The growth of the number of network connected devices in recent years has led to the paradigm of the Internet of Things, which promises applications ranging from remote sensing and monitoring to automation. Data collected through various network connected sensors has the potential for a wide range of benefits for society. In this thematic session we brought together experts from academia and industry who research and develop components and products that fit this scenario.
The first presentation, given by M.Sc. Torstein Dybdahl, TD Research AS, opened our eyes to the problem of declining worldwide bee populations. We learned just how dependent industrial agriculture is on pollinating insects like bees for reliable production. Can IoT and Big Data analysis find a solution to the global decline in bees?
Prof. Yuming Jiang, NTNU, presented the challenges in developing low-power wireless sensor networks optimised for transmission power, throughput (goodput), and intermittent communications. Efficiency of communication is arguably the most important factor when developing IoT devices, and power supply constraints must be given careful consideration.
Next we heard from Ph.D. Frank Alexander Kraemer of Bitreactive through his presentation on easing the development of IoT gateways using modular building blocks, called Reactive Blocks, used to encapsulate protocols, hardware access, and application patterns leading to increased reuse, enabling automatic code generation and automated model checking.
Prof. Jim Tørresen from the University of Oslo brought us up to speed with his group’s research into robotics in IoT. The IoT is not only concerned with static devices but can include robotic systems that can roll, walk, swim and fly, and, finally, can turn digital information into physical actions. We saw how this opens up for a range of new applications as well as possible practical and ethical implications (e.g., privacy and security) when becoming a part of our society.
The talk by M.Sc. Alf Syvertsen of Silicon Labs clearly highlighted the three major important factors in IoT development: energy efficiency, connectivity, and integration. We learned the four important players in wireless connectivity of IoT devices: WiFi, Bluetooth, Zigbee and Thread. Each with its own advantages, an IoT designer must carefully consider requirements in the application domain in choosing the most appropriate connectivity protocol.
Finally, M.Sc. Jo Uthus of ATMEL Norway spoke on the importance of making various development tools and software building blocks readily available to system integration, power consumption, data acquisition, connectivity and security engineers to streamline IoT development.