Internet of Things: A Simple Concept – Numerous Challenges

From a VDI/VDE-Innovation + Technik GmbH Announcement (via Alpha Galileo)

Connecting everyday objects to the internet can be reality soon. The partners of the European FP7 Research Project IoT-A (Internet of Things – Architecture) create an architecture reference model allowing all objects to connect to the Internet, regardless of the wireless technology and eliminating interoperability challenges. The expected benefits are extensive and may result in energy savings, improved healthcare, a reduction of traffic and safer supply chains.

“In our vision, IoT-A will expand the boundaries of today’s internet to encompass the physical world and enable identification, information gathering and understanding”, said Dr. Thorsten Kramp, computer scientist at IBM Research – Zurich. “Three years from now, the foundation will be laid for any object having a sensor to connect to the Internet securely and easily.”

To demonstrate the technology for an open, unified Internet of Things architecture two viable scenarios are used:

• At the in-house hospital of the University of Rome, Italy and at Telefonica’s Living Lab in Granada, Spain, scientists monitor and process patients’ vitals.  The data is sent to local hospitals and checked for major physiological changes. Medical assistance will be alerted if deviations are analysed and a course of action becomes necessary.

• To improve customer retention at retailers, the IoT-A project includes research activities to let  consumers enjoy a more personalized shopping experience. The Future Retail Center in Regensdorf, a SAP Research Living Lab, offers scientists the possibility to create such an advanced individual experience based on shopping recommendations on smart phones. By connecting the smart phone to wireless sensors attached to products throughout the Future Retail Center store, products are recommended according to the consumer’s preferences, shopping history and a certain price range. The shopping list on the smart phone makes consumers’ navigation through the store more efficient. Product details are also available such as ingredients, nutrition facts ,carbon footprint details, or the production site.

Read the Remainder of the Announcement Listing Challenges

Direct to Internet of Things-Architecture

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