Tag Archives: IoT

Flare is a smart home security system that can make smart decisions

With Flare, you can forget about alarm codes, maintenance contracts or difficult installation.

As futuristic as a number of smart home devices may be, the market has generally lacked an all-in-one solution that was not only simple to use but just as easy to afford. That is an issue that Berlin-based startup BuddyGuard is hoping to solve with its comprehensive, self-managing security system.

What a user will notice is that unlike other units available today, Flare uses artificial intelligence to protect one’s living quarters. Designed with simplicity in mind, the mini UFO-like gadget provides users with unprecedented freedom as they will never have to constantly check their smartphone for alerts again.

BuddyGuard’s latest product packs a 1080p camera, a microphone, a speaker and a siren. Not only is it both Wi-Fi and Bluetooth Low Energy-enabled, it even has a 3G cellular module for uninterrupted access should the Internet go down. Beyond that, users can power Flare through a wall outlet or a rechargeable lithium-ion batteries in te event of an outage. Each unit is also equipped with a temperature sensor to detect a change in an environment as well as an acceleromter to sense any tampering.

Flare activates whenever a resident leaves their home or apartment, and by combining its embedded technologies, can remain cognizant of what’s going on in and around a home at all times. What’s more, it will take action automatically should there be any suspicious activities by notifying the authorities. This includes giving off the impression that someone is home by emitting typical household sounds through its loudspeaker to drive away burglars away.

Impressively, Flare can decipher between a homeowner and an intruder, and will instantaneously turn off its camera and microphone if it recognizes their face, and reactivate itself if it spots an unfamiliar face not found in the cloud database. It’s also supposed to respond to voice commands, so a user should be able to tell it that they’ll be away on vacation for a week and it will know to remain vigilant the entire time. In other words, no more dealing with codes!

BuddyGuard’s innovation allows users to update a trusted contacts list as well, by adding or deleting friends, family, neighbors and others. This way, if a house sitter swings by, Flare will be able to authenticate them as a welcome visitor, and then revert back to standby mode. Aside from voice and facial recognition, it employs the geolocation of its owner’s smartphone to deactivate and cover the camera just as they arrive home. Good news for those with their hands full of groceries!

Given it’s DIY disposition, BuddyGuard design the system to be super simple to setup (in less than 10 minutes) with minimal effort required. The device is equipped with a magnetic base, which will affix to just about any surface with some adhesive tape. Not to mention, users can extend the system’s functionalities through IFTTT. Meaning, Flare can communicate with other apps and connected appliances to create simple action-reaction recipes.

Like a majority of smart home security units, all of Flare’s functions can be controlled from any iOS, Android or Windows phone. What’s more, the app provides real-time information about what’s going on at home. With its sleek design and compact size (only 1″ x 4”), BuddyGuard’s latest take on home security will be a welcomed addition to any abode.

Sound like something you’d want to safeguard your home? BuddyGuard has just about wrapped up its Kickstarter campaign, where the team successfully garnered over $170,000. Shipment is expected to begin in December 2015.

SmartCap tracks your liquid consumption and reminds you when to take a sip

Denmark becomes the fifth full-country supporter of SIGFOX’s IoT network

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SIGFOX and IoT Denmark have unveiled plans to roll out the low-cost IoT network in the Scandinavian country.

SIGFOX, a French company that has developed a network tailored for electronic sensors and a host of other smart devices, has announced plans for its network to arrive in Denmark next year. Through a partnership with Copenhagen-based startup IoT Denmark, the Scandinavian nation will join France, Spain, Portugal and the Netherlands to become the fifth full-country supporter of the network, which is also available throughout a number of cities in the U.S., Germany, UK, Italy, Poland, Ireland, Chile and Colombia. These include San Francisco, Mumbai, Santiago, Medellin, Milan, Warsaw, Dublin and 10 British metropolises.

Unlike systems that are still in the development stage, SIGFOX’s Ultra Narrow Band (UNB) technology for connecting devices is already providing scalable, long-range, two-way communication and very high capacity. IoT Denmark will bring partial Danish support for the network this summer with complete coverage expected by May 2016.

Through its SIGFOX Ready program, the startup ensures that compatible devices have optimal radio performance and are promoted in the global SIGFOX Ready solution catalog. Moreover, the company has partnered with Atmel, among a number of other chipmakers to give IoT users a wide selection of transceivers, systems-on-chips (SoCs) and modules for connecting their devices with its network. No other system offers this truly open approach. In fact, Atmel’s ATA8520 transmitter IC became the first certified system-on-chip (SoC) solution after achieving the SIGFOX Ready stamp of approval back in November 2014.

Earlier this year, the French startup had raised $115 million from various industrial, telecommunications and satellite companies and has lined up a long list of partners who will employ its network for a spectrum of solutions, from deterring auto thefts and managing parking spaces to tracking medical patients and monitoring water consumption.

As a SIGFOX network operator, IoT Denmark will manage deployment of the network, work with Danish entrepreneurs and engineers to grow the IoT ecosystem and spur new innovation, and provide cost-effective connectivity subscriptions to customers.

“Demand for SIGFOX’s low-cost, energy-efficient connectivity and its unmatched data capacity and reliability is very strong in Denmark, and we are in discussions with several future partners who are eager to begin using the network,” explained Daniel Bachman, CEO and founding partner of IoT Denmark. “We compared a variety of IoT network solutions, and determined that SIGFOX is the only one that is truly open to device manufacturers, and that can reliably handle the very large number of devices that will be connected across Denmark.”

Pet Tutor Blu is a universal smart training and game system for dogs

Casa Jasmina opens its (smart) doors

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Located in Torino, Casa Jasmina is a first of its kind smart apartment.

Several months after its announcement at Maker Faire Rome, the (presumably smart) doors of Casa Jasmina have officially been opened. A collaborative effort between Massimo Banzi and futurist Bruce Sterling, along with some support from Arduino, the smart apartment is a first of its kind in combining Italian contemporary interior and furniture design with an array of open source electronics, many of which built around Atmel microcontrollers.

Unlike other so-called “homes of the future,” this Arduino-powered space — which takes its name from Sterling’s wife Jasmina Tešanović — will be more than a livable showcase. In fact, it will serve as a hybridized IoT research lab as it monitors its inhabitants’ responses to the ambient elements inside and will soon become a publicly available, short-term rental property on Airbnb.

The June 6th opening of Casa Jasmina coincided with the second annual Torino Mini Maker Faire, featuring a number of public areas, discussions, appearances, and impressively, an exhibit area with over 50 Maker projects. Among those on display included Jesse Howard, Aker, Opendesk, and Open Structure. Aside from the initial batch of IoT creations, the abode boasted several electrical products from the Energy@Home consortium, Internet of Things artwork from the Torino Share Festival, and the first wave of prototypes from Casa Jasmina’s ‘Call for Projects.’

Among the ambient objects found throughout the living quarters are a wireless lamp designed out of Tetra Pak packaging, an LED lamp made from a milk carton and an Arduino Leonardo (ATmega32U4)-driven piece of artwork that emits different patterns of colored lights in response to fluctuations in background radioactivity.

With several industry heavyweights and dedicated communities surrounding the project, Casa Jasmina will certainly continue to attract some interesting innovations, guests and intelligent things to populate the apartment. Looking ahead, it will even play home to various residencies, talks and workshops.

Italy couldn’t have been a better home to the world’s first connected, open source apartment. According to a new report, the European nation’s Internet of Things market is expected to reach €1.55 billion ($1.75B) this year, with smart home products leading the way. Not only did one in four respondents already admit to having an intelligent object in their house, nearly half (46%) say they are willing to purchase an Internet-enabled gadget or service in the near future.

“Most Maker objects today have been for the laboratory, or they have been for the university, or they have been for design school. They haven’t really been made for a domestic purpose. They aren’t for family, they aren’t for young children, they’re not for the elderly, for the cat, for the dog, for the houseplant. They are mostly there for the geek who is buying the hardware and is in command of the user base. I think its time for the Maker scene to expand out of its limits and try to talk to a wider demographic,” Sterling revealed in a recent interview.

Casa Jasmina welcomed its first guests on June 6, 2015 and will run for two years. Want to follow along with the initiative’s progress? Head over to its official page here.

Peeple is like a caller ID for your front door

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Peeple sends you mobile notifications when someone knocks or opens the door.

Hundreds of years ago, a breakthrough in door design enabled people to see who was at their front step without the risk and inconvenience of actually opening the wooden portal. When someone wanted to look out, they simply glanced through the tiny door to take a peek. (Think Wizard of Oz.) Fast forward several years, that hole not only shrunk down in size but became outfitted with a fisheye lens to allow for a one-way, wider field of view of visitors. This innovation, which is commonly known as a “peephole,” first debuted in an issue of Popular Science in the 1950s and would remain unchanged for decades.

With countless connected doorbells and locks already on the market, it was only a matter of time before someone devised the idea of a smart peephole. Created by Austin-based entrepreneurs and graduates of the Highway1 accelerator, Peeple is a disc-shaped gadget that attaches to the inside of one’s door, captures a live video and sends it to an owner’s smartphone whenever someone knocks. This way, whether a user is home or away, they can easily monitor visitors coming and going.

The system consists of a circular box housing a camera, an accelerometer, a battery and a wireless chipset that mounts to an existing peephole or affixes to the glass paneling of a door. Peeple works by connecting to an in-home Wi-Fi network and then transmitting a mobile notification whenever someone approaches the door. An embedded sensor detects vibrations from a visitor’s knuckles, which triggers the device to record a live feed and wirelessly relay those images and its timestamp to Peeple’s servers. From there, a user receives a push notification on their smartphone via its accompanying app (available in both iOS and Android).

What’s more, Peeple is activated if the door opens. This means users will be alerted if an uninvited guest has entered their home, a child or an elderly family member has let themselves out, or if an intruder has broken in. There is also a history of all knocks and openings.

For those who have ever wondered how many people come by when they’re not home, now they’ll know. Whether it’s securing the premises, keeping tabs on housecleaners or tracking UPS deliveries, this modern-day solution gives users the ability to screen their doors in the way that they screen their incoming calls with caller ID. Not to mention, since it only wakes up when someone is knocking, Peeple has a battery life of up to six months on a single charge.

Looking for an IoT savvy accessory for your front door? Take a peek at Peeple’s Kickstarter page, where the team is currently seeking $50,000. Shipment is expected to begin in May 2016.

StoryHome is a connected storytelling device

These smart potholes tweet complaints directly to city officials

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Potholes in Panama City are sending tweets to city workers every time they are run over.

Did you know pothole damage can cost motorists in the U.S. alone nearly $6.4 billion annually? At one point or another, you’ve probably learned the hard way that hitting a crater in the road not only could damage your tires, but wheels, shocks and struts as well. And making matters worse, those repairs can be expensive. According to AAA, these can range from $50 for a simple realignment to thousands for replacing a tricked-out rim. Over the lifespan of a car, insurance agents claim that a driver can shell out upwards of $2,000 due to damage from poor road conditions.

And it’s safe to assume that when driving over a pothole, it’s fairly common for someone to let out their anger with those inside, and sometimes outside, the car. In Panama City, people aren’t the only ones complaining. In fact, the potholes themselves are as well — and taking their strife to Twitter.

The aptly named Tweeting Pothole is a recent initiative launched by one of the city’s popular TV stations Telemetro Reporta in collaboration with ad agency P4 Ogilvy & Mather to raise more awareness around the poorly maintained streets.

The project is comprised of two parts: a durable, hockey puck-like device equipped with motion and pressure sensors that is placed inside a pothole and a small RF transmitter that is located somewhere nearby. When a vehicle goes over the pothole, it triggers the sensor to relay a signal to the wireless module, which in turn, automatically sends out a disgruntled message to the Twitter account of the Ministry of Public Works requesting repair.

Telemetro Reporta had put the devices into a number of potholes throughout some of the city’s busiest roads. And to no surprise, the municipality’s Twitter feed was immediately inundated with a flood of automated tweets. Since then, the @ElHuecoTwitero account has already garnered over 3,500 followers and has received mainstream media attention. It appears that after this stunt, many potholes have already begun to vanish. In other words, it seems to be working!

Pretty smart idea, right?

Report: Shipments of wearable devices triple as prices get lower

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The wearable market recorded its eighth straight quarter of solid growth, according to a new report by IDC.

Even in the months leading up to the highly-anticipated release of the Apple Watch, the wearable space continued to show strong growth, IDC has confirmed. In its latest report, the research firm revealed that the worldwide market recorded its eighth consecutive quarter of steady maturation in the first quarter of 2015. During this three-month period, vendors shipped a total of 11.4 million devices — a 200% jump from the 3.8 million wearables shipped that time last year.

“Bucking the post-holiday decline normally associated with the first quarter is a strong sign for the wearables market,” IDC research manager Ramon Llamas said in the report. “It demonstrates growing end-user interest and the vendors’ ability to deliver a diversity of devices and experiences. In addition, demand from emerging markets is on the rise and vendors are eager to meet these new opportunities.”

The top five wearable vendors over the timespan included Fitbit, Xiaomi, Garmin, Samsung and Jawbone, in that order, each of whom have been able to collectively grow their dominance from two-thirds of the market in Q1 2014 to three-quarters Q1 2015. Fitbit’s extensive lineup of bands, such as the Charge, Surge and older Flex models, led the way by capturing just over a third (34.2%) of the space. Not far behind, Xiaomi made up about a quarter (24.6%), driven by the tremendous popularity of its Mi Band, primarily from China.

Meanwhile, Garmin’s health and fitness-focused devices, Samsung’s Gear smartwatches and Jawbone’s UP MOVE and continued demand of UP24 round out the list at 6.1%, 5.3% and 4.4%, respectively. Now with the Apple Watch in the equation, however, IDC expects that the wearables landscape will experience a seismic shift, one in which will “force the competition to up their game in order to stay on the leading edge of the market.”

Without question, helping to spur widespread adoption has been price erosion. As seen with many young forms of technology, gizmos and gadgets become much more affordable over time. In the case of wearables, more than 40% of devices are now priced under $100.

“Despite this price erosion, Apple’s entrance with a product priced at the high end of the spectrum will test consumers’ willingness to pay a premium for a brand or product that is the center of attention,” explained IDC research analyst Jitesh Ubrani.

Want to learn more? Download the entire report here.

Report: Internet of Things market to triple to $1.7 trillion by 2020

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According to IDC, the Internet of Things market will grow from $655.8 billion in 2014 to $1.7 trillion in 2020.

The global Internet of Things market is expected to grow to $1.7 trillion in 2020, up from $655.8 billion in 2014, as more devices become connected and a bevy of vendors and enterprises begin to embrace the opportunities. According to the latest report from International Data Corporation (IDC), the market will rise at a CAGR of 16.9%.

The research firm projects that smart devices, connectivity and IT services will make up the majority of the IoT over the next five years. Together, they are estimated to account for over two-thirds of the worldwide IoT market in 2020 with modules and sensors alone representing 31.8% of the total.

By 2020, IDC anticipates that IoT purpose-built platforms, application software and “as a service” offerings will represent a much larger percentage of revenue as the market matures. IDC also goes on to note that the number of IoT endpoints will increase from 10.3 million last year to more than 29.5 million in 2020.

“While wearable devices are the consumer face of the Internet of Things, and where recognition of IoT appears to begin, the real opportunity remains in the enterprise and public sector markets,” explains Vernon Turner, SVP and IoT research fellow at IDC. “The ripple effect of IoT is driving traditional business models from IT-enabled business processes to IT-enabled services and finally to IT-enabled products, which is beginning to disrupt the IT status quo.”

The Asia Pacific region captured 58.3% of the revenue from IoT in 2014 and is forecasted to shrink slightly to 51.2% in 2020. IDC reveals that, in China, the combination of a growing population using mobile devices and a push to improve manufacturing efficiency could potentially drive an increase in new gadgets and IoT standards. Meanwhile, North America is expected to maintain revenue share of just more than a quarter (26%) over the five-year period, while Western Europe is projected to jump from 12% to 19.5%.

Want to learn more? Download the entire report entitled “Worldwide Internet of Things Forecast 2015–2020“ here.

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