on the smartphone. Combined with the turntable setup, users can scan any object that can fit on the platform in 3D. One of, if not, its greatest advantages is that the device will strap your smartphone into place so that you can maintain a steady shot, unlike handheld scanners where detail can be compromised due to the changing positions. According to its creators, the holder is compatible with just about any phone on the market today.

Pixelio boasts several other innovative features as well, which will provide you with a seamless experience. It has a built-in powerbank and wireless phone charging option, an adjustable rotation speed, a tripod mount, and an integrated timer that can be useful when setting shutter speeds for time-lapses. What’s more, images and videos that are captured through Pixelio can be saved to either MP4 or GIF formats, while anything scanned will be saved as a 3D file.

In terms of hardware, Pixelio is equipped with an ultra-low power nRF51822 CPU and an Atmel | SMART SAM D20 MCU core. Aside from that, the unit includes an OLED display, capacitive touch buttons, an RGB LED backlight, Bluetooth Low Energy and Wi-Fi connectivity, USB ports and a 5200mAh battery. Additionally, the startup’s patented “Virtual Finger” technology is designed to replicate the touch of a human finger as the phone moves around an object, ensuring that scans or images don’t blur. Virtual Finger is used to activate the shutter release button in applications that aren’t Bluetooth compatible or in smartphones that lack BLE support.

Ready to say goodbye the shaky hand effect? Head over to Pixelio’s Kickstarter campaign, where Smart3D is currently seeking $50,000. Delivery is slated for sometime next spring.

New TomTom Spark GPS fitness watch is powered by Atmel

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TomTom Spark GPS fitness watch features music, GPS, 24/7 tracking, extended battery life and robust capacitive touch buttons.

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A few weeks ago, TomTom unveiled its brand-spanking new Spark GPS fitness watch lineup at IFA 2015. Most notably, one of the company’s biggest pushes with their latest lineup is music, boasting 3GB of memory (enough for 500 or so songs) which allows wearers to store their favorite workout tunes and play them on a pair of Bluetooth headsets.

Not only that, the Spark features a completely redesigned look and feel for ultra sleekness and optimal comfort, in comparison to previous devices. The watch offers a larger and enhanced screen, as well as a variety of colors and strap options.

Putting the music aside, the Spark does just about everything else you’d expect an all-day monitor to do. It counts your steps, tallies calories burned and even captures activities in various modes — whether that’s riding a bike, running the treadmill, jogging a long distance or simply doing some bench presses at the gym. But unlike every other wrist-adorned unit, this one actually even shows you totals towards a weekly progress level.

The Spark family ranges from a simple barebones GPS and sleep/activity-tracking model to one with all the bells and whistles. Additionally, the top-tier watch is even equipped with a heart rate sensor that rivals the likes of other big names in the market. And it should go without saying, each of the wearables include 24/7 GPS tracking.

Inside is where the magic happens, though. The TomTom Spark GPS fitness watch is powered by an Atmel | SMART ARM Cortex-M7-based MCU along with the mighty tinyAVR44A. Plus, the recently-revealed gadget employs Atmel’s QTouch library software to control the sleek touch interface in the 8-bit MCU. The combination of these ultra-low-power processors extends the battery life of the wearable to up to 10 hours in GPS mode.

“We are thrilled that TomTom has selected our ultra-low-power ARM- and AVR-based MCUs to power the main processing unit and touch interface,” says Alfredo Vadillo, Atmel Vice President of ARM-based MCUs. “We look forward to supporting this project and to collaborating on future designs.”

Intrigued? Not only should you head over to TomTom Spark’s official page to learn more, you may want to check out this exhaustive review from DC Rainmaker as well.

Hoko is a portable baby comfort monitor

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Hoko is a real-time baby comfort monitor that makes it easier to enjoy outdoor adventures with the whole family.

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Being a parent is tough. Making matters even tougher is having to try and decipher how your baby is feeling. And for a vast majority of us who must endure wintry climates, getting young children dressed up for outdoor activities can be quite the task. You’re constantly wondering: Are my little ones comfortable? Are they too warm? Perhaps too cold? This was a challenge that one Montreal startup was determined to solve, helping moms and dads across the world alleviate their stress. Their solution? Hoko.

Hoko is a cute real-time monitor that looks to put an end to the guessing game and bestow a special power unto all parents, one in which gives them a clear glimpse into the mind of infants. Designed particularly for the outdoors, the friendly-looking device is embedded with sensors that measure temperature and humidity levels as they’re felt in a child’s clothing. An ATmega328P at its core analyzes any fluctuations and relays a signal. This data is then communicated to the Hoko interface, which in turn blinks various colors depending on their comfort level, enabling parents to intervene if necessary.

For instance, red represents heat, yellow indicates a rise in humidity, blue signifies a drop in temperature, green means the battery is running low, and white denotes all is well. (White is what every parent wants!) If your kid is happy, you are happy.

How Hoko works is pretty straightforward. Install the small unit into a youngster’s outfit. Hit a switch to activate the monitor. Receive temperature-related discomfort alerts through illuminated colors. It’s as simple as that. And rightfully so, considering all of the stress and frequent uncertainty that parents must endure, Hoko will take care of one piece of the puzzle.

According to its creators and outdoor enthusiasts, Didier Lortie and Nicolas Plourde, the idea for the device was actually conceived to make life easier for themselves. When Lortie had learned that he was becoming a dad, the duo decided that they had to come with a way to keep up with their exciting open-air activities.

“Adventurers at heart, fathers and friends to many new parents, we’re willing to bet that it’s entirely possible to plan outdoor activities with a child without having to compromise your little one’s health or shorten your day,” they explain.

So whether you’re a new father who doesn’t want to sacrifice your love for outdoor adventures or just a mother looking for a something to help ensure that your baby is comfortable, Hoko may be the answer! Intrigued? Head over to its Kickstarter campaign, where Lortie and Plourde are currently seeking $45,571. Delivery is slated for February 2016.

Drop a sick beat with these Arduino-powered gloves

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Instead of having a synth that was controlled by potentiometers, sliders, antennas or ribbons, one Maker has developed a pair of gloves that lets him make sounds by just moving his hands. 

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If you think about projects Adafruit’s MIDI glove and DrumPants, it’s looking an awful lot like wearable tech and music may be the next big-time duet. Take Sebastian Thinggard Rostved, for example. The Maker has created a nifty hand-worn synthesizer as part of a recent interactive design course at Sonic College in Denmark.

The project, which he calls Acid Gloves, consists of two gloves fitted with a pair of bend sensors, an accelerometer and a force resisting sensor, each of which are hooked up to an Arduino that sends data to MaxMSP for the audio effects. Meanwhile, the Max-patch is controlled by a Max for Live plugin.

“The two bend sensors control the filter cutoff and the amount of filter envelope. The force sensitive resistor controls the amount of filter and amp envelope and the accelerometer controls the filter resonance, overdrive and bitcrush,” the Maker explains. “This part is really hard to control, both physically and programming wise. The physical part is to master your control of your hand. The programming was also really hard and i had to make a lot of filtering of the data, to make it work.”

The idea for Acid Gloves came about after Rostved decided that he wanted a synthesizer instrument that wasn’t driven by potentiometers, sliders, antennas or ribbons like a majority of mixers. And after all, what’s more intuitive than using his own hands? You can watch the wearable device in action below as he orchestrates a variety of beats in a seemingly natural way by simply moving his arms and fingers.

The music-savvy Maker says that he is thinking about turning the gloves into a MIDI controller in the near future, so that he can control his hardware synths. What’s more, he has also obtained a few more sensors to improve the overall design of the project and expand upon its capabilities.

“Although Sebastian looks pretty subdued here operating his tunes, you can see there is the potential to program larger gestures with the accelerometer and really turn this into an interactive show. There is also room for adding some capacitive sensing fabric buttons on the glove, as well as more flex sensors. This could trigger more effects or music samples. On the visual end, it may be fun to add a few LEDs to the fingertips to draw attention to the motions as well,” our friends (and the original spotters of this neat project) at Adafruit explain.

Intrigued? Head over to the Acid Gloves’ page here.