There was quite a few happenings this week within the world of the internet of things (IoT), particularly on the hardware side of things.
Over in MIT, researchers have managed to create a chip specifically for IoT that uses a new method of power conversion that could drastically improve a device’s ability to remain efficient by as much as 50pc.
“This work pushes the boundaries of the state of the art in low-power DC-DC converters,” said Yogesh Ramadass, director of power management research at Texas Instruments’ Kilby Labs who was involved in the project.
Meanwhile, Wexford company Taoglas revealed it had created a new kind of antenna that makes deploying 5G seem just like building Lego blocks.
Those working within the field of IoT and who might be looking for a new opportunity should be aware of the opening of a new office by London-based ArtofUS that is developing a human operating system for the IoT market.
The company has plans to create 18 R&D jobs in Dublin, citing Ireland’s advanced postdoctoral research by Irish universities as a reason for establishing a base here.
Suspect arrested in Mirai botnet attack
Those within the infosec community will be all too familiar with the fallout following the Mirai botnet attack towards the end of last year that is now known as the largest-scale DDoS attack ever orchestrated.
Using the Mirai malware, thousands of devices became unwilling participants in various attacks bringing down services like Twitter and Reddit.
This week however, Motherboard reported that a 29-year-old British man was arrested before boarding a flight in London that the country’s police force was the man behind the attacks.
The arrest was the first to be linked to the attack with the man arrested believed to be the criminal hacker that goes under the name BestBuy.
If not coincidentally, the online chat account of BestBuy has been offline for some time, as well as another hacker called Poporet who BestBuy had claimed to working with on a previous hack attempt against Deutsche Telekom.
Sigfox launches world’s lowest cost IoT GPS-free geolocation service
Sigfox has established itself as one of the largest providers of IoT networks in the world with news last summer that it was to spread its reach across 100 US cities.
Now the company has revealed a new ‘GPS-free’ IoT geolocation service called Spot’it allowing it to work both indoors and outdoors.
Sigfox said Spot’it does not require any additional hardware, software or energy, making it the simplest and lowest cost IoT location service on the market.
Commenting, Laetitia Jay, chief marketing officer of Sigfox said: “From fraud detection to new insurance and geo-marketing business models, the possibilities are endless.”
Former FCC chairperson Tom Wheeler joins IoT board
Those familiar with the legal wrangling over net neutrality in the US will be familiar with the name Tom Wheeler who until recently was the chairperson of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).
Now he has joined the board of Actility, a major player in low-power wide area large-scale networks for IoT to facilitate expansion into ‘Web 3.0’.
“IoT is a key manifestation of Web 3.0,” Wheeler said in a statement, “but we need to think bigger than some of our current IoT examples. Web 3.0 is about connecting intelligence in all forms – data, ideas, apps, and ultimately people.”
Since leaving the Obama administration, Wheeler has spoken of his concern for IoT under the presidency of Donald Trump.
Ericsson and Intel launch 5G Innovators Initiative
Intel and Ericsson have announced a new initiative in partnership with Honeywell, GE and the University of California Berkeley to speed up development of industrial IoT (IIoT) technology.
The 5G Innovators Initiative (5GII) will join major equipment manufacturers, tech companies, industry leaders and major universities to explore, test, innovate and accelerate 5G network and infrastructure innovation in the US.
5GII will first focus on IIOT and develop pilots for application of technologies including augmented and virtual reality for first responder drone surveillance of hazardous environments and other uses.
As other participants join, the pilots are expected to expand to other industries where 5G will enable societal improvements, such as autonomous driving, smart and connected cities, healthcare and media.
“5G is not simply about making smart phones faster,” said Ericsson’s chief strategy and technology officer, Ulf Ewaldsson.
“It’s about the machines and things that will deliver an entirely new smart and connected future. Building our 5G future requires a new approach to industry collaboration and development.”
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