Juniper Research forecasts a substantial growth of 182% in the number of smart parking spaces within cities; from 5.8 million in 2024.

Importance of dynamic pricing

The report urges city municipalities to seriously consider investing in and implementing smart parking initiatives within highly congested cities. The advantages surrounding dynamic pricing in smart parking can not only be used to strategically increase revenue but also ease ongoing congestion issues. This is achieved by lowering prices in less congested parking areas; making them more attractive to drivers.

“With more data than ever available and the low latency that 5G provides, parking solutions have become highly responsive,” says Cara Malone. “In cities where on-street parking is a major issue, dynamic signage can be deployed to utilise available parking more efficiently at quieter times; significantly reducing congestion.”

Optimise transit routes using data analytics

Juniper Research recommends smart parking vendors offer data analytics services to municipalities and governments as a priority. This data is critical to analysing parking and occupancy patterns, which can be used to optimise transit routes and development; helping shift citizens to public transport and providing significant value for cities.

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The latest Nozomi Networks Labs OT & IoT Security Report revealed that “network scans” topped the list of network anomalies and attack alerts, followed closely by “TCP flood” attacks which involve sending large amounts of traffic to systems aiming to cause damage by bringing those systems down or making them inaccessible.

“TCP flood” and “anomalous packets” alert types exhibited significant increases in both total alerts and averages per customer in the last six months, increasing more than 2x and 6x respectively. 

"These trends should serve as a warning that attackers are adopting more sophisticated methods to directly target critical infrastructure, and could be indicative of rising global hostilities,” said Chris Grove, director of cybersecurity strategy at Nozomi Networks.

He posited that the significant uptick in anomalies could mean that the threat actors are getting past the first line of defence while penetrating deeper than many would have initially believed, which would require a high level of sophistication. “The defenders have gotten better at protecting against the basics, but these alerts tell us that the attackers are quickly evolving to bypass them,” he added.

Alerts on access control and authorization threats jumped 123% over the previous reporting period. In this category “multiple unsuccessful logins” and “brute force attack” alerts increased 71% and 14% respectively.

This trend highlights the continued challenges in unauthorized access attempts, showing that identity and access management in OT and other challenges associated with user passwords persist.

The top critical threat activity seen in real-world environments over the last six months:

1.            Network Anomalies and Attacks – 38% of all alerts

2.            Authentication and Password Issues – 19% of all alerts

3.            Access Control and Authorization Problems – 10% of all alerts

4.            Operational Technology (OT) Specific Threats – 7% of all alerts

5.            Suspicious or Unexpected Network Behaviour – 6% of all alerts

ICS vulnerabilities

With this spike in network anomalies top of mind, Nozomi Networks Labs has detailed the industries that should be on highest alert, based on analysis of all ICS security advisories released by CISA over the past six months.

Manufacturing topped the list with the number of Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) in that sector rising to 621, an alarming 230% increase over the previous reporting period. Manufacturing, energy and water/wastewater remained the most vulnerable industries for a

third consecutive reporting period – though the total number of vulnerabilities reported in the

The energy sector dropped 46% and Water/Wastewater vulnerabilities dropped 16%. Commercial Facilities and Communications moved into the top five, replacing Food & Agriculture and Chemicals (which both dropped out of the top 10).

Healthcare & Public Health, Government Facilities, Transportation Systems and Emergency Services all made the top 10.

In the second half of 2023:

• CISA released 196 new ICS advisories covering 885 Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures (CVEs) – up 38% over the previous six-month period
• 74 vendors were impacted – up 19%
• Out-of-Bounds Read and Out-of-Bounds Write vulnerabilities remained in the top CWEs for the second consecutive reporting period – both are susceptible to several different attacks including buffer overflow attacks

Data from IoT Honeypots

Findings reveal that malicious IoT botnets remain active this year, and botnets continue to use default credentials in attempts to access IoT devices. From July through December 2023, it was revealed that:

• An average of 712 unique attacks daily (a 12% decline in the daily average compared to the previous reporting period) – the highest attack day hit 1,860 on October 6.
• Top attacker IP addresses were associated with China, the United States, South Korea, India and Brazil.
• Brute-force attempts remain a popular technique to gain system access – default credentials remain one of the main ways threat actors gain access to IoT. Remote Code Execution (RCE) also remains a popular technique – frequently used in targeted attacks, as well as in the propagation of various types of malicious software.

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“The Asia/Pacific healthcare sector is at a seminal moment, defined by a patient-centric care model combined with an ‘AI Everywhere’ approach says Manoj Vallikkat, senior research manager for Healthcare Insights at IDC Asia/Pacific.

“With the advent of GenAI and the need for consumerisation of care, the next five years are set to be the defining period for the healthcare sector, and we are currently at the starting point of this exciting journey.”

Manoj Vallikkat

AI-driven predictions for the healthcare sector

GenAI PX: By the end of 2027, driven by the demand to scale hyper-personalised patient experiences, improve collaboration, and foster equity, 60% of Asia/Pacific healthcare organisations will double GenAI investments.

AI Diagnostics: Driven by the need for improved diagnostic accuracy, speed, and workflow efficiency, care providers in Asia/Pacific will see a 60% increase in AI solution adoption by 2026.

AI Care Anywhere: By 2027, 50% of the healthcare industry in Asia/Pacific will leverage GenAI to address data and workflow fragmentation across care settings to improve diagnosis and patient safety to scale care anywhere.

Other healthcare predictions

Special attention has been given towards optimising technology investments, with a particular emphasis on enhancing operational efficiency and elevating patient outcomes.

Industry Clouds: Driven by the perceived value of purpose-built functionalities for healthcare, 40% of healthcare organisations in Asia/Pacific will adopt industry clouds by 2025.

Payvider Financing: By 2026, 45% of Asia/Pacific private health insurance companies and 75% of U.S. health systems will be "payviders" to improve risk management and address the rising cost of care.

H@H: By 2026, a doubling of hospital-at-home patients will propel a 55% growth in investments in tech-enabled integrated care initiatives to address patient safety, workforce, and care access concerns in Asia/Pacific. 

Techquity: By 2028, 60% of the healthcare industry in Asia/Pacific will prioritise tech partnerships that champion “techquity,” reducing the digital divide and recognising social determinants of health as vital influencers.

Integrated Platforms: Personalised health data platforms will support 50% of covered patients in advanced economies by 2028 while building more accurate patient journey simulations for providers and life science companies in Asia/Pacific.

Future of Hospitals: By 2029, hospital investments in sustainability and modernisation will increase by 50%, driven by the need to reduce costs, improve quality of care, and enhance organisational resiliency in Asia/Pacific.

“Equitable healthcare has always been a big headache for the healthcare sector, but the evolution of technology, such as AI, will provide viable means to reduce the gaps in digital healthcare,” says Louise Francis, head of public sector research with IDC Asia/Pacific.

She opined that the emergence of the concept of ‘techquity’ highlights how technology will provide the bridge to enabling equitable access to healthcare services over the next five years.

“Healthcare providers in the region tend to prioritise investments in data management, AI, and automation, targeting decentralised care and patient outcome, supported by enhanced clinician efficiency. In the healthcare sector, the unique risks associated with AI are significant, which necessitates a greater focus on explainability and data security,” Manoj concluded.

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However, these devices often lack proper security controls and are insufficiently tested for vulnerabilities. Sophisticated cyber adversaries increasingly attempt to exploit these devices, as evidenced by a growing number of CISA ICS advisories identifying significant threats to many life- and safety-critical devices.

The EMB3D Threat Model, a collaborative effort by MITRE, Red Balloon Security, and Narf Industries, provides a common understanding of the threats posed to embedded devices and the security mechanisms required to mitigate them.

“Together, we are committed to enhancing the cyber posture of critical infrastructure sectors that rely on Operational Technology (OT) technologies. This collaboration exemplifies the power of collective expertise and underscores MITRE's dedication to advancing the resilience and security of vital systems in today's interconnected world.”

What is EMB3D

EMB3D aligns with and expands on several existing models, including Common Weakness Enumeration, MITRE ATT&CK, and Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures, but with a specific embedded device focus.

It provides a cultivated knowledge base of cyber threats to devices, including those observed in the field environment or demonstrated through proofs-of-concept and/or theoretic research. These threats are mapped to device properties to help users develop and tailor accurate threat models for specific embedded devices.

For each threat, suggested mitigations are exclusively focused on technical mechanisms that device vendors should implement to protect against the given threat with the goal of building security into the device.

EMB3D is intended to offer a comprehensive framework for the entire security ecosystem—device vendors, manufacturers, asset owners, security researchers, and testing organisations.

“Utilities have been forced to extreme measures to secure our infrastructures because of concerns about ICS device insecurities,” says Niyo Pearson of ONEGas.

“The EMB3D model will provide a means for ICS device manufacturers to understand the evolving threat landscape and potential available mitigations earlier in the design cycle, resulting in more inherently secure devices. This will eliminate or reduce the need to ‘bolt on’ security after the fact, resulting in more secure infrastructure and reduced security costs.”

EMB3D is intended to be a living framework, where new threats and mitigations are added and updated over time as new threat actors emerge and security researchers discover new categories of vulnerabilities, threats, and security defences.

Anticipated to be released in early 2024, EMB3D will be a public community resource, where all information is openly available, and the security community can submit additions and revisions.

“We encourage device vendors, asset owners, researchers, and academia to review the threat model and share feedback, ensuring our collective efforts remain at the forefront of safeguarding our interconnected world,” said Yosry Barsoum, vice president and director, Centre for Securing the Homeland at MITRE.

“Insights, expertise, and a collaborative spirit are invaluable as we work together to strengthen the resilience of our digital infrastructure. Together, we can build a safer and more secure future.”

The post EMB3D – a threat model for critical infrastructure embedded devices appeared first on FutureIoT.

The surge in extreme weather events linked to climate change has also laid bare additional vulnerabilities in aging and strained post-war infrastructure. A greater variety of sensor and connectivity types alongside more advanced data analytics software platforms is enabling the Structural Health Monitoring (SHM) market to expand.

ABI Research says SHM sensors will reach 22.9 million connections by 2030, with a CAGR of 18% for wired retrofitted sensors and 28% for wireless retrofitted sensors.

"The greater variety of IoT sensor hardware has made it much easier for asset owners to integrate sensors into their operations, shifting away from expensive and bulky implementations to lower cost and easy-to-install solutions," says Maryam Zafar, IoT markets analyst at ABI Research.

"Vendors are increasingly investing in software and analytics platforms to extract meaningful information from large volumes of data. Enhanced software intelligence is key, offering actionable information that adds significant value and enables more efficient predictive maintenance." Maryam Zafar

Innovation is happening on two fronts in the SHM market. First, it is happening on the hardware edge with a shift to smaller data loggers and DAQs, greater edge processing capabilities, and a more extensive variety of sensors and technologies.

Second, it is happening with the software. Many companies seek an analytics platform, often compatible with other third-party sensors. Vendors also want to see how Artificial Intelligence (AI) can improve predictive capabilities and generate more value for asset owners and managers.

One of the biggest markets for SHM is the rail industry, as demand for rail transport is expected to double in the next two decades.

As demand for passenger and freight travel increases, so does the need to prevent delays. By digitizing rail infrastructure and monitoring critical areas of concern, such as rail tracks, switches, and slopes, rail operators know when failures will happen and can implement more efficient predictive maintenance strategies. Wireless sensor technology is essential here.

“The lack of awareness in this market combined with expensive technologies means that this market has hitherto seen low penetration. New technologies should change this, shifting from end-of-life maintenance to solutions designed into projects,” says Zafar.

"Technology vendors should ensure they are taking advantage of new technology opportunities and understand how they should position themselves to target the great variety of markets within the SHM ecosystem,” she concluded.

The post Predictive maintenance is the future appeared first on FutureIoT.

In the report, Cybersecurity in Medical Devices, GlobalData forecasts the market for cybersecurity in medical devices to grow at a CAGR of 12.2% between 2022 and 2027, reaching US$1.1 billion.

Persistent challenges that must be addressed

There are several cybersecurity challenges in the medical devices industry, including legacy devices and outdated software. The vulnerabilities in medical devices pose significant risks, as they can compromise patient safety, privacy, and the overall integrity of healthcare systems.

Legacy devices are older medical devices that operate on outdated software, making them hard to update and ultimately vulnerable to cyberattacks. Additionally, a key piece of cybersecurity is training healthcare professionals who are using the tools that are at risk. Healthcare professionals should be able to recognize cyber threats so that action can be taken quickly, avoiding the potential detrimental outcomes of cyberattacks.

Alexandra Murdoch, senior medical analyst at GlobalData, comments: “The increasing number of digital health tools and the need for cybersecurity is important. However, as many digital health devices are interconnected, there is a larger attack surface, putting medical devices at higher risk of cyberattacks.” 

According to GlobalData, the growth is largely driven by the increasing connectivity and digital integration of medical devices, which makes them more susceptible for cyberattacks.

While cyberattacks are more likely with the adoption of digital health and connected devices, several strategies can be employed to mitigate said risks.

Murdoch explains: “Manufacturers should ensure that their devices are compatible with regular software updates and patching to address vulnerabilities. Additionally, implementing encryption and authentication mechanisms can safeguard data transmitted between devices, and using network segmentation to isolate medical devices from other critical systems can limit the potential impact of cyberattacks.”

As medical devices advance, addressing cybersecurity concerns is necessary to ensure patient safety and to maintain the integrity of healthcare systems. Collaboration, awareness, and the adoption of robust cybersecurity measures are essential components of a comprehensive strategy to mitigate risks.

Murdoch concludes: “By implementing these strategies, the medical device industry can work toward creating a more secure and resilient healthcare system.”

The post Legacy device and outdate software to slow medical device growth appeared first on FutureIoT.

While water covers 71% of the earth’s surface, only 3 per cent of it is fresh water with only 0.3% found in lakes, rivers and swamps.

The scarcity of fresh water may be apparent among city dwellers, but safe and clean water is even more scarce in the less developed regions of Asia.

Gregg Herrin, vice president for water infrastructure at Bentley Systems, says water scarcity in Asia presents different challenges depending on which part of Asia you are looking into.

“There are areas of Asia where people do not have water infrastructure at all. So, bringing clean drinking water, bringing sanitation services, is important for people who don’t have access to it,” he revealed.

Speaking to FutureIoT at the 2023 Year in Infrastructure and Going Digital Awards, Herrin acknowledged the wide disparity of development when it comes to water management, citing places like Singapore where advanced infrastructure exists, and efforts exist to further optimise how the resource is consumed and managed, and to do so while reducing their energy consumption, their carbon footprint, improve reliability and reduce service interruptions.

On the other extreme, he goes on, are regions that are looking to just build infrastructure and provide that service.

The impact of decades of legacy infrastructure

Herrin comments that much of the current water and wastewater infrastructure is buried (under the ground). And because pipes are hidden, this presents the challenge of managing what is not easily visible.

He concedes efforts to bring technology that would make it possible to visualise and measure the water flowing through the networks of pipes, as well as simulate (model) how water is flowing through that underground network of pipes.

He cited the potential to use data collated from sensors that monitor water flow or pressure to determine the condition of the pipes and pumps.

“Combining it digitally lets you see things through this network of systems that you wouldn't be able to see if you were just using traditional methods,” he continued.

The state of water management

Herrin concedes software tools are used to help design the network of water systems as these can be complicated. However, a growing trend is in the use of digital twin technologies, particularly in complex use cases like water treatment facilities where complex issues like chemistry, biology, or the hydraulic characteristic of water (and wastewater) come together to undergo some treatment prior to distribution.

“All sorts of different types of engineers and other professionals are working together to try to make sure that everything functions the way it should,” explained Herrin. “If the plant process engineer decides that they need to change something, the structural engineer needs to make sure the building won't fall.

“There's an aspect of working with digital twins that helps those different collaborators be more effective in doing that type of work together,” continued Herrin.

He further cites the example of a (water) pump that will gradually degrade over time. “The pump may not operate as efficiently as it could, or if the conditions in the network are dramatically different from the initial design – the pump might not operate at all,” he posited.

Click on the video to see Herrin’s responses to the following:

1. In Asia, what are the current constraints towards better water management?
2. What does digital transformation look like in the water utilities sector?
3. What is meant by digital water management?
4. How do you see digital technologies enabling the water industry to support GHG emissions reduction?
5. Do you need to go digital, and to what extent, to achieve ESG/sustainability targets?

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S&P Global Market Intelligence’s geopolitical risk analysts found that water stress will continue to impact governments and businesses in the years ahead. The prevalence of severe difficulties in predicting weather patterns is likely to continue across the globe affecting populations, countries’ economic performances, and key industries that rely on water as an essential resource.

The El Niño climate pattern is forecast to significantly impact the world in 2024. Water-related stress, however, will be an issue for many years to come in many parts of the world, with Australia being particularly pronounced as noted in the report.

According to Veronica Retamales Burford, senior research analyst at S&P Global Market Intelligence, physical risks will play a key factor in business investment decisions, including the effects that water stress will have on manufacturing and on many countries’ plans to diversify their economies. “As the world adapts, companies will need to prepare for heightened water use scrutiny, not just by regulators but also by local communities,” she added.

Report highlights:

Access to sufficient supplies of water will be an essential facet of longer-term economic diversification plans. Governments and businesses will be faced with heightened risks due to water stress, including restricted electricity generation, agricultural losses, and supply chain disruption, among other economic effects. 

Regional and national governments will need to make policy interventions and support businesses navigating water stress.

Efforts like the use of desalination infrastructure will become more common as government and public pressure will ramp up on companies and sectors with high water usage, requiring them to donate or forego water supplies to increase availability for domestic use.

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This initiative, part of the Korean Ministry of Education’s Green Smart School program, aims to transform existing school facilities into smart learning environments for new-age and digital ways of learning, including the creation of large-capacity multimedia classes.

The newly upgraded network allows the educational institutions to conduct Augmented Reality (AR)/Virtual Reality (VR)-based classes. The network is also capable of being upgraded to 10G and beyond without any additional cabling.

What's in the solution

Nokia’s solution, including Passive Optical LAN (POL), Optical Line Terminal (OLT) and Optical Network Terminal (ONT), is designed to streamline operations and reduce energy consumption cost-effectively by decreasing equipment and cabling expenses. Nokia, Dongkuk Systems and Erum I&C customised the solution for the specific needs of the schools.

Jung Yong Park, CEO of Erum I&C, said: “Legacy networks are not built to address the needs of digital learning, which demands a network designed for large-capacity transmission. Nokia’s POL solution allows educational institutions to quickly expand capacity while keeping costs under control. Seamless collaboration and cooperation between all of the partners ensured a timely and seamless execution of the project.”

According to Josh Lee, head of enterprise at Nokia Korea, the Nokia POL solution is designed to boost network performance while increasing efficiencies, thus enabling educational institutions to extend the benefits of digitalisation to a greater number of students in a cost-effective manner.

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As governments look to address public health and safety issues, a collaboration between the Singapore University of Technology and Design (STUD) and Minmed-SmartRx promised convenient, remote health services for those who are unable to come face-to-face with a healthcare provider.

FutureIoT spoke to Tong Ping Heng, managing director at SmartRx, on the challenges to automating the provision of healthcare.

What is the vision of smart RX? From that perspective? What do you hope to achieve with the business?

Tong Ping Heng: We wanted to first reduce the number of trips to the hospital. We want to make the collection of medicines quick, convenient, and easy. This is why we developed an integrated solution where you can have your tele consultation, and then collect your drug immediately after.  

Today, when you have a teleconsult, what happens? The doctor will diagnose you, and then ask you to wait a few hours to have the medicine delivered to you. Imagine if you have kids running a high fever, or you yourself suffering from diarrhoea, can you wait three to five hours?

Of course, this is better than going to wait at the clinic or hospital for a few hours—so that's already a big improvement, but you still need to wait for your medicines to be delivered to you.

We are trying to change that. Imagine having a medicine vending machine that is just like an ATM. You could go there, and through self-service pick up medication anytime, anywhere 24/7. You can collect medicines, and buy your medicines, all at your convenience. Imagine an automatic pharmacy machine every 400 to 500 metres that is accessible within 10-15 minutes by foot or cycle. Whether near your work or home, you can just pick it up without the waiting time associated with teleconsultations and their medicine delivery.

That is what we are trying to do, not just for Singapore, but also across the region where quality care is very uneven. People oftentimes must travel to the major cities to get better healthcare. With our system, we are trying to democratise health care to include smaller towns and villages in the country or around the world. So, think good quality care, good quality medicine that is available throughout the country.

The SmartRX platform is an ecosystem of multiple parties coming together to deliver a service. What are the challenges that must be resolved to achieve the same outcome as the example of the STUD-Minmed-SmartRX partnership?

Tong Ping Heng: Even in Singapore it is very difficult. On the regulatory front, we need partners who are licensed to practise healthcare and dispense medicines. Even in these two areas, there could be different regulators. In Singapore, for example, the Ministry of Health (MOH) oversees doctors while pharmacies fall under the Health Sciences Authority (HSA). 

SmartRX must work with two different partners because we are not licensed holders to provide either service. Our value proposition to healthcare practitioners is that SmartRX becomes the technology platform with a micro warehouse-like system through vending machines, able to dispense prescribed medicine at locations convenient to the patient, who can also teleconsult with their doctor at their own time.

Do you think consumers in Asia are ready for this type of healthcare service?

Tong Ping Heng: There are a few categories of consumers. For those with multiple chronic problems, draw multiple doses of different medications and sometimes may need larger quantities for treatment. These patients may be best served with the current practice.

For those with acute conditions, like red eyes or colds, or if the patient is unable to leave the house, SmartRX may just be the answer. For sure, there are different use cases from a consumer perspective.

When it comes to the provision of healthcare service itself, the MOH already completed the sandbox and today, GP clinics can widely provide teleconsultation. If we bring smartRX into the ecosystem, the opportunity to work together boils down to the integration of our platform or backend to their apps to make it seamless.

Outside of the practitioner and patient, other technical aspects that need to be considered if SmartRX were to be deployed involve negotiating with landlords, be they office buildings, factories, or dormitories.

As for the payment system, for Singapore, our physical terminal covers various payment gateways such as credit cards and NETS, along with digital payment like Google Pay and Apple Pay.

What would interest hospitals in SmartRX? Hospitals may want to distribute their patient load away from their central pharmacy. This would reduce the long queues often found in hospital pharmacies, allowing staff to focus on more critical or complicated drug dispensing.

In situations where medicine dispensing has been centralised, patients don't need to go all the way to the central pharmacy for collection of their drugs. Obviously, the challenge here is integrating into the hospital's electronic medical record system.

What the pandemic has taught us

Tong Ping Heng: One of the health scares of the pandemic is the risk of infection from using public facilities. At SmartRX there are technologies built in to disinfect the surfaces of our machines and consultation pods, similar to nanotech solutions used in high-touch areas like toilets, lift (elevator) buttons, and door handles.

During the pandemic, the traditional methods of medication collection might not have been the best solution. A safer, more convenient way for drug collection without the need to visit a healthcare institution could be made possible using SmartRx’s solution. We chose our partners depending on the various use cases and moving on from the pandemic it would be about building trust between the practitioner, the business, and the patient to have a successful system in place.

Metric for success

Tong Ping Heng: If my mom or family member can say “This form of healthcare is very convenient”, “I don't need to go to the hospitals so many times”, and “I love it”, they will probably be a good validation of my success. From a business perspective, if we can provide machines at locations such as Resident Committee Zones, ActiveSG locations, and elder centres, it’ll come up to over 700 potential installations. In Singapore, that will be the ultimate goal.

The post Automation meets healthcare appeared first on FutureIoT.

Therefore, to better understand the smart device market, IDC has divided the usage scenarios into six "smart life" scenario groups: leisure and entertainment, mobile office, learning and education, fitness and health, smart home, and smart mobility.

As the summer vacation ends, the new education semester will bring more focus on new scenarios in education that are enabled by smart devices and associated ecosystem developments.

Sales for key devices in learning and education in Summer 2023

The device sales total in the month of July (including tablets, children's smart watches and PCs) was higher than the monthly average over the first half of 2023. However, we have seen sales trends vary strongly by-product as they follow very different product development cycles.

Smart Tutoring Tablets are a popular and rapidly developing category in the education and learning devices market with new players still joining. In the first half of 2023, 2.19 million units were shipped to the learning and education market - an increase of 37% over last year; In July 2023, 410 thousand units were shipped - an increase of 49% over July 2022.

Kid's smartwatch sales for children were stable with sales in the first half of 2023 at 6.88 million units, up 1% from 2022. Demand is supported by an increase in children's outdoor activities but is still recovering. Sales in July 2023 were down 3% from July last year at 1.6 million units, with more demand expected in August as new products are released.

K12 and College PCs recorded historically high sales during the pandemic, such that shipments in the following first half of 2023 dropped by 26% at 5 million units; In July 2023, this significantly recovered, with sales down only 12% YoY at 1.04 million units.

Five key sales highlights over the Summer

The Chinese lifestyle-sharing platform Xiaohongshu, increased sales with a new closed-loop grass-roots live broadcasting solution;

Summer promotions drove sales in the recycling end of the second-hand market and second-hand platforms also tried summer sales;

The E-commerce platforms that support student identity authentication have improved the efficiency of sales to their members;

Consumer choice has been improved with promotions that integrated the devices across areas such as entertainment and fitness;

Summer promotions are demonstrating an increased convergence of online and offline channels, such as in experiential retail and short-term leases for temporary tenants.

Market size and forecasts

IDC forecasts the market for devices used in education and learning scenarios to reach US$110.2 billion in 2023, up 4.2% from 2022. It is expected to grow by 9.6% year-on-year in 2024, and the market size will exceed US$150 billion by 2027.

In education and learning, many hardware manufacturers work with different software and service providers, including AI solution providers and cloud service providers.

Smart device trends

Growth to be driven by personalisation

The market size and per capita expenditure have increased as devices and services have improved functionality, and personalization and widened their value-add.

Device innovation will intensify

From the rise of the Internet to the application of AI, new technology has brought about product category expansion and stronger growth across the learning and education market.

IDC forecasts shipments of products for use in learning and education to reach 99.3 million units in 2023 and are expected to exceed 100 million units in 2024. In addition, it is estimated that by 2027, more than 90% of these devices will be equipped with AI-enhanced functionality.

The influencers: AI, security, health factors and content resources

AI has become one of the core differentiators in personalization and value-add;

Endpoint security will expand across content security, information security, user safety etc.

Health-related functions have become an important upgrade direction, using sensors and other technical advances to protect eyes, correct posture, encourage regular exercise, monitor sleep, etc.

Increased content drives the creation of ecosystems and is an important differentiator, that especially attracts parents.

Sophie Pan, assistant research director at IDC China, believes that despite the age of the market for smart devices in education, it will remain strong for many more years with new suppliers joining the ecosystem to meet changing user's needs.

"We will also see a growing space for innovation and improvement of smart devices used in learning and education due to new technology being easy to put into application; high market segmentation; and user's needs changing from one generation to the next whilst their remains stable within-generation demand," she added.

Generative AI and large language model AI will continue to be a catalyst for the development of smart devices in education, specifically towards greater personalization and value-add.

The post AI to fuel growth in learning devices appeared first on FutureIoT.

However, many of these consumer IoT devices prioritise features and affordability, often sidelining essential cybersecurity provisions. This oversight makes them susceptible to digital threats, jeopardising user privacy and data. The 2016 Mirai botnet attack, which exploited IoT gadgets, underscores the looming dangers of poorly secured IoT systems.

Government intervention

Thankfully, governments globally are recognising these risks and acting on the security concerns raised, empowering consumers with the knowledge to make safer choices. The US has recently introduced the Cyber Trust Mark, a discretionary labelling system that promotes the understanding of a smart device's security provisions before a purchase is made.

This initiative mirrors others that have emerged prior, like the EU's Cyber Resilience Act. Closer to home, Australia has also implemented a similar cybersecurity label scheme for IoT devices. Notably, Singapore took the lead in the APAC region with their Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme (CLS) presented by the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSA).

Given the collaborative efforts of businesses and governments worldwide to fortify IoT devices and develop universal IoT security benchmarks, we sit down with Kelvin Lim, director of security engineering, Asia Pacific, at Synopsys Software Integrity Group to understand more about how the CLS IoT labelling scheme has been doing in Singapore so far, and the lessons other organisations can take away in the space of security.

Given the rise of similar regulations in various regions, how has Singapore's Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme (CLS) fared locally?

Kelvin Lim: The CLS has garnered positive feedback from both industry experts and manufacturers. A mix of international, regional, and local IoT product manufacturers are getting their products assessed in Singapore. As of 14 August, this year, there are over 200 products endorsed under the CLS initiative.

"This track record speaks volumes, and the subsequent introduction of another scheme that has since been rolled out specifically for medical devices — the Cybersecurity Labelling Scheme for Medical Devices (CLS(MD)) — underlines Singapore's proactive approach to ensuring a digitally secure and advanced nation."

Kelvin Lim

The CLS initiative will bolster Singapore's cybersecurity standards, positioning it as a preferred hub for smart device production. From consumers, intuitive labels will help even those without technical expertise to navigate their decision process when purchasing IoT devices.

How has this influenced the medical device industry?

Kelvin Lim: More medical device manufacturers will adopt the standard as it gains recognition and traction in Singapore. By extending the CLS to medical devices, Singapore has emphasised the importance of cybersecurity in healthcare technologies.

This will compel medical device manufacturers to prioritise the security of their devices, ensuring the safety and privacy of patients.

How has the introduction of these labelling schemes impacted consumer preference?

Kelvin Lim: Today’s consumers are judicious. Increasingly so, they are invested in how their personal data is being used and stored, and how businesses are handling their private information. Consequently, consumers are more likely to buy a smart product sporting the CLS label.

It serves as a reassuring quality seal that the smart products they purchase and use have gone through stringent checks and are perceived as more secure, compared to one without.

However, those unfamiliar with CLS might gravitate towards renowned brands or manufacturers with a global footprint.

These renowned brands have built trust in consumers over many years, and are automatically associated with offering secure devices, regardless if they have the CLS certification or are on par with the security benchmark in Singapore.

Since its inception, how has the mutual recognition with Germany’s labelling scheme fared, and did it bring any value since it was finalised in October last year?

Kelvin Lim: The joint effort between Singapore and Germany epitomises the significance of global alliances in fortifying IoT security. This mutual acknowledgement has been warmly received by the industry and manufacturers. Beyond saving resources and avoiding repetitive tests, this accord also grants entry to new markets.

The path ahead for IoT

The horizon looks bright for IoT labelling. Such labels serve as badges of trust, assuring consumers of a device's compliance with rigorous cybersecurity norms. They also prompt manufacturers to prioritise cybersecurity in their product development process.

As the IoT landscape continues to evolve, it is imperative that consumers, manufacturers, and government work together to build a secure and resilient IoT ecosystem. By understanding the emerging risks in IoT security and implementing robust application protection measures, we can harness the full potential of IoT.

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Under its ‘emerging technology testbed’ initiative, the City of Melbourne worked with Nokia to leverage an existing network of installed cameras as Internet of Things (IoT) sensors to monitor one of the compactors.

The Nokia Scene Analytics solution employs an AI-powered algorithm to filter and collate data from the cameras, while also combining other data sources, such as operational data on the compactor itself, to create real-time alerts and produce reports.

Initial tests show

Initial trial results demonstrate that Scene Analytics can support the City’s objectives for better, safer citizen experiences while simultaneously lowering maintenance and downtime costs for waste management services.

Lord Mayor Sally Capp, City of Melbourne, says the solution is a great example of using new technology to help remove illegal waste more quickly, make our city cleaner and protect the environment.

"This innovative project will help to avoid hazards and make our streets even cleaner by allowing our waste services to better understand behaviour trends related to the illegal and dangerous dumping of waste,” she continued. 

How the technology works

The trial allowed for real-time monitoring and detection of activity in the vicinity of the compactor using a virtual tripwire. Object detection and object counting was used to identify and count items to show how the compactor was impacted by items incorrectly placed within it, while also identifying potentially dangerous items.

Anomaly detection identified unusual movements, such as illegal waste dumping during the night, while face and license plate blurring maintained individual privacy during the trial.

Using these reports, the City of Melbourne can better understand the correlation between illegal waste-dumping activities and compactor downtime, to keep maintenance teams better informed and minimize issues.

It also allows them to swiftly address waste dumping activities before they become a hazard, viewing locations in real-time to observe any obstructions to service vehicle access, and adapting their schedule to reduce unnecessary visits and minimize their carbon footprint.

By understanding patterns of compactor usage and waste dumping activities, the city of Melbourne is also able to patrol the area more effectively, while developing an ongoing campaign to better inform and educate the community.

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From wearable health trackers that continuously monitor vital signs and activity levels, to smart implants that transmit patient data to healthcare professionals, the IoT medical devices landscape promises personalised and proactive healthcare.

However, with these advancements come challenges related to data privacy, security, and regulatory compliance, which must be effectively addressed to ensure these transformative technologies' safe and widespread adoption.

Kow Ping, executive director and co-founder of Well Being Digital (WBD101), opines that the medical market is traditionally very conservative, with major brands like Philips and GE and Mindray having dominated it for years.

Commenting on the growing inclusion of health applications in IOT devices, Ping says IoT devices have been playing a key role in early detection applications, by key brands, such as Apple, Samsung and Huawei.

"At WBD101, we support technology for our customers, creating IOT devices for Tele-rehabilitation, and Telemedicine. We see this segment as an underserved market, especially with many countries’ ageing at-home policies," commented Ping.

Future trends

The IoT medical devices market in terms of revenue was estimated to be worth US$41.5 billion in 2023 and is poised to reach US$166.5 billion by 2028, growing at a CAGR of 32.1% from 2023 to 2028 according to a new report by MarketsandMarkets.

The market for IoT medical devices is driven by factors such as the increasing prevalence of chronic diseases, the need for efficient and cost-effective healthcare solutions, the rising adoption of telemedicine and remote patient monitoring, and advancements in sensor technology, connectivity, and data analytics.

However, interoperability & transparency issues, the high setup and operational costs, and data privacy concerns in IoT medical devices market are expected to restrain market growth to a certain extent.

Commenting on the industry's challenges, Ping adds that diagnostic tools require long and arduous regulatory approvals and it’s a tough market for IoT devices.

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Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) launched Seniors Lab, a pilot digital programme for integrated senior care, in partnership with Sree Narayana Mission (SNM) in Singapore, to help seniors live and age with confidence.

Seniors Lab seeks to enhance the well-being and inclusivity of Singapore’s ageing population by innovating care delivery systems. Designed to address challenges in rising healthcare costs, the programme leverages Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to create an integrated care delivery system that will lower the cost of care delivery, while helping seniors of SNM lead safer, more comfortable, and independent lives.

By integrating IoT-enabled sensors installed in the seniors’ homes, Seniors Lab digitally detects and reports movement, activity levels, falls, social isolation indicators and other medically relevant parameters, while ensuring privacy. These sensors can be integrated with wearables and devices, as well as healthcare ecosystems and concierge service providers, to further ensure a holistic approach to senior care.

The Seniors Lab programme builds on the success of the SHINESeniors programme, a research initiative of the SMU-TCS iCity Lab, a joint venture between Singapore Management University (SMU) and TCS.

Aspirations of the Seniors Lab

The new programme has introduced a range of new and extended features, including emergency linkages and concierge services, such as ambulance services and companions, attendants, shopping and groceries, and bill payments.

It also allows for the tracking of medically relevant parameters, adding another dimension to comprehensive senior care, enabling them to live more independently.

K Shanmugam, Minister for Home Affairs and Minister for Law commented: "Singapore’s resident population is ageing rapidly. In 2022, our residents aged 65 years and above made up 16.6% of the total resident population, which makes Singapore one of the most rapidly ageing societies in Asia. Our environment must evolve to adapt to the growing needs of our elderly."

"I am glad and welcome more similar corporate-charity collaborations like TCS and SNM for Seniors Lab, to raise greater awareness and provide creative living solutions for our seniors to remain active, healthy and live life with purpose and dignity, and for society to benefit from their collective wisdom and experience."

Ameet Nivsarkar, Country Head for TCS Singapore, says the partnership with SNM and the launch of Seniors Lab addresses the underserved needs of the silver generation.

"Losing a sense of autonomy and loneliness at an old age can be a very difficult experience for many," he continued. He added that these efforts and others like them aim to help drive inclusivity and social interaction in Singapore.

"We strive to create a healthier ageing landscape by leveraging technology to empower our seniors in ageing independently, which complements the Healthier SG initiative," said S Devendran, CEO of SNM Singapore.

"We hope to achieve this through ‘Living with Confidence’, a sensor-based IoT technology and data analytics, which allows remote monitoring and timely alerts through a mobile application. Our seniors can take comfort in knowing that they are not alone and get to age in place confidently. This creates a safe and healthy ageing landscape for seniors of today and tomorrow." S Devendran

The Seniors Lab promotes active engagement and participation among seniors, enabling them to shape their ageing journey with dignity and fulfilment. These initiatives are offered through partnerships with Non-Profit Organisations and healthcare providers, with the collective aim of enabling seniors to thrive as active and engaged members of their communities.

TCS aims to extend the Seniors Lab programme to other parts of the world.

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The top 5 smart cities ranked by Juniper Research are:

1. Shanghai
2. Seoul
3. Shenzhen
4. Sydney
5. Beijing

Juniper Research’s ranking of 50 world cities is based on an evaluation of many different smart city aspects, covering transportation and infrastructure, energy and lighting, city management and technology, and urban connectivity.

The research analysed Shanghai as leading due to its strong data platform, comprehensive deployment of 5G, and use of innovative technologies, including digital twins. This comprehensive approach reflects a well-considered and progressive smart city design, which can be seen as an example for other cities to emulate.

Research co-author Nick Maynard says creating an effective smart city strategy means more than just looking at a technical design – it means developing a comprehensive approach that actively solves challenges that citizens face in their lives.

"Congestion is a major challenge, and we will see more focus on smart mobility, adapting urban environments for better traffic flow, as environmental concerns become increasingly prominent.” Nick Maynard

Asian smart city spend growing by 120%

Hardware and software spending on smart city deployments in Asia is forecast to reach $42 billion by 2028, from $19 billion in 2023.

Spend is growing much faster in the rest of Asia Pacific, at 303% over the next 5 years, compared to Indian Subcontinent at 231% and Far East & China at 76%, over the same period.

Growth in the Far East & China is slowing, with smart city projects being more mature in countries like China, Japan and South Korea. However, emerging markets such as Indonesia, Thailand and Vietnam will boast much stronger growth, as smart city initiatives get underway, and cities build the comprehensive data systems needed for success.   

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But with this broader connectivity comes more entry points for potential attackers, and capital decision-makers depend on up-to-date cybersecurity threat information to properly prioritise asset replacement and manage asset requests.

Yet many still lack a comprehensive strategy for incorporating medical device risk reduction into capital planning, which is increasingly concerning as cyber threats—and healthcare-industry data breaches that now average more than US$10 million per incident—continue to rise.

Hospitals must consider cyber risk when evaluating equipment purchases, maintenance, and device lifecycle management—including risk assessment, monitoring, and remediation.

“As security threats against healthcare systems continue to escalate, understanding and prioritising the current risk profile of each piece of connected equipment is critical for healthcare systems to avoid the kind of attacks that are costly to budgets and reputation,” said Peter Hancock, VP of global partnerships at Asimily.

Asimily announced plans to integrate its Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) risk management platform, with the CCM (Capital Cycle Management) solution from HANDLE Global to provide a single platform where healthcare system supply chain, security, and IT teams gain a holistic and always-current view of their organisation’s internet-connected assets.

This equipment visibility enables healthcare organisations to determine which assets or manufacturers are at risk of cybersecurity issues, and to track the status of cyber-related warnings and recalls.

Asimily uses AI-fuelled analysis to prioritise exploitable vulnerabilities and prescribe targeted, clinically-viable remediations—and identify when remediations are not possible and which assets may need to be replaced.

This critical information is dispatched to CCM to ensure that it is considered a key priority during the capital planning process and can empower a shift from reactive to proactive cybersecurity risk management.

CCM allows health systems to tailor priorities based on customisable risk thresholds for threats to cybersecurity, patient safety, product standardisation, and other factors provided by Asimily’s IoMT risk remediation platform.

“This integration with Asimily gives HANDLE’s CCM customers the ability to understand cybersecurity risks and precisely measure utilisation so they feel confident that they are making well-informed decisions about where to focus their capital spend,” said Kyle Green, CEO, HANDLE Global. "This is especially crucial as health system budgets continue to tighten and healthcare leaders are forced to make difficult budgeting decisions."

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The UTokyo Compass initiative has prompted the university to enhance its Information and Communications Technology (ICT) strategy. This entails a comprehensive reassessment of the network infrastructure and the transformation of its operations to facilitate active communication throughout all campus locations.

"Since its establishment, the University of Tokyo has remained dedicated to providing a world-class research and education platform," Junji Tamatsukuri, associate professor and deputy general manager for the information systems division at The University of Tokyo. "The network plays a vital role in facilitating access to crucial resources and active communication for our students and faculty."

He noted that an efficient and user-friendly network is equally important, enabling his team to address issues that may arise swiftly."

The process

Embarking on this transformative journey, UTokyo established a cross-organisational UTokyo Wi-Fi Task Force focused on enhancing the wireless network infrastructure, reinforcing its pivotal role in improving students' and faculty's educational and research experiences.

The team placed significant emphasis on building a reliable, secure, and high-performing wireless network capable of accommodating large numbers of users, with multiple devices per person on each campus.

A major focus was implementing a network solution that offered the team from different departments consolidated management across all departments while giving them appropriate management authority.

This objective would be achieved through a single dashboard, enabling a unified view of the entire network, as well as the ability to observe and visualise faults and user experience. The University of Tokyo (UTokyo) has selected Juniper’s AP32 Access Points to provide a seamlessly unified wireless experience across its campuses enabling flexible management.

These networking upgrades will enable the multiple departments in UTokyo to deliver a high-speed wireless network infrastructure to its 48,000 students and faculty actively engaged in learning and research across 10 faculties and 15 graduate schools.

Juniper's solutions powered by Mist AI, with a successful track record in local and global implementations, proved to be the ideal choice, meeting all the required criteria for this transformative initiative.

The deployment of Juniper AP32 Wireless Access Points across its three main campuses in Hongō, Komaba and Kashiwa, has successfully streamlined network management and operations for the different departments and provided them with a unified view of the entire network on a single dashboard powered by Mist AI. The team also utilises the capabilities of the Juniper Mist rich API-centric architecture, which visualises the necessary data for each site to improve operational efficiency.

Post-implementation

Since implementing a Juniper-powered wireless network, the experience for the school's team and its students has significantly improved. Additionally, the network can seamlessly support the simultaneous connection of approximately 18,000 devices during peak usage period. The expansion is being carried out progressively, aiming to cover all campuses.

As UTokyo looks towards the future, it is actively exploring the potential integration of Mist AI throughout its entire network, aiming to establish it as a fundamental component of its IT infrastructure.

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"The last few years have shown that connecting with a digital infrastructure is no longer a luxury, but a necessity," said Carlos M. González, research manager for the Internet of Things at IDC. "For organisations to excel in data-driven operations, investing in IoT projects is essential."

"Connecting devices to data networks to gather insight, expand operations, and increase performance are the hallmarks of executing an IoT ecosystem."

Carlos M. González

Industry perspective

Discrete and process manufacturing are the industries that will see the largest investment in IoT solutions in 2023 and throughout the forecast period, accounting for more than one-third of all IoT spending worldwide.

Professional services, utilities, and retail are the next largest industries in terms of overall IoT spending with roughly 25% of the worldwide total. State/local government and telecommunications will deliver the fastest spending growth over the five-year forecast with CAGRs of 12.0% and 11.7% respectively.

IoT investment is a key building block to supporting an increasingly digital and distributed organisational footprint. Most of these investments are seeking solutions that can help organisations achieve a specific business goal or customer challenges, such as cost savings or supply chain efficiency. As such, use cases are the focus of most IoT investment plans.

Use cases

The two IoT use cases that will receive the most investment in 2023 are both closely tied to the manufacturing industries: manufacturing operations (US$73.0 billion) and production asset management (US$68.2 billion). The next largest use cases – inventory intelligence (US$37.6 billion), smart grid (electricity) (US$36.9 billion), and supply chain resilience (US$31.6 billion) – will benefit from strong investments from the Retail and Utilities industries.

The use cases that will experience the fastest spending growth represent the diverse application of IoT technologies – electric vehicle charging (30.9% CAGR), next-generation loss prevention (14.5% CAGR), agriculture field monitoring (13.9% CAGR), and connected vending and lockers (13.8% CAGR).

The influence of digital transformation is evident

IDC says updates to the IoT use case taxonomy in this release of the IoT Spending Guide reflect the evolving digital transformation investment objectives of enterprises.

Thematically, greater investment in goods production and supply chains resulting from the COVID-19 pandemic and global reactions that caused massive business and societal disruptions are evident in the new use cases.

"These production and supply chain-related use cases can be seen in the discrete manufacturing, process manufacturing, retail, and transportation industries," said Marcus Torchia, research vice president with IDC's data & analytics group. "Meanwhile, digital business investments are ramping up in other industries such as the resource industries. For example, IoT is helping to improve upstream supply chain processes in agriculture, such as growing, harvesting, and delivering higher quality products to market."

Technology view

From a technology perspective, IoT services will be the largest area of spending in 2023 and through the end of the forecast, accounting for nearly 40% of all IoT spending worldwide.

Hardware spending is the second largest technology category, dominated by module/sensor purchases. Software will be the fastest-growing technology category with a five-year CAGR of 11.0% and a focus on application and analytics software purchases.

Regional view

Western Europe, the United States, and China will account for more than half of all IoT spending throughout the forecast.

Although Western Europe and the United States currently have similar levels of spending, Western Europe will expand its lead with an 11.0% CAGR over the 2023-2027 forecast, compared to an 8.0% CAGR for the United States.

China's IoT spending is forecast to surpass the United States by the end of the forecast due to its 13.2% CAGR.

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As a result, businesses are compelled to reassess their energy purchase agreements with utilities, contemplate installing renewable microgrid systems, and prioritise energy efficiency. To do so, enterprises will spend a stunning US$70 billion on smart energy solutions by 2030.

Dominique Bonte, vice president of verticals & end markets at ABI Research, says smart energy is no longer just the prerogative of centralized energy utilities.

"Enterprises and industries are assuming an increasingly important role in renewable energy generation. They are essentially becoming agents in the building and managing of collectively owned smart energy networks, assets, and solutions."

Dominique Bonte

"Additionally, businesses will actively participate in new (renewable) energy markets, including trading on spot markets,” he continued.

ABI Research’s Smart Energy for Enterprises and Industries research service looks at smart energy through the lens of both enterprises and industries such as manufacturing, supply chain, oil and gas, and data centres. Aspects covered range from on-site solar and wind farms to energy efficiency management, Battery Energy Storage Systems (BESS), and advanced Power Purchase Agreements (PPAs), enabling enterprises to lower the cost of their energy consumption, transition away from fossil fuel energy sources, improve energy quality and reliability, and achieve more energy resilience.

From a technology coverage perspective, ABI Research’s new service explains how enterprises and industries can leverage on-site digital energy monitoring, management, and simulation platforms and AI-based software; granular energy metering, electric vehicle charging infrastructure, energy sharing Vehicle-to-Grid (V2G) and Building-to-Grid (B2G), energy-efficient equipment, and automated energy marketplaces.

Bonte goes on to posit that as the global demand for smart energy intensifies, enterprises and industries are embracing the imperative of sustainability and cost efficiency. With an urgency to navigate disrupted energy markets, attaining energy independence and transitioning to renewable sources becomes paramount, points out Bonte, he adds that ABI Research's Smart Energy for Enterprises and Industries research service will serve as a vital compass, offering strategic guidance on leveraging cost-saving technologies and services to achieve these transformative goals.

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Minister of State for the Ministry of Trade & Industry, Alvin Tan, noted that Phase 2, which runs from 1 June 2022 to 31 May 2025, continues from where Phase 1 ends and aims to enhance its Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities to create an environment where humans and robots can interface and co-exist.

The lab, supported under Singapore’s National Research Foundation’s Research Innovation and Enterprise (RIE) 2025 plan, will develop over three years next-generation technologies aimed at overcoming labour shortage challenges for the manufacturing and intralogistics - the logistical flows of goods and materials that take place on a company's site – industries.

Said Delta Electronics chairman, Yancey Hai, the two organisations' shared core values have been essential for the success of Phase I of the Delta-NTU Corporate Lab, which developed 17 patents, including highly valuable intellectual property that will be leveraged for the new Corporate Lab Phase II.

"This includes 3D mapping for automated guided vehicles, human tracking and re-identification with machine learning, and motion planning for materials handling," continued Hai.

Rise of collaborative robots

Collaborative robotic systems are set to become a staple as businesses transit into Industry 5.0, and as the world grapples with a manpower crunch arising from an ageing workforce and declining birth rates.

Such systems include human-touch inspired robots that can adjust their grip to pick up a range of materials, from fragile glassware to volatile chemicals, and smart sensing, radar, and 3D sensors systems, which allow autonomous mobile robots (AMRs) to operate in a dynamic environment with human traffic like hospitals and warehouses.

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“When we explored solutions for the community at Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD), our common desire was for a technology and design-rich approach in serving the students, staff, and residents round the clock,” said Dr Eric Chiam, CEO of Minmed Group.

"We pushed beyond current definitions of telehealth and wanted consultation, assessment and dispensing to occur in one neat episode. The remote monitoring tools and the vending machine allowed us to do so. This opens the way for us to serve remote and nearshore locations with more optimal use of resources."

Dr Eric Chiam

The Minmed Telemedicine Clinic leverages on SmartRx technology to offer staff, students, and nearby residents teleconsultation with Minmed doctors, along with prescription drug dispensing services round-the-clock.

What's in the pod

The clinic comprises two sections, and patients will first enter a private consultation pod for their virtual consultation with a Minmed Doctor through the Minmed Connect app. The pod is also equipped with vital signs monitoring capabilities which include measuring the patient’s height and weight, temperature, heart rate, blood oxygen, and blood pressure through various sensors. Once the consultation has been completed, the required medication will be prescribed remotely by the doctor.

Following, the patient will exit the pod and can immediately collect their prescription medication from the drug dispensing machine (located just beside the private consultation pod) by keying in a unique six-digit security code provided through the Minmed Connect app into the machine’s panel.

This is to add safety and security in the dispensing of prescribed drugs. The drug dispensing machine will then, in real-time, automatically label each pack of medicine with the patient’s name, drug name and instruction for use, and dispense them for the patient.

To ensure that the machine has enough stock of medicine, doctors have a real-time view of what is available in inventory through a back-end portal and will be alerted if a certain drug is running low in supply. Medical certificates will also be issued digitally and can be accessed through the Minmed Connect app.

This seamless process ensures patients obtain real-time consultation, prescription, and on-demand medication collection. Patients of the Telemedicine Clinic can complete their visits up to five times faster compared to seeing a doctor and getting prescriptions at a physical clinic, accounting for an estimated two hours in savings.

Currently, teleconsultation with doctors is available on different platforms, but the delivery time of medicine can potentially take between three to five hours, slowing down a patient’s recovery process. Real-time consultation, prescription and medicine collection at the Telemedicine Clinic immediately addresses the needs of patients looking to recover from their conditions.

“Minmed wants to better serve their patients in SUTD with on-demand healthcare, and we have the technology, platform and experience for them to achieve this goal. The vision fell in line, and thus the collaboration,” said Tong Ping Heng, managing director at SmartRx.

“As a company, Minmed provides progressive healthcare with their teleconsultation services, SUTD is a progressive school with tech-savvy staff and students, and we are technology innovators with solutions for improving overall healthcare provision to the masses. This clinic fits everyone’s mission, will be the first for many, and be the first of many.”

Tong Ping Heng

Serving the community

The Telemedicine Clinic is also open to the public, and nearby residents will benefit from having a new clinic, available 24/7, in the proximity of their homes. This falls in line with the nation’s Healthier SG goal of decentralising care from hospital to home, allowing the population to take more ownership of their health.

“We hope that in introducing this Telemedicine Clinic, we will be bringing healthcare support closer to residents, as well as reducing travel and waiting time for doctor’s consultation and medication when they are unwell,” Tong concluded.

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Frost & Sullivan says investments in lab automation and analytics will hasten the growth of the lab instrumentation market. It forecasts the global market to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6.4%, from US$66.37 billion in 2021 to US$90.41 billion in 2026.

“With the growing focus on decentralised diagnostics in both developed and developing economies, demand for portable instruments is expected to increase,” said Lucila Martin, healthcare research analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

“Higher demand for smaller instruments has increased pressure on original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) to develop and supply parts to support the development of portable instruments,” she added

Martin added that the democratisation of NGS drove the growth of the global genomic sector, enabling genomics and proteomics to become promising business segments to propel the market.

"From a technological perspective, expanding analytical chemicals with laboratory automation and informatic instruments offers a lucrative growth prospect.”

Lucila Martin

Tips to capturing growth opportunities

• Invest in developing countries to build their capacity and capability, focusing on sales and after-sales support systems.
• Focus on artificial intelligence (AI) in lab optimization and predictive analytics for instrument lifecycle analytics as they present lucrative growth prospects for big data analytics companies.
• Develop highly customised chips and parts to support the development of portable equipment

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Commissioned by Wi-SUN Alliance, a global association of companies driving the adoption of interoperable wireless solutions for use in smart utilities and smart cities, the survey was designed to test the ‘pulse’ of the utility market at a time when it is undergoing a huge transformation and facing several major challenges.

 While government funding/legislation is seen as ‘very important’ for 70% of respondents, the need for more pilot projects and implementations (75%), and greater cooperation between public and private sectors (72%) is even more important to help drive development and innovation in the sector.

President Joe Biden signed the bipartisan $1.2 trillion Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) into law on Nov. 15, 2021, setting aside $65bn to support broadband coverage and adoption, $50bn to protect against extreme weather events, and $7.5bn to build a national network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers.

Jeffrey Tufts, global director of utility solutions at Cisco and a Wi-SUN Promoter member says: “There is no shortage of government initiatives that don’t come with funding, but when we do see an initiative that comes with funding it accelerates adoption. We saw this back in 2009 with the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) and hope to see it again with the IIJA in the next few years.”

Another Wi-SUN Promoter member For his part, Jeff Scheb, director of product management at Landis+Gyr, also adds that many utilities are already looking for ideas of what can be done and talking to vendors, but really, it’s about getting out there, doing the pilots and working out the kinks. This will help utilities prove the value of what they want to do and build a business case.

When it comes to the most exciting areas of smart utility development, energy security (79%) is at the top of the list. But as climate-related events like storms, wildfires and floods become more frequent and more damaging, there is a growing need for IoT technology designed for smart buildings and infrastructure (75%), weather and climate (73%) and disaster management (69%) over the next 12 months.

Other survey findings

In terms of key areas of focus for utilities for smart grid deployments, 74% of respondents believe EV charging will be the biggest focus this year (next 6-11 months). Outage management, advanced metering infrastructure (AMI) and distributed energy resources (DER) are also a priority for utility professionals (71%).

Proven security and reliability (83%) are ‘very important’ for smart utility networks, together with customer acceptance (75%). Open standards (69%) and multi-vendor interoperability (69%) are also important to help drive smart utility development.

About 74% of respondents acknowledge that a hybrid of two or more communications networks technologies – including cellular, power line communication, RF mesh and Wi-Fi – will be very important for future smart utility development.

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According to a Bain & Company report on the state of robotics as used in healthcare, 78% of surgeons surveyed expressed interest in surgical robotics, however, only 53% were currently using them. Currently, general surgery is the most advanced surgical robotics technology, however, indicators suggest that orthopaedics and neurosurgery will grow substantially.

Mayuri Shah, a partner at Bain & Company says orthopaedics and neurosurgery benefit from technology and training that are already happening with medical residents.

“With the technology and training accessible for many of these specialities, such as spinal surgeries, usage is bound to accelerate significantly in the near future. In addition to increased training, OEMs can leverage existing surgical robotic platforms where there is familiarity and usage for new surgeries and specialities,” she added.

Technology, innovation and artificial intelligence continue to have a significant influence on surgical robotics. While some specialities have the platforms and the training today, even the areas that look to be slower to adopt have strong opportunities. For example, soft robotics could eventually solve difficult access and navigation issues in endovascular surgery.

Successful med-tech companies and OEMs will take a customer-centric approach to the future of surgical robotics, addressing the current challenges to adoption and nuanced priorities by speciality and healthcare location.

Barriers to adoption

Bain’s survey of surgeons ranked up-front equipment costs as both the most important consideration when making a purchase, as well as the third largest barrier.

“OEMs will want to offer flexible financing options, in consideration of implant, disposables, to meet the preferences of each customer, said Jason Asper, partner at Bain & Company.

“Understanding the customer needs and preference for financing is critical. In addition, future surgical robotic market leaders and entrants should consider lower cost, smaller footprint robotic offerings, and focus on the efficiency to be achieved as new procedures are available, reducing per procedure cost.”

Jason Asper

Recommendations:

Cost and financing of surgical robotics: The Bain survey revealed that surgeons at hospitals and ASCs ranked up-front equipment costs as both the most important consideration when making a purchase and the third largest barrier to adoption. Flexible financing options can help. For instance, according to our survey, hospitals prefer all-cash financing, whereas nearly half of the ASCs want capital leases.

Site of care: The needs of each customer vary. As healthcare continues to move to outpatient customers will have different needs in ASCs vs acute settings. OEMs will want to consider how to best serve the market. For example, ASCs want vendor support for routine maintenance, whereas hospitals are more likely to want to train employees to service robotics.

Decision maker: It will be important to understand the needs of the decision-makers when reviewing the surgical robotics options. Clinical outcomes will be a priority to all stakeholders; however, some teams may prioritise revenue growth and surgeon recruiting and retention.

Speciality: As surgical robotics take off during the next decade, we’ll begin to see more specialised platforms and technologies.

Orthopaedic surgeons are looking for one robot to be able to perform several procedures, while Neurosurgeons see surgical robotics as an opportunity to overcome distance barriers and want robots that can operate remotely over greater distances, providing care from miles away.

Advancements in Technology: OEMs must continue to be out in front of technology or they can be disrupted – artificial intelligence, 5G, virtual/mixed reality and other technological advancements can significantly enhance capabilities of the robotics today.

In addition, OEMs should focus on strong data & analytics to best leverage data capture across the continuum of care to improve outcomes.

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If you said no, it’s probably because when it comes to mitigating cyber threats, most people talk about it in the context of protecting IT assets such as the systems, data, applications, and networks that organisations depend on every day to keep the business operating.

Whilst IT assets are important, OT is a whole other realm of digital infrastructure that also needs protecting and its growing, importance, and potential vulnerability all the time. That’s why understanding and testing an organisation’s Operational Technology security is so important.

Keeping the lights on

We take it for granted that we can just flip a switch to get a light and turn on a tap to get water. But the infrastructure that makes these things possible is extremely complex and it requires significant digital capability.

For example, to meet the cycles of consumer demand for electricity, a power grid must create exactly the amount of electricity that is being used at any given moment. This means the grid’s power generation and transmission lines must constantly adjust to meet demand wherever and whenever it is needed.

Managing this electrical cycle of demand is made possible because of the electrical utilities’ OT systems. The real-time control and influence these systems have on our day-to-day lives only amplify the need for strong OT security.

Many Asia Pacific countries have legislation to protect their critical infrastructure from cyber threats, including in Australia, where the recent revisions to the Security Legislation Amendment (Critical Infrastructure) Act 2021 represents the Australian Government’s response to the growing cyber threats faced by critical infrastructure organisations.

In Singapore, the Cybersecurity Act was introduced in August 2018 however last year the Cyber Security Agency of Singapore (CSAS) announced it was reviewing the Act to improve Singapore’s cybersecurity posture and support its digital economy.

The Agency also announced it was updating the Cybersecurity Code of Practice (CCoP) for the 11 Critical Information Infrastructure (CII) sectors to better deal with new and emerging threats. The Cyber Security Act had initially focused on the CIIs, which support the delivery of essential services such as water and power.

OT systems — often referred to as Industrial Control Systems, or ICS — are also increasingly prevalent in industrial and manufacturing environments, as we’ve put robots on our assembly lines and stuck chips in virtually every piece of equipment we deploy.

So, while we might at first think of the so-called “Internet of Things” (IoT) in terms of our smart homes and our cars, a large percentage of the world’s estimated 11.5 billion chip-enabled devices are in OT infrastructure.

Operational technology-related risk

The risks associated with critical OT infrastructure are obvious. We’ve seen them in the movies (e.g., Die Hard 4) and in real life (e.g., Ukraine in 2015) but as we implement more OT, our threat surface keeps growing. And as we add more features and functionality to our OT control systems, system complexity adds to our cybersecurity challenge.

Global tensions also increase our OT-related risk, since critical infrastructure is an attractive target for state actors seeking to do harm. However, OT infrastructure is also an attractive target for ransomware attacks—since it could potentially allow cybercriminals to hold vital services hostage.

Utility companies and other operators of critical infrastructure are aware of this risk, so they tightly control access to their OT systems. OT networks are also typically kept separate from IT networks and are not connected to the public internet.

This air gapping obviously poses a significant obstacle to any would-be attacker. However, there are growing caveats to this idea of air gapping. As operators of OT infrastructure get more aggressive about leveraging the intelligence of their OT networks, they increasingly need to tap into those networks via wired or wireless connections using fixed or mobile computing devices. That connectivity — as secure as operators may hope it is — often creates potential points of exposure to an extremely skilled and dedicated hacker.

Security testing is key to OT integrity

The importance of testing cannot be more underscored than in OT. If your organisation has OT infrastructure, it is important to engage the services of a qualified penetration testing (pentesting) team to independently validate your cybersecurity posture on a regular basis.

Before working with a pentesting partner, it is important to ask questions about the team’s previous OT experience, any OT certifications they hold, and the types of industries they have OT experience (e.g., water infrastructure is different from energy infrastructure).

Pentesting and adversarial testing will help you gain both confidence and a deeper understanding of the integrity of your IT and OT infrastructure. In the worst-case scenario, when security vulnerabilities in your IT or OT infrastructure are found, you will have the time to mitigate and take the necessary steps to prevent a threat actor from leveraging those vulnerabilities.

A proactive approach to security allows you to take an important step in protecting your organisation — as well as the customers you serve – from the serious consequences that would come from a breach of your OT infrastructure.

Just as our businesses and our personal lives have become increasingly digital, so has the infrastructure on which we all depend every day. It is only when our access to these services becomes disrupted that we realise how much we rely on them. Like our health, maintaining it should not be put off or ignored until it is too late.

The post Why OT is the other digital infrastructure that needs protecting appeared first on FutureIoT.

The single biggest opportunity for 5G IoT

The report anticipates that 5G networks will experience significant growth in smart city services; owing to its cost-effectiveness in deployment and ability to carry significant amounts of data.

By 2026, there will be over 60 million 5G smart city connections globally, and the report urges city-planning authorities to leverage 5G connectivity as high-bandwidth gateways.

It found that the monitoring of transportation networks, including road and rail networks, will be key services that require 5G-enabled high-bandwidth cellular connectivity.

DX in healthcare drives 5G adoption

Investment from healthcare providers into 5G-based services will be driven by the need to modernise services, as the global COVID-19 pandemic exposed inefficiencies in healthcare provision. The report identified services including telemedicine, connected ambulances and emergency services, and real‑time remote monitoring as key services that will be immediately improved by the integration of 5G services.

Research co-author Olivia Williams commented: “5G will enable more efficient and dynamic healthcare provision that was not feasible with 4G or Wi-Fi. However, healthcare providers must first implement 5G in areas which provide a strong return on investment; most notably connected emergency services.”

5G: Where is the money

The Juniper Research paper, 5G: Where is the money? posits that 5G is progressively becoming the network of choice because of its performance and reliability. However, for network operators and CSPs (Communication Service Providers) to harness the potential it will require innovative business models and agile, automated infrastructure to monetise it effectively.

Demand for 5G services is key to the future growth of 5G adoption because it can be monetised. For example, Korea has built out 5G, enabling three-to-five times faster speeds than 4G because consumer demand is strong. Demand for 5G services is projected to be significant in the field of VR (Virtual Reality), AR (Augmented Reality), and UHD videos among others.

The post Healthcare and smart city services to lead 5G IoT adoption appeared first on FutureIoT.

Iveda’s technology will enable the local government to tap into the existing power to equip cities with Utilus capabilities. With Iveda Pole Gateway and IvedaSPS, the system acts as a microgrid, providing power to mission-critical infrastructure as needed.

Once light poles are equipped with Utilus, they are able to communicate with one another, establishing a network that provides distributed video surveillance with AI video search technology and remote management of local devices such as trackers, water and electrical meters, valves, circuit breakers, and sensors.

The possibilities

Utilus consists of a smart power management and wireless mesh communications network with WiFi, 4G, and 5G small cell capabilities, plus other wireless protocols as required. It also includes an energy storage battery system for continuous operation and backup in the case of multiple power outages.

Utilus’ smart, multi-purpose poles will help Kaohsiung solve a myriad of urban challenges, from improving parking and traffic management and charging electric vehicles to detecting and notifying officials about street flooding, all through real-time data and alerts.

What to expect in 2023

“As we dive into 2023, we’re seeing more municipalities lean into the rapid development of AI, Internet of Things (IoT), and smart city technologies. Automation is the way of the future and Iveda’s Utilus smart poles add to the foundation of physical infrastructure necessary to deploy critical smart city functions,” said David Ly, CEO and founder of Iveda.

“Integrating smart street poles with multiple functional benefits will open doors for safer and sustainable modern development and construction of our cities and communities. As the supplier of Utilus, Iveda is enabling Kaohsiung to be at the forefront of true smart city innovation, they will be a showcase both nationally and globally.”

David Ly

What’s included in the Kaoshiung project

At the bottom: Iveda’s Smart Pole Cabinet which includes power meters from the investor-owned utility (IOU) or current power companies, power distribution panels, fibre distribution box (FDB), small modular reactor (SMR) which will automatically convert AC to DC for sensitive electronics, dense wavelength-division multiplexing (DWDM)/IoT Gateway/PoE Switch support for TSN, Layer 2 and 3 LAN, and backup battery. The bottom of each Utilus pole will provide all-in-one management of power and data.

In the middle: The city will have the ability to scale as required with the flexibility to add AI cameras, environmental sensors, advertising/messaging displays, intelligent/autonomous traffic sensors, etc.

At the top: 5G small cell antennas with IP65 service cabinets.

As cities continue to grapple with the increasing need for cellular network densification in the form of 5G and future 6G small cells, smart poles are an imminent and crucial part of smart city evolution. Utilus use cases span from the reduction of emergency response time and the improvement of city services to air quality monitoring and crime and hazard protection for residents.

Smart Poles will also help cities like Kaohsiung address growing environmental concerns while providing key monetization opportunities for local municipalities.

The post Kaoshiung to deploy smart poles as part of its smart city development appeared first on FutureIoT.

RPM enables care to be moved outside of overstressed healthcare facilities; boosting healthcare providers’ efficiency. These solutions encompass a variety of health monitoring devices which enable continuous communication between patients and healthcare providers, without the need for close contact.

How remote patient monitoring works

Juniper Research defines remote patient monitoring as using technology to gather patient data outside of the traditional healthcare setting, with the aim to move healthcare out of traditional settings into patients’ houses, in order to free up vital hospital space and enable patients to be at ease.’

2023 predictions

The research predicted that by 2027, there will be 90 million cardiac patients using RPM solutions. Given the high global prevalence of cardiac conditions, the report recommended that healthcare providers use RPM solutions to monitor the heart rate and blood pressure of cardiac patients at home to lower the number of patients in the hospital.

RPM solutions will also indirectly decrease disease transmission rates and alleviate pressure on healthcare systems by reducing the demand for hospital beds.

Research author Cara Malone noted that there are a variety of connected devices that can be used for cardiac patient monitoring, for example, blood pressure and heart rate monitors, which can be challenging for less technologically literate patients.

“Vendors must prioritise device simplification through software improvements, whilst also incorporating patient education to improve healthcare outcomes,” she added.

AI analysis key to real-time data monitoring

The report urged healthcare service providers to fully leverage the data generated by the increase in adoption of RPM devices. To maximise the benefits, it recommended that RPM services fully incorporate AI within their solutions to enable healthcare professionals to improve the efficiency of medical triage processes through a predictive proactive healthcare provision model.

The post Juniper Research identifies key drivers of RPM appeared first on FutureIoT.

She added that it also requires a vast number of technical preparations. Thousands of devices will need to have the necessary documentation for market approval, and even the manufacturers of materials used in medical devices will need to be able to provide data to adhere to the MDR.

“The MDR now accounts for the level of invasiveness and potential toxicity of medical devices. As the MDR dictates the manufacturing requirements, clinical evaluation, and conformity assessment of their products, manufacturers need to carefully consider the new rules when reclassifying their devices.”

Alexandra Murdoch

“For instance, IVD devices have been especially affected by the changes, as manufacturers of these devices need to perform their own gap analyses to determine if their devices need to be reclassified, and what the new class requirements would be,” she continued.

She posited that this extension could be a good thing for the medical device market in Europe, as it only applies to devices that are safe for patients.

“If the three-year deadline is truly unattainable, these extensions could prevent devices that are perfectly safe for use from being taken off the market because they were unable to get recertified in time,” concluded Murdoch.

The post New MDR extension to stifle medical device innovation appeared first on FutureIoT.

As Asia comes out of the three-year economic slump because of the pandemic, what lies ahead for businesses? What is the role of IoT in the return to some form of normalcy?

FutureIoT spoke to Danny Mu, principal analyst at Forester Research on recent trends around IoT adoption in Asia and where this will lead us in 2023 and beyond.

Drawing from the Forester Report, state of IoT in Asia Pacific in 2022. Where is the concentration of IoT?

We have seen that companies in Asia-Pacific are shifting the share of IoT engagements toward production deployments.

Five years ago, in 2017, production deployments comprised just 25% of engagements, and these were predominantly POCs or pilots.

But in 2021, 61% of engagements were production deployments. That is a clear indication that Asia-Pacific firms are getting more confident in the potential of IoT initiatives to generate business value.

Among all the IoT use cases, smart industry, smart consumer services, and smart infrastructure are popular in Asia-Pacific.

Why do you say the smart city industry in Asia Pacific's leading the world in terms of IoT?

As we know, Asia Pacific contributed 35% of the world's GDP, but when focusing on industry value added, including manufacturing, construction, and utilities, Asia Pacific contributed 44%. That is why the smart industry is a leading IoT use case.

What’s driving this deployment of IoT?

Three drivers. The first appearance and rising maturity of specialised IoT solutions and cloud-based IoT. Second, connectivity technologies such as 5G. Third capabilities and offerings of IoT consultants and service providers.

In Asia, which industries are leaving the deployment?

In Asia Pacific, two-thirds of telecom decision makers say their firm is currently adopting IoT solutions.

Adoption and investment are highest in high-tech manufacturing, 81% followed by telecom, 71%. General manufacturing and pharma are broadly in line with Asia-Pacific outreach.

Adoption rates below the average are found in financial services and insurance, 60%, and retail in wholesale 56.

Compared to other regions outside Asia, how sophisticated do you see the level of use of IoT in our part of the world?

According to the survey data, the IoT solution and application adoption rate in Asia Pacific is higher than in Europe and North America. Particularly in the high-tech manufacturing sector, the adoption rate in Asia Pacific is more than 10% higher than in Europe and North America.

Within the leadership at organizations deploying IoT, what do you see are the primary motivations most surveyed?

Asia-Pacific Telecom decision-makers are confident that IoT solutions will generate significant operational efficiency. Half of them expect IoT initiatives to significantly improve customer experience and increase revenue.

How do you see these IoT deployments impacting other initiatives like digital transformation and modernization, for instance?

Impacted by IOT solutions, enhancing customer experience in public places is the most often mentioned. Other use cases related to smart consumer services are also popular.

The two years of the pandemic have likely driven this trend as customer experience in public. It's driven by private companies, public infrastructure operators, and governments.

IoT Solutions also help to enable new business models, particularly in financial services and insurance – a clear indication that those firms will spend the extra IoT budget on usage-based insurance financing and lending.  

Given that security is a rising concern among business leaders, how should enterprises deploying IoT manage the security strategy of the company? 

Security is on top of the concerns with deploying IoT 10% higher than the second option. To help protect data in IoT scenarios, confidential computing can help to isolate sensitive operations in a trusted execution environment during processing.

To support the transfer of data between edge and cloud while appearing seamless to the developers, two networking markets, zero trust/edge, and multi-cloud networking will combine to create a business-wide networking fabric.

Finally, as we step into 2023, how should enterprises review IOT deployment strategies to ensure that these initiatives meet expectations?

We have found that Asia-Pacific companies are less confident in their in-house skills to deliver IoT solutions successfully. These points will need for consulting partnerships.

We also predict that the adoption of in-region digital industrial platforms will gain significant growth. Embracing these in region platforms and industry-specific cloud solutions will help Asia-Pacific firms meet their expectations.

The post PodChats for FutureIoT: IoT in Asia in 2023 and beyond appeared first on FutureIoT.

In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) receives more than 100,000 reports every year that are related to medication errors.

“As a responsible healthcare provider, we want to see immaculate healthcare outcomes by eliminating any chance of wrong patient identification as errors like this hamper patient safety and generate detrimental healthcare outcomes,” said Surapong Saenpoch, deputy director of technology and information at the Udon Thani Hospital.

“If a patient is misidentified, they may be given wrong treatment plans or incorrect medications which hinder their recovery. In severe cases, the effects can be irreversible and may even result in the loss of lives. This is something we want to avoid because the safety of our patients is our utmost priority.”

Modernising patient registration

Udon Thani recently digitised its patient registration process. The hospital chose to deploy Zebra’s desktop printing and scanning solution to digitalize its patient registration process which was previously conducted manually.

Udon Thani Hospital worked closely with Zebra reseller, Pacific Plus IT, to implement and deploy the solution.

The customised solution includes pairing up the ZD421 4-inch desktop printer and DS2208 handheld imager with the Zebra 123Scan application to create a data-powered patient journey that begins with printing scannable wristbands which assist patients from their admission to discharge and with every procedure in between. The scanning process helps to accurately identify medications, match records, and update systems with fewer errors and corrections needed.

Christanto Suryadarma, Southeast Asia (SEA) sales vice president for Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific says hospitals are increasingly looking to technology to help them achieve better patient care.

“Many are replacing manual, error-prone procedures with digital solutions that enhance accuracy, speed, and overall visibility. We will continue to work together with our partners to improve the quality of patient care and build smart, connected hospitals that will form the future of healthcare,” he added.

The post Thai public hospital automates patient registration process appeared first on FutureIoT.

With more than 43 billion IoT devices connected in 2023, Futurist Bernard Marr shares his perspective on the above four trends he believes will influence how we use and interact with these devices.

Click on the YouTube player above to watch Marr reveal his top four trends impacting IoT in 2022.

Click here to see his 2022 predictions and compare – what’s different and the same.

The post Top four IoT trends in 2023 appeared first on FutureIoT.

Example projects include the green makeover of the Champs Élysées in Paris for the 2024 Olympics (€250 million), the redevelopment of the abandoned Athens International Airport into the Metropolitan Park and Coastal Front (€8 billion), and the NEOM Regreening and Saudi Green Initiatives (US$187 billion). Other examples include Madrid’s Nuevo Norte Urban Forest, Melbourne’s Green Infrastructure Plan, Bangkok’s Benchakitti Forest Park (covering an area of 0.7 km2), and Boston’s Green New Deal.

“The single most important benefit of green urban infrastructure is its role in making cities more resilient. Resilient against the impact of climate change in terms of mitigating the effects of flooding, heat islands, drought, and other natural disasters on urban living,” says Dominique Bonte, VP  for end markets and verticals at ABI Research.

“Green infrastructure offers the combined advantage of functioning as natural reservoirs for excess stormwater and excessive heat due to its innate water absorption and heat storage capabilities.”

Dominique Bonte

“Both substantially reduce flooding of vulnerable inhabited areas and the number and severity of heat islands,” he added.

Benefits of green urban infrastructure

ABI Research cites several additional benefits including:

• A key tool for urban decarbonization, contribution to net zero cities, and achieving urban circularity
• Improved air quality and reduced noise pollution
• Increased urban biodiversity – “bringing nature back to cities”
• Improved urban living quality, health, and mental wellbeing
• Positive impact on economic development

Looking through a technology lens

From a technology perspective, digital twins are the ultimate tool for city governments and developers to design, model, plan, simulate, and manage green urban infrastructure.

Detailed information about trees and other green assets can be captured through ground-based and airborne LiDAR sensor scanning systems often complemented by satellite imagery.

Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based recognition capabilities allow building complex models featuring various metrics, including predictive data about expected tree lifetimes.

Digital twin modelling and simulation use cases include the identification of current and future heat islands, the assessment of vulnerable populations, the percentage of permeable surface and vegetation levels, the water retention potential of green rooftops, detailed tree analytics, and water run-off and carbon storage metrics.

Urban digital twin solutions are offered by vendors like Siradel (Engie) and Dassault Systèmes. Singapore-based Greehill develops digital twin technology exclusively optimised for green infrastructure.

The post Opportunities riding on green urbanisation initiatives appeared first on FutureIoT.

“The ability to defend against threats targeting critical care devices while maintaining operational availability and strengthening the alignment of device governance responsibilities between IT and Biomed engineering teams is quickly becoming a necessity for the protection of patient data and lives.”

Ed Lee

As healthcare providers use digital devices such as diagnostic and monitoring systems, ambulance equipment, and surgical robots to improve patient care, the security of those devices is as important as their primary function.

It is therefore understandable that as technology advances and new innovations become accessible, the healthcare industry becomes a prime target for cybercriminals. Why not? Healthcare practitioners are not necessarily at the cutting edge of cybersecurity practice, and with how busy they are performing their tasks, who can blame them?

“The proliferation of connected medical devices in the healthcare industry brings a wealth of benefits, but these devices are often not well secured. For example, according to Unit 42, an alarming 75% of smart infusion pumps examined on the networks of hospitals and healthcare organizations had known security gaps,” said Anand Oswal, senior vice president of products, and network security at Palo Alto Networks.

“This makes security devices an attractive target for cyber attackers, potentially exposing patient data and ultimately putting patients at risk.”

Anand Oswal

Zero trust in healthcare

Zero Trust is a strategic approach to cybersecurity that secures an organization by eliminating implicit trust by continuously verifying every user and device. While a Zero Trust approach is critical to help protect medical devices against today's cyber threats, it can be hard to implement in practice.

Through automated device discovery, contextual segmentation, least privilege policy recommendations and one-click enforcement of policies, Palo Alto Networks Medical IoT Security delivers a Zero Trust approach in a seamless, simplified manner.

It also provides best-in-class threat protection through seamless integration with Palo Alto Networks cloud-delivered security services, such as Advanced Threat Prevention and Advanced URL Filtering.

Using ML enables healthcare organizations to:

• Create device rules with automated security responses: Easily create rules that monitor devices for behavioural anomalies and automatically trigger appropriate responses. For example, if a medical device that typically only sends small amounts of data unexpectedly begins to use a lot of bandwidth, the device can be cut off from the internet and security teams can be alerted.
• Automate Zero Trust policy recommendations and enforcement: Enforce recommended least-privileged access policies for medical devices with one click using Palo Alto Networks Next-Generation Firewalls or supported network enforcement technologies. This eliminates error-prone and time-consuming manual policy creation and scales easily across a set of devices with the same profile.
• Understand device vulnerabilities and risk posture: Access each medical device’s Software Bill of Materials (SBOM) and map them to Common Vulnerability Exposures (CVEs). This mapping helps identify the software libraries used on medical devices and any associated vulnerabilities. Get immediate insights into the risk posture of each device, including end-of-life status, recall notification, default password alert and unauthorized external website communication.
• Improve compliance: Easily understand medical device vulnerabilities, patch status and security settings, and then get recommendations to bring devices into compliance with rules and guidelines, such as the Health Insurance Portability Accountability Act (HIPAA), General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and similar laws and regulations.
• Verify network segmentation: Visualize the entire map of connected devices and ensure each device is placed in its designated network segment. Proper network segmentation can ensure a device only communicates with authorized systems.
• Simplify operations: Two distinct dashboards allow IT and biomedical engineering teams to each see the information critical to their roles. Integration with existing healthcare information management systems, like AIMS and Epic Systems, help automate workflows.

"With thousands of devices to manage, healthcare environments are extremely complex and require intelligent security solutions capable of doing more. Adding intelligence will enable providers to improve operational efficiency, which will enhance patient and practitioner experience and alleviate the burden of an ongoing IT skills shortage," said Bob Laliberte, principal analyst, ESG.

The post Palo Alto Networks secures medical devices appeared first on FutureIoT.

Juniper Research predicts that cost savings from smart grid deployments will exceed $125 billion globally in 2027; increasing from just over $33 billion in 2022.

This 279% growth will be driven by rising energy prices, with smart grid technologies playing a critical role in increasing network efficiency and optimising resource management. Juniper Research identified abilities of AI-based analytics as crucial to maximising benefits of new renewable energy sources, by actively balancing load and optimising energy transmission.

Smart grid key to renewables-led future

The research identified smart grid deployments as key to the decarbonisation of electricity production. Smart grids will enable energy sources that produce electricity based on external elements, such as solar and wind power, to meet energy requirements more effectively, by actively balancing load and predicting surges in demand & production.

Research co-author Nick Maynard opined that leveraging AI will result in better prediction spikes in demand, and possibly mitigating these.

“Smart grid vendors must focus on enhancing their models to more accurately predict usage patterns to maximise these benefits.” Nick Maynard

Reducing emissions drives the market

The research predicts that smart grid deployments will result in an almost 700 million MMT (Million Metrics Tons) reduction in CO2e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent) emissions globally in 2027; falling from 214 million in 2022.

The report anticipates that this will be central to meeting stringent climate change goals, alongside updating generation capabilities to feature more renewable sources, including wind and solar.

The research recommends that smart grid vendors must develop data ingestion engines that can analyse and interpret structured and unstructured data from disparate sources, including smart meters, network data and weather forecasts, to maximise emission reductions.

The post Smart grid opportunities remain realistic appeared first on FutureIoT.

Around the same period, Shenzhen announced plans to deploy 4,526 smart poles in 2020, rising to 24,00 by 2022.

Smart poles are multi-functional aggregation points for smart urban infrastructure, built on top of smart streetlights and connected utility poles. ABI Research forecasts that by 2030 the installed base of smart poles will exceed 10.8 million globally, with system revenues amounting to US$60 billion.

“The relevance of smart poles for smart cities is huge. They offer an efficient, scalable, and modular framework for deploying the whole spectrum of smart urban infrastructure, ranging from 5G small cells and Wi-Fi hotspots to surveillance and traffic cameras, signage and information displays, air quality and flood monitoring solutions, and charging points for 2 and 4-wheel vehicles, drones, and handsets including renewable energy generation,” says Dominique Bonte, VP End markets and verticals at ABI Research.

“However, the main driver behind smart pole deployments is the need for cellular network densification in the form of 5G and future 6G small cells and the use of mmWave radio spectrum. As such, the telco ecosystem is expected to at least partially fund the additional smart cities functionality embedded in smart poles.”

Typical barriers slowing down smart pole adoption include issues related to co-ownership and management (design, maintenance, backhaul cost sharing), conflicting priorities and agendas, sensor data privacy concerns, and the lack of awareness of city governments about the many benefits offered by smart poles in terms of cost savings, deployment time, scaling opportunities, and future-proof modularity.

Consequently, deployments are only expected to gather momentum towards the end of this decade.

Competitive landscape

Key vendors in the smart pole ecosystem include Ubicquia, Verizon, Huawei, Signify, Nokia/LuxTurrim5G, and ELKO EP, next to a range of smart streetlight suppliers venturing into smart pole technologies.

Main initiatives include the EU’s Humble Lamppost Project and deployments by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, Los Angeles, Munich, and Leuven. In addition, cities in India (Bhopal, New Delhi, and Indore) have implemented smart pole projects.

The post Smart poles are key to smart city evolution appeared first on FutureIoT.

Zhu Jianwei, head of the Changning District Culture and Tourism Bureau, said, “The New Page Reading Room is the first place to adopt a digital application for borrowing books within the Changning Library.

“This is an exciting pilot program to enhance public cultural services. We look forward to creating a futuristic library experience by taking the lead in implementing digital applications that provide interactive public culture experiences while accelerating the pace of digital transformation.”

Adding AI to public library services

As soon as entering the lobby of the Changning Library on the first floor, guests are immediately greeted by a digital human named “Xin Ye”. 

Once they present a “QR Code” or reader’s card, Xie Ye will recommend personalized, popular books based on the reader’s personal preferences and their reading and borrowing records. 

The reading recommendations are calculated using a big data system.  The digital human will also assist readers to complete various activities including borrowing books and reserving a seat in the reading section of the library.

“Xin Ye” was created based on SenseTime’s AI digital human technology which integrates computer vision, natural language processing and decision-making intelligence. When guests approach her, the digital human automatically awakens to welcome them and offer a selection of library services.

Especially appealing is Xie Ye’s ability to have a realistic and natural dialogue with people using her expressions, gestures, and actions, which greatly improves the human-computer interaction experience. By using a specially customised recommendation algorithm that gradually optimizes itself, guests are provided with suitable recommendations of engaging books.

Xin Ye

The Changning Library offers two methods for readers to enjoy their books: “reading in the library” and “self-service pick up for books.”  If a reader chooses the option to “read in the library”, Xin Ye provides the guest with a reservation for a seat and then guides them to be seated. 

Once seated, a robot will deliver the requested books. The reader then enters a verification code and the robot automatically opens a “pocket” to deliver a book.  After the reader finishes reading the book, they can summon the robot again and conveniently return the books to the robot.

A smart book delivery robot

After choosing “self-service pick up for books”, the guest can also select a contactless mode. This allows the reader to pick up the reserved books by using SenseTime’s contactless smart bookshelf, which improves the convenience of borrowing and returning books as well as reduces risk of spreading infections.

“Smart library” will continue to support smart reading, improve readers’ experience, and provide intelligent infrastructure to upgrade Shanghai’s public cultural services.

The post What’s inside Shanghai’s first smart library? appeared first on FutureIoT.

This is the case of the DKI Jakarta Provincial Government's Flood Control System in the Jakarta Smart City application. Developed by Jakarta Smart City in collaboration with the Jakarta Water Resource Service (DSDA) to optimise flood risk management in Jakarta, the project involved the use of IoT, AI and ML as part of an early warning system against the risk of floods in the city.

As more organisations deploy IoT in commercial and industrial environments, the amount of data that is derived from these devices and sensors may prove important in improving quality, operational efficiency, and in the case of Jakarta – saving lives and property from natural disasters.

Kenneth Koh, head of industry consulting at SAS Institute, argues that the speed and accuracy with which an IoT system reacts to its environment is critical. However, with the devices and other sensors in a typical system generating overwhelming amounts of data, traditional tools and methods can slow down the process of making sense of that data.

Can you explain what AI-embedded IoT is?

Kenneth Koh: Processing data at or near the edge allows IoT systems to be nimbler and more impactful. But the quality of a data-led action is only as meaningful as the quality of the data-based insights it is acting on.

IoT by itself is not new to manufacturers. Manufacturers have been collecting and storing sensor data from machines for decades. The value proposition for them is in AIoT -analysing that data, at the edge in real-time, using AI and ML to drive efficiencies and value.

By equipping IoT systems with AI capabilities, a wide variety of data, both structured and unstructured, can be processed on the edge. High-quality insights are made available at increased speeds for systems to act on.

AI-embedded IoT and how it unlocks business value

Kenneth Koh: AI-embedded IoT improves operational efficiency and productivity while reducing costs. It also drives innovation towards better customer service, better products, and faster product deployment to the market.

Embedding AI in IoT devices enables edge computing, allowing for the deployment of IoT systems in situations where consistent 5G networks are unavailable. For example, logistics providers can use IoT sensors in their transportation fleet to monitor the internal and external conditions in their vehicles, even in remote parts of the latter's routes.

Aside from edge computing, AI-embedded IoT utilises machine learning to develop actionable insights from the terabytes of data an IoT system generates daily. In the example above, data collected from these sensors are sent to the cloud in real-time, enabling technicians to address vehicle breakdowns more accurately and much faster.

Manufacturers can also use these insights to predict when a particular factory system or piece of equipment would fail, allowing technicians to implement preventive maintenance. Proactive detection of faulty equipment saves precious man-hours while reducing costly unscheduled downtimes.

On the retail side, insights from IoT systems can be used to identify optimal prices for products and minimise disruption to their supply chains.

ML and its role in IoT analytics

Kenneth Koh: Machine learning is the edge AI-embedded IoT has over other IoT deployments. Systems can learn as it processes sensor-generated data using diverse advanced analytical methods such as decision trees, random forests, gradient boosting, neural networks, support vector machines, and factorization machines.

This creates savings for enterprises in terms of man-hours and specialists in the organisation. Without the need to extensively train AI systems, specialists can focus on other critical tasks as non-data scientists can access, view, and process data.

Machine learning capabilities also increase the range of data that AI systems can access and process: visual images online and offline, text, and even verbal speech. The increased volume and quality of available data increases the value and impact of insights derived from it.

Combined, these machine learning capabilities enable both increased speed and volume of data processing, enabling real-time actionable insights which are crucial in many IoT systems.

How AIoT supported Jakarta Smart City: Using SAS's AI-powered platforms, Jakarta Smart City was able to integrate multi-source data in real-time and provides advanced analytics with IoT, machine learning & AI technology to provide emergency/disaster predictive capability and optimisation to serve the public. The result is a flood emergency response to mitigate the risk of floods in Jakarta.

Given that IoT historically falls under operational technology, who should own the securing of IoT?

Kenneth Koh: The introduction of IoT is blurring the lines between IT and OT across enterprises. Sensors and devices are connected to the network to create new systems and improve processes. At the same time, this convergence exposes traditional OT equipment and systems to threats they were previously insulated from.

The fact is that true device security is a combination of technologies, processes, and best practices. Thus, securing IoT systems should not be the sole domain of either OT or IT teams but engendering closer, more effective collaboration between both.

However, this is easier said than done, as IT security teams and OT security teams often don't speak the same language and find it difficult to understand each other's point of view.

Responsibilities are distributed quite differently; priorities often diverge and regulations governing OT security and IT security can sometimes contradict one another. Gaining an overview of all assets within the given environment makes clear what assets and processes must not fail under any circumstances.

By doing this, organisations can establish and practice unified cybersecurity that ensures the confidentiality, integrity, and availability of data.

Name one best practice for IT and operational technology staff working together.

Kenneth Koh: In manufacturing, data is very time sensitive. For example, if the chemical concentration of a process is drifting away from optimal, the engineer may have only minutes to react to save many tons of product. 

In many semiconductor processes, engineers have only seconds to react. In such situations, Analytics needs to move to the ‘edge’ which means the data must be analysed and decisioned at the machine or on the shop floor, not in the back office or engineering.

This requires the ability to do analytics wherever it is needed –at the machine, on the production floor, in the cloud or the back office.

One of the major challenges faced is data silos. For organisations that are not implementing IT/OT convergence, due to a patchwork of unintegrated or partially integrated apps and enterprise systems. Without careful planning, introducing new sources of data (e.g. IoT sensors) will compound the problem.

Implementing a data integration platform to connect IoT systems with organisations' existing technology stack breaks down silos between historical and future data while providing all teams the same access through a single point of control. This ensures that IT and OT teams are with the same page, establishing a foundation for better IT/OT convergence.

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Pilot programme

The six-month Breeze@Tiong Bahru pilot follows the successful beta release of the Breeze app on mobile application stores in April this year. A community initiative by NCS in collaboration with Tiong Bahru Community Centre and Tiong Bahru Market Hawkers’ Association, the app has been enhanced and hyper-localised with additional features and content to encourage the discovery of the Tiong Bahru precinct and promote walking explorations with custom maps of points of interest and other features.

Tiong Bahru is a popular estate with a thriving community of visitors, residents, and businesses.

The pilot aims to ease traffic flow by facilitating information for drivers on parking availability and pricing and by extension, encourage park and walk options so visitors can explore more places in this vibrant estate.

During the pilot programme, the NCS development team will also work with retailers, residents and visitors in Tiong Bahru to gather user-generated content and feedback on Breeze to further improve the parking and walking experiences of the precinct.

Indranee Rajah, Minister in the Prime Minister’s Office, Second Minister for Finance and National Development and Adviser to Tanjong Pagar GRC Grassroots Organisations, said, “I am excited to see how this public-private partnership and the use of leading technologies can help improve the experience for drivers in the neighbourhood and make it even more attractive.

According to Rajah, the pilot project in Tiong Bahru with NCS can also pave the way for other uses, such as promoting heritage trials in the area, or even be used in other neighbourhoods.

Ng Kuo Pin, CEO of NCS, said, “Through our strong collaboration with the government and community associations, NCS is reimagining innovative digital solutions for the community at Tiong Bahru. The Breeze app leverages NCS’ deep experience in the land transport sector and our digital innovation capabilities to improve visitor experiences and highlight urban liveability of neighbourhoods.”

To improve driving experiences

NCS has been engaging 800 private vehicle drivers to better understand their needs and priorities to design an improved driving experience into the app. Focused on simplifying parking decisions and bringing convenience to drivers, Breeze provides real-time insights on the availability of parking lots and enables drivers to easily view and compare parking rates of nearby carparks.

To capture crucial traffic information, NCS’ digital and engineering teams designed a non-invasive and innovative video analytics solution – the Breeze Box – placed at the entry and exit points of Seng Poh Lane carpark and Tiong Poh Road. The carpark’s parking availability information is then pushed to drivers via the Breeze app, even before they start the drive.

Breeze incorporates the first “AI local-accented” navigation guide and can provide drivers the fastest or cheapest routes as traffic conditions and ERP prices change. It also offers real-time views of traffic across all highways and checkpoints, thereby helping drivers make informed decisions about their travel routes.

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Extending well beyond a website, the digital front door consists of a federated suite of applications, services, portals, and digital devices, enabling healthcare organisations to engage patients through digital touchpoints as they journey across the continuum of care outside of brick-and-mortar facilities.

The objective is to create a unified, seamless, consumer-centric patient experience that fosters behaviour change while providing better healthcare access, equity, efficiency, quality, outcomes and improved patient and staff satisfaction. The digital front door can also increase brand awareness, reputation, and revenue.

“As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the rise of healthcare consumerism, and new entrants in healthcare, the notion that the digital front door is an isolated part of an organisation’s digital health strategy is now archaic thinking,” observed Paul Sonnier, industry principal, healthcare and life sciences at Frost & Sullivan.

He opined that the competitive imperative to build a robust digital front door is a matter of survival, whether an organisation realises it or not.

“Patient expectations for quick, convenient, transparent, connected, and responsive healthcare services are redefining how they engage with their healthcare providers at each stage of their care journey, including pre-care, at-care, and post-care,” noted Rishi Pathak, director of healthcare and life sciences at Frost & Sullivan.

He added that this shift results in patients, especially Gen Z and Millennials, choosing healthcare providers that offer digital capabilities across the care continuum, therefore forcing healthcare systems to find new ways to digitally transform their services to deliver a truly omnichannel healthcare experience through digital front door strategies.

“Now is the time for the providers to act,” he concluded.

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By integrating their technologies is said to give organisations advanced tools to remotely manage the security of operational technology and industrial control systems from anywhere and on any device.

“Critical infrastructure across the world is under increasing threat and must be modernized to realize the benefits of digital transformation. Like many other industries, there is a myriad of reasons forcing industrial facilities to adopt new technology – from the cost and business efficiencies they bring to meeting the needs of a highly-skilled workforce that are often stretched too thin,” said Bill Moore, founder and CEO at XONA.

Nozomi Networks solutions support more than 74 million devices in thousands of installations across energy, manufacturing, mining, transportation, utilities, building automation, smart cities and critical infrastructure. Its solutions automate the complex work of inventorying, visualising and monitoring industrial control networks through the innovative use of artificial intelligence.

What the partnership means

With pre-integrated and tested solutions that reduce time to market and increase value, combining Nozomi Networks and XONA technology addresses the complex challenge of securing remote access in critical infrastructures.

Comprehensive network visibility is automated, therefore enabling network administrators to balance priorities in a more efficient manner while ensuring the utmost protection with granular security.

“A big part of helping organisations modernize their critical infrastructure is enabling user access from anywhere, on any device. It’s essential for any business in the twenty-first century, and industrial facilities are no different,” said Chet Namboodri, senior vice president of partner alliances at Nozomi Networks.

“Adding user access to critical infrastructure is not easy – it’s usually too costly and complex, or vulnerable to attack. But XONA has figured out how to make user access frictionless and secure. Integrating our technologies together provides immense value to our joint customers.”

Technology agnostic and configured in minutes, XONA’s proprietary protocol isolation and Zero Trust architecture immediately eliminate common attack vectors, while giving authorized users seamless and secure control of operational technology from any location or device.

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Speaking at the 2022 World Artificial Intelligence Conference (WAIC), Dr Zhang Shaoting, vice president and president of smart health business at SenseTime, introduced SenseTime’s comprehensive Smart Hospital Solution by depicting how the future healthcare landscape brings better patient experience, combined with real cases:

“Through conversations with the intelligent chatbot on a mobile phone, the patient was able to receive a recommendation for the most suitable department or doctor, as well as a complete appointment at home; after arriving at the hospital, the patient was able to follow the AR navigation function which indicated the best route and arrived at the destination without any hassles.”

Dr Zhang Shaoting

Based on deep learning algorithms, the AI diagnostic assistance software helps doctors quickly detect lesions, analyse the patient’s conditions, and plan for future treatments. Doctors can also simulate and assess a surgical plan through 3D visualized models, to better communicate with patients and their families.

The regional-level medical collaborative platform connects experts from different cities to discuss the case, analyse surgical difficulties and optimize treatment plans. During the rehabilitation phase, doctors can keep close track of patients’ conditions through intelligent follow-up and management systems.

Putting the smart in healthcare

Smart Hospital Solution has the capability to upgrade a hospital’s facilities with fully digitalised and intelligent processes including contactless temperature sensors and verification devices at entrances, effectively ensuring the safety and order of hospital admission.

The possibilities

Adhering to the “patient-centric, quality first” mission, SenseTime’s Smart Hospital Solution is designed to promote a new mode of healthcare and enhance various healthcare scenarios by providing the following services:

For medical professionals, the SenseCare Smart Health Platform provides high-performance clinical assistance covering multiple medical imaging modalities and body parts.

For patients, the Smart Outpatient Assistant simplifies outpatient procedures and communication processes to reduce waiting time and optimise the patient experience.

For hospital operators, the Smart Hospital Operation and Management service provides comprehensive digital and intelligent solutions for managing patients, hospital staff, space, and facilities.

For researchers, the Intelligent Clinical Research Platform provides a platform to accelerate innovation, elevate research efficiency and facilitate R&D projects across different research institutions.

For regional-level medical alliances, the Smart Medical Cloud Platform enables a more convenient and flexible remote diagnosis and patient referral to optimize the allocation of medical resources in the region. In addition, it also facilitates collaboration between hospitals of an alliance, making high-quality medical resources more accessible in grassroots healthcare institutions.

Actual use cases

Ruijin Hospital (one of China's most prominent hospitals): Its Pathology department has deployed the SenseCare Smart Health Platform to improve the efficiency and accuracy of diagnosis and treatment planning by doctors, and facilitate remote diagnosis across different branches

Qingdao West Coast New Area (China’s State-level new area): Deployed the SenseCare Smart Health Platform and the Smart Medical Cloud Platform to promote AI-enabled processing and interpretation of medical images at the regional level, contributing to the construction of a hierarchical medical treatment system and facilitating the allocation of regional medical resources

Xinhua Hospital (a leading hospital in China): Deployed the Smart Outpatient Assistant to streamline outpatient procedures and optimize patients’ experience

Xiangya Hospital (one of the earliest Western hospitals in China): Deployed the Intelligent Clinical Research Platform to accelerate innovation, elevate research efficiency and facilitate R&D projects, especially for multicenter research

Kiang Wu Hospital in Macau (one of the largest and oldest hospitals in Macau): Deployed the SenseCare Smart Health Platform to elevate clinical efficiency and accuracy for the Radiology department

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“Industries cannot be formed without standards”, Xu Li, executive chairman of the board and CEO of SenseTime. He posited that standardisation would lead to a flourishing AI industrialisation.

“Through powerful infrastructure, we can produce high quality and standardised models with replication in various scenarios, as well as efficiently manage the whole process of model production. It is worth mentioning that standardisation is not a constraint and will ultimately create infinite possibilities in AI applications,” he explained.

Xu stressed that a standardised AI manual is needed to enable scalable AI innovation.

As AI develops towards commercialisation, AI models become the standardised features for the intelligent era, supporting various applications such as advanced driver assistance system (ADAS), city management, surgical planning, and intelligent agents in games, in which issues can be resolved through the same standardised AI models. 

The four new AI platforms

Stressing the importance of standards for the further adoption of AI at scale, Hong Kong-based SenseTime unveiled four new AI platforms covering different fields including AI cloud computing, vehicle-road collaboration, AI in gaming and smart hospitals, aim to drive AI’s scalable industrial application through standardised, more efficient, easy-to-use, and low-cost platform services.

The SenseCore AI Infrastructure, as an innovative “Yingzao Fashi” developed by SenseTime, achieves highly efficient, low-cost, and scalable AI innovation and empowerment for industries.

SenseCore AI Cloud is developed into an out-of-the-box industrial-grade AI toolchain underpinned by the SenseCore AI Infrastructure. It can facilitate AI infrastructure’s comprehensive digital management, effectively meeting the requirements for future industrial AI pipelines as well as the large-scale training, verification, and reasoning for AI models.

SenseCore AI Cloud can help customers double the efficiency of AI research and development with lower infrastructure costs by providing a full-stack deep learning platform and a series of advanced algorithm platforms and models.

Essentially, it creates a new paradigm of AI cloud infrastructure that innovatively empowers various application scenarios including autonomous driving, smart city, AI for Science and Metaverse.

SenseAuto V2X is SenseTime’s vehicle-road synergy platform committed to providing a one-stop analysis and decision-making solution for future mobility by integrating “smart cars, intelligent roads and collaborative cloud”.

Through the fusion control and analysis of vehicle and road information, it can achieve intelligent operation of “vehicle, road and cloud” platforms to improve traffic management efficiency.

SenseAuto V2X can transmit sensory output from roadside sensors to the vehicle and empower intelligent vehicles with more comprehensive sensing capabilities to better adapt to complex traffic scenarios.

Currently, SenseAuto V2X is deployed in the management of national Internet of Vehicles (IoV) pilot zones, closed parks, highways and urban traffic, facilitating the decision-making for traffic management with higher efficiency and safety.

SenseMAP Multi-Agent Platform is SenseTime’s tailor-made AI gaming production and operation platform. Leveraging the strength in computing power, deep learning and intelligent decision-making technologies, SenseMAP provides game developers one-stop full-cycle production services, covering auto-adaptation in gaming ecosystem, auto-creation of gaming content, and auto-operation of gamer community.

It has largely elevated the productivity of game development to create a better competitive experience for gamers. SenseTime will continue accelerating the diverse applications of AI in games and join hands with industry partners to boost the innovation and development of the game industry.

SenseTime Smart Hospital Solution provides a suite of smart services across various scenarios with the goal of delivering “patient-centred and quality-first” services.

For medical professionals, the SenseCare Smart Health Platform provides high-quality, efficient AI diagnostic assistance throughout clinical processes; for patients, the Smart Outpatient Assistant can streamline the outpatient procedure and optimize the patient experience.

For hospital operators, the Smart Management Service accelerates hospital operation and management’s digitalization.

For research organizations, the Intelligent Clinical Research Platform facilitates R&D work and boosts research efficiency.

For regional-level medical alliances, the Smart Medical Collaborative Platform optimizes the allocation of regional medical resources. SenseTime is committed to leading the development of AI-powered smart hospitals and accelerating the digital transformation of high-quality hospitals.

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Medical analyst at GlobalData, Ashley Clarke says the healthcare, pharma, and medical device sectors are particularly susceptible to cyberattacks.

“Medical history cannot be changed, unlike identification and credit card information, making it invaluable to hackers and resulting in high costs for healthcare data breaches,” he added.

A growing concern

Medical devices have become increasingly connected as remote medicine soared during the COVID-19 pandemic. Many companies now struggle to accommodate provider, patient, and third-party access to sensitive patient information while ensuring security.

Clarke says hackers can use healthcare information to create fake insurance claims, buy and sell medical equipment, or acquire illegal prescription medications.

“They can also target victims with fraudulent schemes related to their medical history, which are more believable than financial or legal scams due to the intimate nature of health information,” he added.

Lessons from the US

According to reports of breaches affecting 500 individuals or more by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Civil Rights, over 41 million individuals in the US were affected by healthcare data breaches in 2021.

Cases affecting more than 22.5 million individuals in the US are currently under investigation this year, which is a 4.6% increase compared to the same time last year.

Devices like insulin pumps, heart pacemakers, inhalers, and wearables track patient data in real-time and even transmit to the user’s phone, making the data immediately accessible to both the patient and their doctor.

This increased data access has made the medical device sector more vulnerable.

This change in technology means that medical device companies and their business associates are now responsible for increasingly large amounts of sensitive electronic patient data and have been prey to significant data breaches in recent years,” said Clarke.

Without securing all components of the cybersecurity value chain, medical device companies will remain a primary target for hackers.

Clarke adds: “It’s crucial for companies to invest in a variety of technologies such as chip-based security, network security, and cloud security, at every stage of the product development to ensure patient information is safeguarded. Older legacy devices may be unable to receive security patches, but new devices should have a security update plan in place for their entire device lifecycle.”

Lessons from the UK

In the UK, the National Health Service (NHS) has been on high alert for cyberattacks following the 2017 WannaCry ransomware attack that disrupted 1% of all NHS care over a one-week period.

More recently it was again the victim of another attack albeit indirectly via the software company Advanced. Disrupted were NHS’ emergency services (111). Advanced currently has 36 NHS clients, while its Adastra software works with most NHS 111 services.  

Dean Sabri, principal analyst for health and social care at GlobalData, says investment in security software and infrastructure across UK healthcare organisations increased by 53% in real terms between 2016 and 2021.

“A cyber-attack on a large healthcare software supplier such as Advanced suggests that NHS organizations could be effectively wasting as much as £62 million if they do not require tighter security measures from suppliers in future procurements,” he concluded.

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"More startups are developing dedicated software that handles specific robotics functions, such as simulation, fleet management, and computer vision. In addition, some startups focus on offering dedicated operating services based on drones and AMRs, such as aerial data collection, infrastructure inspection, and last mile delivery, creating an increasingly diverse and robust robotics ecosystem," said Lian Jye Su, industrial, commercial and collaborative robotics research director at ABI Research.

Coming off a muted market in 2020 with fewer deals  in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, the market research firm valued venture capital investments in robotics worldwide reached US$5.7 billion in 2021, a 38% year-on-year growth. This growth was driven by successful startups in China, Israel, United Kingdom and the United States, according to ABI Research.

The market research firm added that leading startups demonstrated strong capabilities in three major areas: mobility, autonomy, and collaboration, specifically human-machine collaboration.

Su noted that companies are currently looking for ways to automate labour-intensive, repetitive and hazardous tasks. This is driven by the ongoing labour shortage caused by COVID-19 and by the supply chain disruption.

"More precisely, businesses are looking for robotics solutions that are mobile, can navigate through obstacles in unstructured environments, and work alongside human employees without much supervision and control," said Su.

This is reflected in the large funding raised by robotics vendors in three major verticals: delivery, warehousing, and healthcare.

Among the startups that raised a significant amount in 2021, medical surgical system startups, including CMR Surgical, Memic Innovative Surgery, Edge Medical Robotics, Procept BioRobotics, and Changmugu Medical, continued their growth trend in recent years. These systems encourage collaborations between surgeons and robots, improve surgical outcomes, and enhance surgeon capabilities.

Furthermore, Autonomous Mobile Robot (AMR) vendors were also leading the investments, with Nuro in last mile delivery, Automated Storage and Retrieval System (ASRS) startups Fabric and InVia Robotics in warehousing, Gaussian Robotics in cleaning, Gideon Brothers, Pudu, and ForwardX Robotics in general purpose AMR.

"All these robots are increasingly relying on Artificial Intelligence (AI) based technologies such as semantic Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM), computer vision, and sensor fusion, supported by the advancement in processing chipsets and environmental sensors. As such, autonomous robots have proven themselves as reliable partners in the workplace. At the same time, businesses are also slowly realisiing the business value of robotics automation and actively trialing various solutions," said Su.

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The new joint venture company based in Singapore sees a tremendous opportunity in the region with the increased adoption of virtual healthcare and growing investments in digitalisation by healthcare institutions.

“Owing to the rise of artificial intelligence, IoT, and big data in healthcare, the region’s digital health market, valued at US$40.3 billion in 2021, is expected to expand to US$326.7 billion by 2030 at a CAGR of 26.5%. As such, Healthcare Triangle’s entry into the region couldn’t be timelier,” said company chairman and CEO Suresh Venkatachari.

The company’s expansion into the region is expected to bolster the role of Singapore as a medical innovation hub. With their experience working in the developing healthcare technology industry in the US, Healthcare Triangle aims to help healthcare companies scale their digital solutions and innovation in the region.

Fostering partnerships for a resilient healthcare ecosystem

Meanwhile Healthcare Triangle will be  fostering partnerships and collaborations that help create better and more robust digital healthcare solutions in the Asia Pacific.

Specifically, the company plans to tap into Shankar Group, a leading diversified enterprise in FMCG, property development and services presence across the region, including South Asia, the Middle East, Japan, and Australia to expand its services all over the ecosystem.

Partnerships have been crucial  in enabling Healthcare Triangle to create a resilient healthcare system. It is one of the few providers in the region that has such a comprehensive network of partners that allows them to support regional and global healthcare projects.

The company is HITRUST certified and a premier partner of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Google Cloud (GCP) and Microsoft Azure to provide multi-cloud services to customers. To provide holistic digital health solutions, it collaborates with EPIC and Meditech, leading Electronic Health Records (EHR).

Opportunity abounds across the region

According to McKinsey, digital health in Asia could collectively create up to US$100 billion in value by 2025, up from US$37 billion in 2020.

A large population of the APAC region still lives in remote areas seeking digital healthcare services. Increasing awareness about telehealth services and the growing demand for low-cost remote patient monitoring services are expected to drive the market in the next ten years.

The growing need for clinical information systems and electronic medical records will propel digital healthcare platform adoption.

“We are confident that our platform solutions will elevate healthcare and life sciences businesses with the power to transform and manage their cloud infrastructure across any CSP (Cloud Service Provider) and empower businesses with utmost security and compliance to harness the full potential of their data and thereby speed up their data-driven digital transformation journey,” said Venkatachari.

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According to The National Environment Agency (NEA), CO2 levels in occupied areas are often used as a proxy for ventilation adequacy. Building managers should aim for CO2 levels below 800 parts per million (ppm) at all times. Measurements that exceed 1100 ppm is indicative of inadequate ventilation or potential overcrowding and should be addressed immediately.

“While the pandemic presented new challenges to our team, it also gave us an opportunity to review our processes and make our homes healthier. CO2 sensors are simple and powerful tools to optimise IAQ quality and build confidence for our residents,” said Agatha Tan, divisional director at the THK Disability Services.

THK Disability Services is one of the social welfare organisations under the Thye Hua Kwan Moral Charities (THKMC).

Tan added:  “We are pleased with the results of the trial. On top of real-time actions, our operation team can further analyse historical data stored on the cloud via a user-friendly dashboard, so that we can draw correlations between indoor capacity, length of activities and CO2 levels to predict IAQ and ventilate the rooms regularly.”

THK Disability Services, through THKMC, tapped massive IoT provider UnaBiz to supply the IAQ sensors for the three-month pilot.

During the trial, CO2 levels were captured in real-time and remotely throughout the day, in areas with high footfall such as dormitories, offices, activity rooms, and nursing stations.

The ability to monitor CO2 levels allows for the team to take the necessary corrective actions if predefined thresholds are breached. Measures such as increasing natural ventilation and deploying fans were taken to improve air quality, creating a healthier, safer, and more comfortable environment for over 500 staff and beneficiaries under THK Disability Services.

Jonathan Tan, managing director,  UnaBiz Singapore said: “As we transition into the post-pandemic era, vaccines and masks will take a back seat. However, more can be done to reduce the risk of COVID-19 infection by improving ventilation and monitoring CO2 levels to minimise aerosol transmissions. We are pleased to support THKMC by empowering the operation team with IoT solutions and real-time data to provide peace of mind to the residents and staff.”

With the completion of the trial, THK Disability Services plans to implement the  monitoring sensors in its other facilities  located in Sembawang, Geylang Bahru and Pan-Disability Eunos.

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This is one of the key takeaways from the “Emerging Giants in Asia Pacific” report, which looks into the region’s maturing technology-focused ecosystems that are producing billion-dollar companies at a rapid rate.

"Fast-growing technology start-ups are the new wave of SMEs contributing towards economic growth and more. Looking ahead, the global push towards carbon-neutrality will be a major driver of innovation as traditional sectors go green, and Emerging Giants will likely play a key role in developing the technologies that can reduce carbon emissions and promote more responsible stewardship of the environment. Asia will be a crucial battleground in the fight for a more sustainable future," said Honson To, chairman, KPMG Asia Pacific and KPMG China.

Close to over 6,500 technology startups with a valuation of up to US$500 million were studied across 12 markets, including China, India, Japan, Singapore, South Korea, Australia,  Indonesia, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Taiwan, Thailand and Vietnam.

According to the report, the emergence of new sector verticals is attracting record-breaking investments, leading to a proliferation of larger, more valuable startups in the region.

Beyond Fintech and SaaS

Beyond the traditional sectors associated with new economy businesses such as FinTech or software-as-a-service, the report identified around 120 technology-related industry subsectors among these businesses, with blockchain, smart city, and sustainability and ESG verticals being the most prominent.

Sustainability and ESG verticals such as EV charging infrastructure, sustainable packaging and sustainable fashion are among the top 20 subsectors, making sustainability-related products and services a key focus for roughly 15% of the emerging giants identified.

The top 20 list also included four health-associated verticals, including assistive tech, AI-powered drug discovery, neurotechnology and mental health technology.

Meanwhile, the smart city-associated areas, such as IoT security and digital twins were present in the leading 10 subsectors. Virtual collaboration technologies also feature prominently with two categories – virtual events and low-code/no-code – making the top 20 list.

Advanced computing technologies were also well represented, with quantum computing making the top 5 and cognitive computing making the top 20.

"Emerging Giants in Asia Pacific excites us because we see the start-up ecosystem as complimentary to the established end of the financial services industry: they're a source of innovation, and invigorate both local and regional economies with their dynamism," says Surendra Rosha, co-chief executive, HSBC Asia-Pacific.

Other key findings

Daren Yong, head of technology for media and telecommunications, KPMG Asia Pacific, noted that the region’s emerging giants are bold, ambitious and cutting-edge in the new platform and software applications they are offering.

“Most importantly, they are transforming and pioneering the technology landscape over the coming years, in addition to thinking about what is useful to their customers now," said Yong.

Meanwhile, below are other key findings from the report.

• While a repeat of the record-breaking private investment levels in 2021 is unlikely, 1Q 2022 figures suggest that 2022 is on target to exceed both 2020 and 2019 funding levels in the Asia Pacific. Australia, Malaysia and South Korea have already seen deal values pass or nearly pass 2020 totals.
• As the world's biggest fintech adopter, the Asia Pacific region has experienced a boom in financial services transformation within the last two years as fintech applications progress in tandem with user uptake. Considerable interest in cryptocurrencies has also led to a surge in crypto financial services providers and blockchain players.
• Top challenges faced by Emerging Giants include navigating regulatory complexity and securing technology talent. Formulating effective ESG and tax strategies, as well as leveraging government incentives and implementing management processes for distributed workforces, will be cornerstones of future growth.

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The first three projects involves testing  new clean energy innovations on Jurong Island, under a S$6-million grant awarded by the EMA and JTC with support from Enterprise Singapore.  (More than 30 proposals were received following the open grant call in October 2021. The grant supports the prototyping and demonstration of the awarded projects over the next two years.)

The investment in clean energy technologies is part of Singapore’s energy transition to decarbonise its energy supply and will support Singapore’s raised climate ambition to achieve net-zero by or around mid-century.

These projects, piloted for the first time on Jurong Island, cover a diverse mix of technologies. They include innovative floating solar deployment and the development of a virtual ledger system to support green hydrogen production.

One of the projects will also look at using existing infrastructure to deploy energy storage systems and the electrolytes used for energy storage can be produced from recycled industrial waste, which enhances circularity on Jurong Island. The awarded projects were selected based on their innovativeness, commercialisation potential and scalability

“With Singapore’s limited renewable energy options, new energy technologies and innovations are key in our decarbonisation journey. Solar is our most viable renewable energy source, and we hope to push the boundaries further to maximise the amount we can harness. We are also looking at low-carbon alternatives such as hydrogen to reduce our carbon emissions in the longer term. The partnership with industry and research community will accelerate our transition towards a more sustainable energy future,” said Ngiam Shih Chun, chief executive, EMA.

If shown to be commercially viable, the test-bed projects could be scaled up and deployed across more companies on Jurong Island as well as other industrial companies looking for cleaner energy solutions.

Sustainable solutions in underwater infrastructure inspection

Another two projects, this time as part of the S$8-million partnership between EMA and Shell, have been awarded to two local startups BeeX and SunGreenH2.

As a deep tech spin-off from the National University of Singapore, BeeX specialises in designing and building autonomous equipment used for inspection of underwater infrastructure. Their solution could potentially be used to remotely monitor and inspect underwater energy infrastructure such as subsea cables or floating solar photovoltaic systems. This reduces the need for manual inspections as Singapore scales up solar deployment on water bodies and taps on regional power grids to import low-carbon electricity.

For their pilot, BeeX will be collaborating with Shell to trial a HAUV (Hovering Autonomous Underwater Vehicle), to make underwater inspections safer, more efficient and effective at the Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Singapore on Pulau Bukom.

On the other hand, SunGreenH2 has developed a proprietary electrolyser technology used to produce low-carbon hydrogen. The Anion Exchange Membrane (AEM) technology has the potential to improve the efficiency and cost effectiveness of producing low-carbon hydrogen, a clean renewable energy source that may one day become an alternative fuel for power generation.

“We strongly believe that innovating and collaborating with the different players of the energy value chain is key in moving towards a low-carbon world. Startups are an exciting source of new ideas and innovation,” said Thomas Wong, general manager of Shell Energy and Chemicals Park Singapore at Bukom and chairman of Shell StartUp Engine Singapore Committee .

He added: “Supporting and working with local innovative startups like BeeX and SunGreenH2 is valuable in not only helping us to transform our business and the industry, but also contributing towards a net-zero world.”

EMA and Shell kicked off their partnership in 2019 to nurture local energy startups through the Shell StartUp Engine Singapore accelerator programme. To date, the partnership has supported 18 startups. Among the supported startups, EMA has also provided grants to selected startups to further develop their solutions to advance the energy sector’s transition towards greener sources.

Calls for R&D proposals in next-generation energy tech

Meanwhile, EMA and the Singapore Institute of Technology (SIT) jointly launched their second grant call for research and development (R&D) proposals in next-generation energy technologies.

Funds from the S$20 million Exploiting Distributed Generation (EDGE) programme, which was started in 2019, would be used to develop innovative power engineering projects that will boost power engineering capabilities and support Singapore’s transition to a more sustainable energy future.

"Singapore’s energy demand is forecasted to grow in the next decade, driven by increasing electrification and digitalisation. Our power grid needs to evolve to support a more complex power system as we transition into various sources of cleaner energy and integrate them into our power system to meet increasing demand,” said Ngiam of EMA.

The second EDGE grant call is open to researchers from Singapore-based institutions of higher learning, research institutes, public sector agencies, as well as local companies and company-affiliated research laboratories/institutions. Funded projects must be implemented in Singapore. All proposals must be submitted by 15 October 2022, 1200hrs, Singapore time.

Indeed, with the increase in distributed energy resources (DERs) such as solar photovoltaic installations and the rise in the adoption of electric vehicles, power systems of the future will need to be flexible and responsive.

Singapore’s power grid to evolve and adapt to variable power sources while continuing to ensure the reliability and stability of our power system. Because of this, EMA and SIT are seeking innovative solutions to manage the increasing DERs while ensuring continued grid stability and reliability.

Successful grant applicants would be able to test-bed their solutions on SIT’s Multi-Energy Microgrid at its Punggol Campus, located in the heart of the Punggol Digital District when ready in 2024. The Multi-Energy Microgrid serves as a platform for the industry and academics to catalyse R&D by allowing them to test-bed their solutions under real-world conditions. This could enable their ideas to be developed into market-ready solutions for commercialisation.

"Through EDGE, we aim to leverage Singapore’s first campus microgrid infrastructure for SIT’s Punggol Campus, which will serve as a national infrastructure that is open to the research community and businesses in Singapore,” said Professor Chua Kee Chaing, president, SIT.

“This platform allows new technologies and solutions to be tested in a controlled environment within the main grid while providing SIT students with the opportunity to work with industry partners and energy start-ups,” he added

In 2018, EMA and SIT launched the EDGE programme to support the building of capabilities in distributed energy technologies to prepare Singapore for an increasingly decentralised energy landscape. Since then, three projects in the research areas of microgrid design and distributed energy optimisation and management have been awarded.

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According to a Digitimes research report, the country’s ICT industry has shifted from focusing on hardware to hardware/software integration models. The industry is combining big data analysis and AI applications in public IoT to facilitate the development of smart city management.

Tools such as IoT, AI, cloud computing, and communications technologies are efficiently integrated with urban infrastructure to produce economic benefits and improve quality of life.

“Taiwan's expertise in semiconductor and hardware is important to smart cities' development as more data is being used to improve AI systems, resulting in rising demand for stronger infrastructure and hardware with next-generation AI semiconductors,” said Dr. Ayesha Khanna, co-founder and CEO of Addo, an AI consulting firm based in California.

Khanna will be one of the speakers at the upcoming smart city webinar in Taipei later this month to be hosted by Digitimes Asia.

Khanna believes that whether it is AI, robots, 3D printing, Internet of things or 5G, smart city's development should not start purely with technologies but the idea of assisting people to solve their problems or become the aspirational goal for citizens.

It is estimated that the business opportunities of smart cities will reach US$2.6 trillion in 2025, mainly in the Asia Pacific region. This includes sectors such as smart poles, building, parking, monitor, government, transportation, fire protection, water conservancy and WITMED.

“When people want to have better energy and waste management in their city, designers can create an AI solution for monitoring energy usage that can turn streetlights on and off with a built-in smart lighting system. They can also build a centralised trash collection mechanism with sensors and have robots powered by AI to collect waste all around the neighbourhoods to reduce traffic and road congestions,” Khanna said.

Collecting and integrating public and private data

Khanna pointed out that it also important to collect and integrate publicly available data and data from the ecosystem's private firms to form a system.

For example, by combining data of taxi companies and traffic light operation, it reduces people's waiting time for taxies, while traffic congestion can also be significantly lowered with the system's assistance in rerouting or changing the traffic lights.

Technologies for smart healthcare

Nowadays, because of the pandemic, the number of hospital visits via online meeting software or telemedicine services increased dramatically as people find it more convenient and efficient.

The technologies used by medical care system are also making improvements with some designers beginning to adopt biometric sensors onto the terminals for the machines to collect more patients' data, giving doctors more information to make intelligent diagnosis, such as handheld ultrasound products that can be connected via smartphones for patients to check on themselves via AI or by medical staff nearby and then send results to their doctors.

“Technologies for remote medical care are a key area that many IT companies have devoted their R&D effort to. Ambulances built with remote medical care system can connect doctors with ambulances care assistants for them to do check-ups while transporting patents to the hospital. The doctors can also make an examination over patients' injuries via a head-mounted display (HMD) to save time,” said Khanna.

Vital role of 5G in smart city

However, Khanna said all these innovations still rely on 5G, which allows devices to communicate with each other with its fast transmission speed, and has brought a revolution to the manufacturing industry and factories.

In Singapore, a lot of investments are being made for deploying 5G infrastructure throughout the city. This is also the case for many countries including the US.

As smart systems are adopting more sensors to enhance their data collection ability, 5G's commercialisation has become the key to unlock the potential of IoT.

With telecom carriers worldwide keenly expanding their 5G infrastructure, Dr. Khanna is optimistic about the birth of more new smart systems and the rapid development of smart cities worldwide.

“The future of smart city will not be operated by one large central AI, but multiple small ones. Issues within smart cities' key sectors such as healthcare, energy and education will continue to be overseen by government departments or public sector companies with them using AIs to optimise and create innovations for their services,” said Khanna.

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The annual gala concert dubbed "A Lovers' Reunion" will give the audience a brand-new symphonic experience driven by the integration of cutting-edge AI technologies developed by researchers from the HKBU's Augmented Creativity Lab.

The HKBU Symphony Orchestra will share the stage with an AI virtual choir to perform a newly arranged choral-orchestral version of the song Pearl of the Orient. It will be the world's first AI choir to perform a choral piece with Chinese lyrics.

“The first human-machine collaborative performance of its kind in the world presented by HKBU at the Gala Concert is an important outcome of the 'Building Platform Technologies for Symbiotic Creativity in Hong Kong' research project. It is also a milestone of AI research revealing the unlimited potential of human-machine symbiotic creativity,” said Professor Guo Yike, vice president for research and development at the HKBU Augmented Creativity Lab.

Professor Guo is the project leader of a research project entitled "Building Platform Technologies for Symbiotic Creativity in Hong Kong" – a HK$52.8 million research fund awarded by the Theme-based Research Scheme (11th round) under the Research Grants Council (RGC) for a period of five years.

He added: “HKBU is dedicated to building a world-class AI art-tech platform that will drive a new revolution that transforms the creative and cultural industries. It will enable Hong Kong to assume a leading position in art-tech on the global stage.”

For the gala concert, Professor Guo’s team has also trained an AI artist to create a cross-media visual narrative based on the lyrics and music to accompany the choral piece. The audience is invited to share the AI's imagination of Hong Kong as the Pearl of the Orient.

Another highlight of the concert is a ballet performance featuring AI virtual dancers in Ravel's Daphnis et Chloé, accompanied live by the HKBU Symphony Orchestra. The ideas for the choreography come from the natural world, which provides dance movements inspired by a newly discovered species of box jellyfish in Hong Kong. In collaboration with professional dancers from the Hong Kong Dance Company, the AI-generated dancers have been trained to perform the ballet with movement-data collected by HKBU scientists.

The concert will also spotlight the artistic prowess of our award-winning student musicians in the performances of Saint-Saëns's Introduction and Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op. 28; Borne's Fantaisie brillante sur 'Carmen'; and Lauryn Kurniawan's Rasa for string quartet and gamelan.

Professor Johnny  Poon, who is also the music director and conductor of the HKBU Symphony Orchestra and the Collegium Musicum Hong Kong, said: "In addition to celebrating HKBU's young musicians, the innovative concert showcases how the University is using technology to push the envelope of human imagination in the arts and cultural sphere.

"By leveraging our established strengths in both the arts and sciences, HKBU is taking a trans-disciplinary approach that will advance the development of the arts, culture and creative media in Hong Kong. Our art-tech research also enables musicians and artists to go beyond the traditional forms and interact with the audience in brand new ways."

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The company, primarily known for its security products and applications, deployed an intelligent video system to monitor the animals’ activities and their interaction with humans. The system integrates professional video software with dedicated functions including AI-equipped cameras that can identify this unique animal automatically.

"The protection of pangolins is of great value in protecting the biodiversity in our forests," said Li Chen, director of Xizijiang Ecological Conservation Center, a non-profit organisation for monitoring, studying, and protecting wildlife.

Focus has been placed on surveying and monitoring wild pangolin populations and their habitats. Patrolling forests and mountains has radically diminished poaching efforts while also strengthening on-going research on the artificial breeding measures currently underway.

“The intelligent video system allows for smart, information-based and real-time monitoring of pangolins. It relieves researchers from patrolling pressures and provides precious data for the scientific research of pangolins. We are expecting more technologies to be used in the future of the Wuquinzhang Reserve to protect pangolins, so that more of them can thrive here,” he added.

Before the system was installed, research in the reserve was impeded by the lack of data and video footage on the local ecosystem in general and pangolin activity in particular.

Researchers were forced to travel dozens of kilometres on foot deep into mountainous areas and dense, unfriendly forests only to collect very limited data. After the Hikvision system was put into place, however, workers have been able to access large amounts of video footage, studying and documenting pangolin living habits. These valuable materials currently help reveal and restore populations as they facilitate the work of researchers.

Critically endangered

Known as “guardians of the forest”, pangolins are ancient creatures that appeared in fossil records possibly going as far back as 35-55 million years. Even with the strong shield pangolins wear, their population has declined at an alarming rate – the result of poaching and illegal trade.

What’s more, deforestation and intrusive human activities have disrupted their forest ecosystems extensively, leaving pangolins vulnerable. The destruction of their habitats further exacerbates their plight. Pangolins feed almost exclusively on ants and termites. Such a simple diet makes them particularly poor at adapting to changes in their environment.

In China alone, its population is estimated to have decreased by an exorbitant 90% since the 1960s, prompting the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) to put the Chinese pangolin on its red list as a critically endangered animal.

Governments and international organisations have intensified their efforts to crack down on poaching and illegal trading of pangolins over the years. Significant resources have been dedicated to the animals' protection and breeding in the field. The United Nations has declared the third Saturday of February as "World Pangolin Day" in order to raise awareness about protecting these creatures across the globe.

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The four Asia Pacific cities are joined on top of the list by Copenhagen, Amsterdam, London and Paris in Europe and New York and Washington DC in the United States.

The index was produced by Economist Impact and supported by NEC.

According to Ritu Bhandari, manager for policy and insights at Economist Impact, smart cities will be safer, cleaner and more inclusive urban landscapes, where citizens enjoy better public health and services, more efficient transport and major economic improvements to be shared as public goods.

“The index highlights how outlier cities are leveraging technology to improve quality of life for millions of citizens around the world. While we see strong leadership from cities in Western Europe, the table is led by major cities from a wide geographical spread. The most significant improvements were delivered against tightly defined goals – a critical success factor for urban digital transformation,” said Bhandari.

A peek at the top performers

Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Beijing, London and Seoul performed the best, with successful open data projects and major strides in smart technology-powered sustainability projects like utility management.

Cities with very defined goals realised the greatest benefits: European cities ran highly impactful traffic management systems, while Beijing made progress using applied digital technologies - tackling air pollution, optimising its utilities and promoting its sharing economy. The Atlantic nation cities led in open data innovation with a boom in travel and mobility apps.

Sustainability was the biggest impact area highlighted by the White Paper, with leading smart cities realising major gains in air quality through smart utility management. Sustainability brought the highest overall scores, with Copenhagen, Seoul and Toronto scoring highest for their use of digital technology to support urban sustainability.

Copenhagen and Singapore were the most connected cities, followed by Zurich, Beijing and Sydney. Singapore’s strategy for developing digital connectivity is built on the premise that AI, 5G and cyber security will drive the country’s growth and innovation post-covid. Smart cities are anticipated to drive economic growth: 5G alone will enable an estimated US$660 billion global mobility and transportation market by 2035.

Internet services impact smart city goals

According to the index, unaffordable, unreliable or inaccessible internet services impact other city level goal, with half-a-million households reportedly lack a reliable internet connection in New York City, for instance, disadvantaging low-income children for remote learning.

By contrast, Washington DC has offered low-cost or free services and devices to families unable to afford a broadband subscription and Paris has the most affordable mobile data of all the cities analysed.

Digital technologies enable progress in public health

Since the pandemic, digital technologies have enabled real progress in public health. In Asia, apps were central to managing COVID-19, while telemedicine and real-time remote monitoring of chronic patients has marked digitisation everywhere. In New York, for instance, a diabetes-prevention initiative for adults has reduced the risk of type 2 diabetes in high-risk individuals by 58%.

Singapore, São Paulo and New Delhi ranked the highest for their delivery of digital municipal services. New Delhi ranks high in part because of the success of Aadhar, India’s ground-breaking national digital identity scheme. In Korea, Metaverse Seoul, announced in November 2021 by the Seoul Metropolitan Government, will provide citizens with access to government services via the metaverse.

The index also noted that involving citizens in the design of smart city schemes underpins meaningful inclusion, a critical success factor for smart city projects, along with delivery against tightly defined goals.

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To help prevent unauthorised access of medical devices, Asimily and Extreme Networks team up to help healthcare institutions prevent unauthorised access of IoT-based medical devices.

Asimily is a provider of Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) risk management platforms, while Extreme Networks is a provider of cloud-based networking solutions.

With this partnership,  Asimily Insights will be integrated into the  ExtremeCloud IQ Controller, a cloud-based wired and wireless network management solution from Extreme Networks.

“Asimily’s intuitive platform helps us identify and respond to the most critical risks to our organisation, and the integration with Extreme’s solutions enables us to enforce policies on devices as needed and address any concerns that can impact the confidentiality, integrity or availability of IoT and medical devices and their data,” said Ali Youssef, director, Medical Device and IoT Security at Henry Ford Health.

“Together, these solutions allow us to fill the gaps we previously had in our ability to manage device security and ensure we can continue to deliver patient services, which is always our top concern,” he added.

Asimily Insights integration with ExtremeCloud IQ Controller provides a seamless solution to detect exploitable vulnerabilities and enforce policies to help identify and prevent cyberattacks.

“ExtremeCloud IQ Controller provides unified services and features in a simplified management console for on and off-premise deployments. On-Premise deployment is critical for many Healthcare Delivery Organizations (HDOs),” said Dinesh Katiyar, Head of Business Development, Asimily. “This integrated solution provides HDOs a best vulnerability management platform with the flexibility to deploy on-premise.”

Asimily Insights uses AI-based analysis to prioritise exploitable vulnerabilities and prescribe clinically viable remediations outside of segmentation and blocking that are easy to implement. These remediations are transmitted to ExtremeCloud IQ Controller to centrally enforce network access policies to secure the device.

In addition, for devices where segmentation is the only option, Asimily Insights generates policies which are transmitted to ExtremeCloud IQ Controller to configure, isolate, segment and micro-segment the devices on the network.

“Extreme’s solutions are trusted by hospital systems and healthcare providers around the world. Our integration with Asimily creates a solution that is specifically designed for healthcare IT teams and enables them to find and address vulnerabilities before they are exploited, as well as ensure that security measures necessary for safe clinical operations are in place,” said Bob Zemke, Director, Business Development at Extreme Networks.

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The testbeds are guided by Singapore’s Technical Reference (TR) 93, the new national guidelines that seek to harmonise data exchanges between autonomous robots and building infrastructure for effective deployment through horizontal and vertical spaces.

“As a smart and Caring General Hospital, we innovate and collaborate widely within and beyond healthcare to create new value, benefit our communities, and contribute to the nation's efforts in Research, Innovation and Enterprise,” said Professor Ng Wai Hoe, chief executive officer, CGH.

He added: “The invaluable partnerships with CLI, KONE, Enterprise Singapore and other industry players enable us to leapfrog healthcare solutions to new ground and open up endless possibilities. We are excited that RoMi-H, which first started as a solution for healthcare, can now be integrated with smart infrastructure, potentially accelerating the scaling up of automation and robotics technologies in Singapore and the world."

Touted as the world’s first, the standardised RoMi-H, short for Robotics Middleware for Healthcare, has paved the way for multiple robots with different proprietary systems from different technology providers to communicate and sync together through common data exchanges.

RoMi-H  is developed by CGH's Centre for Healthcare Assistive and Robotics Technologies (CHART) and other partners.

Now, by enabling integration with the building infrastructure through efficient communications with lifts and doorways, these various robots can travel autonomously and safely through indoor and outdoor spaces and gain access to various storeys in a multi-storey building.

These crucial developments led by cross-industry efforts are a boost to Singapore's robotics ecosystem in line with the national Research, Innovation, and Enterprise 2025 plans, as they help to reduce the time and costs needed to integrate robots with buildings, enhance efficiencies, support the safe deployment of robots within dynamic environments, as well as create new opportunities and jobs.

First-of-its-kind testbeds

Leveraging CGH's technology expertise and CLI's global network of partners through its Smart Urban Co-Innovation Lab, the first-of-its-kind testbeds are designed to enable industry players to interface RoMi-H with KONE's next-generation lifts, which comes with cloud connectivity capabilities and open application programming interface (API) that is aligned with TR 93.

Heartbeat @ Bedok is one of the testbed sites, where CGH and KONE have successfully integrated robots with a next-generation lift.

The other testbed site at The Galen at Singapore Science Park 2, provides a realistic, accessible and secure operating environment for companies to "plug and play" their own technologies and test the integration with lifts. This will allow building owners in any sector to interweave functions of diverse robots into complex operational workflows.

Over 25 local and international industry players have shown interest to be part of the testbed, and more technology players, start-ups, SMEs, as well as adopters including facility management companies, are expected to join and benefit from this initiative in the near future.

“Our collaboration with CGH and KONE allows us to further advance innovation by bringing partners from our global network to testbed cutting-edge robotics solutions for the built environment industry,” said Aylwin Tan, chief customer solutions officer, CLI, and director of Smart Urban Co-Innovation Lab.

He added that CLI has been at the forefront of innovation in support of the Singapore's efforts to build a smart and sustainable city.

“As Southeast Asia's first industry-led lab for smart cities solutions development, our Smart Urban Co-Innovation Lab has engaged with over 700 companies across a wide range of industries to identify opportunities and co-create solutions for smart sustainable cities,” said Tan.

New standard in syncing robots with building infrastructure

RoMi-H has been successfully test bedded for deployment at public sector hospitals and at COVID-19 Treatment Facilities to augment operations and care. Its innovative interface enables robots to navigate autonomously in human-rich environments, proactively and independently de-conflict their navigation routes with robots of different makes across narrow common pathways, and execute their individual tasks in a co-ordinated manner. This also allows for a universal charging system and fleet management to be developed so that the different robots can be more efficiently managed.

Furthermore, the development of the TR93 standards provide guidance to robot manufacturers and building owners in deploying multiple robots in smart buildings and accelerate the take-up of robotics technologies in multi-storey buildings.

TR93  was driven by CGH's CHART and local engineering firm HOPE Technik, and supported by the National Robotics Programme and Enterprise Singapore.

With the ability to integrate autonomous robots with next-generation lifts and automated doorways, technology providers, system integrators and building owners can explore and easily adopt the innovative use of robotics technologies in buildings.

Choy Sauw Kook, director-general (Quality & Excellence), Enterprise Singapore, said: "The Singapore Standards Council, overseen by Enterprise Singapore, is proud to have worked with CHART and various stakeholders to enhance the integration and adoption of safe and effective robotics solutions through the development of TR 93. We envision that this new standard will help spur more deployment of robots in the built environment as it provides a common data interchange platform for various system and equipment providers to work together."

KONE, on the other hand, is proud to be a key contributor to the development of TR 93.

“New technologies, such as in the area of robotics, are rapidly changing the way our customers construct and operate buildings. We have increased investments in advanced technologies and broadened our digital capabilities to collaborate and co-innovate with different stakeholders in the built environment sector. We see great opportunities to progress our efforts in Singapore, with its strong focus to be a smart and sustainable nation,” said Samer Halabi, executive vice president, KONE Asia Pacific, Middle East & Africa.

Forging vibrant partnerships in East Coast

Meanwhile,  CGH and CLI – the two of the founding partners of Vibrant @ East Coast – joined forces with KONE, to co-create innovative solutions to benefit communities and industries under the East Coast Vibrant Community Footprints

The official launch of the partnership was witnessed by Guest-of-Honour, Heng Swee Keat, Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies, Chairman of the National Research Foundation and Adviser to East Coast Group Representation Constituency (GRC) at Heartbeat @ Bedok.

CGH and CLI also signed a Memorandum of Understanding to create co-innovation and deployment opportunities to drive discovery, adaptation and adoption of smart cities solutions, and develop initiatives to excite, educate and engage the community in health and wellness. Innovations arising from the partnership are expected to overcome common challenges, increase productivity and help the industry, including small-and medium-sized enterprises (SME), to grow.

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The Nokia MXIE is a future-ready, high-capacity and highly-resilient as-a-service OT on-premise edge solution that accelerates the digital transformation of operational technology (OT), and is powered with 4.9/LTE and 5G connectivity provided by the Nokia Digital Automation Cloud (DAC).

Through the expanded  partnership with Microsoft, Nokia MXIE and private wireless solution customers have seamless access to the full Azure ecosystem offering on MXIE. For one, the integration will allow Nokia customers in industries such as automotive, manufacturing, energy, logistics and government to run Industry 4.0 applications in the traditional cloud, as well as directly on their premises. It will also provide numerous benefits such as increasing worker safety through AI and automation, while decreasing the amount of needed backhaul with local data processing.

“Our extended collaboration with Microsoft will enable and enhance the performance of Industry 4.0 mission critical applications allowing our customers to tap into Microsoft Azure Arc in the cloud and on the customer premise’s edge,” said Stephan Litjens, vice president, Nokia Enterprise Solutions.

Nokia has deployed mission-critical networks to more than 2,200 leading enterprise customers in the transport, energy, large enterprise, manufacturing, webscale and public sector segments around the globe. It has also extended its expertise to more than 450 large private wireless customers worldwide across an array of sectors.

Microsoft Azure Arc offers a simple way to deploy and manage Azure applications on-premise with multi-cloud resources, such as virtual or physical servers and Kubernetes clusters. It simplifies governance and management by delivering a consistent multi-cloud and on-premise management platform.

Microsoft Azure Arc running on Nokia MXIE provides enterprises with added access to Azure capabilities while benefiting from private wireless connected assets’ real-time data and on-premise, highly-resilient OT-centric edge processing. Keith Sutton, CTO, telco service line at Microsoft said: “Nokia is an established leader in fully integrated industrial edge and private wireless solutions to provide features and automated management tools that accelerate OT digitalization. With Microsoft Azure Arc, a wide ecosystem of applications, and our long standing work with Nokia, we can provide AI-powered insights and identify solutions to workflow issues for mission critical Industry 4.0 applications running at the edge.”

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The program involves the installation of a monitoring device that plugged into an electrical outlet in the house. The device measures the amount of electricity consumed by connected home appliances such as television and microwave.

"We will take care of socially isolated households by installing smart plugs that allow us to regularly monitor and provide emergency treatment for households at risk of lonely death," Seoul official Ahn Hyun-min said in a statement.

Established by the Seoul City Government in October 2021, the smart plug program addresses the growing number of elderly people living by themselves. When the device detects lower power consumption, it triggers an alert for the city’s social welfare officials to visit the house and inquire about the person’s safety.

During its initial roll out seven months ago, a little over 2,700 households were enrolled into the program. A total of 154 emergency cases were detected and taken care of during this period. Most cases involved either people in poor health because of alcohol abuse or those with restricted movement in need of aid or those who cannot feed themselves.

For the expanded smart plug program, the Seoul City Government will select vulnerable household in 25 districts and the elderly living alone will be given priority.

South Korea has a growing number of single-person households. According to the country’s national statistics office, the number has reached 6.64 million in 2020, representing nearly 32% of the total households. About 1.6 million of these single households are aged 65 or older.

According to data released by the national statistics office in 2021, the number of South Korea's single-person households reached 6.64 million in 2020, accounting for 31.7 percent of total households. Some 50% of them were in their 40s. About 1.6 million are single households aged 65 or older. Some 43% of people who died of a lonely death in 2019 were elderly.

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The study is hoped to pave the way for the company’s overseas expansion, banking on its cloud-based digital treatment of the medical condition that afflicts three of 100 children in the population.

“The study, which includes two sites in Shanghai, is led by Dr. Rui Liu from the Eye & ENT Hospital of Fudan University, one of the mainland's top hospitals, and will involve 20 patients in the CureSight treatment group and 20 in the patching control group,” said Ran Yam, CEO, NovaSight.

He added: “This marks another milestone for NovaSight and the beginning of our journey to secure the mainland National Medical Products Administration clearance in preparation for our future commercial activities in the mainland.”

Yam said the results of the Shanghai study would be released by the end of 2022.

A similar clinical trial was conducted last year in six medical centres in Israel, including Sheba Medical Center, which was ranked one of the top 10 best hospitals in the world.

The study, which randomly assigned 103 patients from the ages of 4 to 9, compared the improvement in visual outcomes achieved by CureSight digital treatment versus eye patching, considered the current gold-standard-of-care treatment.

In addition to achieving the non-inferiority primary endpoint, NovaSight noted that the topline analyses from the pivotal study demonstrated that best corrected visual acuity (BCVA) improvement at week 16 was larger in the treatment group compared to the patching control group.

The study also evaluated adherence and patient satisfaction, noting a mean adherence of 93% among clinical subjects in using the CureSight eye tracking system, with 93% of parents saying that they are likely or very likely to choose the CureSight digital treatment over patching.

“Eye patching is effective when patients are compliant, however, patching is often associated with insufficient adherence due to the discomfort it brings to the patient and the social stigma that many children experience when wearing a patch," Yam said.

Cloud-based digital device

The CureSight system consists of a digital screen device and a red-blue treatment glasses that trains brain to use both eyes simultaneously, while the user watches any streamed video content through red-blue treatment glasses.

Optical image sensors track and record momentary gaze position, sampling 90 times a second to create objective and comprehensive eye movement patterns.

Using sophisticated AI algorithms and eye-tracking technology, CureSight blurs the centre of vision of the image that is shown to the strong eye using real-time image processing.

This encourages the brain to complete the image fine details from the amblyopic eye image and trains the two eyes to work as a team. The device is designed to be used at home, and it shares treatment reports with caregivers via a cloud portal.

By tracking the patient eye movement, the AI algorithms receive the data which allows for unique insights into human behaviour and facilitates natural user interfaces.

All collected data is uploaded to the cloud and is processed in real-time for immediate analysis of the results to help in the assessment and decision of treatment. The eye care provider receives a comprehensive patient vision summary. Progress reports and real-time monitoring of the child's treatment are easily accessible.

Using digital technology to diagnose vision problems

Meanwhile, NovaSight plans to introduce its EyeSwiftPRO system, another device which helps diagnose conditions such as myopia by tracking patients’ eye movements as they watch animated videos on a screen.

“Traditional vision exams such as the eye chart, undergone by hundreds of millions of patients worldwide every year, are manual, subjective, time-consuming, limited and often inaccurate – especially for toddlers who can’t always understand the examiner’s instructions or communicate what they’re seeing,” said Yam. “Therefore, they are not sufficiently effective to detect many visual impairments, including amblyopia (lazy eye). As a result, these conditions often go undetected or are misdiagnosed.

Suitable for both children and adults,  EyeSwiftPRO is designed to replace the traditional eye chart and other manual exams and deliver any trained eye-care provider various fields of diagnostic tools by using dedicated protocols such as myopia, amblyopia, binocular vision and more.

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The DSD conducts regular maintenance of these facilities such as river channels and underground pipes. However, maintenance works for drainage facilities are easily affected by weather conditions and tide levels. In addition, limited working spaces in most of the underground drainage facilities constrained the use of large machinery, posing safety risks for workers.

The  new river desilting river, introduced in December last year, to remove accumulated silt at a section of the Tuen Mun River under the Tuen Mun MTR Station.

“The robot collects silt by suction, which is similar to the operation of a vacuum cleaner. The operator remotely controls the robot on a temporary working platform via a console,” said a DSD spokesperson. “The silt is located by the closed-circuit television and sonar device installed on the robot and dewatered at the temporary dewatering tank before it is transferred off site."

Compared with the traditional desilting method which requires operators to drive excavators and trucks into the river, the river desilting robot can operate under water regardless of tides and weather conditions. Hence, desilting works can be conducted throughout the year, making desilting operations more flexible and efficient.

The larger suction rate of the river desilting robot enables the collection of more fluid silt as compared with the desilting robot used at box culverts, making it more suitable for the desilting works at rivers.

Meanwhile, the remotely-operated pipeline inspection robot is built to assist in the investigation of the structural integrity and service condition of underground drains, which helps with the maintenance and upgrading of drainage systems in a timely manner.

The pipeline inspection robot is a vessel equipped with a 360-degree high-definition camera and a sonar device. The robot can operate within a drain remotely without flow diversion. The data collected can help with the formulation of desilting and maintenance works. The high-definition camera inspects the condition of the pipeline structure above water level, and the sonar device detects the profile of the siltation.

The pipeline inspection robot completed an inspection with CCTV and sonar of a 1.8-kilometres sewage tunnel in Tseung Kwan O on January 15 this year, breaking the record in Hong Kong.

"The river desilting robot and the pipeline inspection robot can greatly reduce the safety risk of workers by remote operation. The DSD expects the applications of such technology can be further extended to the maintenance works of other rivers and pipelines upon the gathering of data and experience from these trials,” the DSD spokesperson said.

In recent years,  heavy rainfall due to extreme weather has become more frequent. Over the last five years, the DSD received an average of 90 flooding reports annually.

Analysis of the flooding reports revealed that the majority of flooding cases were caused by the blockage of drainage intakes by debris such as leaves, sand, gravel or waste, which affected the discharging of surface runoff. Also, part of the flooding cases were the result of tidal caused backwater in low-lying areas. Majority of flooding cases subsided immediately after emergency clearance works conducted by the DSD.

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These pilots signal the startup’s international expansion, which comes on the heels of the recent US$1.25 million seed funding secured from investors led by Silicon Solution Partners (SSP) and SEEDS Capital, the investment arm of Enterprise Singapore.

"We hope to conduct more pilot trials with companies and governments, to showcase how remoteEye results in benefits including cost savings, improved safety/hygiene levels, improved performance and reduced reliance on manpower,” said Deepak Pitta, founder and CEO, SpaceAge Labs

In the next six to 12 months, Pitta said the company  plans to double its current headcount of 12 employees as it opens international offices in Australia and the US.

Pushing for more pilots in Singapore

At the same time, SpaceAge Labs will continue piloting monitoring projects in its home country – specifically around water consumption patterns and leak detection in facilities,  air quality in outdoor spaces, and water quality in swimming pools to name a few.

Last year, Public Utilities Board (PUB) of Singapore collaborated with the local startup to trial an IoT-based monitoring solution aimed at preventing sewer overflows in the city state’s wastewater network.

Some 40 IoT devices have been installed in sewer manholes across Little India, Geylang and Serangoon Gardens, which were prone to overflows. These areas have a high restaurant concentration and tend to have faster build-up of fat, oil and grease in the sewer network which will eventually lead to a blockage if not cleared.

The battery-operated wireless IoT devices are installed inside the harsh, confined conditions within a sewer manhole, providing PUB with real-time alerts when waste water levels within the sewer system rises too high. When alerts are triggered PUB officers would quickly check for blockages downstream, with SpaceAge Labs informing them the areas that are likely to be clogged.

“Over a twelve-month period from January 2021 to December 2021, we successfully alerted PUB to 10 events within the wastewater network. PUB promptly cleared these blockages before any overflow events happened,” said SpaceAge Labs in a statement.

This has significantly improved efficiency of operations, and in preventing pollution to ensure safety and regulatory compliance.

Today, More than 750+ rEye devices deployed so far on site to monitor 1000+ remote assets for different applications.​

IoT devices trialled in greenery management

The company also conducted a pilot with another government agency in Singapore, deploying IoT devices to enable the National Parks Board (NParks) to track the completion and quality of the grass-cutting operations.

NParks manages some 400 parks, 3,347 hectares of nature reserves, the Singapore Botanic Gardens, Pulau Ubin and the Sisters' Islands Marine Park  With over 13,000 hectare of green spaces under its jurisdiction, it is a challenge to physically monitor each location regularly.

The grass height sensor is currently deployed as part of the pilot of park and greenery management using digital tools in the Bishan-Ang Mo Kio precinct. This project supports NParks’ landscape sector transformation plan that aims to elevate and grow the local landscape sector through digitalisation, mechanisation and “professionalisation”.

The IoT devices are worn by grass-cutters using push lawn mowers or handheld grass trimmers. They can also be installed on equipment such as sit-on mowers. The sensors transmit data on the height of grass (post-cut) as well as high precision GPS location data to the cloud. The data are available via web dashboards and a mobile app, where contractors and NParks staff can easily verify the completion and quality of the grass-cutting operation.

“It is important that we take steps to make operations more precise and think of ways to overcome physical and manpower limitations through the adoption of technology. Leveraging on SpaceAge Lab's smart technology, we have been able to conduct grass height inspections more effectively with less manpower.," said Ryan Lee, group director, National Parks Board.

Meanwhile, the IoT-based monitoring system also helps to expedite payment to the contractors as NParks can quickly confirm completed of their work. These operational data and insights also enable the contractors to improve their efficiencies, through better deployment of resources, resulting in lower labour and fuel costs.

Digitising distributed assets maintenance

Established in 2016, SpaceAge Labs started as a consulting company, designing end-to-end IoT solutions for its customers, but pivoted in 2017 to become a product company. In the same year, it became an NUS Enterprise incubatee, based within NUS Enterprise's deep-tech incubation facility in Singapore Science Park I.

The company has found its niche in transforming operations and maintenance of remote and distributed assets by collecting asset data using low power, long-range wireless IoT devices, together with advanced AI software to generate valuable insights from this data.

SpaceAge Labs’ solution aims to deliver the following benefits: asset's uptime (due to data-driven predictive maintenance); reduces cost (less manpower required) and provides peace of mind (operators gain real-time asset visibility).

Its flagship product called remoteEye is sensor-agnostic IoT/AI platform that enables connected operations and maintenance, consisting of three parts:

• rEye IoT Nodes – These are low-powered, wireless devices that read and transmit data from industrial sensors located at the assets.
• Wireless networks – The sensor data is transmitted via low power wide area wireless networks to the cloud. The networks are at low cost (from S$1 per month per device), able to transmit over long distances (several kilometres) and consume low power (up to five years of battery life).
• rEye Data Cloud – Enterprise-grade IoT/AI software that stores, analyses, and visualises this sensor data. This software is secure, easy to use and able to scale easily from managing one asset to thousands of assets. Proprietary AI software and geospatial data analysis provides useful insights and predictions that can be accessed via web or mobile.

SpaceAge Labs is initially targeting three sectors: Water/Wastewater; Urban Greenery/Landscaping; and Facilities management.

Currently, the company has IoT deployments with more than 30 customers, including two key Smart Nation pilot projects in Singapore with PUB and NParks.

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Located at the north coast of the island of Borneo in Southeast Asia, Brunei has a hot and rainy climate that brings frequent and intense flooding episodes, affecting critical infrastructures.  Indeed, the banks of a nearby canal at the Brunei International Airport can suddenly overflow after 20 minutes of steady rains, preventing operations in part of the airport.

Before the new LoRaWAN-based sensors were deployed, river level monitoring in the country had been primarily based on telemetry technology. And in cases where this technology was not available,  the government  mobilised significant manpower for manual monitoring.

A real-time flood detection system  is required  to prepare the population and limit the damage. The monitoring system of the water networks is also required to address water leaks and water quality. It also ensures reservoir levels can meet demand, and the state of water pumps is kept at the optimum.

Flash flood detection.

For its new smart water management system, the Sultanate’s Ministry of Development tapped IoT provider Anian to develop for The Department of Drainage and Sewerage a solution that included sensors, IoT communications gateways for connectivity, as well as data management and application dashboards. To date, some 11 communication gateways have been installed with the aim to install 200 units.

Anian collaborated Actility and IoThink Solutions, which provided the bricks of the solution and all the necessary technical support. Specifically, the solution is deployed using Actility’s ThingPark platform with the application provided by IoThink Solutions.

According to Actility, the main challenge Anian faced was the difficulty of finding an integrated end-to-end solution that includes all the necessary elements, including hardware that must adapt to complex environments and potentially destructive weather conditions.

Anian tested various entry-level sensors with a promise of IP67 resistance that proved insufficient. Even the gateways required protection against storms. Ultimately, Anian deployed ultrasonic sensors  to monitor the water level in flood-prone rivers, a solution combined with rainfall volume monitoring as well as rain gauges/tipping buckets to measure the velocity of water currents.

The solution is hosted in the Brunei government’s data centre with network operations and IoT applications being ran as managed services. To date, some 11 communication gateways have been installed with the aim to install 200 units.

The Sultanate plans to use its nationwide IoT LoRaWAN network to advance other digital initiatives such as smart city, smart building and smart energy management.

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This digital initiative aims to use wearable technology to stay connected with patients post surgeries like total knee replacement, angioplasty, cardiac bypass surgery, and other high-risk surgeries.

“This is an incredible opportunity to deliver at scale and further advance the application of easy-to-use smartphone and wearable technology, and novel data analytics and AI, and population health management tools,” said Daryl Arnold, founder and CEO, ConnectedLife. “We will deploy new features and capabilities based on patient and clinician feedback every two to four weeks, and maintain the strictest accountability for data acquisition, privacy and protection.”

The advanced digital solution, built on Google Cloud, can remotely capture heart rate, oxygen saturation level, and activity metrics (sleep quality, steps taken, and pain score) both pre-and and post-operatively. The technology optimises patient care by triggering reminders to take medications or participate in physiotherapy and triggering warnings if there are significant deviations outside normal physiological parameters.

“Early data indicates patients on the programme have seen improved adherence to medication and exercise schedule with associated improvements in physical activity. Within this programme we are able to give patients in post-operative care a better view of their activity, sleep and other health metrics that can help empower them in managing their day-to-day wellbeing,” said Dilip Jose, managing director and CEO, Manipal Hospitals.

Jose added that their new digital initiative will help the hospital chain  to determine if the post-operative data collected from the ConnectedLife with Fitbit dashboard match with functional outcomes and improved patient satisfaction post-surgery.

“This data will allow us to understand and develop new methods in cost-effectiveness, compliance, comfort, and ease of use, all while giving us accurate data on the vitals," said Jose.

He added: “The intuitive, user-centric platform will help every person, from at-risk patients to chronic sufferers. We will be able to better understand their condition and then collaborate with care teams to achieve better health outcomes. Through its patient-centric platform, we will be able to replace lengthy manual processes with 24/7 insight-based care and monitoring, and thus enabling recovery outside of hospitals.”

Meanwhile, Dr. Sudarshan Ballal, chairman, Manipal Hospitals, this latest healthtech project brings a new chapter to the Indian healthcare ecosystem.

“Today, we have an excellent opportunity to develop a cohesive program for the continuity of care after hospitalization. Through this partnership, we are expecting post-surgery care to become seamless, as wearable technology will help us monitor certain critical parameters of patients who have undergone total knee replacement surgery, angioplasty, cardiac bypass surgery, and other high-risk surgeries," said Ballal.

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The five-billion-yen (US$43.7 million) deal entails Jolly Good providing VR goggles, tablet devices and SST VR content for a range of scenarios, while Otsuka Pharmaceutical will compensate its partner for sales made at healthcare facilities, as well as pay sales-based royalties.

According to Jolly Good, the combined used of medications and SST – known as psychosocial  therapy – reduces recurrence rate of mental disorders. However, there is a "serious" shortage of people with SST and other skills needed to provide psychosocial therapy.

The company’s VR device is aimed to fill the gap in the scant healthcare training among providers while enhancing patient therapies. Dr. Ayako Kanie, senior medical supervisor at Jolly Good, said psychiatrists are heavily involved in the development of the company’s VR content and product design.

“VR enables patients to practice in a nearly-real environment and will prepare them for success in real-life situations.  This pursuit will pave the way to enabling anyone to acquire psychosocial skills,” said Kanie.

To date, Jolly Good has already deployed SST VR for developmental disorders at over 200 hospitals, clinics, welfare support centers, and other such facilities across Japan. Its high-precision medical VR systems are being deployed for various purposes from  training for medical staff, patient rehabilitation to social rehabilitation training for those with disabilities.

In December, Jolly Good announced that it is going to study the efficacy of VR-based therapy for chronic pain together with the Pain Center at the Aichi Medical University Hospital.

Meanwhile, this is Otsuka Pharmaceutical's first business partnership in mental health industry using VR. Together with Jolly Good, it aims to build Japan's largest VR business in the field of healthcare for mental disorders.

“ In recent years, technological advancements have seen a growing importance placed not just medications but also on support for daily living, which includes everything from prevention to caregiving.  Along with putting to use digital technologies that will go into the creation of a new business model, we will work with Jolly Good, which supports healthcare via state-of-the-art VR video technologies, to build a platform for facilitating social rehabilitation among those suffering from mental or neurological disorders,” said Makoto Inoue, president and representative director, Otsuka Pharmaceutical.

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Moving forward, the two companies will strengthen cooperation for product development optimised for bio-cold chains and global expansion, such as technology cooperation to develop bio-medicine monitoring IoT devices and to ensure a stable supply of IoT modules by combining industry-leading security and IoT technology.

“In 2022, we plan to develop and supply competitive products in cooperation with various overseas partner companies to enter the global market while stably supplying new products to the domestic bio/medicine cold chain market,” said Moon Jin-soo, CEO of M2cloud.

M2Cloud delivers scalable logistics and monitoring solutions for use by hospitals, pharmaceutical manufacturers and wholesalers in their supply chains. It owns the first IoT Security System in South Korea – certified by Korea Internet & Security Agency (KISA) – that satisfies all standards of IoT security testing such as stability, integrity, security and unauthorized manipulation defence.

Last year, the company established an integrated logistics system for COVID-19 with real-time visibility into the entire supply chain, ensuring integrity, proof of compliance to ensure product quality, IoT technology optimized for temperature sensitivity, and cloud technology for ESG practices.

M2 Cloud has also established and operated a cold chain system throughout the process of receiving, storing, and delivering COVID-19 vaccines from AstraZeneca (refrigeration), Janssen (freezing), and Pfizer (ultra-low temperature), which are all biological agents.

New IoT-based LTE monitoring system

M2Cloud and Thales revealed their strategic partnership two weeks ago as they unveiled the first product of their collaboration – an IoT-based LTE monitoring system optimised for biopharmaceutical monitoring.

Unlike Bluetooth devices for near-field communication, the newly developed IoT cold chain system which is equipped with a low-power LTE communication chip, does not require additional gateway adoption or complex setups such as internet connectivity.

It can remotely check temperature and location information in real time by just turning the power on, making it suitable for real-time monitoring of refrigerators, refrigerated warehouses, etc., as well as tracking the delivery boxes being transported in real time.

In particular, because it ensures real-time visibility and data integrity, and can check temperature history without data loss in the event of a power outage or network failure, it  enhances the safety of pharmaceutical products with technologies optimised for biopharmaceutical management, such as vaccines that confirm the validity of products with a temperature history.

“For a quarter of a century, customers across all industries have trusted Thales’ industry-leading IoT solutions to seamlessly connect and secure IoT devices and to help them transform real-time data into efficient decision making. We are proud to work with M2cloud to help keep their cold chain monitoring and management solutions connected, and to contribute solutions that support the healthcare industry in Korea,” said Sandy Gillio, country director and chief executive,  Thales Korea.

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The concept of the IoMT involves healthcare providers leveraging connected devices such as remote monitoring sensors and surgical robotics to improve patient care, staff productivity, and operational efficiency.

Juniper Research says smart hospitals in the US and China as leading the global adoption of IoMT devices; accounting for 21% and 41% of connected devices respectively, by 2026.

It highlighted digital healthcare initiatives implemented during the ongoing pandemic and high levels of existing digitalisation within healthcare infrastructure as key to these countries’ leading positions.

Collaborating with network operators crucial

The new report, Smart Hospitals: Technologies, Global Adoption & Market Forecasts 2021-2026, identified remote monitoring as key to delivering smart hospital services. It analysed how the adoption of remote monitoring technologies accelerated during the pandemic significantly, due to difficulties associated with delivering in-person healthcare.

This accelerated adoption is set to continue over the next five years, as patients become acclimatised to remote monitoring and benefit from proactively managing and treating health conditions.

However, it identified that the real-time nature of remote monitoring requires low latency, high bandwidth connections to ensure the transmission of patients’ health data is not interrupted or distorted.

As a result, it encourages smart hospital vendors to develop partnerships with network operators to leverage multi-access edge computing to drive major reductions in lag and latency.

According to research author, Adam Wears the emergence of remote monitoring within healthcare presents an opportunity for network operators to place themselves within the digital healthcare value chain.

“Smart hospital technologies generate significant quantities of data, meaning that the edge computing function provided by network operators will be crucial to the successful roll-out of these systems,” he concluded.

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With  the smart hospitals model, Thailand expects  people in remote areas will have better opportunities to access advanced health care services.

Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha welcomed the new medical facility saying it will help minimise processes for hospital staff, lower overall risk, and enhance the effectiveness and efficacy of healthcare.

“We understand the importance of technology, and this is an important first step in the utilisation of digital technologies and 5G in the medical field. We hope the project will act as a blueprint for all smart hospitals in Thailand going forward,” he said in a statement.

Siriraj Hospital and Huawei signed a five-year agreement in December 2020 to accelerate the use of 5G and cloud technologies. Currently, Siriraj Hospital has started piloting 5G portable medical boxes, 5G unmanned vehicles, 5G medical carts, and 5G smart hospital beds.

Under the 5G Smart Hospital project,  Siriraj Hospital will be working with Huawei on nine sub-projects. These include Smart Emergency Medical Services; Smart Emergency Room; Pathological diagnosis system with 5G and artificial intelligence; 5G AI Platform for Non-Communicable Diseases; Smart Inventory Management; Permission-based blockchain for personal health record; Smart Logistic with 5G Self-Driving car; Multi-access Edge computing (MEC); and, Hybrid Cloud

Furthermore, both companies will establish a Joint Innovation Lab to incubate over 30 innovative 5G applications that will be promoted nationwide from 2022.

China’s ambassador to Thailand Han Zhiqiang said China will leverage technology to help Thailand fight the pandemic. "China and Thailand's 5G cooperation has become a model in the region, helping Thailand become the first country in Southeast Asia to launch 5G commercial use.”

Abel Deng, CEO of Huawei Thailand, said, "This signifies a model for upgrading Thailand's public health industry in the future and contributes to Siriraj's transition to becoming a smart hospital.”

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"Human augmentation is a burgeoning area of technology which in fact remains underexplored. That’s why making a first step towards clarifying issues related to its use, as well as strengthening security, will help us to ensure its potential is used in a positive way. We believe that to build a safer digital world for tomorrow, we need to digitally secure the future of human augmentation today,” said Marco Preuss, director of Kaspersky’s Global Research & Analysis Team (GReAT) in Europe.

Bionic devices are artificial implants which replace biological functions which have been lost due to nerve damage. They use electrical signals to stimulate the remaining nerve cells following disease or injury. They have been around since the 1950s with the invention of cardiac pacemakers and  then cochlear implants, which made their appearance in the 1970s. Today, there are a diverse range of bionic devices from prosthetics to replace damaged limbs, other implants and NFC biochips.

According to Global Market insights, the bionic devices market is projected to reach nearly US$8 billion in 2027 spurred by technological developments and rising disposable income in emerging economies. Between 2021 and 2027, the market is expected to grow at  a CAGR of more than 8.1%

Safeguarding the future

Amid all the excitement and innovation surrounding human augmentation, however, too little attention is paid to the security of the dedicated devices.

There are legitimate fears among cybersecurity experts and the wider community  about lack of awareness around the topic, which can lead to uncertainty and risks for both further development of human augmentation technologies, and a safer digital world in the future.

The cybersecurity policy developed by Kaspersky experts governs procedures for using bionic devices within the company and aims to reduce the associated cybersecurity risks in business processes.

The proposed document creates a scenario where augmented employees become more common in the company in the future, and takes into account Kaspersky’s real-life tests with employees’ biochip implants. It addresses the entire company’s infrastructure and all of its business units.

As a result, it applies to the full access control system, as well as administration processes, maintenance processes, and the use of automated systems.

The policy is to be applied to both employees and temporary staff, as well as employees of third-party stakeholders that render contract services to the company. All these factors aim to enhance the cybersecurity of the corporate infrastructure on a larger level.

It offers a range of standardisation processes, enhancing security and granting better inclusion of employees using bionic devices when in the office.

“One of the major objectives of this initiative is also to engage the global IT and augmentation community in the discussion and pursue a collaborative effort for further steps of human augmentation security development. This includes ensuring digital privacy of devices, proving different levels of access rights to stored information, and mitigating any threats related to human health,” said Preuss.

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For instance, Pfizer is using AWS to enhance its continuous clinical manufacturing processes by incorporating predictive maintenance capabilities built with AWS machine learning services like Amazon Lookout for Equipment, the AWS’s service for detecting abnormal equipment behaviour by analysing sensor data.

As a result, the pharmaceutical firm can maximise uptime for equipment such as centrifuges, agitators, pulverisers, coaters, and air handlers used in clinical drug manufacturing.

The overall focus of this collaboration is to support Pfizer in more rapidly and reliably producing new drugs and evaluating their potential health benefit for patients.

New PACT initiative

To mark the enhanced collaboration between the two companies, they have created the Pfizer Amazon Collaboration Team (PACT) initiative, which applies AWS capabilities in analytics, machine learning, compute, storage, security, and cloud data warehousing to Pfizer laboratory, clinical manufacturing, and clinical supply chain efforts.

“Our goal with AWS is to expedite the processes for drug discovery and development in ways that can ultimately enhance patient experiences and deliver new therapies to market. Working closely with AWS experts in machine learning and analytics, we aim to provide our scientists and researchers with the insights they need to help deliver medical breakthroughs that change patients’ lives,” said Andrew McKillop, vice president of pharmaceutical sciences, worldwide research, development, and medical at Pfizer.

Both companies are working to develop a prototype solution for detecting abnormal data points in its drug product continuous clinical manufacturing platform for solid, oral-dose medicines. The prototype solution uses Amazon SageMaker (AWS’s service for building, training, and deploying machine learning models quickly in the cloud and at the edge), Amazon Lookout for Equipment, Amazon Lookout for Metrics (AWS’s service for automatically detecting anomalies in metrics and identifying their root cause), and Amazon QuickSight (AWS’s scalable machine learning-powered business intelligence service for the cloud).

The machine learning models used in the prototype were able to provide early warnings for alarms with minimal false positives and direct users to the relevant signals. As a result, Pfizer can process data from the equipment and sensors involved in Portable Continuous Miniature and Modular (PCMM) manufacturing to detect anomalies as they occur, predict maintenance needs, and reduce potential equipment downtime.

Mining insights  from legacy data to develop new drugs

According to Kathrin Renz, vice president of business development and industries at AWS, the past two years have reinforced for the world just how much speed and agility matter at every step of the research, development, and clinical manufacturing cycle when lives are on the line.

“We’re proud to work with Pfizer and lend our deep domain expertise to assist in developing solutions that could significantly improve the lives of patients globally,” she said.

With the new PACT initiative, Pfizer scientists will also collaborate with AWS healthcare and life sciences professionals to explore how researchers in Pfizer’s Pharmaceutical Sciences Small Molecules teams can extract and mine information from legacy documents by leveraging AWS analytics and machine learning services.

Pfizer has an extensive collection of documents that contain valuable data from a variety of drug development processes. The documents include data related to synthetic chemistry routes, recipes, analytical tests, method development, formulation composition, clinical manufacturing campaigns, batch records, technology transfer, and many other types of work.

Housed within these documents are potentially powerful insights that could point Pfizer researchers in the right direction for developing new drugs or repurposing existing ones—if the researchers can identify and link the right information efficiently.

To gain quick, secure access to the right information at the right time, Pfizer’s Pharmaceutical Sciences Small Molecules teams are working with AWS to develop a prototype system that can automatically extract, ingest, and process data from this documentation to help in the design of lab experiments.

The prototype system is powered by Amazon Comprehend Medical (AWS’s HIPAA-eligible natural language processing (NLP) service to extract information from unstructured medical text accurately and quickly) and Amazon SageMaker, and uses Amazon Cognito to deliver secure user access control.

“Our life sciences customers are increasingly looking for opportunities to scale expertise, insight, and secure access to the right information, at the right time, with the aim of reducing the time and cost for drug development and clinical trials,” “AWS’s breadth and depth of cloud capabilities help support Pfizer’s teams through secure, novel research methods as they work to optimize drug development and clinical manufacturing processes.

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The biggest centre, the 5,000sqm Kawasaki facility, can support future implementation of robotics, cold room storage and high-spec IT systems, and processing in excess of 600,000 orders per annum. Each of the five centres have been selected for their strategic location based network centricity analysis and are designed to be the regional distribution centre to supply medical service parts on demand speed to market to GE Japan's customer swiftly.

The new  centres manage the warehousing of service parts for GE Healthcare's transformational medical technologies and service to meet demand for increase access, enhanced quality and more affordable healthcare around the world.

The Tokyo Central Distribution Centers (CDC) in Kawasaki provide 24x7 services encompassing distribution & regulatory compliance, call centre operations, international import, reverse returns management, demand fulfilment support global services medical professional to deliver greatest healthcare to patients.

"It was imperative for us optimise our logistics operations as we faced quality and cost challenges in service parts logistics management. DHL's robust performance management, proactive continuous improvement culture, optimised supply chain cost, and service logistics network covering all necessary areas match GE Healthcare's priorities for business growth. We saw a strong business fit between both companies. We believe that DHL, with its global expertise and localised know-how, is an ideal partner for us in providing efficient services,” said Akiko Nakategawa, director of global service parts operations, GE Healthcare Japan.

DHL has already been providing logistic services to GE Healthcare in 13 sites across 10 countries, according to Alfred Goh, president and representative director, CEO Japan and Korea.

“We are honoured to be able to demonstrate our capabilities and deliver value in Japan by utilising world-class warehouse standards, network scalability, visibility, flexibility, innovation, continuous improvement based on our unique operation management system as well as best practices from other parts of the world."

With regulatory and trade compliance requirements for the transportation and storage of medicines becoming more rigorous, DHL provides high-quality fully compliant logistics and supply chain services. With over 80,000 experts and 9,000 Life Sciences and Healthcare certified specialists in over 220 countries, DHL Life Sciences and Healthcare business offers dedicated network maintains complete control of the entire journey. It delivers seamless end-to-end transport of temperature sensitive products across countries and modes; real-time temperature monitoring; and in-depth knowledge in coldchain and clinical trials business and a worldwide network of over 4,000 dedicated and trained experts

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The concept of the smart hospital includes healthcare providers leveraging advanced analytics, connected devices, and healthcare platforms to improve care, productivity, and operational efficiency.

The new report entitled “Smart Hospitals: Technologies, Global Adoption & Market Forecasts 2021-2026”, identified the China and the US as leading smart hospital adopters; accounting for US$17 billion of market value in 2021. Digital healthcare initiatives implemented in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and the high levels of existing digitalisation within healthcare infrastructure are essential to these countries’ positions as leaders.

Juniper Research however warns that the need for pre-existing digital infrastructure, such as electronic health records, will limit smart hospital roll-outs to developed regions.

“As a result, it anticipates that Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East will represent less than 5% of global smart hospital spending by 2026,” said research author Adam Wears.

In the next five years, Juniper Research estimates that the smart hospital market will have an average annual growth of 15%,  with a value of US$59 billion by  2026 from US$29 billion in 2021.

Meanwhile, the new report outlined how a current lack of interoperability between devices and platforms has resulted in a high degree of fragmentation that will require regulatory intervention on a country-level basis.

Wears pointed out that vendor lock-in and high investment requirements are the most prevalent issues for healthcare providers in adopting smart hospital services.

“At a time when healthcare industries are still feeling the impacts of the global pandemic, the long-term benefits of smart hospital services must be demonstrated to foster confidence in these services’ ability to secure a return on investment,” Wears said.

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The Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) Medical Centre, the first non-profit, private teaching hospital wholly owned by a university, started operating last January and has been steadily opening up various facilities and introducing new services in phases.

By next year, the 14-storey medical centre will put in service all its  516 inpatient beds and 90 day beds, 28 operating rooms and 56 consultation rooms – with the goal of helping alleviate the overburdened hospital system in Hong Kong.

The CUHK Medical Centre is the first hospital in the city to have full 5G coverage to support several IoT-based solutions - that, if successful - will be replicated in other local hospitals.

Automated drug dispensing & packaging system

Automation plays an essential role in bringing new levels of efficiency in hospital operations. One of the first to be deployed is an automated drug dispensing & packaging system, which provides unit-dose packaging, storage and dispensing of patient medication.

“From a medication safety point of view, the system can minimise human error in medication management. With the QR code verification, we can ensure the right drug will be given to the right patient at the right time,” said Helen Ho, pharmacy director at CUHK Medical Centre, pointing out that all the medication’s information can be accessed by scanning QR codes on the packages.

After a doctor prescribing the medication and a pharmacist verifying the prescription, a robot then takes over by taking from storage shelves the pre-packed medicine to be sent to the patient’s ward where it is rechecked by healthcare staff before administration.

The system packs the required dosage for each scheduled time individually to make sure patients take their medication on time and reduce the chances of missing and incorrect medication.

To further ensure that medication error in the hospital wards does not occur, the hospital has introduced an IoT-connected drug trolley called the E-Medcart into its medication distribution workflow. Healthcare staff need to scan the code on a patient’s wristband and verify the information to unlock the corresponding compartment on the trolley.

“If there is any unused medication, for example, because a patient’s condition has changed, the medication are returned to the pharmacy to be reused. This can reduce wastage,” said Ho.

Linen management system

To track supplies of hospital linens, staff uniforms and patient garments, an RFID tag is attached to each piece. For one, hospital linen can be monitored closely with RFID, from the moment it is sent down chutes to laundry carts on the ground floor, to the moment it is sent to the contractor for washing.

The RFID tags formed part of the newly installed linen management system, an IoT-based locker the distribute staff uniforms and patient garments. With the system, hospital staff can also place their used uniforms in the return machine and retrieve a fresh set in their size from the dispensing machine. 

According to Jessie Lam, the medical centre’s chief hospital administrative officer, when new employees  join the hospital on the first day, they are checked for uniform sizes.

“For each staff member, the maximum number of uniforms we will dispatch to them is two sets. If they do not return their uniform, we are unable to dispatch another uniform to them.”

Putting the system in place saves the hospital from hiring extra manpower. In the traditional way of managing linen in hospitals, Lam said  it would require extra manpower from 9am until 6pm, but the automated system enables the hospital to operate it on a 24-hour basis.

Meanwhile, other technologies currently being used in the hospital includes the paperless electronic medical record, mobile information and communication technology; and the strengthening the security in paediatric ward with geo-fencing technology.

After eight months of trial operations, the CUHK Medical Centre officially opened in September.

“We bridge the service gap between the public and private healthcare systems and to provide the local community with a new choice of quality and transparent healthcare services,” said Dr. Chien Lee, chairman of the board of directors at CUHK Medical Centre, during the opening ceremony.

He added: “As a non-profit private teaching hospital, we will also assume a major role in promoting medical innovation and training medical professionals.  With a team united in its purpose and with solid support from the community, we will be able to achieve our mission of ‘Pioneering Solutions in Healthcare’.” 

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There is demand for contactless, robust and privacy-preserving devices for detecting temperature with accuracy and wide coverage to safeguard against public health emergencies.  According to a recent research report, the global thermal imaging market is expected to reach USD 4.6 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 6.2%1.

The AI thermal sensing solution powered by STMicroelectronics’ X-CUBE AI optimises bill-of-materials and simplifies hardware and software integration, making it a good choice to deploy for temperature-screening devices and a wide variety of other consumer-grade and healthcare applications.

"Many product engineers find it challenging to deploy AI models in a cost-efficient and robust way to a wide range of consumer-grade, healthcare, and IoT edge devices.  This AI-enhanced solution with STM32 Arm Cortex-M-based microcontrollers offers a pricing advantage and delivers better energy efficiency, making it easier to bring to market the kind of intelligent devices that help individuals and communities stay safe," said Jacky Wan, Arrow's vice president of engineering for APAC.

Arrow's AI-powered thermal sensing solution can achieve a quick and accurate temperature screening, with multiple individuals screened simultaneously.  The integrated solution is comprised of four blocks:

• A STMicroelectronics Time-of-Flight (ToF) sensor which allows absolute distance measurement whatever the target colour and reflectance, providing accurate ranging up to 400 cm and speed up to 60 Hz
• A STMicroelectronics digital ambient thermal sensor which detects ambient temperature and dynamically compensates for differences to allow complex measurements at high speed
• A longwave infrared thermal image sensor developed and fabricated by Meridian Innovation, a Hong Kong-based pioneering developer of advanced CMOS technology
• STMicroelectronics' dual-core M7 and M4 MCU running at 480Mhz which acts as the main processor of the system

A thermal image noise reduction process making use of AI deep learning is deployed in the system.  This special denoise process runs on a convolutional neural network (CNN). With the STMicroelectronics' AI expansion pack - STM32Cube.AI, the deep-learning algorithm can be exported and executed on STM32 Arm Cortex-M-based microcontrollers.  The solution can detect target object distance and human presence.  Images can be displayed in heat map or RGB format.

To provide the best performance, an ultra-low noise LDO with a noise voltage of only 6 micro volt RMS is used for the power supplier of all the sensors. All three sensor blocks are connected to the main processor using an I2C and SPI bus, which will handle processing and calculation of the environmental data collected by the sensors to increase system accuracy.

Adding the wireless connectivity feature for transmitting data to the gateway/cloud, the integrated solution can incorporate Murata type 1YN, a small and high-performance module with Single-Band 2.4GHz Wi-Fi 802.11n and Bluetooth 5.2.

Matteo Maravita, head of APAC AI Competence Centre of STMicroelectronics, said the Arrow team has done a great job in developing this integrated solution.

“This solution takes full advantage of AI techniques on STMicroelectronics microcontrollers and sensors thanks to STM32Cube.AI, a complete development ecosystem from STMicroelectronics that allows easy implementation of complex AI models onto STMicroelectronics products,” Maravita said.

“The integrated solution allows product engineers to rapidly integrate AI and thermal-sensing technology and accelerate the product development cycle of smart, reliable and low-cost temperature-sensing devices, addressing the consumer-grade and healthcare market needs," he added.

The post Arrow Electronics eyes healthcare IoT devices for new AI thermal sensing solution appeared first on FutureIoT.

The WCHSCU , known for its strong medical resources and top-notch research team, will collaborate with SenseTime by leveraging its industry-leading AI technology and AI education expertise to bring more targeted talent development schemes.

Under the collaborative framework, which aims to integrate the industry, academia, research, and medicine, the two parties are dedicated to nurturing the next generation of AI healthcare talents in a structured and systematic way.

The joint lab located the university’s West China Biomedical Big Data Center was opened recently during the 7^th Conference on Biochemical Big Data and Artificial Intelligence, which coincided with the 125^th anniversary of the Sichuan University.

“Leading hospitals and industry players should work together to bolster AI healthcare development. We are glad that the lab links the top-notch clinical teams of West China Hospital with SenseTime’s leading AI capabilities and valuable industry experience. We believe this will lead the AI healthcare sector to take a big leap,” said Dr. Li Kang, director of the West China Hospital – SenseTime Joint Lab.

The lab aims to enhance fundamental research in AI healthcare, establish a collaborative innovation platform for medical professionals and researchers.  The lab will work on various medical specialties such as orthopaedics, neurology, physiatry, radiology, cardiology, pathology, and medical ultrasound, with the goal to effectively facilitate technology innovation in diagnosis, treatment to rehabilitation.

Joint lab essential to WCHSCU’s smart goal

The joint lab will be essential in support the WCHSCU’s transformation into a leading smart hospital.

To date, SenseTime’s proprietary SenseCare Liver CT product has already been deployed in the West China Hospital. With key features such as intelligent detection of liver abnormalities including various focal lesions and diffused diseases, automatic 3D reconstruction of liver anatomical structures, multidimensional quantitative lesion assessment and customized preoperative planning, the software ensures highly accurate diagnoses and personalised treatment plans.

Furthermore, SenseTime’s smart hospital solution already  enables intelligent medical treatment process optimisation, streamlined daily operations at the WCHSCU – minimising the risk of cross-infection during the ongoing pandemic.

Moving forward, SenseTime will continue to provide essential AI capabilities to hospital.

The post SenseTime and West China Hospital set up joint AI lab appeared first on FutureIoT.

The new mobile app service is the result of the recent partnership between Bao Viet Insurance and Hitachi Asia Vietnam that enables to insurance company to integrate Hitachi’s Risk Simulator for Insurance, a Lumada solution that analyses medical big data using Hitachi's proprietary AI.

Lumada is Hitachi’s suite of advanced digital and services for turning data into insights that drive digital transformation of social infrastructure. Hitachi’s Risk Simulator for Insurance solution uses medical big data to predict a person’s risk of contracting one or more of eight major lifestyle-related ailments such as diabetes, cerebrovascular diseases, renal diseases, cardiovascular diseases, hypertensive diseases, pancreatic diseases, hepatic diseases, and malignant neoplasm.

By integrating the solution into Bao Viet Direct app, more than one million of the company’s medical insurance policy holders can easily check their future risks of these eight major lifestyle-related diseases simply by entering their health check-up results and past medical history into the mobile app. The app also displays factors for risks and offers advice for improvement. There information can enable specific behavioural changes and lifestyle habits to support health improvement.

Rising medical cost from lifestyle-related diseases

Rapid economic growth and the rising number of the middle class have changed the lifestyle – including diet and exercise – of the Vietnamese people. In recent years, the growing prevalence of lifestyle-related diseases has been a problem in Vietnam.

While there is rising demand for high-quality medical services due to increase in income and improvement in living standards, the ideas of prevention and early treatments are not instilled in most Vietnamese.

Many people in the country do not start their treatment until they become severely ill. For one, only around 30% of diabetes patients, estimated to number over 3.5 million, are receiving treatment for the condition.

Meanwhile, the local medical insurance market has been expanding rapidly, with concern over spiralling medical costs reflecting a rise in personnel expenses at medical institutions.

The concern over rising medical costs has spurred Bao Viet to deploy advanced digital technologies such as AI and big data to promote healthy lifestyle through disease prevention, early detection and early treatment.

Meanwhile as it seeks to deliver more high-value insurance services, Bao Viet will use data from the Hitachi’s Risk Simulator for Insurance to enable channel expansion and create opportunities of cross-selling during insurance application.

For example, the risk prediction service will be linked to the remote medical care services provided by Bao Viet Insurance. In addition, these services will be combined with various health data management functions of Bao Viet Direct app for a customised, centralised and integrated administration of health information that supports wellbeing and productivity management of companies.

Bao Viet is one of the many insurance companies to adopt Hitachi’s Risk Simulator for Insurance after it launched in Japan in 2018.

Bao Viet and Hitachi will continue to discuss the creation of new health promotion services that utilise various technologies. And Hitachi will enhance its services further based on achievements from joint initiatives with Bao Viet Insurance and expand them to Southeast Asian countries and other countries where demand is expected.

The post Bao Viet Insurance uses big data to support health awareness appeared first on FutureIoT.

The barcode cell sensor could potentially be used on a large-scale in resource-limited situations such as frequent safety screenings of water, food and public facilities, as well as urgent surveys of massive samples during an infectious disease outbreak, particularly in developing countries.

"Our barcode testing system is a promising new tool in the fight against antimicrobial resistance. We hope that it will benefit the routine screening of drug-resistant bacteria in the food industry, public areas and healthcare facilities as it does not require advanced clinical facilities or professional testing skills," said Dr. Ren Kangning, associate professor of the Department of Chemistry at HKBU.

Dr. Ren led the research team that designed a fully automatic, microscope-free antimicrobial susceptibility testing (AST) system.  Apart from researchers from HKBU's Department of Chemistry, the research team of the "barcode" cell sensor also included scientists from the Department of Computer Science at HKBU and the School of Medicine at Stanford University.

The team has applied a patent for their invention.

Rapid yet low-cost approach to identifying drug-resistant bacteria

The  overuse and misuse of antibiotics have resulted to drug-resistant bacteria. AST is used to determine which antibiotics can effectively inhibit the growth of a certain type of bacteria effectively.

However, conventional AST methods are too slow, as they require 16 to 24 hours for results, while modern rapid ASTs are expensive and require elaborated laboratory equipment. A rapid and cost-effective strategy is therefore needed to screen bacterial samples onsite, with advanced laboratory testing arranged only for those suspected of containing drug-resistant bacteria.

The barcode cell sensor developed by HKBU enables rapid and low-cost screening of drug-resistant bacteria by scanning the "barcode" on the cell sensor with a mobile app. It is a fully automatic, microscope-free AST system comprising of  two main parts: a cell culture zone and a "barcode" cell sensor.

The cell culture zone consists of a set of micro-channels filled with fluids that contain cell culture media as well as different concentrations of the antibiotic. The "barcode" cell sensor contains an array of "adaptive linear filters" arranged in parallel that resembles a "barcode" structure.

Users can finish the onsite screening within three hours by scanning the "barcode" with a mobile app. Furthermore,  the barcode cell sensor has a  low production cost, estimated at under US$1 per piece.

“We plan to develop our invention into a portable AST instrument, and ultimately, we hope it can be used in resource-limited regions," said Dr. Ren.

How the barcode cell sensor works

When conducting AST with the system, bacterial samples will be injected into and incubated in the cell culture zone. Bacteria in the test sample inside the micro-channels show different proliferation rates depending on different concentrations of the antibiotic.

After completion of the culture period, the bacterial cells will flow through the "adaptive linear filters". The cells will not accumulate around the nanopores on the sidewalls of the micro-channels, instead they will be driven down by the fluid and be collected from the end of the micro-channels. The accumulated cells will then form visible vertical bars, the lengths of which are proportional to the quantity of bacteria cells cultured under the different concentrations of the antibiotic.

A cell phone equipped with a macro-lens can then be used to photograph the "barcode" created by the AST. The image will be analysed automatically by the mobile app.

After the culture period, if all the "bars" of the cell sensor have similar lengths, it means the tested antibiotic cannot inhibit the growth of the bacteria, and thus the bacterial sample is resistant to the tested antibiotic. If the length of the "bars" is in general inversely proportional to the concentration of the antibiotic in the micro-channels, it shows that the tested antibiotic is generally effective at prohibiting the growth of the bacteria, and thus the bacteria is not drug-resistant. When two adjacent "bars" show a sharp difference in terms of length, it indicates that the antimicrobial effect of the antibiotic leaps when its concentration reaches a particular level.

The HKBU  research team tested E. coli and S. aureus with the "barcode" cell sensor and the results were consistent with those of the conventional AST. The test can be completed in three hours, which is much faster than the conventional AST. Microfluidic approaches developed by other researchers can also attain comparable speed, but they rely on expensive instruments for analysis in general. 

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Mobility offers healthcare organizations enormous potential to efficiently deliver the best quality patient care. With a growing number of connected devices, however, comes increased vulnerability to hacks and data breaches.

In this new white paper, “Securing the Internet of Healthcare Things,” learn how to get in front of the IoT wave with cybersecurity tools and best practices.

Read how BlackBerry software has helped more than 1,000 hospitals, enabling them to:

• Communicate securely by voice, email, text and video chat
• Quickly notify personnel of emergency, IT outage and safety issues
• Securely manage all mobile devices and apps from a single pane of glass
• Safely share files, documents and videos

Click on the link to download the Securing the Internet of Healthcare Things whitepaper.

The post How to safeguard patients and their data against growing threats appeared first on FutureIoT.

Furthermore, the deployment of the nationwide next-generation wireless cellular technology in Malaysia is expected to increase the number of IoT use cases in the country.

"DNB is committed to delivering the best technology and innovation opportunities for Malaysians, businesses and government to ensure that Malaysia takes its place at the forefront of the global digital economy. We identified Ericsson to offer the best next generation 5G technology and professional services available to suit DNB's specific and unique requirements,” said Ralph Marshall, chief executive officer of  DNB.

DNB is tasked by the Malaysian government to deploy 5G infrastructure across the country to accelerate its digital transportation. Under this mandate, DNB will provide access and services to mobile service providers and others licensed by the regulators to enable a world-class 5G experience and make Industry 4.0 a reality in Malaysia.

DNB aims to launch Malaysia's first 5G network in Kuala Lumpur, Putrajaya and Cyberjaya in the initial phase. Ericsson's local presence and deployment expertise are key to meeting DNB's target of 80%  5G nationwide population coverage by 2024.

An end-to-end 5G network

Under its  exclusive partnership with DNB, Ericsson will provide an end-to-end 5G network, spanning the delivery of energy-efficient Ericsson Radio System products and solutions, including Ericsson Spectrum Sharing, a software for wide-area 5G coverage.

The scope also includes cloud-native 5G Core and 5G Radio Access (RAN) nationwide. Ericsson will also manage the unique requirements of a single wholesale network with its leading Managed Services offering, Ericsson Operations Engine. The solution will enhance the performance of DNB's network using AI , automation and cognitive software to predict and prevent issues.

Ericsson's end-to-end scope also includes operational support systems (OSS) and business support systems (BSS) solutions.

 "With a 56-year legacy of contributing to Malaysia's development, we are excited to be extending our commitment to the nation. Ericsson is confident that with our global 5G leadership and strong deployment capabilities, we will meet the deployment targets set by DNB,” said David Hägerbro, head of Ericsson Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.

He pointed out that Ericsson’s  participation in the national 5G project will see direct and indirect socio-economic contributions in areas such as job creation, partnership with Bumiputera and other local contractors and ecosystem players, and knowledge and capacity building in Malaysia.

"5G is a platform for open innovation and is becoming the cornerstone upon which a country's competitiveness is built. Malaysia's and DNB's commitment to accelerating the deployment of 5G is to be congratulated, as it will speed up the adoption of 5G nationally, bridge the digital divide and transform the nation. 5G will help to facilitate the government's ambition to promote Malaysians to become technology creators through development of 5G applications and use cases,” said Hägerbro.

The post Malaysia’s 5G project will hasten industry4.0 transformation appeared first on FutureIoT.

In a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed yesterday, the DMS and Huawei will use 5G to launch smart healthcare initiatives involving  the country’s National Cancer Institute and Rajavithi Hospital. Both organisations are under the DMS.

“We believe that, with advanced ICT equipment, our expertise, and the adoption of 5G technology, we can create equal access to quality and timely healthcare. During the ongoing pandemic where social distancing measures are adopted, the DMS and Huawei will jointly explore the benefits of 5G in the healthcare field under this MoU. The joint projects will ensure better health services for Thai people,” said  Deputy Prime Minister and head of MoPH Anutin Charnvirakul.

Under the two-year agreement, Huawei will provide 5G technology to the two partner hospitals, enabling  immediate upgrade of their existing infrastructure. It will also provide digital knowledge transfer, training and project supervision to hospital staff to enable them to operate efficiently and sustainably for the benefit of both medical staff and patients.

The technologies that will be deployed are to be used for telemedicine solutions such as remote monitoring and diagnosis, which will help to significantly reduce the risk of transmitting infections between doctors and patients.  In addition, they will be used for emergency care services such as ambulance transportation, where useful information such as real-time location, patients' vital signs and video images are transmitted instantly, enabling rescue doctors to receive guidance for the best emergency care and the hospital team to prepare for treatment or surgery upon arrival.

The MoU comes in response to the DMS' mission to continuously improve its services and, with the support of Huawei, to introduce enhanced smart services that will apply integrated digital technologies using 5G infrastructure, artificial intelligence (AI), big data and cloud edge computing.

"This MoU is a milestone that will bring rapid advances to medical care in the country," said Dr. Somsak Akksilp, director general of the DMS. "It is an honour for the DMS and our carefully selected hospitals to partner with Huawei for a cutting-edge initiative that will raise the level and standards of our hospital services and improve operational efficiency."

Huawei remains committed to introducing digital technologies to create a strong, connected healthcare ecosystem that can make the experience better for patients, customers and medical staff, while improving efficiency and reducing costs.

"We proud to team up with the DMS, the National Cancer Institute and Rajavithi Hospital for this pioneer program that will help empower Thailand's healthcare system. This MoU will contribute to the MoPH's vision to transform more smart hospitals in the near future,” said Abel Deng, CEO of Huawei Thailand.

He added: "During this era of digitalisation in the medical field, it is an honour to accompany Thailand as its healthcare sector connects the value of medical care with the patients' needs. Introducing smart innovations and infrastructure will improve the work of healthcare and medical professionals and the quality of life of the people in urban and rural areas.”

The post 5G smart healthcare pact signed in Thailand appeared first on FutureIoT.

Likewise, the same number of  these hospital executives  plan to use location technologies such as radio frequency identification (RFID) to better track equipment and specimens and improve patient flow and security. They are also turning to location solutions to create more dynamic workflows and improve staff efficiency, safety and compliance.

Furthermore, about 80% of the hospital executives plan to automate workflows in the next year to improve supply chain management, make it easier to locate critical equipment and medical assets, better orchestrate emergency rooms and operating rooms, and streamline staff scheduling.

“Location technologies and automation solutions are designed to help hospital administrators identify and eliminate workflow inefficiencies throughout the patient treatment process. Having the ability to identify, track, locate and monitor the condition of every patient, staff and asset is thus essential to improving front-line clinician workflows and providing quality patient care,” said Christanto Suryadarma, Southeast Asia (SEA) sales vice president at Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific.

Zebra Technologies yesterday released these findings from its latest healthcare vision study entitled “Smarter, More Connected Hospitals”, which polled online more than 500 senior-level hospital leaders within the clinical, IT, and procurement disciplines – with the goal of  better understanding the role of technology in acute care hospitals.

All data was collected and tabulated by third-party research firm Azure Knowledge Corporation who surveyed respondents in Asia Pacific, Europe, Latin America and North America

Approximately, two-thirds of the respondents acknowledge physicians and caregivers are overextended during their shifts and spend too much time locating medical equipment and supplies. Over half report their administrative staff is equally overburdened and unable to complete their work during their shift.

With people’s safety and well-being always the top priority, hospital executives are turning to technologies such as intelligent workflow automation to help combat fatigue, reduce errors caused by manual processes and workarounds, and refocus clinicians’ time on patients.

Indeed, 89%  of executive decision-makers and 83% of clinicians surveyed agree real-time intelligence is essential for optimal patient care, and hospitals are increasingly investing in clinical mobility tools, real-time location systems (RTLS) and intelligent workflow solutions to support smarter, more connected workflows. However, more than two-thirds (67%) of hospital executives still don’t feel their organizations are investing enough to maximize staff efficiency and more must be done moving forward.

“With the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic testing the resiliency of our healthcare systems here in Southeast Asia, there is now an even greater need for healthcare providers to embrace technological innovations to better support the needs of clinicians and patients,” said Suryadarma.

Purpose-built mobile devices help healthcare workers

Meanwhile, 84%  of respondents believe the quality of patient care would improve if nurses, physicians and non-clinical healthcare workers had access to collaboration tools and the convenience of using their mobile devices to access healthcare applications.

This may come as a surprise considering that mobile technologies have been used in both clinical and non-clinical workflows for several years. By 2017, most bedside nurses, doctors and lab technicians were already using mobile devices, and adoption among pharmacy staff and intensive care unit nurses was on the rise. However, several acute care facilities were allowing staff to use their personal devices to connect to healthcare information systems and workflow applications at the time.

The approach to mobility is now changing. Nearly half (49%) of the surveyed executives now provide employees with hospital-owned devices intended for healthcare as more clinicians need durable and rugged devices, hospitals require more remote device management capabilities, and data security becomes a top priority. Those who have already adopted clinical mobility solutions are seeing the positive impact on the quality and cost of patient care with 8-in-ten citing an increase in medical workflow accuracy and precision as well as a reduction in preventable medical errors among other benefits.

Most hospital executives expect to have devices deployed across nearly all staff types in the next five years.

However, the focus now is on nurses assigned to emergency departments, critical and intensive care units (ICU), and operating rooms as well as those responsible for IT, supply chain/inventory management and patient transport. This is a bit of a shift from 2017, when bedside nurses and facilities management staff were being prioritized for device deployments.

“Team communication plays a key role in patient care while mitigating risks of viral transmissions and maintaining staff morale. Mobile devices are critical tools for hospitals to better manage their resources in the coming years given the increase in demand to automate the orchestration of high traffic areas in hospitals,” said Johnny Ong, APAC healthcare practice Lead, Zebra Technologies Asia Pacific.

In addition, telehealth and remote patient tracking are rising on executives’ priority lists, both of which are poised to benefit ICU and emergency room staff, and forward-thinking leaders want to start the transition from manual, reactive processes to more responsive, predictive systems in the next few years.

As a result, most procurement and IT teams are now working to equip all staff with mobility solutions that enable them to access intelligent communications and locationing tools and take full advantage of automation solutions designed to streamline workflows and improve care delivery models. In fact, just as many doctors, pharmacists, radiologists and lab technicians are expected to have a device in hand in the next two years as emergency and critical care clinicians.

“Unexpected global developments such as the COVID-19 pandemic has only accelerated the evolution of healthcare ecosystems,” added Ong. “As hospitals embrace technological innovations, they must ensure that they are plugged into the right information systems, connected to one another and work together as a cohesive ecosystem. Equipping each front-line staff with a clinical mobile device in hand is the first step in pursuing a new level of efficiency in patient care.”

The post Hospitals keen on deploying IoT, AI and sensors in patient care appeared first on FutureIoT.

The teleconsultation service is for patients staying in the hospital for care. Patients will be advised to download the application, which automatically send alerts to patients at the time of their reservations with doctors.

Traditionally, in-person hospital ward rounds have healthcare providers moving from bed to bed to check on patients. With the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, however, the hospital is changing this status quo with its new non-face-to-face care program for in-patients to reduce the risk of virus infection.

According to the hospital, in-patients have given the telemedicine program a good feedback during the  trial period.

“Teleconsultations offer a safer way to meet patients and guide their diagnosis and treatments during the pandemic. It also saves time for doctors doing their ward rounds, allowing them to spend more time with more patients,” a hospital spokesman said.

Meanwhile, Severance Hospital is using other online platforms such as  Microsoft Teams for their multidisciplinary care teams, allowing groups of professionals from different departments to work together and deliver a comprehensive diagnosis and treatment plan. The hospital also uses Microsoft Teams to run online conferences among its medical workers.

A pioneer in robotic surgery

Established in 1885, Severance Hospital is the first Western-style medical facility in South Korea, and since then has been in the forefront of providing advanced medical care in South Korea.

It performs sophisticated surgeries using high-resolution 3D robotic images that help correct slight movements of the surgeon’s hands. In 2018, the hospital marked a milestone by being first to reach 20,000 robot surgeries in the world.

Severance Hospital has the world's highest record of 4,000 robotic prostatectomies with an extraperitoneal approach to minimising organ damage.

In renal cancer cases, which accompany a high risk of massive bleeding during the operation, Severance performed a single-incision robotic surgery for the first time in Korea based on its experience with microinvasive methods before introducing robotic surgery.

The hospital has recently been using the da Vinci single port system (SP) to perform partial nephrectomy more safely and conveniently with minimal incisions.

Severance Hospital introduced da Vinci SP in 2018, the first single-port robotic system in Korea, to perform complicated reconstructive surgeries, including urethroplasty, ureteroneocystostomy, and implantation of neobladder made of the small intestine. The surgery only left a two-centimetre scar on the patient's belly button.

Last year, the hospital accomplished 10,000 robotic surgeries in urology, marking the first such case in South Korea and Asia and the second in the world.

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The country’s development agenda dubbed  as Thailand 4.0 aims to reduce inequality in the country by promoting modern, tech-driven solutions to enable access to public services even from the most remote parts of the country.

“Part of this policy has been prioritising S-curve industries - a host of industries characterised by their projected growth, including next-generation automotive, smart electronics, affluent medical and wellness tourism, agriculture and biotechnology, and food for the future. All of these industries stand to benefit from A&R, ranging from iterative improvements to quantum leaps in productivity,” said Thailand NOW in a press statement.

To this end, the country seeks to push forward industry 4.0 initiatives in artificial intelligence, programming, and connectivity to unite manufacturing with computing power to redefine industries.

Generous incentives

With the most installations of industrial robots in ASEAN and the second-largest A&R market in the region after Singapore, Thailand is considered an important growth market A&R, according to a report by Thailand NOW.

“The advent of smart factories - the intersection of smart devices, industrial robotics, and Internet of Things (IoT), remote sensors and controllers - is central to driving the 4IR taking place worldwide, including in Thailand,” said Thailand NOW.

At present, the Board of Investment of Thailand has a host of incentives for A&R procurement and production, ranging from import duty exemptions for machinery and full waivers on corporate income tax for eight years to non-tax incentives like work permits and full foreign ownership of A&R companies and property. There has never been a better time to automate businesses or to invest in research.

The "NIA Deep Tech Incubation Program@EEC”, spearheaded by the state-run National Innovation Agency (NIA) in partnership with several organisations, has been instrumental in encouraging local forays into A&R. The programme creates opportunities for deep tech innovation within the government's developmental initiative, the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC).

“Funding has also been directed to research, development, and education. As a result, Thailand sees 80,000 new science and engineering graduates trained in disciplines directly related to automation and robotics each year at world-class institutions, providing a solid foundation for skilled labour,” Thailand NOW said.

Some of the Thai Universities that offer specific programmes on A&R engineering include Chulalongkorn University, Kasetsart University, Assumption University, King Mongkut's University of Technology North Bangkok, King Mongkut's University of Technology Thonburi, and King Mongkut's University of Technology Ladkrabang.

Thai students are also encouraged to compete in international robotics competitions. Many have seen success on the international stage over the past few years, including winning the Robocup Rescue competition eight times since 2006, and three first-place finishes in Robo Soccer.

Rise of robots in other industries

With the social restrictions brought by COVID-19, the deployment of robots has accelerated and spread beyond the manufacturing industry.

In the healthcare industry, a dwindling workforce due to an aging population is a major driver in Thailand of having robots and automated systems that can assist healthcare workers.

Some recent robot use cases in the domestic healthcare system includes:

• Raibo-X - designed by the School of Engineering of King Mongkut's Institute of Technology Ladkrabang, is a robot that can map out a room and completely disinfect it using UVC light. UVC light will kill any germs it comes into contact with but is too dangerous to be used by humans.
• Dinsow - an award-winning robot developed by CT Asia Robotics that is fitted with a camera as well as infrared and thermal sensors. It uses AI to monitor health, have conversations, perform personal assistant duties, and run fun activities. It's also capable of contacting family members or a hospital in case of emergencies. For people who can't afford a home care nurse, this is a very clever solution.
• AutoVacc - using a robotic arm, the "AutoVacc" system can draw 12 doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine from vials, up from the standard doses drawn manually (an increase of 20%). According to the lead researcher from Chulalongkorn University, putting this innovation into practice will not only lighten the workload of medical personnel, but increase the number of vaccinations. Currently, the machine is being trialled at the Chulalongkorn University Health Service Centre. Researchers will continue to develop the machine to be compatible with other vaccines.

“It is obvious that A&R has the potential to disrupt several industries and increase productivity by leaps and bounds, so it's important for the private and public sectors to be forward-thinking about how they recruit, train, and educate, so they're not left playing catch-up to a runaway train,” Thailand Now said.

It added: “Thailand has already boarded this train, enabling multitudes of benefits to investors, because for Thailand, investing in A&R is not just a savvy economic strategy, but an investment in Thailand's own future.”

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ELERA’s  foundation is Inmarsat’s world class L-band network and incorporates new innovations ranging from higher speeds to smaller, low cost terminals and Inmarsat-6 (I-6) satellites. To enhance the ELERA network, two new I-6 satellites will be launched at the end of the year.

The L-band capacity on each I-6 satellite will be substantially greater than Inmarsat’s 4th generation spacecraft and, among other enhancements, they will deliver 50% more capacity per beam; meaning that much more data can be carried over the same geographical area, in addition to unlimited beam routing flexibility.

“ELERA is perfectly suited to the needs of the connected IoT world,” said Rajeev Suri, CEO, Inmarsat. “Global reach, extraordinary resilience, faster speeds, smaller and lower cost terminals are all part of ensuring that we remain ahead of others in meeting the needs of our customers.

The new innovations that the company is investing in to bring to market in the near future include spectrum management technology to deliver L-band speeds up to 1.7Mbps, the smallest footprint, low cost L-band terminal and two new L-band satellites, which are the largest and most sophisticated commercial communication satellites ever created.

The new spectrum management capabilities (known as Carrier Aggregation) being incorporated into the ELERA network will deliver the fastest speeds globally available to L-band customers, far outstripping the capabilities of any other worldwide L-band network.

Live customer trials in commercial aviation are scheduled to start during the course of 2022 and this technology will be rolled out across a range of sector specific applications for Inmarsat’s mobility, government and IoT customers over the coming few years.

Essential catalyst for new IoT cases

The unique capabilities of ELERA, combined with Inmarsat’s superior spectrum and the ideally suited orbital position of its satellite networks, will make it the essential catalyst for new IoT use cases, across everything from autonomous transport and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAV) to industrial and agricultural IoT applications.

“ELERA is a further sign of a company with true momentum and one that is delivering new innovations and strong performance,” continued Suri. “I expect that Inmarsat will grow strongly in 2021 compared to the previous year, and that growth will span most of our business units. Our progress was evident in the first half, where we saw strong growth in revenue and EBITDA and robust cash flow. We have sharpened our strategy to focus on driving growth, accelerate decision making, launch new innovations, and are creating a more commercially focused, customer-centric culture.”

ELERA will also see the creation of the smallest footprint, low cost terminal for L-band users, delivering the ideal framework for satcom IoT at scale, with supporting cloud-based management, for vertical sectors such as infrastructure, rail, logistics, mining, agriculture, government, maritime and aviation.

ELERA will also deliver a major extension to Inmarsat’s portfolio of voice-enabled devices, bringing new capabilities and innovations to hundreds of thousands of customers. This initiative represents our commitment to voice service innovation and underlines the company’s long-term commitment to the handheld voice services over satellite market.

“ELERA is the exciting vision of how Inmarsat is planning to transform the capabilities offered to IoT and mobility customers for years to come and confirms our long-term commitment to L-band services. We will be sharing further detail on these innovations with our partner community in the coming months and continue our programme of announcements as we achieve major milestones.” said Suri

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Now on its fourth edition, the index, is the centre piece of a research project sponsored by NEC Corporation. It ranks 60 cities across 76 indicators, organised along five pillars: personal, health, infrastructure, digital and – new this year – environmental security.
The Lion City ranks third in the worldwide survey behind Copenhagen and Toronto, which place first and second respectively.

“Digital security is now an even higher priority as more work and commerce have moved online; those responsible for infrastructure safety have to adjust to dramatic changes in travel patterns and where residents consume utilities,” said Naka Kondo, senior editor of The EIU and editor of SCI 2021.

“Agencies responsible for personal security need to address a large, lockdown-driven shift in crime patterns; and the priority that urban residents and officials assign to environmental security has risen markedly as covid-19 serves as a stark warning of unexpected crises,” she added.

Research shows that the performance of different safety pillars correlates very closely with each other, signifying that different kinds of safety are thoroughly intertwined. The top performers in each pillar are as follows:

• Digital security: Sydney (1), Singapore (2), Copenhagen (3), Los Angeles / San Francisco (4),
• Health security: Tokyo (1), Singapore (2), Hong Kong (3), Melbourne (4), Osaka (5)
• Infrastructure security: Hong Kong (1), Singapore (2), Copenhagen (3), Toronto (4), Tokyo (5)
• Personal security: Copenhagen (1), Amsterdam (2), Frankfurt (3), Stockholm (4), Brussels (5)
• Environmental Security: Wellington (1), Toronto (2), Washington DC (3), Bogota (4), Milan (5)

The Safe Cities Index reveals that different global region have distinct strengths. In particular, well-off Asia-Pacific cities tend to perform better on average when it comes to health security and infrastructure security, while European cities on personal security and North American cities on digital security.

Meanwhile, the introduction of the new pillar for environmental security in this year's index reflects the increased importance of sustainability issues and climate adaptation measures amid the pandemic. Toronto and Copenhagen performed noticeably better in the new environmental security pillar than do any of the top-three cities from earlier years. Interestingly, the index also shows that leading middle-income cities do far better in this area than in any other categories. In particular, three at this income level finish in the pillar's top ten: Bogota (4th); Rio de Janeiro (8th); and Kuala Lumpur (10th).

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Currently, the city offers local residents and businesses subscription-based access to the large-capacity compactor facilities. This was done to reduce the frequency of waste contractor visits to busy areas.

With the compactor in place, the city wants to understand how the service is being used and how  it mitigates illegal waste dumping, which can quickly create safety and hygiene issues in the area.

In line with this, the city together with waste service contractor Citywide recently trialled  Nokia Scene Analytics AI technology to develop a deeper understanding of waste disposal behaviour. The bustling Bullens Lane was selected as a testing site, and the trial is part of the city’s emerging technology testbed initiative.

With the existing network of installed cameras as internet of things (IoT) sensors to monitor one of the compactors, the trial allowed for real-time monitoring and detection of activity in the vicinity of the compactor using a virtual tripwire.

Object detection and object counting was used to identify and count items to show how the compactor was impacted by items incorrectly placed within it, while also identifying potentially dangerous items. Anomaly detection identified unusual movements, such as illegal waste dumping during the night, while face and license plate blurring maintained individual privacy during the trial.

The Nokia Scene Analytics solution employed an AI-powered algorithm to filter and collate data from the cameras, while also combining other data sources, such as operational data on the compactor itself, to create real-time alerts and produce reports.

Indeed, the trial allowed data to provide an insight to questions such as:

• How much waste the Bullens Lane bins receive daily
• The peak usage times
• Alignment between waste collections and waste disposal.

The implementation of this pilot will identify opportunities for improved efficiencies and a potential for further engagement with users around awareness and behaviour.

“This is a great example of using new technology to help remove illegal waste more quickly, make our city cleaner and protect the environment. Our partnership with Nokia is another way we are gathering data to make Melbourne a safer, smarter and more sustainable city,” said Lord Mayor Sally Capp, City of Melbourne.

Initial trial results show that the solution can support the city’s objectives for better, safer citizen experiences while simultaneously lowering maintenance and down time costs for waste management services.

The reports that are generated can help the City of Melbourne better understand the correlation between illegal waste-dumping activities and compactor downtime – keeping  maintenance teams better informed and minimise issues.

It also allows them to swiftly address waste dumping activities before they become a hazard, viewing locations in real-time to observe any obstructions to service vehicle access, and adapting their schedule to reduce unnecessary visits and minimise their carbon footprint.

By understanding patterns of compactor usage and waste dumping activities, the city of Melbourne is also able to patrol the area more effectively, while developing an ongoing campaign to better inform and educate the community.

Capp added: “This innovative project will help to avoid hazards and make our streets even cleaner by allowing our waste services to better understand behaviour trends related to the illegal and dangerous dumping of waste.”

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In a recent study entitled “The Doctor is Always In: How Teleconsultations Improve Patient Care”, the market research firm pointed out the increased efficiency in healthcare provision and the improved standard of care that teleconsultations deliver make them attractive to both patients and healthcare providers.

“While the average person will use teleconsultation services 3.6 times per year in 2025, we expect this figure to be higher in countries with universal healthcare systems and/or where teleconsultation appointments are mostly, if not fully reimbursed,” said research author Adam Wears.

Governments loosened restrictions

The social restrictions brought on by COVID-19 has accelerated the adoption of teleconsultation in the past year.

Juniper Research noted that that many governments have loosened previous limits on the practice of telemedicine and teleconsultation in particular – resulting in dramatic increase in use of these services.

In Australia, following calls  in March last year from several industry groups to relax such restrictions, the government announced a health funding package worth AU$100 million (US$77.8 million) to fund a new telehealth service, subsidised entirely by Medicare. The scheme allows healthcare professionals to conduct teleconsultations with patients; specifically, patients with suspected or confirmed COVID-19, patients with chronic conditions, those who are pregnant, and the elderly.

This scheme was subsequently extended, on 30th March 2020, to all Australians until 30th September 2020, while on the same day, an additional $74 million AUD ($57.6 million) in funding was provided to support teleconsultations for people living with mental health conditions, as well as a digital mental health portal for frontline health workers.

In India, several telemedicine initiatives, including its own teleconsultation service, eSanjeevani OPD, which launched in April 2020 and was subsequently used to deliver over 1 million teleconsultations. The government also issued new guidelines for telemedicine practitioners in March 2020 to enable patients with chronic conditions and those who live in isolated rural areas to access healthcare. This new guidance permitted doctors to utilise any appropriate form of digital communication, such as video, voice, and text, to diagnose patients, as well as issuing prescriptions.

With these initiatives, telemedicine practitioners worldwide have seen significant growth in the past 12 months. For example, China’s Ping An Good Doctor, which experienced a 900% increase in new user sign-ups and a 800% surge in the number of consultations  being performed between December 2019 and January 2020

Government deregulation of teleconsultation services  however did not have the same results in South Korea where restrictions were temporarily relaxed to eliminate local COVID-19 transmissions.

“This is because of  to the country’s long history of resisting efforts to implement telemedicine – so much so that a subsequent study found that at the height of infection in early 2020, only 0.69 teleconsultations were being conducted per day per healthcare facility,” said Wears.

Moreover, it did not help that the decision to relax the rules  was taken without buy-ins from local stakeholders and patient groups, however, and so received considerable  backlash from organisations such as the Korean Medical Association.

Significant technical infrastructure required

Juniper Research pointed out that teleconsultation services require significant technical infrastructure to function successfully, as patients and healthcare providers interact remotely using dedicated healthcare portals, apps or consumer video calling platforms.

For these services to become an integral element of healthcare provision, platforms must develop solutions that cater to differing capacities of regional healthcare sectors. The market research firm identified cloud services and 5G connectivity as key to enabling local healthcare providers to benefit from remote teleconsultation technologies.

It added that a robust, good-quality broadband connection is essential, something that is hard for small healthcare institutions, rural hospitals, and patients to acquire, particularly in the developing world.

Not surprising therefore that the Juniper Research study predicts that the need for mobile devices and connectivity will limit uptake of teleconsultation services to developed regions, with over 50% of teleconsultations will occur in North America and Europe by 2025.

“Teleconsultation services require high bandwidth, which is often unavailable in developing regions, limiting the impacts of services in these areas. However, the report predicts that 5G technologies can be used as a last-mile solution to underpin service provision in areas where Internet connectivity is sparse or inadequate,” said Wears.

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Rodent populations are common in areas where food is prepared and sold in large quantities, and popular local community market houses 200 stalls spread over three floors selling fresh seafood, meats, fruits, vegetables and grocery items.

The government was looking for a fast and reliable solution to monitor rodent activity and target treatment the prevent diseases and damage caused by rats and mice. It previously trialled thermal cameras to track rodent activity, but while they proved to be effective in monitoring infestations, they were too costly  for wide spread deployment.

In the end, the government decided to use an IoT-based surveillance solution, tapping Hong Kong -based IoTree to implement RATSENSE rodent surveillance system. Coupling IoT and cloud computing, the system uses infrared sensors as “electronic eyes” that monitor, detect and capture real-time data on rodent movements 24/7. That data is then analysed to track, trend and map rodent movements and behaviours, providing building managers with insights and location-based information on rodent infestations.

The government chose RATSENSE because of the ease and speed of installation. IoTree placed 130 sensors on the floors, ceilings and other hidden locations to  capture data on rodent movements around the Yeung Uk Road public market. Once sensors are installed, they can be instantly connected to the national Thinxtra 0G Network. The captured data are used to build insights that are then shared with building managers via a customised web portal and mobile application. Insights built with real-time data let building managers quickly pinpoint infestations and activities to target treatment for efficient, rodent reduction, using fewer toxins.

Deploying the RATSENSE system at Yeung Uk Road public market, the government counted several benefits:

• Save time and money by needing fewer manual inspections to find infestations and monitor traps
• Remove the guesswork from rodent detection and specifically target treatment
• Reduce the use of harmful rodenticides in the market
• Protect the market’s building from rodent damage
• Provide a safer, cleaner customer environment.

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“Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence (AI),  e-payment and cutting-edge technology are all but part of the daily realities for most of those who live in the country. With a strong industrial policy that favours digitalisation, Thailand is on the cusp of becoming the next Asian digital behemoth through its adoption of the 4.0 digital revolution,” the ministry said in a media statement.

A vibrant startup ecosystem

Thailand hosts an enabling ecosystem under which startups can thrive.

In June 2021, the country has seen its first unicorn with Flash Group, an e-commerce logistics and delivery services provider Flash Express, after the company's Series D+ and E funding raised more than US$150 million, shooting up its total value to more than US$1billion. There also are "half-unicorns" that are expected to join the coveted ranking soon. In short, the Thai economy looks set to be transformed into a cutting-edge economic powerhouse through digitalisation.

Last year, the country’s digital industry grew by more than 10% to reach US$20.6 billion. Digital content is a robust industry in Thailand with a total market value estimated at US$1.08 billion in 2020, driven by gaming, big data and animation industries.

Moreover, Thailand's overall Gross Merchandise Volume hit US$18 billion in 2020, a 7% year-on-year growth. Thailand's digital economy will likely reach US$53 billion in value by 2025, according to a joint report on Southeast Asia’s e-economy published last year by Google, Temasek and Brain & Company. The Ministry of Digital Economy and Society has also fortified the capacity of local e-commerce, digital entertainment and food delivery platforms to keep up with the implosion of online shopping associated with the COVID-19 lockdown economy, in line with its Digital Economy Development Plan that began in 2016.

Banking on AI and 5G

Thailand is also eyeing artificial intelligence as the next key feature of its digital economy. The country’s  Digital Government Development Agency (DGA) established a government Artificial Intelligence (AI) Centre to boost efficiency of services of  government agencies.

The centre focuses on three core functions: fostering networks and systems for AI adoption support; generating digital platforms in the cloud where state agencies can seek consultancy and AI solutions for their services; and upskilling government officials on AI and data analytics.

Meanwhile, Thailand is eyeing the 5G technology digital transformation.

“The country's adoption of the 4.0 economy policy augurs well for its digital aspiration, expected to contribute to more than 30% of its GDP by 2025 from less than 20%at present,” said Abel Deng, chief executive of Huawei Technologies Thailand.

In September 2020, Huawei launched a 5G ecosystem innovation centre worth US$15 million in Bangkok and plans to invest another US$23 million to build its third data centre in 2021 to satisfy growing demands in the Eastern Economic Corridor (EEC), especially from the financial sector and Cloud providers.

Buoyant e-payment system

In addition, e-payment has become the preferred choice of financial transactions for most Thais, according to the foreign affairs ministry.

More than half of Thailand's population --- approximately 30 million with a transaction value of over THB260 billion (USD 8.4 billion) --- have gone cashless. The number of registered PromptPay users in Thailand has surpassed 50 million in 2020 with daily transactions exceeding US$2.5 billion.

Based on figures from UnionPay and Nielsen, the use of mobile phone digital payment services including PromptPay and Quick Response (QR) Code has been growing exponentially with up to 75% of shoppers preferring QR Code payment

The Thai government has forged partnerships with Krungthai Bank to create an e-commerce platform that has been linked to the government's e-payment gateway, Pao Tang, and Thong Fah (Blue Flag) Pracharat shops for state welfare cardholders, thereby, realising the Thai dream of a cashless society.

“In 2022, investment in digital infrastructure is expected to rise by 20.5% to more than US$6.6 billion and up to US$8.4 billion, thanks to rapid digital transformation and adoption of new technology,” the ministry said.

Large banks have capitalised such growth by enabling mobile applications to support e-payments, while non-banks are launching promotions to draw in more e-Wallet users. The Bank of Thailand has implemented the fourth stage of its payments system roadmap (2019-2021) to build an ecosystem that supports digital payment as the preferred choice.

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When general practitioner Dr. Cheng Chao-Hsen wanted the second opinion of a rheumatology specialist during a house call on a patient diagnosed with rheumatoid arthritis, he simply put on a HoloLens 2 mixed-reality headset – and within minutes, he was collaborating with the specialist at the hospital in a real-time patient examination.

Linked via the Microsoft Dynamics 365 Remote Assist app and Microsoft Teams, the specialist was able to talk with the patient, examine his hand and see what Cheng was seeing. It soon became clear the original diagnosis had been wrong. Instead of rheumatoid arthritis the patient was actually suffering from a degenerative form of arthritis and needed different medication.

Normally, getting checked for a second opinion meant waiting days or weeks for an appointment and transporting the patient, who is a person with limited mobility, to a hospital many kilometres away.

With the current pandemic, community doctors like Cheng have adopted telehealth using tools like the HoloLens to take the new medical practice to the next level.

Fitted with sensors, cameras and Wi-Fi connectivity, HoloLens is a pair of smart glasses, which is an  untethered self-contained holographic device used in enterprise-ready applications. In healthcare settings, medical professionals can connect with remote experts, and call up patient data and go beyond x-rays to consult MRI images in 3D at the point of care.

Wearing the mixed-reality headset with a patient at home, Cheng can access medical records and bring a specialist for a real-time virtual consultation via its audio and video feeds. With Azure Spatial Anchor, HoloLens gives doctors, nurses, and hospital volunteers a new set of eyes and ears on house calls.

Previously, a doctor on a house call might consult a specialist by phone, text message or via video recordings or simply refer patients to them.

Nurses can also use the HoloLens for house calls. Doctors at a remote hospital can guide a nurse through a patient examination and help diagnose what is wrong. In a virtual sense, this upgrades a nurse’s visit to a doctor-level visit. In the meantime, more doctors are freed up to focus on urgent cases at the hospital.

Telehealth finds its legs

Taiwan’s progressive healthcare system enables the rapid adoption of telehealth in the country. Now, COVID-19 has pushed many more medical professionals to embrace the practice as it allow them  to treat more patients remotely and avoid unnecessary exposure to the virus.

Dr. Vincent Tsai, the superintendent of the Ten-Chan General Hospital in Taoyuan, Taiwan, where Cheng also works, is optimistic about the possibilities of telehealth.

“Patients can get feedback on their condition in real time and avoid risking contact with COVID-19 in a hospital,” says Tsai, a urologist. “With the HoloLens, I can access patient medical records, blood test results, X-rays, and other data when I’m with a patient at their home, so I don’t need to travel with these documents in-hand.”

Using the HoloLens, he notes, significantly speeds up treatment time compared to setting up in-person appointments with specialists.

“After the pandemic, we plan to continue a push for further telehealth adoption,” says Tsai. The Ten-Chan General Hospital is now using telehealth for three main applications: check-ups and medical record access, long-term care, and training and research and development.

Conserving medical resources

Telehealth advocate Norman Hsu, sees the benefits of helping hospitals conserve resources by allowing doctors to treat patients remotely. He hopes the practice will be adopted nationwide.

“Taiwan has an aging population and doctors are being stretched thin,” said Hsu, who is chairman of Ten-Chan General Hospital. “There just aren’t enough doctors and specialists to go around. But with telemedicine and HoloLens, we can give more patients quality consultations with doctors and specialists in real time.”

Over 10,000 families in Taiwan subscribe to senior care services for their older relatives. As a COVID-19 high-risk group, the residents at Ten-Chan General Hospital’s nursing homes benefit from telehealth by getting personalised treatment without risking exposure to the virus at a hospital.

Cheng, Tsai and other frontline workers at the hospital are finding a new sense of confidence in their work by providing better, faster, cheaper and smarter healthcare from the comfort of a patient’s home.

With COVID-19 infections rising globally, Taiwan’s telehealth movement is at the cusp of a wider rollout across the Asia Pacific region. Hsu is optimistic: “I truly believe this is the future of healthcare and the pandemic is just accelerating what we already knew was coming.”

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In a memorandum of understanding (MOU) signed last Wednesday, both companies agreed to deliver joint venture services for the operation, management and maintenance of local medical facilities.

"Our healthcare system is under increasing pressure as the population in Hong Kong and elsewhere continues to age. Demand for high quality healthcare facilities is not only greater than before but also rising,” said Otto Poon, chairman of ATAL Engineering Group.

He added: “Through this partnership, ATAL and Chinachem are uniquely positioned to seize the opportunities in delivering healthcare services which not only satisfy the community needs but also enable us to gain a larger foothold in healthcare sector in the local market and beyond."

Established in 1977, ATAL Established is a leading electrical and mechanical engineering (E&M) service provider in Hong Kong, with operations in Macau, Mainland China, the UK and the US. Its comprehensive E&M engineering and technology services cover building services, environmental engineering, information, communications and building technologies ("ICBT") and lifts & escalators.  ATAL has lent its expertise in multi-disciplinary E&M engineering and technology services for healthcare sector including private and public hospitals over the years.

On the other hand, property developer Chinachem Group has been building residential, commercial, retail and industrial buildings in Hong Kong since 1960. The group also provides professional property management, while its subsidiary Nina Hospitality  has expertise in hotel management.

"Partnership lies at the heart of Chinachem's successes. By aligning with companies and organisations that share similar values to our own, we're able to forge alliances for the long term,” said Donald Choi, executive director and CEO, Chinachem Group.

“By making good use of the respective competitive advantages, a new cooperation model could be brought into medical sector. We also wish to be the leader of property management for healthcare facilities,” Choi said.

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With this in mind, the company yesterday launched the SenseTime International AI innovation Hub in the Lion City, while also reaffirming it commitment to nurture local AI-based talents through MOUs signed with Business China and Singapore’s Institute of Technical Education (ITE).

“With over 70 percent of Southeast Asia consumers concurring that AI is crucial to the region’s future, there is a critical need for governments and AI providers to equip the workforce across the region with fundamental AI skills. As such, SenseTime is also furthering our commitment to promote and facilitate AI development across the region via our AI Innovation Hub to empower the next generation with the ability to thrive in a digital-first era,” said Mr Martin Huang, Managing Director, SenseTime International.

With AI projected to have a 10% to 18% GDP uplift across Southeast Asia and contribute nearly US$1 trillion to the region’s economy by 2030, the Hub in Singapore will showcase the company’s AI and Computer Vision technologies, and serve as an immersive living lab to help businesses harness the power of AI to accelerate Southeast Asia’s digital economy and unlock new opportunities through connected intelligence.

The Hub features eight different zones that showcase real-world AI applications for augmented and mixed reality, education, healthcare and customer engagement scenarios; visitors are invited to immerse themselves in an environment powered by SenseTime’s industry-leading technologies and envision wide-ranging possibilities enabled through AI.

Among the highlights of the Hub include:

• AI Education: Visitors will witness first-hand SenseTime’s comprehensive AI Education solutions in action, including the web-based module learning platform SenseStudy, and hands-on coding modules with SenseRover Mini and SenseStorm robots. The showcase will enable visitors, in particular educators, to uncover ways to personalise AI learning to cater to their students’ learning styles.
• Augmented Reality for Tourism and Culture: An immersive zone featuring SenseTime’s Augmented Reality (AR) platform, SenseMARS, which connects the virtual world with the real world to deliver fresh experiences and interactions to end users.Visitors may interact with an AR simulation of the Merlion and Marina Bay Sands building and take commemorative photos with the attractions. These AR technologies have also been used to power museum exhibitions and art installations, like the “Smile2Vote” interactive digital screen during Singapore Art Week 2020.

• Augmented Reality for Entertainment and Retail: An experiential zone featuring SenseMARS, which supports highly accurate expression and body gesture identification even under extreme lighting for seamless mixed reality interactions.Visitors are also treated to fresh AR entertainment and retail experiences, including interactive wayfinding and AR advertisements, made possible through SenseMARS’s powerful post-processing rendering engine.

Developing global AI professionals

Meanwhile, SenseTime has inked an MOU with Business China jointly provide internship and international exchange opportunities AI talents.

Under the MoU, SenseTime will come on board the Singapore-China Youth Interns Exchange Scheme (YES) to provide tertiary students from Singapore and China with internship opportunities at SenseTime’s China and Singapore offices respectively. Through a series of curated activities, such as training programmes and technology forums held with Chinese technopreneurs and industry players, participants will gain meaningful cross-border experiences first-hand.

SenseTime will also launch a new programme to introduce China’s business landscape to students under the Industrial Post-graduate Programme (IPP), to nurture a pool of talents with a good understanding of China’s economic, business, social, cultural and educational environment.

“While internships can be a stepping stone to a student's professional career, they can also help companies to build a pipeline of promising young talents. Business China is therefore pleased to work with SenseTime to offer an internship programme at both its offices in Singapore and China,” said Tin Pei Ling, chief executive officer, Business China.

She added: “We believe that this arrangement will play an important role in cultivating professional AI competencies and the ability to appreciate local cultures and operating environments in Singapore, China and the region, facilitating cross-border collaborations.”

Cultivating Local AI Talent with ITE

In conjunction with the launch of the Hub, SenseTime furthers its commitment to promoting and facilitating AI education in Singapore through the signing of an MoU with ITE to jointly develop AI competencies for students and staff.

As part of this two-year MoU, SenseTime and ITE aim to equip ITE students, staff and adult learners with AI technical competencies through:

• support in AI competency-building for educators at ITE by providing the SenseStudy AI Education curriculum via its Train-the-Trainer programme;
• the Enhanced Industrial Attachment for ITE students to be placed with SenseTime’s partners to explore and work on AI industry proof-of-concept (POC) projects with coaching and mentorship; and
• Continuing Education and Training (CET) programmes for adult learners in the fields of Computer Vision and Smart City, with certification provided upon completion of the course.

“This valuable partnership will enable ITE to leverage SenseTime’s know-how in deep learning and computer vision technologies to deepen AI competencies in our students, staff and adult learners. We are excited to advance our AI journey with SenseTime’s support,” said  Low Khah Gek, CEO, ITE.

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“The new plastic optical fibre sensors can detect extremely subtle changes even of a difference smaller than 1 per cent of atmospheric pressure – sensitive enough to measure pressure inside the lungs while breathing, which changes by just a few kilopascals,” said Professor Hwa-yaw Tam, chair professor of photonics and head of the Department of Electrical Engineering at PolyU, who led the research team that developed the new fibre optic microsensors.

The new “Side Hole Polymer Optical Fibre Sensors” are biocompatible and could be made as small as a few micrometres. Their sensitivity to pressure is twenty times that of traditional optical fibre sensors. They are deemed to be the most advanced railway safety monitoring technologies available for medical surveillance inside the human body.

Optical fibres are not just for transmission – they are also good sensors for detecting external changes by observing the reflection of the light beams passing through them. There is also growing use of fibre optics technology in medical applications, such as in surgical instrumentation, diagnostic and imaging equipment, or sensor-based wearable medical devices.

However, to deploy fibre optic sensing technology for monitoring inside the human body, traditional optical fibres made of glass or plastic have major drawbacks – glass is too stiff and brittle, while traditional plastic fibres tend to absorb water. Furthermore, the optical fibre sensors need to be able to detect very subtle changes for the purpose of medical monitoring.

The new sensors develop by PolyU  solves the problems posed by glass and traditional plastic. In addition, the new sensor is made more sensitive by adding a side hole running in parallel with the light transmission path inside the optical fibre.

New medical applications

Tam believes the new sensors will enable whole new applications for medical monitoring inside the human body not available before. These include include smart cochlear implantation, bone fracture recovery monitoring, or navigation monitoring in cardiac catheterisation.

“They are humidity insensitive, supple and shatter-resistant. They are also chemically inert, biocompatible, and can be made super tiny in size. These unique features make the sensors ideal for integration with medical implants,” he said.

Already, the PolyU research team is  working with counterparts from Australian and Japanese universities to develop various sensors for medical monitoring applications.

For instance, a smart cochlear implant featuring the PolyU tiny sensors could provide critical information about location and force to surgeons in real time during the implantation procedure. The smart cochlear implant will commence in vitro testing at the University of Melbourne and the Royal Victorian Eye and Ear Hospital.

PolyU is also working with Monash University researchers to integrate fibre sensors in orthopaedic implants for monitoring bone fracture recovery.

The PolyU research team will continue to explore further medical monitoring applications using the new plastic fibre optic sensors, including their use for precise navigation and shape detection in cardiac catheterisation.

Professor Tam and his team are also working to expand the sensors’ ability to measure other physical or chemical changes like acidity and temperature.

“We also seek to develop a sensing network that integrates our sensors with emerging technologies like the wireless Internet-of-Things. The sensing network would be able to give a comprehensive and precise picture of changes inside the human body, thus helping patients around the world via technological innovation,” he said.

The “Side Hole Polymer Optical Fibre Sensors” research findings were published earlier this year in Optics Letters by US-based The Optical Society. Part of the jointly developed applications with other universities have already been granted patents.

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This was key message from the speech given yesterday by Singapore Deputy Prime Minister and Coordinating Minister for Economic Policies Heng Swee Keat during the opening the ATxSummit, the apex event of Asia Tech x Singapore (ATxSG).

“Even as we leverage on AI, IoT and 5G to power today’s digital revolution, we must continue to invest patient capital for new gamechangers in the next bound of growth,” Heng said, pointing out that the digital revolution that the city is experiencing today is powered by the  technologies that it had  patiently invested in over the decades.

For instance,  Heng noted that AI has been in development since the 1980s, with a major milestone reached in 1997 when Deep Blue became the first chess-playing computer to defeat a reigning world champion. “But it was not until the last five to ten years that we began to truly harness the potential of AI,” he added.

The current pandemic has “turbo charged” the pace of the digital revolution, but also ushered the “worst global recession in a century”. Nevertheless, Heng urged all stakeholders in various industry sectors  not to be fazed into pulling back  from technology investments.

“During a global recession, it is understandable that investments for the long term would come under pressure. But we should resist these pressures, as sustained investment in science and technology is critical to supporting innovation,” he said.

Close US$70 million in R&D investments

During his speech at the ATxSummit, Heng announced that the city will be launching a US$50million Future Communications Research & Development Programme (FCP).

The FCP supports cutting edge communications and connectivity research, and will in turn grow local capability to translate that into innovative products, services, and companies. This will be accomplished through the setup of new communications testbeds in 5G and beyond-5G, and support technology development, translation and training, while building up the talent pool in the areas of communications and connectivity technologies

As a start, the FCP has established a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with the 6G Flagship Office of Finland.

“5G networks are being rolled out and are expected to cover one-third of the world’s population by 2025. We will need to look ahead at the next bound,” he said.

The FCP investment is on top of the US$19 billion spending on research, innovation and enterprise, which the city government allocated in the next five years, building deeper capabilities in technologies such as quantum and blockchain.

Singapore Trade Data Exchange unveiled

Furthermore, Heng used the ATxSummit to launch the Singapore Trade Data Exchange (SGTraDex), a  common data infrastructure for the supply chain ecosystem.  It is seen as breakthrough that would allow stakeholders to easily “plug and play” to exchange data in a secure environment.

SGTraDex is developed by Alliance for Action on Supply Chain Digitalisation, which counts as members port operator PSA International and commodities trader Trafigura. The alliance was one of the new series of private-public partnerships convened last year.

With SGTraDex, previously unavailable or difficult to obtain data – such as real-time cargo location – can be easily attained. This will enable logistic players and shippers to optimise cargo handling and operations.

SGTraDex will also enable new value-added services for supply chain participants and speed up the processing of customs clearance, trade financing, insurance and other related activities.

“Our goal is to on-board stakeholders along the supply chain, especially smaller firms, so that they can be part of this digital backbone,” Heng said. “Once on board, firms can exchange information with other parties through SGTraDex. The data will be encrypted and transmitted without being stored.”

From the pilots so far, Heng revealed that  SGTraDex has the potential to unlock more than US$150 million of value annually for the supply chain ecosystem.

SGTraDex is the second common data infrastructure exchange in the last seven months, the first being the Singapore Financial Data Exchange, which claims to be the world’s first public digital infrastructure that allows a person to sign-in  using his national digital identity. The user can provide consent to obtain his financial information from different financial institutions and agencies. Data from each source is encrypted and transmitted through the Exchange without being stored.

Both exchanges are part of a suite of digital infrastructure and utilities being developed to provide a strong foundation for Singapore’s digital economy.

Meanwhile, the inaugural ATxSG event will run until July 16. The four-day mega-tech fest seeks to drive conversations across business, technology and government sectors that will shape the digital future not only in Singapore but across the Asean region.

Organised by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA) and Informa Tech and supported by the Singapore Tourism Board (STB),  ATxSG four main segments, namely ATxSummit, ATxEnterprise, ATxImpact, and ATxPlus under its wing, with established conferences such as BroadcastAsia, CommunicAsia, SatelliteAsia and InnoFest  among others tucked into the relevant segments.

“At ATxSG, we want to shift the focus from technology in isolation to its intersection with society and the digital economy. There are both opportunities and challenges in these intersections, and that’s where important ideas and innovations are needed. Singapore, as a Global-Asia node and the Tech gateway to the fastest growing digital economies in the ASEAN region, makes it an ideal place to spark these conversations, and co-create potential solutions.  We are delighted to host government and business leaders from over 20 countries at the ATxSummit, to collectively shape our shared digital future,” said IMDA chief executive Lew Chuen Hong.

The post SG gov’t injects US$70M in tech R&D for city’s digital future appeared first on FutureIoT.

Tokyo-based CG provides Japan's first decentralized ID platform called UNiD, while the Yokohama-based TSSR, has  strong expertise in IoT device software development.

The rise of the Stay-at-Home economy has accelerated the adoption of contactless transactions at the consumer level, and both companies see a huge business potential in providing verification  of IoT devices used contactless transactions. Particularly with the shift to contactless transactions in smart bank branches, virtual concierges at healthcare and government services, digital orders at restaurants, and automated receptions at offices and hotels.

According to a Deloitte study, the market size of the contactless economy in Asia Pacific will reach US$11 trillion, double the current level.

“With the COVID-19 pandemic, the number and type of businesses that need to interact with users contactless have exploded beyond the specific industries. We believe that the verifiable data exchange platform between "people" and "machines" in a decentralised manner, will support the transformation to contactless systems in a wide range of fields, including new work styles, mobility, logistics, and smart cities, and will contribute to progress our digital society. We are pleased to be the first mover in the world to take on this challenge,” said Masayoshi Mitsui, CEO, CollaboGate Japan.

A decentralised  IoT platform

With the alliance, both companies will be working on a proof-of-concept project that intends to build a "decentralised IoT platform" that smoothly connects people and things, and a "smart concierge" that enables the contactless economy by using "UNiD" decentralized ID platform developed by CG and TSSR's expertise in embedded system development on Renesas’ MCUs.

“In the current Internet system, it is difficult to automatically verify the data provided by users without a trusted third party. In reality, the manual verification process of the data is still necessary for businesses. By introducing a decentralised identity mechanism to IoT devices, we can build a mechanism that allows them to autonomously verify the data provided by users. This will enable the safe and quick delivery of services of their needs,” the companies said in a press statement.

They added: “In this project, we will build a prototype of a "smart concierge" with an identity verification function for use in BFSI, healthcare, government, and access management at offices, hotels, factories, logistics warehouses.”

IoT devices must be able to correctly identify, authenticate, and authorised users, automatically verify the data applied for, consider user privacy, and ensure the security of unattended IoT devices. A decentralised IoT platform that meets these requirements is needed for a smooth transition from the face-to-face to the non-face-to-face system.

CG”s and TSSR’s “smart concierge model has four steps: first, service provider issues credentials (identity verification information, usage permit) to the user's mobile wallet; second,the user sends the credentials stored in the wallet to the IoT device; third, the IoT device verifies the credentials and opens/closes the gate; and fourth, access log is sent to the cloud server.

With the smart concierge model,  people can check in to hotels, accommodations, and other lodging facilities and unlock their rooms by simply carrying their mobile app. It can also streamline the validation and entrance for live music, concerts, baseball, football, and other sports, as well as theme park facilities. The system is also expected to enable contactless operations and efficiency that have been conducted face-to-face, such as the efficient management of office visitors, logistics warehouses, medical and educational facilities.

Raising IoT security

IoT devices that are connected to the network are subject to security risks such as hacking and identity theft. For one,  the access IDs and passwords hard-coded into IoT devices are vulnerable if they are left as default settings or are easy to guess. In fact, there was a case where a large number of IoT devices were illegally accessed and used as a botnet to launch DDoS attacks.

For this reason, security by the PKI standards has significant advantages over the password method. However, the conventional PKI standards using CA certification authorities require manual management of many certificates for each IoT device. In addition to being a very time-consuming task, there are risks such as the leakage of private keys managed by the service operator. In addition, the time and effort required to renew certificates lead to the use of certificates with a long expiration date, which causes vulnerabilities. Thus, the conventional PKI standards have problems in terms of cost, operation, and security.

By introducing a decentralised ID mechanism to IoT devices, first, a key pair is generated within the IoT device, then the public key corresponding to the digital signature is registered in the decentralised PKI network. Anyone from the network can reference this public key, and a cloud server communicating with the IoT device can retrieve this public key and verify the digitally signed data. This is expected to eliminate the need for manual verification, increase security strength, and significantly reduce the operating costs of IoT devices.

Enabling privacy-preserving data transactions

CG and TSSR will also design the decentralised IoT platform to comply with current regulations such as GDPR and CCPA, which impose a separation between holding data and using the data.

In Japan, the Act on the Protection of Personal Information is scheduled to take effect in April 2022, and the handling of personal data via IoT devices will require system design based on the same consideration of individual privacy. Decentralized IoT platforms provide a mechanism that enables IoT service providers to provide the desired services without retaining unnecessary personal information. It provides a mechanism for safe and smooth authentication and data transactions between people and IoT devices based on personal consent, using a mechanism where individuals control their personal information.

Sakae Ito, vice president of IoT Platform Business Division at Renesas Electronics is pleased to contribute in the decentralised IoT platform with its secure MCU/MPR technologies.

“We hope that this demonstration experiment of the decentralized IoT Platform by the CollaboGate and Tessera will prove IoT devices can bring security and reliability as well as improved convenience to users, expanding the demand for contactless applications,” he said.

The post Japanese firms to build world's first decentralised IoT platform appeared first on FutureIoT.

Gartner says organizations implementing IoT are increasingly focusing on the business outcomes of the technology. IoT initiatives are no longer driven by the sole purpose of internal operational improvement.

The bad news is that this expanding universe of applications of IoT in industrial, government, consumer and commercial is drawing the interest of cybercriminals recognising a burgeoning opportunity.

From the Mirai Botnet (aka Dyn Attack) of October 2016 to the discovery of hackable cardiac devices at St. Jude Medicals in 2019 to the hacking of a Bluetooth speaker that allowed the criminals to eavesdrop on a CFO’s private conversation, the threat is real, and it is now.

The why of IoT security

Beng Hai Sim, head of Technical Sales at ESET, Asia Pacific, defines IoT security as the act of securing the IoT device and the network it is connected to.

“The interconnection of IoT poses a significant challenge for organisations due to the serious security risks posed by unmonitored and unsecured devices connected to the network. The need to think about security on a daily basis has never been greater, especially given that the number of internet-connected devices is expected to grow at an exponential rate,” he added.

Bots: the who/what of IoT security

Sim said IoT botnets are a type of malware that commonly targets IoT devices. He explained that IoT devices that have been compromised by bots are frequently used as communication channels to other compromised devices in the network known as botnets. Unpatched vulnerabilities may also exist in routers to which the IoT devices are connected.

Citing ESET telemetry, Sim revealed that ESET scanned nearly 200,000 routers during the first four months of 2021 and discovered that over 2,200 of them had at least one known vulnerability. The most common type of router attack is distributed denial of service (DDoS).

DDoS attacks affect 70% of organisations polled on a monthly basis.

IoT security starts here

Echoing a security industry theme, Sim says cybersecurity is a shared responsibility.

From an IoT security perspective, he says the CISO has the responsibility to educate employees on cybersecurity awareness training.

Beyond regular training and continuous awareness, he suggests that when purchasing IoT devices, organisations should first select a well-known, dependable IoT device provider who is likely to be around in the long term. This ensures that the manufacturers will be able to provide patches and fixes to the IoT devices in the future in a timely manner.

“It is crucial that the IoT devices that they have selected are secure by design, with security being a key goal at all stages of product development and deployment,” he added.

The reality of IoT security

Sim acknowledges that not everything can be secured immediately!

“Given that there are so many IoT devices out there, it is unrealistic to consider the security design of every single IoT device, but businesses can look at cybersecurity infrastructure and techniques to reduce risk,” he opined.

He recommended adopting the Zero Trust security model requiring all users, both inside and outside of an organisation's network, to be authenticated, authorised and continuously validated for security, configuration and posture before being granted or maintaining access to application and data.

He also suggested network segmentation as a useful approach to isolating IoT devices from other network systems.

“A simple analogy I’d use is the current pandemic situation, where we enforce social distancing to minimise the spread of the Coronavirus,” he continued.

According to Gartner, utilities will be one of the highest users of IoT endpoints, totalling 1.37 billion endpoints in 2020.

An expanding universe of applications

“Electricity smart metering, both residential and commercial will boost the adoption of IoT among utilities,” said Peter Middleton, senior research director at Gartner. “Physical security, where building intruder detection and indoor surveillance use cases will drive volume, will be the second-largest user of IoT endpoints in 2020.”

Building automation, driven by connected lighting devices, will be the segment with the largest growth rate in 2020 (42%), followed by automotive and healthcare, which are forecast to grow 31% and 29% in 2020, respectively.

In healthcare, chronic condition monitoring will drive the most IoT endpoints, while in automotive, cars with embedded IoT connectivity will be supplemented by a range of add-on devices to accomplish specific tasks, such as fleet management.

Click on the PodChat player and listen to Sim describe the why and some options for securing the Internet of Things.

1. Define security as it relates to the Internet of Things?
2. What some of the most common vulnerabilities in IoT devices found in enterprises?
3. Why is it important for organisations to pay attention to securing IoT devices?
4. Who is responsible for securing IoT devices in an enterprise?
5. What should organisations do to secure their IoT devices?
6. Is it realistic to think that we can secure all the 50 billion IoT devices connected out there?
7. It’s been said that remote work has accelerated IoT further. What is your advice to organisations today as regards securing known devices and protecting against the unsecured unknown?
8. What should enterprises look for when it comes to security solutions to address IoT devices in the network?

The post PodChats for FutureIoT: Securing the Internet of Things appeared first on FutureIoT.

Made of washable materials without metal components, it can be worn like a normal t-shirt but is designed to monitor vital signs such as heartbeat, respiration, sweating, muscular effort and body temperature.

Made in Italy, it is fitted with a smart tag provided by ZTE that allows collected data to be transmitted through a 5G network to health centres and users’ smartphone.

“It is an invention that will change the life and quality of home and remote health care for many citizens with health problems and vulnerable people suffering from chronic diseases,” said Francesco Rocca, the president of the Italian Red Cross and president of the International Federation of the Red Cross.

He added: “We have been working on the project since 2018. To be able to present the results of this experimentation, born in the most difficult moment of the Covid emergency, allows us to think with pride in the progress made so far and to look to the future with the hope and certainty of having given demonstration of the commitment, ability and dedication of the Red Cross network, in the use and in the diffusion of new technologies at the service of the person and society “.

The smart t-shirt is developed  by the  AccYouRate Group with partners such as ZTE,  Let’s Web-earable Solutions (creator of the smart t-shirt sensor) and BSP-Medical (Israeli company in charge of predictive algorithms for cardiovascular disorders).

It is an integral part of YouCare, a new remote health monitoring service, which is expected to be trialled next fall at ZTE’s 5G Research and Innovation Center at L’Aquila in Italy, according to Hu Kun, CEO of ZTE Italia and president of ZTE in Western Europe.

“Right from the start, we believed and invested in what seemed to us a totally revolutionary, and which today is a concrete reality, just certified as a Medical Device, and which has been enriched with the predictive algorithms of cardiovascular disorders of BSP-Medical, an Israeli company, world leader in the field of Medical Data Science” said Umberto Sgambati, CEO of the Proger spa Group, which has Start-Up Let’s Web-earable Solutions under its wing.

The post ZTE delivers 5G connectivity to smart t-shirt prototype appeared first on FutureIoT.

The digital IFM services platform is included in the university’s digitalisation plans to improve work processes and operational efficiencies for the entire campus including landscape, linkways and 49 buildings on site.

Furthermore, this latest project is in line with Singapore’s Integrated Digital Delivery (IDD) vision to integrate building operations and maintenance work processes digitally. The IDD is a key thrust in the Construction Industry Transformation Map and is aligned to city’s efforts to train a highly-skilled workforce to use technology throughout the entire life cycle of a project from planning to design, construction and operations.

The project is expected to be fully rolled out by September 2021.

The platform will collect and monitor data from the air conditioning and mechanical ventilation system to ensure that temperature and humidity levels remain healthy for students and campus staff. Sensors installed at various locations around the campus will also be able to keep tabs on the number of persons in specific facilities to ensure that capacity limits are not breached. Data collected from these occupancy sensors will also help the campus manager identify usage patterns and potentially re-configure the campus to be more cost-effective to operate.

By aggregating the data collected from the various mechanical and electrical systems on the facilities management platform, Temasek Polytechnic will be able to monitor energy usage and identify opportunities to reduce costs and lower carbon footprint.

“We have 49 buildings spread across a 30-hectare campus, so it makes practical sense to pursue and implement smart FM solutions across campus. This will not only be sustainable and save on resources, but will also benefit our students from the Diploma in Integrated Facility Management, who will be getting hands-on learning and working experience. By using such real data in decision-making, they will be exposed to the future of facility management, moving forward,” said Gary Png, director of estates and facilities management at Temasek Polytechnic.

For the last six years. Surbana Jurong has been overseeing the IFM at the university, including the routine maintenance of buildings and amenities, mechanical and electrical services, conservancy works, fire protection, and pest and landscape management.

“The development of the digital IFM platform at TP, which includes the deployment of 24K and OMNI by Surbana Jurong and that of the IoT sensors by UnaBiz, is a step-up in offerings to facilitate the development of a smarter and more sustainable campus for TP,” said James Chan, managing director at SMM, which is Surbana Jurong’s facilities management arm.

He added:  “One distinct benefit of our solution will be enabling Temasek Polytechnic to receive real-time information of the environment as well as the health condition of the various mechanical and electrical systems, and to rectify them before they become faulty or waste unnecessary energy and cost as a result.”

Jonathan Tan, managing director of UnaBiz Singapore pointed out that the convergence of digital twin, IoT, and machine learning allows facility managers to transform data into actions.

“Real-time access to accurate data combined with Building Information FM Model, empower facility managers to respond to issues immediately, or even better, provide a high degree of prediction accuracy to prevent breakdowns, optimise building performance and increase energy efficiency, the key drivers of sustainability at large,” he said.

The post Temasek Polytechnic to deploy over 3,000 sensors on campus appeared first on FutureIoT.

Although active and continuous monitoring solutions are available gaps remain that point to the opportunity to develop innovative solutions. Many existing devices for prevalent health conditions are either bulky and cumbersome or invasive and inaccurate long-term for on-demand monitoring applications. And all of them are deemed expensive.

In contrast, wearable electronics offer biosensing capabilities that are convenient and allow consumers to monitor their health on a continuous basis and derive insights.

Lux Research has identified five leading health conditions – cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, stress, hydration and sleep disturbance –  that significantly impact daily life for consumers, thereby offering opportunities for companies to develop consumer-centric solutions for diagnosis, monitoring, and prevention.

Entitled “Emerging Biosensor Technologies: Landscape and Market Forecast”, the report outlines recent innovations in biosensor technologies, discusses challenges that stakeholders will need to overcome, and provides an outlook for the technology and business of biosensors.

“Patients today face enormous financial and psychological burdens because of rapidly rising healthcare costs. The rising prevalence of various health conditions in the population is placing tremendous pressure on already-overburdened healthcare systems,” said Lisheng Gao, Ph.D., analyst at Lux Research and lead author of the report. “On the flip side, this offers substantial business opportunities, particularly in the area of consumer-centric healthcare technologies.”

Varying degree of development

Biosensors offer tremendous promise as convenient, easy-to-use, and low-cost solutions to monitor underlying physiological conditions compared to other incumbent diagnostic techniques. This will lead to an increase in applications for biosensors, such as vital signs monitoring, metabolism monitoring, biomarker detection, and disease diagnosis.

However, many challenges related to precision, accuracy, and commercialization, and deployment need to be overcome before biosensors can gain widespread adoption in consumer health and wellness.

“Depending on the stage of development of the biosensing technology, developers focus on developing safe, sensitive, and corrosion-resistant materials, validating the science behind the proposed mechanisms, and/or optimising the algorithms to improve accuracy and precision,” Gao said in the report.

Gaps remain to be filled before technologies can be fully commercialised. Developers will continue to develop materials, validate the science, and/or optimise the algorithms to enhance accuracy and precision and improve overall device efficiency.

“Consumer-level devices will go through clinical approval. Developers will leverage the enormous amounts of data being collected by these sensor devices via machine learning-enabled analytics to improve the performance of the devices and subsequently pursue clinical approval, thereby allowing them to enter the higher-value healthcare market,” Gao said.

Huge potential market

According to the report, the U will dominate the bio-sensor market, followed by Asia Pacific and North America. The EU has a high prevalence and incidence of the five leading health conditions, which resulting in a large potential user base.

The region also has a higher willingness to use advanced healthcare technologies and very supportive healthcare systems. All of these factors contribute to its domination of the market.

The market size in the APAC region is largely due to the high population. The strong buying power and good insurance acceptance in North America help the market proliferate, but it does not have the population advantages of other regions.

“Among the biosensor devices for the five health conditions. Only biosensor devices for cardiovascular disease and sleep disturbance will dominate the market with forecasted market above US$10 billion, respectively,” Gao said.

He added: “It is due to the well-developed and market-ready technologies. On the other hand, the market for diabetes, stress, and hydration will be small and will see a delayed take-off because the technologies are either still under development or in early stages of market introduction.”

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The introduction of the new family of products comes a little more than two weeks after the company launched its first IoT modem solution that is equipped with 5G connectivity and optimised for Industrial IoT (IIoT) applications. The Qualcomm 315 5G IoT Modem-RF System is a modem-to-antenna solution designed to support the IoT ecosystem in building upgradeable LTE and 5G devices for IoT verticals.

The newly released chipsets span across entire market segments from entry level to premium tier, and purpose-built to support emerging IoT devices and solutions designed for industrial and commercial applications.

“We have two variants of products. One classified  under the QCS family, which is an application processor with WiFi connectivity; and the other is classified under the QCM, which is an application processor with an integrated cellular connectivity,” said Nagaraju Naik, senior director for product development at Qualcomm.

He added: “With the understanding of the IoT portfolio across industrial and enterprise applications, there is a need for extended hardware availability as well as extended software support. So, we have defined that as a programme. All the new chipsets are extended life chipsets with a minimum hardware availability of at least eight years; and we have an extended software support programme that is very well established, which offers security bug fixes on a quarterly basis.”

The new Qualcomm IoT chipsets are:

• Qualcomm QCS8250 | Target applications: connected healthcare, digital signage, retail, and video collaboration

This premium-tier offering is optimised to deliver maximum performance to enable compute intensive AI at the edge with support for Qualcomm® Wi-Fi 6 solutions and 5G connectivity. It offers a new Neural Processing Unit (NPU) for ultra-intuitive AI in addition to machine learning for compute-intensive IoT applications to enable smart cameras, video collaboration, AI hubs, connected healthcare and smart retail. Purpose-built for industrial and commercial applications, this platform delivers ultimate performance experience with flexible options enabled by Qualcomm’s 3rd party ecosystem to accelerate deployment and commercialisation at scale.

• Qualcomm QCS6490/QCM6490 | Target applications: connected healthcare, logistics management, retail, transportation, and warehousing

With the Kryo 585 CPU architecture this solution delivers powerful performance and is purpose-built for industrial and commercial IoT applications such as transportation, warehousing, connected healthcare, logistics management and across retail point of sale (POS) kiosks. Equip to support 5G mmWave/Sub-6 GHz and Wi-Fi 6E, this solution helps enable the latest generation of ruggedised handhelds and tablets, industrial scanners, and human machine interface systems. Through powerful connections, reduced latency, along with dynamic triple ISPs and advanced Edge-AI and compute based on 6th generation Qualcomm AI Engine, this solution delivers astonishing performance at reduced power compared to previous generation solutions.

• Qualcomm QCS4290/QCM4290 | Target applications: cameras, industrial handhelds, and security panels

These chipsets offer maximum mid-tier benefits. With the Kryo260 CPU architecture for increased speeds and robust on-device performance, in addition to the 3rd generation Qualcomm AI Engine, this platform delivers powerful performance, dynamic camera capabilities and broad connectivity options (LTE Cat13, Wi-Fi 6-Ready),ideal for industrial and commercial IoT applications such as industrial handhelds in logistics and warehousing, security panels and cameras. For increased intuitive on-device intelligence, devices based on this new solution will help enable productive and efficient work environments.

• Qualcomm QCS2290/QCM2290 | Target applications: camera applications, industrial handhelds, retail and tracking

These are robust entry-level offerings, enabling reliable performance and power-conservation with LTE connectivity, upgraded features and memory support for low power consumption. Equipped with the Cortex A53 CPU architecture, the entry-level platform is a cost-effective solution, delivering greater performance, higher graphics capabilities, better quality images, and improved power performance. This platform is well-suited for, retail point-of-sale (POS),industrial handheld, tracking and camera applications. Also, QCS2290/QCM2290 baseband chip is pin-to-pin compatible with QCS4290/QCM4290 which helps customers use hardware and software across various IoT devices to reduce cost and time to market.

The Qualcomm QCS8250, Qualcomm QCS4290/ QCM4290, and Qualcomm QCS2290/ QCM2290 solutions are available now. The Qualcomm QCS6490/ QCM6490 solution are expected to be available in second half of 2021.

Enabling the IoT ecosystem

With its latest family of IoT chipsets, Qualcomm hopes to enable its more than 13,000 IoT customers accelerate their development of connected products.

“We uniquely positioned to lead the IoT ecosystem forward with our systems-level approach. Along with the recently announced Qualcomm315 5G IoT modem, these new IoT solutions further exemplify our commitment to driving global digital transformation and providing a portfolio of solutions to transform industrial and enterprise IoT applications to achieve cutting-edge performance and seamless connectivity,” said Jeff Lorbeck, senior vice president and general manager of connected smart systems at Qualcomm .

He added: “We believe in the power of technology to enrich lives through purposeful innovation with solutions to support the ecosystem in reimagining how the world connects, works and communicates. These new IoT solutions are a step towards achieving that goal.”

A number of the company’s customers and partners have expressed optimism about the new IoT chipsets.

“The announcement of Qualcomm Technologies’ newest IoT solutions is an exciting step forward in the global proliferation of next-generation IoT devices. Coupled with Fibocom’s end-to-end IoT modules and wireless communications solutions, these new solutions will enable powerful, intelligent, and revolutionary IoT solutions across a variety of industries and vertical applications,” said Lingpeng Ying,chief executive officer, Wireless Inc.

"As a leading IoT solution distributor in Taiwan, we have strong application insights and support customers from concept to design to manufacturing. The Qualcomm QCS8250 is a leading AI computing platform, and we are pleased to be collaborating with Taiwan customers to enable the high-performance, low-power computing IoT platform in 1H2022, including a SMARC module from biases and video conference solution from Aver," said Eric Cheng, president, Hongtech Electronics.

“Qualcomm Technologies’ newest IoT solutions are a strong step forward for the retail market and IoT ecosystem to enable the global proliferation of next-generation devices. We are proud to work with Qualcomm Technologies to continue to enable the growth of this market and ecosystem.” said Tom Luo, executive vice president, PAX Computer Technology (Shenzhen).

“Based on our long strategic relationship, we congratulate Qualcomm Technologies on the launch of these cutting-edge solutions,” said Julie Johnson, vice president of product management, Zebra Technologies. “This innovation gives us more flexibility than ever before to build the right technology solutions for our customers based on their specific needs.”

The post Qualcomm’s new IoT chipsets to power next-gen IoT devices appeared first on FutureIoT.

“We know that children who are learning English need someone to practise speaking with them, but often there are no English speakers at home,” said company founder Dr. Jeff Cheng, who established PopSand Robotics in 2018.

“So, our robot combines the increasingly mature voice-interaction technology with artificial intelligence (AI) to help children practise English conversations and letters, and enable them to listen to interesting English stories in the classroom and at home,” he added.

Called Talkbo, the robot can process incomplete English words and sentences, helping improve children’s English ability since it is able to make sense of English spoken by children learning it as a second language – improving their English grammar and pronunciation.

Talkbo uses Amazon's Alexa voice technology to receive voice input, augmented by a self-developed non-native English speech processing technology that corrects for errors the children are likely to make. Talkbo also uses AI to understand the meaning of sentences and voice commands. If the grammar or pronunciation is wrong, it will correct it.

The robot has a  built-in wireless Internet Wi-Fi. When connected to the Internet, users can call “Alexa.  It also has buttons and sensing areas letting the machine interact with children while chatting.

Robots as a teaching tool

Cheng said technology can be used to help English-language students circumvent the challenges pose by high tuition fees and a lack of qualified teachers.

"Robots are new, so many people have never had these tools or do not know how to use them. There is a need to seek technical support and teaching, so we first work on a business-to-business basis and then develop B2C [business-to-consumer] business,” he said.

Cheng said the Talkbo robot system takes into account use-cases often found in schools. Once teachers learn to use the robots, the children are taught to learn English with the machines. Parents can then buy the robots to let their children learn English at home, transitioning from B2B to B2C business.

The global push towards online learning, driven by the COVID-19 pandemic, also boosts the business from the point of view of both enterprises and consumers, he noted.

Market expansion

After Hong Kong, PopSand is actively expanding into other markets, including Mainland China and India. Already, Talkbo has been introduced recently in Indonesia.

"Indonesia has a population of more than 270 million people and is a densely populated country. The relatively low penetration of English means there is strong demand English learning and large market,”  Cheng said.

Despite the pandemic, PopSand Robotics established contacts with Indonesian political and business leaders with the help of the T-box (Transformation Sandbox) programme of the Hong Kong Trade Development Council’s (HKTDC).

“Attitudes to smart robots differ from the view people take of smartphones. Smart robots still need to be explained, and dedicated personnel need to train users,” said Cheng.

He added: “Since personal experience is important, the T-box team helped line up meetings and exchanges with the Indonesian Consul General in Hong Kong in October last year. T-box also arranged a series of online conferences and teaching sessions, connecting us with Indonesian companies and schools interested in online educational technology. As a result, some of them have bought robots from us. This has greatly helped us in entering the Indonesian market."

PopSand Robotics also learned about the domestic market in the Middle East and Africa through online meeting with HKTDC representatives. And through the council’s help, the company participated in the GITEX electronics exhibition in Dubai in December, where it received inquiries from local companies.

Through online meetings with HKTDC representatives in the Middle East and Africa, PopSand has learnt about local markets and companies, he said. Through the HKTDC’s help, the firm also exhibited at the GITEX electronics exhibition in Dubai in December and received inquiries from local companies.

HKTDC’s T-box programme  helps the city’s  small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) achieve transformation and enhance competitiveness. It is offered free of charge and is open to all companies registered in Hong Kong.

The T-box team works with SMEs to identify their goals and provide support over a three-month period, with group and individualised services including advisory services, workshops, government-funding information, market knowledge and networking opportunities.

Launched in April last year, the programme has over 1,200 SME members to date – for whom more than 300 free consultations have been arranged with  professional organisations, chambers of commerce, government agencies and representatives of consulates of various countries.

The post HK-developed educational robot raises English-language skills appeared first on FutureIoT.

The Aruba User Experience Insight (UXI) AI software agent embedded in Zebra mobile computers analyses real-time voice and data traffic and proactively flags issues that could affect application, Wi-Fi connectivity, roaming, and voice performance.

The embedded solution will be available in October of 2021. Target markets include healthcare, hospitality, logistics, and retail applications.

However, companies using Zebra devices can get hold of the solution now through early access trials.

The early warning provided by Aruba UXI informs remedial actions so that business-critical applications and end user experiences are not impacted. The result is higher up-time, increased productivity, and more expeditious problem remediation.

Aruba’s AI-based UXI agents’ network and application testing capabilities work in concert with Zebra’s Worry-Free Wi-Fi Edge Insights to expose a device-level view and pre-analysed insights of the network. Results are displayed on Aruba’s intuitive UXI dashboard.

Edge-to-cloud early warning system

Zebra developed WorryFree Wi-Fi Edge Insights to deliver device communications and management services. It will provide businesses with an edge-to-cloud early warning system that can directly enhance productivity, efficiency, and profitability.

The solution enables IT teams to automate the collection, analysis, and remediation of performance issues in real-time using data observed from the very devices that are being impacted, as simulated or historical data simply cannot provide the same level of accuracy as live data.

For example, connectivity and voice performance might vary considerably while standing at floor level, moving on a forklift, or while picking at the top of a storage rack. The combination of Aruba’s UXI agents and Zebra Worry-Free Wi-Fi Edge Insights will expose these differences, enabling IT staff – locally or remotely – to precisely target solutions. The real-time nature of data collection means that even transient events that might otherwise go unnoticed are captured and analysed.

“COOs are laser focused on improving operational efficiency, reducing downtime, and making the best use of skilled labour,” said Michael Tennefoss, vice president of IoT and strategic partnerships at Aruba. “Many of the most vexing problems are transient in nature and extremely challenging to troubleshoot. Capturing real-time information right at the point of impact gives the most insightful view of what’s happening, and best informs how to fix it. And that’s exactly what the combination of Zebra’s new Worry-Free Wi-Fi Edge Insights and Aruba’s UXI accomplishes.”

Mining business insights from big data

The vast amount of data generated by Zebra mobile computers and other IoT machines can be meaningfully collected, analysed, and acted upon by leveraging artificial intelligence (AI).

Aruba pioneered the application of AI to automated network and application performance monitoring. Aruba UXI, a component of Aruba’s AIOps suite, is AI-powered and its Incident Detection feature baselines application performance over time and automatically identifies and alerts when it detects service-impacting changes in behaviour.

The cloud-based service allows IT to proactively resolve issues before they impact operations, and minimise alert fatigue, often without ever stepping foot on the site being monitored. AIOps runs as a service within Aruba ESP (Edge Services Platform), the industry’s first cloud-native platform designed to automate, unify, and secure the edge.

“As enterprises make the leap to digitally transform, the amount of business-impacting data that has to be analysed for meaningful insights is growing exponentially,” said Brian Ray, vice president of engineering at HarborTech Mobility, an Aruba Platinum partner and Zebra PartnerConnect Premier Solutions partner.

He added: “Data science has to be leveraged, but it is only as good as the sources from which it draws. Mobile device-generated data is the gold standard for performance and troubleshooting information because it’s coming directly from the source, from the very device that’s impacted by network, service, and application issues.”

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The DGX A100 system – the universal system for all AI workloads – is built for data analytics, scientific computing and AI development, in HK4 to reduce model training time and speed up the machine learning development process.

As a member of NVIDIA Inception, NVIDIA’s acceleration platform for AI startups, Precision Robotics has access to NVIDIA experts, engineers and go-to-market support.

“Our team sees a huge potential in the medical robotics industry, and we are committed to establishing ourselves as a significant player in this rapidly burgeoning field,” said Dr. B P L Lo, chief technology advisor, at Precision Robotics (HK).

Precision Robotics is a spin-out company from Imperial College London with a core research and development base at Hong Kong Science Park. It aims to develop precise, agile and intelligent surgical robots that are dexterous, compact and versatile by combining a range of patented technologies to deliver advantages to surgeons and patients.

“We needed an experienced and reliable partner to help us with digital infrastructure development, allowing us to focus on high-level robotics R&D. Equinix is no doubt our partner-of-choice in this space. Thanks to Equinix, we have been able to process ultra-heavy data workloads and leverage machine learning on our upcoming surgical robot R&D projects,” Lo added.

Healthcare innovations need advance computing platforms

The rapid digitisation of the healthcare industry has resulted in the rising demand for modern robotic surgery.

According to Data Bridge Market Research, the medical robotic systems market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 17.3% within the forecast period of 2021 to 2028, reaching USD 34.91 billion by 2028.

To support its vision of developing the next generation surgical robots, Precision Robotics needed a high-power digital infrastructure to run a DGX A100 system for machine learning and AI development.

Equinix is one of the first three operators to join the NVIDIA DGX Ready Data Center Partner Program in Asia-Pacific, EMEA and North America. DynaSys Solutions Limited helped Precision Robotics build a foundational and future-ready digital infrastructure on Platform Equinix for secure data storage, processing, analysis and machine learning.

“Advances in healthcare require accelerated computing platforms and software designed to meet the needs of modern medical research. Deployed in the Equinix IBX data centre, NVIDIA DGX A100 delivers easy access to the world’s leading compute performance to aid the discovery of new AI-powered healthcare treatments like the next-generation surgical robots being developed by Precision Robotics,” said Raymond Teh, vice president, Worldwide Field Operations, Asia Pacific at NVIDIA.

Larry Tam, managing director, Equinix Hong Kong, added: “The wave of digitalisation has swept across various sectors, and the healthcare industry is no exception. Healthcare players are set to embrace smarter infrastructure, as agility, flexibility and innovation are no longer nice-to-haves, but prerequisites of success.”

As a next step, Equinix said Precision Robotics can leverage the rich ecosystem on Platform Equinix in Hong Kong to potentially open up and lease part of its NVIDIA DGX A100 free time to other AI and R&D organisations, further promoting the use of AI-backed applications and fostering wider AI development in Hong Kong.

Furthermore, the healthcare startup can also leverage Equinix Fabric, a software-defined interconnection service, to set up direct, on demand connection between its infrastructures and cloud service providers. This will allow Precision Robotics to create a more cost effective and secure network path for enhancing collaboration with its global medical counterparts efficiently.

“Equinix been leading the way in making the cloud an easier and safer place to enhance solutions, offering reliability, safety, control and low latency with an interconnection-first strategy. We will continue to support our customers to capture opportunities and expand capabilities to effectively respond to dynamic trends,” Tam said.

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This figure represents a growth rate of over 80% in the next four years, rising from the expected US11 billion this year.

The new study entitled “The Doctor is Always In: How Teleconsultations Improve Patient Care” identified teleconsultations, a service that enables patients and physicians to interact remotely, as a key service that will enable these significant savings.

However, it cautioned that savings would be restricted to developed nations where access to required devices and Internet connectivity is prevalent. As a result, the study predicts that over 80% of savings will be attributable to North America and Europe by 2025.

Deregulation of telemedicine needed to maximise growth

With the onset of the COVID  19 pandemic,  the number to teleconsultations have reached more than 348 million last year – nearly a 25% increase – over the 280 million recorded in 2021.

In another report entitled “Telemedicine: Emerging Technologies, Regional Readiness & Market Forecasts 2021 2025”, Juniper Research ” predicts that the activities of third party healthcare service developers will be crucial in accelerating the deployment of emerging telemedicine services and increasing the uptake among healthcare providers.

However, the report predicts that the significant investment into integrating telemedicine services and the requirement of data protection, such as HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) in the US, will discourage adoption among smaller healthcare providers.

To foster the adoption of telemedicine services, it recommended that healthcare regulatory bodies continue to deregulate telemedicine services to minimise any remaining barriers to entry for smaller healthcare providers.

“Any deregulation must ensure that patient confidentiality is not undermined. Additionally, we recommend that innovative and emerging teleconsultation services are integrated into existing healthcare technologies, such as electronic health records, to maximise their benefits to healthcare providers,” said research author Adam Wears.

The post Telemedicine to save global healthcare US$21 billion by 2025 appeared first on FutureIoT.

ENGIE, which specialises on sustainable energy innovation, will develop and construct the DCS plant, which will have a cooling capacity of close to 30,000 refrigeration-tons[1], equivalent to cooling 8,000 4-room HDB flats.

With a 4km centralised piping network connected to customers in the district, the plant is expected to reduce 3,700 tons of CO2 emissions per year at full development and achieve up to 30% reduction of energy consumption compared to standard commercial buildings. The design phase contract, awarded to ENGIE in 2019, has also achieved the Building & Construction Authority’s (BCA) Green Mark Platinum award.

Beyond a reduction in carbon emission, the DCS contributes to PDD’s vision of not just being a sustainable mixed-use district, but a smart one. The system will be integrated into PDD’s Open Digital Platform where monitoring and machine learning of building usage patterns will be carried out.

“Technology is a key driver in advancing sustainability at Singapore’s first smart business District. The Open Digital Platform at PDD integrates various systems across the district, including the district cooling system. This will allow us to track energy consumption patterns, as well as optimise energy distribution and cost efficiencies across the entire District. This is an exciting partnership with ENGIE, and we welcome more players to join us," said David Tan, assistant CEO  of Development Group, JTC.

Part of urban transformation master plan

In line with Urban Redevelopment Authority's (URA) urban transformation master plan to optimise land use, key infrastructure for the district cooling system will be laid below ground. By implementing district cooling, more spaces can be used for green parks and social amenities, development of renewable energy such as rooftop solar panels.

Moreover, ENGIE will leverage construction innovations such as mechanical pipe couplings for a more efficient and environmentally friendly installation, which aligns with the nation's push to promote the adoption of sustainable construction materials and practices.

“We are proud to partner with JTC to build a world-class smart district cooling system that contributes to Singapore’s sustainability agenda. Increasingly, district cooling solutions will play a critical and essential role to help Southeast Asia meet its cooling needs while achieving its sustainability goals towards climate action,” said Thomas Baudlot, CEO, ENGIE South East Asia.

The selection of ENGIE to design, build, own and operate the district cooling system for PDD marks another significant step for the company, as it continues to make headway in strengthening South East Asia’s energy efficiency through innovations in district cooling and other smart and sustainable technologies.

“The development and construction of the plant is right at the heart of ENGIE’s vision to enable businesses, partners and governments to make the shift towards carbon neutrality,”  Baudlot added.

Expected to be completed in 2024, the underground plant will be operated by ENGIE for a period of 30 years. The district cooling facility will provide air conditioning in a reliable, sustainable and cost effective way to the business park, community, retail outlets, and transportation nodes within the district. It optimises resources, land use and operational efficiency by allowing individual buildings to avoid operating and maintaining their own air conditioning systems.

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“This will help to detect problems earlier, reduce delays caused by road closures for manual inspections and repairs, and help to find problems more quickly and accurately in the case of bridge strikes or other unexpected events,” said Victorian Minister for Transport Infrastructure Jacinta Allan.

The state government has partnered with technology vendor Xerox  on a joint venture  named Eloque to commercialise the new technology that will remotely monitor the structural health of bridges.

“The technology has already been deployed on 7 bridges in Victoria and will be progressively deployed on priority bridges, particularly those that regularly deal with heavy loads and are at the most risk of deterioration. This is solving a major pain point for customers and allowing them to better manage their assets,” said VicTrack chief executive Campbell Rose AM, who has taken the role of CEO of Eloque to support the company through its early establishment.

The Eloque solution is an Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) technology, that accurately measures and estimates structural strain, thermal response, bending, loads, vibration on bridges. Advanced analytics are then used to evaluate the sensors’ data and deliver insights directly to the bridge owners and operators in real time, to monitor whether a bridge is being over or underutilised, has structural problems or damage that needs repair.

Aging public infrastructure challenge

According to the American Society of Civil Engineers 2021 Report Card for America’s Infrastructure, in the United States alone, 42% of all bridges are at least 50 years old, and nearly 231,000 bridges need repair and preservation work. This problem extends across the globe. An estimated 70% of Australia’s bridges are more than 50 years old, around 11,000 of Germany's 25,000 rail bridges are over 100 years old, and 7% of bridges in France are already at risk of collapse.

“Aging and deteriorating public infrastructure is a global problem. We are pioneering technology that maintains the safety of bridges, extends their useful life and positively impacts planning,” said Xerox vice chairman and CEO John Visentin. “Our partnership with the Victorian Government not only allows us to solve this problem for Victoria, but also rapidly expand to customers around the world facing these challenges.”

The technology was developed at Xerox’s Palo Alto Research Center (PARC) and trailed through a partnership between Xerox and VicTrack, the Victorian Government state-owned enterprise that owns all railway and tram lines in the state. PARC’s solution uses sensors and advanced analytics to monitor structural health in bridges to optimize asset life.

“While our initial focus will be rail and road bridges, Eloque’s technology is versatile and we plan to adapt it for use on other critical structures in the future,” said Ersin Uzun, general manager of IoT for Xerox and Board Member of Eloque. “We are already looking to expand the technology to tunnels, ports, multi-story parking garages and other critical infrastructure assets.”

Xerox is the majority owner of Eloque, and this is part of its strategy for broad entry into the IoT market with new industrial offerings. Last year, Xerox also announced that PARC is working with the United States’ Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) for the development of a technology that can enable large scale monitoring of seas under the Ocean of Things program.

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The hospital, costing approximately US$4 million, is a one-storey building with a capacity of 300 beds, 35 intensive care unit rooms, and 10 emergency rooms. It occupies a 22,700sqm former football field in South Jakarta.

It is a modern facility equipped with a negative pressure isolation system to prevent the flow of virus-contaminated air, eliminating the spread of infectious pathogens to the surrounding environment, and includes a robotic nurse and an integrated command centre to connect it to 65 other hospitals.

In an article published trade publication Southeast Asia Construction, Wika shared how innovative solutions using drone and BIM technology help in building the hospital on time and within budget amidst the challenging COVID-19 situation.

Construction under time pressure

The Indonesia government instructed Wika to complete design and construction works, as well as have the hospital fully operating, in less than a month. Delivery also needed to be cost-effective and environmentally sustainable.

To meet these project requirements on a very tight timeline is no easy task with current social distancing measures. The company needed digital solutions that could fast-track construction by coordinating and accelerating engineering workflows, while at the same time addressing the various planning, collaboration and management challenges of the project.

By using BIM technology to digitally collaborate, Wika was able to rapidly progress through the design review process, manage complexity of design changes during construction, and achieve efficiency in time, cost, and quality.

“BIM facilitates the creation of designs that are complex to the construction process, starting from initial digital design to manufacturing workflows in all lines of construction disciplines,” Romi Ramadhan, BIM manager at Wika told trade publication Southeast Asia Construction.

BIM stands for Building Information Modelling, the process of generating and managing building data during its design, construction and during the building or assets life cycle. Typically, the process uses three-dimensional building modelling software to increase productivity of consultants and contractors during the whole asset life cycle.

The process produces the Building Information Model database, which encompasses building geometry, spatial relationships, geographic information, quantities and properties of building elements. It is a new way of working using new technology to facilitate project management, better construction process control, cross-disciplinary collaboration, communication with external stakeholders, decision support and risk management.

Establishing a connected data environment

To implement its BIM strategy, Wika needed interoperable modelling applications and a unified digital platform. To do this,  the company established a connected data environment using ProjectWise, and adopted Bentley’s reality modelling and BIM methodology to carry out its modular approach.

Wika used a quadcopter drone and ContextCapture to capture and process images of the 2-ha project site, creating a reality model of the topographic area. With OpenBuildings Designer, Wika generated a model of the entire hospital building, including structural, architectural, and MEP elements, as well as incorporated landscape and roadway design with OpenRoads.

To optimise design of the indoor airflow system to support patient recovery and prevent viral transmission, Wika used Hevacomp to perform airflow analysis and simulation within the building model, designing an HVAC system that complies with proper standards. The company integrated the 3D models with the construction schedule and costs using Synchro 4D while using LumenRT for visual animation, improving construction visualisation for better design verification.

Leveraging Bentley’s interoperable applications, Wika implemented a collaborative BIM methodology, enabling immediate access to real-time data and 3D models without needing to be in the same room. The integrated digital modelling solution facilitated survey, design, simulation, and visualisation, allowing design and construction to occur simultaneously, identifying and resolving design clashes, and making virtual changes to avoid errors and costly rework on site.

ProjectWise and Navigator especially helped coordinate the various, geographically dispersed engineering disciplines resulting in faster decisions throughout the project lifecycle. “The end result is that Bentley Systems can cover the end-to-end processes both in terms of engineering and management,” said Ramadhan.

Working in a connected data environment, 13 multidiscipline BIM engineers collaborated from home, streamlining workflows and increasing productivity to keep the tight project schedule on track.

The connective data environment also improved visualisation and decision-making without everyone needing to be in the same room, important during the global pandemic. Bentley’s BIM technology played a vital role in modular design and construction, which can slowly shift the world of construction from conventional to digital and industrialise construction project delivery.

Getting the job done

Wika completed 95 design revisions and resolved 62 clashes in three days to deliver the modular design in only 10 days, saving US$400,000. The company used synchro 4D to perform construction simulation and manage the construction process, which reduced construction time by four days to complete construction within 16 days, 20% faster than targeted.

Working in a unified BIM platform provided complete insight into planning, costs, scheduling, and construction, improving cost efficiency by 18% while optimising quality. Integrating its modular approach with Bentley’s BIM technology, Wika increased its return on investment by 24% and accelerated hospital operations by two months. The ability to extract accurate material quantities from the 3D models - combined with the sustainability of the modular construction process - contributed to saving up to 3,000 cu m of material waste and 10% of project costs.

“Bentley technology has the capabilities and tools to make effective and efficient modular workflows, so we can optimise project costs and improve efficiency of the design process,” said Rizky Yusuf Ramadhan, BIM coordinator at Wika. “We continue to build more and more modular hospitals using Bentley technology as quickly as possible to save more lives.”

Moving forward, Wika plans to expand BIM application and develop a digital twin for lifecycle management of the modular facility, serving as a benchmark for future developments within the industry.

The post Wika deploys BIM to speed up Jakarta hospital construction appeared first on FutureIoT.

The Momax Smart IoT UV-C Air Purifier (AP8S) has H13 HEPA and Active carbon filters which are 99.95% efficient at capturing and removing airborne particles that are no more than 0.3 microns in diameter, including harmful particulates such as PM 2.5 and other allergens, dust, mold and pollution from the air. It also provides Ultraviolet-C sanitisation which is 99.9% efficient in disinfecting the air and killing germs.

The built-in PM2.5 high-sensitivity laser sensor allows the hotel chain  to accurately and carefully monitor the standard of air quality on each floor at all its properties in Hong Kong, and ensure air is being circulated and disinfected regularly 24/7.

In choosing the air purifiers, Dorsett Hospitality consulted from the list of air purifiers that meet the specifications  applicable to catering business recently put together by Hong Kong’s the Food and Environmental Hygiene Department (FEHD).

Last month, the city government imposed stricter COVID rules for dine-in restaurants as the Hong Kong prepared to ease social distancing measures. The FEHD  is now requiring companies with catering operations to increase their premises' air change rate to at least six times per hour or use alternative means to meet the requirements. As part of this measure, air purifiers in dine-in restaurants have been stipulated under the Prevention and Control of Disease (Requirements and Directions) (Business and Premises) Regulation (Cap. 599F) on infection control grounds.

To date, Dorsett Wanchai, a designated hotel for quarantine for inbound travellers (outside of China), has already placed a Smart IoT UV-C HEPA Air Purifier on every guest floor.

“We want to offer our guests the confidence to travel with Dorsett, by understanding and anticipating their needs when it comes to health and safety and lifting their spirits as we continue to fight and recover from the epidemic,” the hotel chain spokesman said.

Since the onset of COVID-19, Dorsett has worked closely Ecolab, a provider of infection prevention solutions, to deliver hospital-grade disinfectant designed to kill pathogens. Each hotel room has its own independent pipe, which connects to the main fan on the roof of all hotels, allowing fresh air to be drawn from the outside to each room, and through an air filter disinfected with Ecolab.

“We will continue to closely monitor and improve our health and safety measures as well as our overall guest experience. Our designated quarantine hotels have recently launched monthly Zooms for our quarantine guests, including a private live workout with F45 Causeway Bay and a virtual wine tasting, to offer our community a chance to connect and interact throughout their stay,” the spokesman added.

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approving plan applications using its self-developed Housing Electronic Submission System (HePlan).

The HePlan system  handled a total of about 4,400 electronic plan submission in 2020, nearly doubling the estimated 3,500 electronic plan submissions processed by the ICU the year before.

Available online around the clock, people can submit their applications any time at their convenience. What’s more, the submission process is not affected by special work arrangements that have been put in place amid COVID-19.

“Applicants for the Housing Authority’s (HA) new development projects as well as for alteration and addition works at HA buildings may submit electronic plans and related documents to the ICU via an electronic format,” said Martin Tso, head of the ICU. The ICU exercises building control of properties under the HA – which also include sold  or diverted properties

He added: "We communicate with the applicants through the HePlan directly. The use of the system has effectively reduced social contacts between the applicants and approving officers, enabling the ICU to maintain a high quality of services in approving building control submissions in a timely manner during the pandemic and to fulfil our performance pledge.”

Furthermore, the system embraces a completely paperless processing procedure,  saving applicants much time and effort in carrying bulky plans to the ICU, which in turn also saves a lot of storage space previously required for keeping submitted plans and documents.

The ICU has been very proactive in adapting technology to improve and streamline its processes. For one, the HePlan is linked with the Independent Checking Unit Site Mobile System (ICUSMS), another electronic system of the unit.

Launched in May last year, the ICUSMS adopts mobile technology to facilitate site inspections. By linking the two systems, relevant electronic plans and documents can be downloaded directly from the HePlan system to mobile devices before site inspections, thus further enhancing digitisation and operational efficiency of site-monitoring inspections.

Currently, the ICU is developing another IT system to automate the checking of test reports of construction materials, which is targeted to be rolled out by the end of this year. The system will help with checking the compliance of the test results for 80,000 reports of steel reinforcement and concrete tests received annually through the HePlan so that the efficiency of vetting electronic submissions will further be enhanced.

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The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia’s Communications and Information Technology Commission (CITC) yesterday announced their ground-breaking spectrum designation of the entire 6 GHz band (5.925-7.125 GHz) for license-exempt use.  Paving the way for Wi-Fi 6E & Wi-Fi 7, Saudi Arabia becomes the first country in the Middle East, Europe, or Africa to assign all 1200 MHz of the 6 GHz band for unlicensed use. The Kingdom now has more than 2 GHz of spectrum for Wi-Fi operations – the most mid-band spectrum designated by any country globally.

The was decision after a comprehensive consultation, significant engagement with various global stakeholders, and trials with Wi-Fi 6E equipment furnished by Wireless Broadband Alliance (WBA) members Broadcom and Intel. The trials demonstrated that Saudi Arabia could advance its digital ambitions, achieving 2 Gigabits per second speed in laptop computers, while enabling continued operations with existing users of the 6 GHz band.

Well-positioned for Wi-Fi 7 deployments

WBA lauded the CITC’s latest move saying it hasten the country’s digitalisation by enabling next-generation services.

“The CITC ruling underlines how important 6 GHz spectrum is in achieving the Kingdom’s vision to transform Saudi Arabia into a digital society. Overnight, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has become a model for how the rest of the world can use spectrum policy to ensure that their schools, health care providers, businesses, citizens and visitors can provide affordable, reliable, multi-gigabit connectivity and take full advantage of Wi-Fi and 5G,” said Tiago Rodrigues, WBA CEO.

With Saudi Arabia joining the ranks of the US, South Korea, Brazil, and others, in designating all 1200 MHz of the 6 GHz band for license-exempt use, the WBA hopes that other regulators in the region will take note and make a similar commitment to advancing their own wireless broadband capabilities. This will lead to global harmonisation, which is key to scale, accelerating technology development, and reducing costs for end-users.

Rodrigues added: “The CITC’s decision is a clear global milestone. Saudi Arabia has set out a leading position for Europe, the Middle East and Africa and raised the bar for the rest of the world. The WBA strongly recommends that regulators in other countries pay close attention to Saudi Arabia’s example of allocating the entire 6GHz band for license-exempt use.

“The release of the full 1200 MHz provides enhanced flexibility for both indoor and outdoor deployments and lays the foundation for the Kingdom’s citizens and businesses to set a path for the adoption of Wi-Fi 6E and Wi-Fi 7 when that technology debuts.  It has been a pleasure to collaborate with CITC, and I look forward to further collaboration by enabling OpenRoaming trials, which will enable secure and seamless roaming.”

By making all 1200 MHz of the band available, the Saudi’s have created a wireless superhighway with seven non-overlapping 160 MHz channels of green field spectrum for Wi-Fi 6E devices to use. Saudis will enjoy high reliability Wi-Fi that doubles the speeds and halves the latency compared to the capacity-constrained 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands.

The country will also be well positioned to lead in Wi-Fi 7 deployments when it becomes available. With this broad-based designation, Wi-Fi 7 deployments using 320 MHz wide channels will get up to 5 gigabits per second in mobile devices at very low latencies. This sets the stage for the Kingdom to further reap the benefits of contextual Internet, integrated communications services, and immersive AR/VR for telemedicine, education and worker training.

Industry players optimistic response

The WBA annual report states that  members of the Wi-Fi industry said that the 6 GHz band is a critical component of their network strategy, with 78% of network operators seeking to take advantage of this spectrum to deliver high speed wireless broadband.

It is unsurprising therefore that WBA members are enthusiastic in welcoming the CITC ruling.

“We commend CITC for its visionary designation of 1200 MHz of the 6 GHz spectrum for Wi-Fi. This truly brings the best out of Wi-Fi 6E for gigabit broadband. Equally important are the exemplary rules crafted for portable Wi-Fi devices to disrupt fields like telemedicine and education. We are pleased that the Saudi Arabia Wi-Fi 6E trials that we enabled jointly with Intel catalysed this momentous designation by the CITC. We are also happy to note that Saudi Arabians can instantly benefit from the Broadcom powered Wi-Fi 6E ecosystem of devices available in the market today,” said Vijay Nagarajan, vice president of Marketing, Wireless Communications and Connectivity Division, ‎Broadcom .

Eric McLaughlin, vice president, Client Computing Group, and General Manager, Wireless Solutions Group, Intel, echoed the same sentiment.

“We would like to congratulate the CITC on its transformative direction to approve the entire 6 GHz band for unlicensed use. With this new spectrum allocation Saudi Arabia is well positioned to lead the regional transition to Wi-Fi 6E and future Wi-Fi 7 technologies that will broadly enable ultra-low latency and gigabit-speed Wi-Fi capabilities to meet the growing needs across all market segments,” he said. “We are honoured to have been able to contribute to the Wi-Fi 6E trials which helped support CITC’s historic decision alongside our industry colleagues at Broadcom and the WBA.”

Matt MacPherson, Wireless CTO at Cisco, said: “We commend this pioneering move to create a more connected future. Wi-Fi 6E unleashes the full potential of Wi-Fi allowing a host of new devices and services to emerge. It means more speed, higher-data rates, and better security for a multitude of new capabilities and applications including VR, robotics, and IoT. “

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The department  will have an encrypted QR code imprinted on newly -issued and renewed driving licenses to facilitate extraction of offenders' data for issuance of tickets.

The e-Ticketing Pilot Scheme was introduced on March 16 last year – with the collaboration of the Transport Department – to  eliminate the previous  handwritten process. The scheme was first rolled out in the police districts of Wan Chai, Tseung Kwan O and Sham Shui Po, and was first applied to fixed penalty tickets against illegal parking. The scheme was subsequently implemented in different police districts by phases, with initially only traffic wardens will use e-Ticketing.

Traffic wardens use a mobile app  installed in official smart phones to capture the data of offending vehicles, and print fixed penalty tickets with portable printers. An encrypted QR code is imprinted on vehicle licences to facilitate extraction of vehicle data. To issue a ticket, traffic wardens  scan the QR code or just input the registration number manually to extract the particulars of the offending vehicle. The app will then automatically import information such as date, time and the issuing officer's details whilst GPS location will also be generated automatically. The issuing officer can also take photos to capture details of the offence for evidential purpose before printing an e-ticket at scene.

By  digitising the existing manual processes with the use of  the e-Ticketing App, the city’s police reduces human error, eliminates the difference in handwriting interpretations, improves overall accuracy and streamlines the workflow in backend processing.

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This was the key insight to the latest research from Frost & Sullivan, pointing out that the pandemic challenges have catalysed technology trends across the globe and accelerated organisations' digital transformations sooner than initially predicted.

“More than 50% of businesses have already invested in IoT and digital visualisation. The former offers potential for enhanced CX for organisations in insurance, healthcare, and manufacturing with its monitoring capabilities, and the latter can be valuable for agent desktops to improve employee performance,” said Alpa Shah, Global VP of CX Research at Frost & Sullivan.

She added: “"The retail/wholesale, travel/hospitality, energy, and education industries will invest in AI to facilitate innovation and are most interested in using the technology to boost CX. On the other hand, banking and finance companies, along with government and transportation, are focusing on cost efficiencies."

Other key findings of Frost & Sullivan’s latest research, include:

• Big data analytics takes the lead on investments in transformative technologies, followed by IoT and data visualisation. More than 75% of organisations will be investing in these solutions by 2022.
• Post-pandemic plans for technology investments are focused on moving applications to the cloud (31%), followed by video conferencing (25%). Over the next two years, 80% of CX solutions are expected to be in the cloud.
• The key digital transformation objectives in 2021 are adapting to the new work modes (35%), accelerating digital customer engagement self-serve (31%), and enhancing e-commerce capabilities (30%).
• For 44% of companies, customer satisfaction is the prevalent method for measuring digital transformation success, which aligns with top business goals and investment priorities.
• Cybersecurity continues to be the top concern for 51% of companies; this is only exacerbated by the number of remote workers caused by the pandemic. COVID-19 has augmented the move to the cloud and the use of digital commerce and digital marketing. While CX is a top corporate goal, CX investments are not ranked high.

The research report stated that delivering a holistic customer journey is top of mind among end-user businesses. Finance, healthcare, and travel and hospitality organizations are focused on managing the entire customer journey; high-tech and transportation companies want to leverage CX information across all departments.

"Companies recognise the importance of CX and even measure their digital transformation success on customer satisfaction but tend to invest in solutions that only solve short-term problems," Shah said.

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Lu Yuan from Hangzhou became a viral sensation on China’s social media in November last year for creating an AI-based smart collar for his grandmother who is suffering from the early stages of the neurodegenerative disease.

To date, China has the highest number of people with Alzheimer’s disease at 10 million, the number is estimated to reach 45 million by 2050.

Built-in AI Vision sensor

The  latest version of the smart wearable uses Arduino Nano and is equipped with a built-in HuskyLens AI  Vision Sensor developed by DFRobot, a Shanghai-based robotics and open source hardware provider established in 2008.

The wearable’s  AI vision sensor comes with an MP3 module and use Mind+ for programming. It adopts the built-in machine learning technology to identify human faces. With a simple click, HuskyLens can complete the AI training to recognise a new face.

Engineered with a built-in UART or I2C interface, HuskyLens can seamlessly dock with Arduino Nano. If the wearable recognises a recorded face, it will control the MP3 module, and tell the Alzheimer's patients through the earpiece whom they are talking to, along with other bits of information.

Furthermore, the built-in sensor can sense the intensity of ultraviolet rays to tell Alzheimer's patients whether they are indoors or outdoors. If  a wearer is  outdoors for 20 minutes or longer, the device will issue a “go back home” reminder  while simultaneously giving the home address.

Getting the wearables to more people

The personal story behind the creation of the Forget Me Not wearable made headlines for its 15-year-inventor.

In news reports recounting the invention of the Forget Me Not wearable, Lu said he spent two weeks working from the initial drafts to the final design. The student from the Hangzhou Baochuta Experimental School was helped by teacher, Lin Ying, who was pleased to see her pupil combined several techniques into practice and used the facial recognition to help a particular solve problem.

"I hope the device could function as good company of my grandma because the Alzheimer's patients need the company," Lu told CGTN last November, adding that he will make continue to upgrade the device and hopes to obtain a patent to help more patients.

Li Xia, a medical director of Shanghai Mental Health Center, who has documented what life is like for Alzheimer's patients in a news documentary, said the Forget Me Not wearable can help Alzheimer's patients with memory impairment/

"The family and community play a very important role in helping people with Alzheimer's disease. If the family finds some early symptoms, they could have doctors involved in to reduce symptoms," Li said in the CGTN article.

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Frost & Sullivan said the managed services market will see an uptick as companies recognise the benefits of assistance across connectivity, cybersecurity, data management, device management, and infrastructure management.

The company’s latest research encompasses regional trends in North America, Latin America, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and the Middle East and Africa across five managed services segments—connectivity, data, device, infrastructure, and security.

"While the recent pandemic adversely affected expansion across verticals, the impact is expected to be short to medium term, and businesses will recover," said Deepali Sathe, senior industry analyst, Frost & Sullivan. "Technology adoption across verticals has been increasing as the benefits of IoT are quantified for companies to move from pilot and proof-of-concept stage to implementation. Almost all verticals, such as manufacturing, retail, healthcare, utilities, and energy, are expected to regain strong growth trajectories."

Sathe added: "In the IoT-managed services market, APAC is expected to be the fastest-growing region, followed by North America. Regional disparities in terms of infrastructure development and regulations are a challenge for mobile network operators, an important segment within paid IoT connectivity. North America and Europe lead when it comes to 5G, LTE-M, and Narrowband-IoT (NB-IoT) deployment, but high costs of spectrum lead to higher cost of services, affecting providers. Latin America, Africa, and parts of Asia lag, with 2G and 3G still forming the bulk of connectivity infrastructure. In APAC, some countries are ahead as governments promote infrastructure development."

The research cited that the lack of standardisation in the IoT industry has resulted in an extremely fragmented ecosystem; and, users struggle to find solutions and devices that are interoperable and compatible with their existing systems.

Frost and Sullivan pointed out addressing this challenge and focusing on the following strategic recommendations will offer tremendous growth prospects for IoT-managed services providers:

• Private mobile networks: Vendors that want to deploy private mobile networks should look for partners that can provide relevant connectivity solutions.
• eSIM and iSIM for global connectivity: As more digital-first devices are launched into the market, IoT-managed service providers can leverage this growth opportunity with eSIMs and iSIMs.
• Vertical solutions: Companies must leverage the services and expertise of a managed services provider that can embark on a long-term collaborative partnership to execute their IoT strategies and enable their vision.
• Intelligent edge: Managed services providers can deliver the benefits of intelligent edge, including reduced costs, latency, and security risks.

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“We are working with companies throughout Asia Pacific, especially Japan and Korea. And facilities managers there are keen to use both technologies from design and development of buildings to daily operations and management,” Schwarz told FutureIoT.

Resonai is an AI company that is digitising physical spaces and delivering real-time intelligence for smarter operations of all software & machines, and innovative, new experiences that improve daily lives.  Its computer vision platform  called Vera creates an intelligent digital twin of any commercial building, enabling mobile applications that address critical business issues.

With Vera, building owners and operators can leverage the huge compute power of the cloud to automate processes, create engaging AR experiences, gain access to a new level of data analytics, and identify new revenue streams from the new digital real estate.

“Computer vision is about teaching machines to duplicate  human vision which is a very complex challenge that has prevented applications from operating with the level of accuracy needed to power business critical applications,” said Schwarz.

She added that Resonai has been working on solving many of these critical challenges in computer vision and spatial embedded AI.

“That’s exactly why we built Vera, which digitally reconstructs a building from the inside out to transform commercial buildings into intelligent environments with unprecedented semantic understanding and object recognition,” Schwarz said. “Vera combines this with very precise localisation and tracking services and the ability to overlay AR content.”

According to Schwarz, these technologies give facility managers highly accurate 3D visualisations of buildings and everything in them. They have one dashboard with real-time data for business insights and they can leverage AR navigation and AR content to create innovative new end user experiences.

Rise of AR in facilities management

AR is currently driving the digital transformation in facilities management (FM), with an average 20% of vertical markets – including hospital and healthcare, manufacturing, education, corporate offices, and shopping malls – are already using AR in the workplace.

Indeed, nearly three out of four facilities managers – approximately 73% of those surveyed – who do not currently use AR expect to implement the technology at their workplace sometime within the next two years.

This is one of the key takeaways from the 2021 State of Augmented Reality in Facilities Management report released by Resonai last week. The digital survey conducted between November 2020 and January 2021 involved a curated audience of senior facility management directors and executives throughout the United States and Europe.

Participants represented a cross-section of building types, including corporate offices, manufacturing facilities, retail/apparel, residential, hospitals and medical, shopping centres, education, entertainment, and food and grocery.

Of the vertical markets survey, AR has been embraced most by facilities managers of hospitals and healthcare facilities at 30%, followed by manufacturing facilities (26%), educational facilities (25%) and corporate offices (23%).

To date, most common uses of AR among facilities managers are marketing applications such as tours and virtual demonstrations (20%), followed by industrial manufacturing applications (18%), smart maintenance and repairs (12%), tenant and visitor services (10%), and training/tutorials (10%)

However, as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the survey stated that  many FM professionals are focused on solutions that can help ensure their facilities remain operational and that guests feel safe whenever they’re able to return.

Those polled by the survey said future AR adoption are likely around smart maintenance, with 45% saying that it can help cut down repair times while keeping health and safety prioritised for both visitors and maintenance teams. Future AR use cases are expected to be around  tenant and visitor services (40%) and indoor navigation and wayfinding (38%).

Schwarz told FutureIoT that most of the key findings from the survey are common throughout the world: “And we have a lot of momentum with clients in Asia Pacific. AR is on the rise, and its use by facilities managers and property owners to streamline their operations, boost tenant experiences and improve their businesses in other meaningful ways will increase rapidly in the very near future.”

She added: “We also see a lot of interest for AR in the retail segment for marketing and branding purposes. To provide engaging experiences to consumers and also to extend brands into physical venues. We are working with a number of clients in the region, and we’ll be able to share more details shortly.”

Ubiquity of IoT spurs AR growth

According to the report, the rising adoption of AR in facilities management is driven by the ubiquity of IoT in the workplace, citing that 75% of facility managers currently work in buildings with IoT functionality.

Most notably, 44% of respondents use IoT-enabled environmental sensors, while 42% use the technology in HVAC systems. Meanwhile, many businesses use IoT in cameras (32.74%), lighting systems (25.45%), and automated doors (25.45%)

Modern AR platforms can leverage data points from these physical assets for the safe and efficient management of devices and equipment.

Combined with IoT, AR platforms can ingest data from sensors, devices and applications to glean valuable facility-specific insights that can allow for personalised visitor-level experiences. Survey results suggest that the world is closer to this outcome than ever before due to a variety of pre-existing IoT integration.

Of course, there are challenges. And the report cited cost as the major barrier to AR adoption in FM as the technology is perceived be  too expensive by 40% of respondents. However, this concern is offset by AR’s ability to bring in new revenue opportunities, which was cited as the technology’s greatest potential benefit by 30%t of those facilities managers already using AR or expecting to do so within 24 months.

“AR has come a long way since its first implementations in gaming and entertainment. As buildings become smarter and the digital and physical worlds become one, building owners and facilities managers are turning to AR and AI for everything from improved maintenance to indoor navigation,” said Emil Alon, CEO and founder of Resonai, in a media statement. “We published our state of the industry report to help facilities management professionals navigate the complex world of digital transformation and understand how their peers are leveraging the exciting innovations taking place.”

The post AR and digital twins eyed for smart buildings across APAC appeared first on FutureIoT.

Sit made the remark last Friday after a round of visits of various smart city projects being implemented across the territory.

He toured the wards, out-patient clinic of pharmacy at the CUHK Medical Centre to understand its smart healthcare, services and management, which include paperless electronic medical record system, a linen management system, and an automated drug dispensing and unit dose packaging system.

As it transforms into a smart hospital, the CUHK Medical Centre has also fitted hospital beds with infotainment panels to enable tele-visits and tele-consultation.

The hospital beds are also equipped with infotainment panels that can facilitate tele-visits and tele-consultations.

“I am pleased that Internet of Things (IoT), mobile information and communications technology and real-time data have enhanced the efficiency of hospital operations and patient-oriented services,” Sit said.

At MetroPlaza in Kwai Fong, the ITB secretary inspected the  smart washroom solution developed by local startup Blutech IoT. The system integrates artificial intelligence and IoT technologies and deploys various smart sensors, smart washroom signage and big data analysis to give precise information to visitors about a washroom's occupancy and waiting time.

At his last stop at the Kwai Chung Customhouse, Sit received a briefing on Smart Customs. With the support of the ITB’s TechConnect (block vote), the city’s Customs and Excise Department started a study on the development of a Cargo Big Data System together with the Logistics & Supply Chain MultiTech R&D Centre.

By using big data analytics and artificial intelligence to strengthen the risk management capability on cargo clearance, it is hoped that smuggling activities could be further combatted and overall effectiveness in law enforcement and trade facilitation would be enhanced.

“The government will continue to work with various sectors and make full use of the city’s research and development results in building a smarter Hong Kong,” Sit said.

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Through ML-powered visibility, it delivers deep insights on healthcare-specific devices and vulnerabilities to help improve data security and patient safety, while meeting the needs of both IT teams and biomedical engineering teams.

“The Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) has the potential to improve healthcare, save lives, and bring massive savings. But if not properly secured, these same devices can pose huge risks,” said Anand Oswal, senior vice president and general manager, Firewall as a Platform, Palo Alto Networks. “Our vision is to give healthcare organisations complete visibility, in-depth risk analysis, and built-in prevention so they can get the maximum benefits from this transformative technology while reducing risks to patients and their data.”

According to a recent report from Unit 42, 83% of medical imaging devices are running on unsupported operating systems, making them potential avenues for attackers. Attacks on medical devices like these can potentially disrupt the quality of care and allow attackers to steal patient data.

The new solution is designed to ensure healthcare organisations can realise the benefits of IoT for patient care without sacrificing security.  It even  offers ML-powered policy recommendations to reduce manual effort; intrusion prevention to block exploits; sandboxing to detect and prevent IoT malware; and URL and DNS security to stop IoT attacks via the web.

One of the first healthcare organisations to implement Palo Alto’s new IoT security solutions is Valley Health Systems in order to enable vulnerability management of medical devices that connects to its IT network.

“As the initial step, we needed to identify those devices and understand how and where they connect within our infrastructure. As we looked at and explored various products, we saw great potential and benefits to identify not only biomed, but all network connected devices and systems,” said Miroslav Belote, chief information security officer, Valley Health System in New Jersey, US.

Belote said that installation, configuration, and initial device discovery was straight forward.

“Within hours of turning on the system, we began seeing results – inventory, classifications, device and device risk profiles on thousands of devices. We gained complete visibility to over 4,000 non-traditional IT devices, about 30% more devices than what we had prior. We now plan to extend our inventory, vulnerability detection, and prevention process and practice as an integral part of our ongoing efforts to protect our IT and IoT assets,” he said.

Meanwhile the new IoMT security features of the new solutions include:

• MDS2 Document Ingestion: Manufacturer Disclosure Statement for Medical Device Security documents allow medical device manufacturers to disclose the security-related features of their devices, allowing for deeper vulnerability analysis, tuned anomaly detection and specific recommended policies.
• Operational Insights: These insights give biomedical and clinical engineering teams visibility into how, when and where medical devices on their network are being used, allowing teams to optimise resource allocation, improve patient care, make capital planning decisions and reduce maintenance costs.
• Expanded IoMT Discovery: With the addition of many other medical-specific protocols App-ID now enables expanded discovery and security for unique IoMT devices and healthcare applications.

The post Palo Alto Networks unveils IoT security solution for healthcare appeared first on FutureIoT.

More than a faster version of mobile connectivity on 4G, 5G's speed, reliability, reduced energy usage and massive connectivity will be transformative for businesses and wider society, enabling ubiquitous access to super-fast broadband.

This is one of the key take-aways in the latest analysis by PwC on the economic impact of new and existing uses of 5G in utilities, health and social care, consumer, media and financial services. The analysis predicts that productivity and efficiency gains enabled by 5G’s application will drive business and service change worth US$1.3 trillion to global GDP by 2030.

Entitled “Powering Your Tomorrow”, the analysis covers eight markets, including Australia, China, Germany, India, Japan, South Korea, the US and the UK.

Based on the study, the US (US$484bn), China (US$220bn) and Japan (US$76bn) will experience the largest uplift as a result of 5G technology applications, due to the size of their economies and strong modern industrial production sectors.

At a regional level Europe, Middle East & Africa (EMEA) is expected to benefit the most from manufacturing applications of 5G, due to the size of the manufacturing sectors. It demonstrates the potential for regional competitive advantage through approaches to the adoption and regulation of the technology.

"These numbers quantify impact, but perhaps more important, our study reflects the value of 5G - new levels of connectivity and collaboration mean companies will be able to see, do and achieve more. It will open up new opportunities for growth and change as organisations rethink and reconfigure the way they operate in the post-pandemic world,” said Wilson Chow, Global Technology, Media and Telecommunications Industry Leader, PwC China.

He added: "With the pandemic accelerating digitalisation across all sectors, 5G will act as a further catalyst. It will emerge in this decade as a fundamental piece of our societal infrastructure and as a platform for driving the competitiveness of national economies, new business models, skills and industries."

Indeed,  economic gains are projected across all economies assessed in the study, as 5G offers the potential to rethink business models, skills, products and services, with the gains accelerating beginning in 2025 as 5G-enabled applications become more widespread

Expect transformation of health and social care

According to the PwC study, more than 50% the global economic impact – estimated at US$530bn – will be driven by the transformation of health and social care experience for patients, providers and medical staff within the next 10 years.

While the acceleration of telemedicine during the COVID-19 pandemic provided a glimpse of the future of healthcare, remote care is just one area in which 5G can enable both better health outcomes and cost savings.

5G's applications include remote monitoring and consultations, real time in-hospital data sharing, improved doctor-patient communications and automation in hospitals to reduce healthcare costs.

Regional and sector impact 

The study  also shows that at a sector level, impacts of 5G deployment vary for individual economies.

The US and Australia are projected to gain the most from financial services applications: India from smart utilities; China and Germany in manufacturing.  Other industries analysed in the study show the significant potential of new and existing applications over the next decade, driving changes in skills, jobs, consumer products and regulation:

• SMART utilities management applications will support environmental targets to reduce carbon and waste through enabling combined smart meters and grids to deliver energy savings, and improving waste and water management through tracking of waste and water leakage (US$330bn).
• Consumer and media applications include: over the top (OTT) gaming, real time advertising and customer services (US$254bn)
• Manufacturing and heavy industry applications include: monitoring and reducing defects, increased autonomous vehicle use (US$134bn)
• Financial services applications including reducing fraud and improving customer experiences (US$86bn)

Chow pointed out that 5G is more than mobile connectivity as it puts a new lens on advancing productivity and rethinking entire business models for the future.

“Given the scale of potential and its impacts, every organisation will need a plan for 5G's implementation within five years across technology and business strategies to maximise opportunities and prepare for how they integrate their technology and business strategies, and engage with customers, supply chain and regulators,” he said.

Policy and trust

Meanwhile, the study highlights that the reach of 5G's technology potential will require businesses and government to consider new approaches to regulatory and consumer engagement - focusing on how the technology is used.

Chow said as with any technology, policy engagement, transparency and public trust are critical factors.

“Whether it's considering the use of self-driving vehicles or telemedicine, how data is managed, infrastructure deployed, or how different sectors collaborate, business and government need to shit from focusing on regulating a technology, to promoting transparency in 5G's application, building and sustaining public trust in its use and potential."

The post PwC quantifies economic impact of 5G-based services appeared first on FutureIoT.

The  new Dexcom G6 CGM system uses a small wearable sensor and transmitter to measure and send real-time glucose values wirelessly to a compatible smart device or receiver, eliminating the need for painful fingerpricks.

Dexcom CGM also displays trend arrows to show the speed and direction glucose levels are heading, making in-the-moment treatment decisions easier and helping people with diabetes avoid potentially dangerous high or low glucose events.

It has these three components:

• Simple Auto-Applicator - a one-touch applicator easily inserts a small sensor just beneath the skin.
• Sensor and Transmitter - a slim sensor continuously measures glucose levels just beneath the skin and sends data wirelessly to a display device through a transmitter.
• Display Device - An Apple or Android compatible smart device or touch screen receiver† displays real-time glucose data.

The company will unveil the new CGM device in its first Super Bowl commercial this Sunday (February 7) featuring American singer Nick Jonas, who was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 13.

“Too many people with diabetes suffer through painful, antiquated fingerpricks because they don’t know a better way exists,” said Jonas. “It means so much to me to bring this message of awareness and the need for improved CGM access to as many people with diabetes as possible.”

As COVID-19 persists, Super Bowl parties are expected to look very different this year. For people with diabetes, a group at higher risk of COVID-19-related complications, social distancing and avoiding large gatherings is especially important. To help people feel less isolated on Super Bowl Sunday, Dexcom is giving fans the opportunity to “watch the game” with Nick Jonas through an interactive augmented reality experience.

“We are very excited to partner with Nick to shed light on technology that we know can significantly improve the lives of people with diabetes,” said Chad Patterson, senior vice president of global marketing for Dexcom. “People with diabetes deserve the best care, so along with leading diabetes advocacy groups, healthcare professionals and payers we are trying to increase awareness and improve access for CGM.”

The post Sensor-based wearable transforms diabetes management appeared first on FutureIoT.

The smart parking meters are part of the department’s smart mobility initiatives.

The smart parking meters are fitted with sensors that use  millimetre wave radar to detect whether roadside parking spaces are occupied. The sensors are only capable of detecting the occupancy of parking spaces, and will not collect any personal information, details of vehicle types or vehicle registration numbers.

Real-time information from the smart parking meters will be disseminated through  three channels: the new mobile app called "HKeMeter"; the mobile and web versions of "HKeMobility";  and, the Public Sector Information Portal (data.gov.hk) to assist motorists in finding vacant parking spaces. Providing real-time information to assist motorists in finding vacant parking spaces, these new parking meters reduce the time required locating parking spaces as well as the amount of circulating traffic.

Features of the new parking meters include:

• Support for multiple payment systems, including the smart card Octopus and contactless credit cards such as Visa payWave, MasterCard Contactless and UnionPay QuickPass; as well as the Faster Payment System; AlipayHK; WeChat Pay; and Union QR
• Support on-site and remote payment of parking fees through, HKeMeter. The mobile app supports iOS and Android mobile devices, and is available free for download

To date,  44 new parking meters at three locations in Central, Tuen Mun and Clear Water Bay last month as part of the final on-site tests. These meters will be put in service tomorrow.

At present, there are about 18,000 metered parking spaces in Hong Kong with about 9,800 parking meters installed. The Transport Department said these parking meters will be replaced in phases and are expected to be replaced with the smart meter by the first half of 2022. In total, the Transportation Department expects to install about 12,000 smart parking meters.

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Earlier this month, Singtel has announced that it is tapping on 28 Ghz mmWave – in addition to 3.5Ghz and 2100Mhz frequencies – to boost its rollout of ultra-fast 5G speeds in Singapore.

Delivering massive bandwidth, higher capacity and lower latency, mmWave is an ideal frequency for mobile coverage in manufacturing and industrial plants, maritime ports and airports, as well as dense environments such as concert venues and live sporting events.

For a start, Singtel has switched on mmWave in several locations, including Orchard Road, the Padang area and Marina Bay Sands Expo.

The 5G contract award to Ericsson takes the partnership between the two companies to new levels, as Singapore accelerates its journey towards Industry4.0 to keeps its top position in the global competitiveness ranking.

“We are committed to building a secure, resilient, world class 5G network that will serve as the backbone of Singapore’s digital economy,” said Mark Chong, group chief technology officer at Singtel, said. “We are pleased to be working with Ericsson to deliver innovative applications and transformative customer experience for our consumers and enterprise customers.”

Ericsson’s radio and core solutions will ensure that residents, enterprises, industry and government authorities in Singapore  are among the first in the world to benefit from the highest performance that 5G can offer.

5G-enabled application use cases could include cloud gaming, immersive virtual reality/augmented reality, robot-human collaboration in real-time, autonomous transport, remote healthcare, precision smart manufacturing and smart nation connectivity.

“As a long-standing partner, we are determined to work alongside Singtel to ensure its subscribers and business customers enjoy the best experiences and opportunities that 5G has to offer,” said Martin Wiktorin, head of Ericsson Singapore, Brunei and Philippines.

Meeting demand for advanced mobile connectivity

Singtel has been extending its lead in the rollout of 5G since it was officially granted with a 5G licence by the Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA)  in June 2020.

According to Chong, Singtel is progressing in 5G deployment by boosting its capabilities to meet increasing demand for advanced mobile connectivity in the consumer and enterprise sectors.

“mmWave 5G’s super-fast speeds and low latency will bring about a striking change in the way we communicate and work. On the consumer front, we are tapping the power of 5G to transform applications such as cloud gaming and augmented reality. We are also working with enterprise customers in key industries to develop 5G solutions in areas such as autonomous guided vehicles, mixed reality and location-based services.”

Singtel’s 5G network harnesses mmWave through a combination of the latest cellular technologies including Massive MIMO (Multiple input multiple output), carrier aggregation and beam-forming solutions.

Singtel customers with 5G plans can expect to enjoy mobile speeds of up to 3 Gbps speeds when mmWave-enabled handsets arrive in Singapore next year.

To let everyone in Singapore have a taste of true 5G speeds, Singtel will be launching Singtel 5G Experience Zones progressively across the island. These Experience Zones will feature exclusive content that consumers can stream for free over a WiFi connection powered by mmWave 5G.

First mmWave 5G use case

Meanwhile, Singtel has recently deployed the fastest 5G speeds of 3.2Gbps at its pop-up store, UNBOXED. As Singtel’s first 5G use case, UNBOXED is an example of how mmWave 5G can enable innovative business solutions and enhance consumer experiences by offering reliable high-bandwidth connectivity that supports real-time machine communications, artificial intelligence and smart analytics, as well as deliver flexibility and efficiency for store deployment without having to lay fibre cables.

With 5G’s ultra-fast speeds and minimal latency, it is expected that mobile networks, together with emerging technologies such as data analytics, artificial intelligence and edge computing, will spur Industry 4.0 applications such as precision robotics and advanced video analytics.

On the enterprise front, beyond engaging ecosystem partners such as device makers, app developers and vertical solution providers, Singtel is also gearing up to offer dedicated mmWave network solutions to its enterprise customers in the coming months.

The post Singtel picks Ericsson to drive high-end 5G connectivity in SG appeared first on FutureIoT.

While Asia is eager to springboard its economy into recovery, the threat of a second wave of infections is always there, as can be seen from what’s happening in other continents such as Europe and North America.

Open today, closed tomorrow?

Asia is keen to reopen the economy through initiatives such as green lanes and travel bubbles within the region. However, the success of these initiatives hangs by a thread, as new spikes in COVID-19 cases can put a stop to them and trigger the closing of borders once again.

We’ve seen how the planned travel bubble between Singapore and Hong Kong had been delayed a day before its launch, due to a spike in the latter’s COVID-19 infections. Even plans for travel between Australia and New Zealand had to be ditched due to new outbreaks in Victoria.

On the other end, businesses are equally ready to start production and trading. However, the risk of resurgence still looms heavy as a potential outbreak in factories or offices can prove catastrophic.

Even factories manufacturing Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) are not spared – case in point being the incident with Malaysia's rubber glove manufacturer, Top Glove. This is notably concerning, given that PPE factories will need employees to operate onsite regardless of the viral situation.

The act of managing priorities to prevent a resurgence while stimulating the economy proves to be a monumental task. What can governments and businesses do to stay the course to recovery?

Treading the fine line between recovery and resurgence

While government and business leaders look towards maintaining the balancing act of safety and reopening the economy, key investments in the right infrastructure and technologies will be central to a post-pandemic recovery. Even when COVID-19 is long gone, we can be sure that our cities, workplaces, homes, social spaces and shops will never be the same again.

Leaders should consider shoring up on infrastructural technologies, such as video technology and their IoT ecosystem. IoT-enabled sensors and devices, used in conjunction with a camera network and a Video Management System (VMS), can provide decision-makers with smart video capabilities. There are four sectors where these smart video capabilities can provide governments and businesses in Asia an edge, as they look towards the safe reopening of the economy.

Logistics and supply chain

We’ve seen how supply chains have become the crucial lifeblood of a world under lockdown, especially when it comes to commodities such as food. The pandemic has also triggered an eCommerce boom, with Southeast Asia’s internet economy projected to surpass US$ 300 billion by 2025 due to growing consumer demand.

The logistics sector can tap into video technologies to ensure their supply chains remain resilient. Tapping on video analytics and the IoT network, logistics leaders can streamline operations, ensure on-time deliveries, track shipments, reduce missing shipments and theft. Given the dominance of the just-in-time supply chain, predicting and mitigating possible delays can make or break a bottom-line, at a time where economic downturns are threatening even the most solvent businesses.

Transportation

While lockdown measures have started to ease, governments in Asia must still ensure that citizens do not breach non-essential travel restrictions outside of their local or approved regions. Video technologies such as Automatic Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) capabilities help ensure errant travellers are quickly identified on the roads.

Video analytics can help transport companies to monitor footfall and traffic in roads and other areas such as rail stations, to ensure social distancing can happen and reduce potential overcrowding in popular destinations. In busy road areas, video can monitor for high-traffic and open or close lanes in response. It can also open lanes solely for emergency vehicles - and even integrate with a hospital’s (or other location) access control system to reduce emergency response times.

Retail

As more retailers re-open their physical stores, adherence to social distancing is critical to reducing the likelihood of viral transmissions and future closing of locations. Likewise, retailers must consider ways to remain responsive and agile to an ever-changing situation.

There is an array of different smart video capabilities that can help businesses resume operations while adhering to safe social distancing requirements. These include heat mapping and occupancy statistics, crowd counting for public spaces or even distancing detection.

Safe cities

Globally, governments and public authorities faced a significant challenge in controlling and monitoring the spread of COVID-19. The concept of ‘safe cities’ now encompasses not just public law, order and safety, but also health measures and infection control.

Video analytics can be deployed in tight-knit cities to ensure people adhere to social distancing rules. Additionally, integrating them with crowd and traffic control solutions can help identify gathering or overcrowding, redirecting people to safer spaces or routes whilst reminding them of social distancing rules. In the long term, video analytics can also help with reducing crime and anti-social behaviour.

Preparing for a resilient economy, today

While governments and businesses in Asia continue to look for means to reboot the economy safely, strategic investments in infrastructural technologies such as video will continue to have long-reaching advantages, especially in a post-COVID-19 scenario.

It ensures that cities and businesses have a smart and flexible infrastructure that can adapt to changing demands and challenges posed in the new normal, helping the economy to stay open. These strategies are not only relevant today but will ensure Asia’s economy remains futureproof in the face of challenges to come.

The post Can video help Asia stay open for business? appeared first on FutureIoT.

The EPD counts them as one of its accomplishments in the last 12 months, particularly since culprits of environmental violations are adept at evading law enforcers.

“It was difficult to combat illegal landfilling works in the past because when our enforcement officers approached areas where these activities took place, they were easily spotted, and the people immediately stopped their illicit actions. Now, we can record these activities clearly from a distance with a drone,” said Thomas Wong, EPD environmental protection officer.

Today, the EPD also use drones to investigate ecological disturbances, such as reports involving fish kill.

“If that happens, our drone takes off immediately to search for the pollution source along the river and inspect the extent of the pollution. At the same time, we provide information obtained from the drone to support the work of a field team, which collects water samples and evidence at relevant locations, said Viane Lee, EPD senior environmental protection inspector.

Safety first

Before every operation,  EPD team follow the guidelines set by the Civil Aviation Department to ensure the drone is safe to fly.

Pre-operation preparations include finding a suitable take-off and landing site, planning the flight path, checking the weather forecast, especially the wind conditions, and making sure the drone functions well.

After arriving at the location of operation, they cordon off the take-off and landing area. Right before the drone is ready for take-off, they recheck it to ensure it will not malfunction.

“Safety is always the priority. Good teamwork is the key to a successful operation,” Lee said.

Lee is the only female operator in the drone team, and she has a rich flying experience. When flying the drone, she is always on the lookout for bulldozers pushing earth or trucks dumping construction waste.

“We use the drone to record these activities as evidence. Our colleagues then go to the place concerned to collect information on the suspected offenders,” she said.

Saving manpower and time

With the drone team now in place, the EPD significantly reduces the manpower and time needed to find sources of pollution in the environment.

“Take a 5km-long river as an example. In the past, we needed three to five colleagues to complete an investigation into the source of the pollution, which would take three to five days,” Wong said. “Now, with drones, only one person is required to finish the same job in around an hour.“

When emergencies such as chemical leaks cause water pollution, the drone team will conduct operations as well. It will send real-time images of the incident to the department’s control centre.

Meanwhile, the department hopes to use drones for more aspects of their work, including monitoring the operations of landfills and tackling onshore marine refuse, to further protect the environment.

The post Drone deployed to protect HK environment appeared first on FutureIoT.

The city recently unveiled plans to pilot a common data infrastructure designed to encourage a more robust supply chain for international trade flows. Companies from both private and public sectors will join the trials that aims to improve data efficiencies in financial processes and container flow.

The initiative is spearheaded by the Alliance for Action (AFA) on Supply Chain Digitalisation, one of the seven industry groups formed in June to seize opportunities amid the global health crisis. The other alliances look after key areas such as robotics, e-commerce, education, construction and real estate, and environmental sustainability.

“A common data infrastructure is part of our drive to put in place digital utilities as baseline infrastructure for the digital economy. Similar to their physical counterparts, digital utilities provide common standards and functionalities to enable data to flow and transactions to be made. Companies and platforms will also be able to build additional services and offerings on top of these open digital utilities. This brings about more value and enhances capability for all industry participants,” Lew Chuen Hong, chief executive, Infocomm Media Development Authority (IMDA), said in a media statement

The AFA on Supply Chain Digitalisation, jointly led by PSA International and Trafigura, engaged with more than 50 supply chain players in the last three month to identify pain points, opportunities and solutions across the entire ecosystem.

It emerged that a reconfiguration of trade flows  has occurred in the wake of COVID-19, exposing vulnerabilities and opportunities for Singapore. Specifically, significant inefficiencies have been identified in physical event, documentation and financial information flows across the value chain. These inefficiencies caused considerable cost and asset underutilisation that all enterprises.

As a result of its consultations, the alliance concluded a common data infrastructure was necessary to resolve pain points in the ecosystem. It added that the common data platform will facilitate data sharing and will enable all businesses l to “plug and play” into the infrastructure easily.

“For Singapore to remain relevant in the growing digital economy, it is laying a common foundational layer with digital utilities that enable businesses to move into the digital domain, build a stronger and more robust supply chain ecosystem for international trade flows, thereby advancing our position as a global supply chain and trading hub,” the AFA said.

According to the alliance, the common data infrastructure will augment existing data sharing systems and platforms by connecting the supply chain end-to-end, creating visibility and transparency, linking importers/exporters, shipping companies and financial institutions. It will provide all companies with access to exchange data in an efficient, trusted and secured way.

Besides  providing timely accessibility to all players across the value chain, the platform will be scalable and will be able to interoperate with local and global data platforms.

Two pilot applications unveiled

The IMDA and other government agencies will work with the AFA on a pilot to develop this common data infrastructure.

Kicking off the initiative, the AFA revealed two pilot applications will be developed to enhance trade finance and container flow.

Financial institutions (FIs) currently have limited visibility over the physical movement of goods in the supply chain, which reduces their ability to address demand from shippers. The common data infrastructure will allow them to provide and access data directly from trusted parties, in order to reconcile trade details with the physical movement of goods. For sellers, digitally tracking the physical movement of their goods throughout the supply chain will improve visibility and traceability across the trade process, allowing them to make better decisions.

On the other hand, logistics players face frequent congestion at container flow nodes, such as depots and warehouses, due to limited end-to-end visibility of container flows. This results in long waiting times and therefore sub-optimal asset utilisation and additional cost.

Through the common data infrastructure, major shipping lines, depot operators, warehouse operators and hauliers can share (with consent) key operational and event data such as container bookings, time slot bookings, job management and other data to enhance end-to-end logistics operations visibility. This will improve planning and asset utilisation, efficiency and productivity, reinforcing Singapore's place as a logistics hub.

Furthermore, the common data infrastructure will reduce dependency on physical documents, improve data flow and builds greater trust across the trading and financial communities.

“During this pilot we are working alongside Singapore banks to access data directly from reliable sources and parties to reconcile trade details with ease and potentially to detect and mitigate trade related fraud,” said Tan Chin Hwee, CEO-Asia Pacific, Trafigura Group.

He added that building a “digital twin” of the physical movement of goods will improve visibility across the trade process, and help stakeholders reduce dependency on physical documents in the long term.

According to Tan Chong Meng, Group CEO, PSA International, Singapore’s ability to rally together multiple stakeholders to bring a common vision of supply chain end-to-end visibility to fruition will set the city apart as a trusted global trade and logistics hub.

“The development of a common data infrastructure is our opportunity to enable large and small businesses to optimise their supply chain flows through Singapore, promote long-term sustainability as a key nodal hub in the global supply chain, and at the same time, support Singapore businesses in expanding their export markets,” he said.

Other companies that are participating in the initiative include DBS, ExxonMobil Asia Pacific and Standard Chartered Bank (Singapore).

“Establishing a common set of digital standards and guidelines around data sharing across trade platforms will be key to achieving enhanced interoperability, secured data flows, and a seamless e-invoicing experience for trade participants,” said  Patrick Lee, CEO, Standard Chartered (Singapore).

Tan Su Shan, group head of institutional banking, DBS, noted that close collaboration among all partners in the trade ecosystem is needed to pave the way to digitalisation of the supply chain. To achieve this, he underscored the need for all industry players “to accept digital data as a trusted medium of exchange and communication”.

“This makes it even more critical today for financial institutions and trading partners to work together in the development of a common data infrastructure to enhance efficiencies and remain competitive in the new normal.”

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The notification app called “LeaveHomeSafe” will be available for public download from November 16. The mobile app supports iOS, Android and Huawei devices.

Hong Kong’s Office of the Government Chief Information Officer (OGCIO) headed the development of the app, it allows users to record the accurate date and time of their visits to various places by simply scanning the venue QR code at the entrance upon their arrival and departure.

Participating public venues include government office buildings, sports centres, swimming pools, libraries, markets, cooked food markets, community halls/centres, building lobbies and shopping centres of public housing estates, hospitals, clinics, post offices, public works and construction sites. Other participating venues from various sectors and businesses include restaurants, bars or pubs, karaoke establishments, clubs, fitness centres and banks. Venue QR codes will be posted at the participating locations for the public to scan via the app.

“There are currently over 6 000 public and private venues that have pledged support for the scheme. The mobile app can also be used directly in over 18 000 taxis. The government has been actively engaging with trades and businesses, and would welcome more sectors to participate in the scheme and contribute to the epidemic prevention and control work in Hong Kong,” the OGCIO said in a media statement.

The mobile app can also be used to record taxi rides by simply scanning the registration mark printed on a yellow plate shown on the inside of the taxi door upon the start and at the end of their journey. It can be used directly in over 18 000 taxis plying across the city.

If a confirmed case is later discovered at a participating venue, the app will notify users who have visited the same venue as the COVID-19 confirmed case at around the same time together with health advice to enhance their vigilance.

Privacy assurance

The OGCIO allayed concerns over personal data privacy, saying that user registration is not required and that the LeaveHomeSafe mobile app will not use positioning services or any other data of the users’ mobile phones. Furthermore, relevant data in the app will be kept in the app inside users’ devices.

“The "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile app upholds the principle of protecting personal data privacy,” said the OGCIO. “Venue check-in data will be encrypted and saved on users' devices only. Such data will not be uploaded to the government or any other systems. Check-in data will be kept in users' mobile phones for 31 days and will then be erased automatically.”

The Centre for Health Protection will also release information on premises visited by COVID-19 confirmed cases in the form of open data, regardless of whether those confirmed cases are users of the "LeaveHomeSafe" mobile app or not. The app will send notifications to users who visited the same venues at around the same time as the confirmed cases.

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Smart cities' spending on technology in the next six years is expected to grow at a CAGR of 22.7%, reaching US$327 billion by 2025 from US$96 billion in 2019. Technologies like artificial intelligence and big data will be in high demand to combat the pandemic, with growing opportunities for crowd analytics, open data dashboards, and online city services.

"Smart cities will focus on data-driven and connected infrastructure, which will lead to higher adoption of technologies like AI and 5G. They will prioritize more digitalized services and a strong data analytics infrastructure, leading to increased spending toward technology," said Malabika Mandal, visionary innovation group industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

The technology research firm further projects that there will be more than 26 smart cities by 2025, with 16 in North America and Europe. Five years after that, more than 70% of global smart city spending will be from the United States, Western Europe, and China by 2030.

Almost all smart cities in the US and Europe have already invested in open-data initiatives during the pandemic; and, they will continue spending on 5G and autonomous and robotic technologies. Meanwhile, China has renewed investments in 5G, smart grids, AI, datacentres, and other smart city-related areas through the "new infrastructure initiative" introduced in 2018.

Growing demand for crowd management and monitoring in smart cities will lead the crowd analytics market to grow by 20%-25% by 2030. It had market revenues of US$748.6 million in 2020. Crowd analytics can be used to access collective real-time data. It can help ensure proper public healthcare services, traffic movement, and security and surveillance services across the smart city.

Archana Vidyasekar, visionary innovation group research director at Frost & Sullivan, said: "Now more than ever, the strategy of being technology-first, optimistic, and focused on 'smart' is critical. While COVID-19 has largely been a health crisis, it has disrupted city ecosystems and infrastructure tremendously. Smart technologies offer innovative solutions that can reverse the damage and bring some respite, if not normalcy. For instance, digital contact tracing can play a critical role in empowering citizens with knowledge of COVID-impacted areas and promote safer urban movement."

Investments in smart initiatives are expected to rise over the next two years. Smart cities have already invested in contact tracing wearables and apps, open data platforms, autonomous drones, and crowd analytics to fight the pandemic. Post-pandemic, investment in smart projects like smart grids, intelligent traffic management, autonomous vehicles, smart lighting, e-governance services and data-enabled public safety and security will gain traction.

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Over 6,000 Cisco Wi-Fi 5 Access Points (APs) are currently installed across the HKUST Campus, with high density user areas such as the Academic Concourse, Canteen, Library and Teaching Venues chosen as the first Wi-Fi 6 deployment locations. The first phase installation of 270 Cisco Catalyst 9120AX Series Wi-Fi 6 APs is targeted to be completed by Q4 2020.

The Cisco Wi-Fi 6 solutions will provide seamless network connectivity for over 20,000 students and staff with faster troubleshooting, proactive assurance and improved uptime – delivering high-density wireless experience as well as  faster throughput and greater reliability for more effective teaching and learning, collaboration and research.

At the same time, the Cisco DNA solutions help the IT team optimise their network performance, reduce troubleshooting time and lower the cost of network operations.

“This pioneering deployment of Cisco Wi-Fi 6 solutions in the HKUST campus is a significant step forward for the University to offer Wi-Fi services based on the state-of-the-art technologies to our students and staff who have extensive demands for high-quality wireless connection for advancing their goals in teaching, learning, research and other educational activities,” said Dr. Samuel Kwan, director of the Information Technology Services Center, HKUST.

“The adoption of Cisco Wi-Fi 6 solutions and DNA Assurance brings our team full visibility of the entire network in terms of health, client usage experience and application performance, as well as improved operational efficiency, while enhancing the service level and wireless experience for our users,” he added.

Bespoke solution

Cisco has designed a tailored network infrastructure for HKUST underpinned by Cisco Wi-Fi 6 certified solutions paired with Cisco DNA, with enterprise-class products that will address both current and future needs for greater flexibility and increased bandwidth to support more devices and advanced immersive applications.

With the customised network infrastructure, HKUST  will be able to provide a seamless, significantly faster end-user experience with real-time capabilities on Wi-Fi devices for its students and staff, delivering four times higher capacity while offering the IT team simplified and automated network management.

Key capabilities include:

• Optimum high-density performance: Going beyond the Wi-Fi 6 (802.11ax) standard, the Cisco Catalyst 9120 (9120AX) Series Access Points provide integrated security, resiliency and operational flexibility as well as increased network intelligence. This supports a greater overall High Density Experience (HDX) with more predictable performance for advanced applications such as 4K or 8K video, high-density and high-definition collaboration applications, and the Internet of Things (IoT). With the smart antenna connector included on the AP, it also provides advanced network design flexibility in high-density environments such as auditoriums and libraries.
• Real-time automated control of network traffic: Pairing the Cisco Catalyst 9120 with the Cisco DNA Center provides HKUST’s IT team with a path to real-time, automated, end-to-end visibility and control of the network for a total network transformation. It leverages on the built-in feature available on Cisco’s access point, Intelligent Capture, which sends issue detection information back to the Cisco DNA Center for deep analysis and allows IT to find any issues in record time as well as providing on-demand access point statistics for Wi-Fi troubleshooting.
• Management with full visibility and high efficiency: Cisco DNA Center also simplifies network management and speeds innovation, by combining management, automation, analytics and security into one single platform with greater operating efficiency and comprehensive visibility of the entire networking system. This can proactively solve real problems experienced by most network operators, by automating routine tasks and making the network more agile and able to respond to changing conditions, resulting in 49% more efficient network management staff and 35% more efficient network security teams, according to research conducted by IDC.
• Improved troubleshooting efficiency: Cisco DNA Assurance, a feature available in Cisco DNA Center, helps HKUST’s IT team unlock new efficiencies by providing complete network visibility and making it easy to troubleshoot issues with deeper insight into the network through analytics. This feature has helped the IT team to reduce troubleshooting times from more than 2 hours to 30 minutes with 86% reduction in unplanned downtime, while empowering students and staff with remote access from anywhere on campus.

“We are delighted to collaborate with HKUST to build a next-generation high-speed mobile network environment, delivering a seamless wireless experience to the university’s students and staff on the campus,” said Wilson Ching, general manager, Cisco Hong Kong and Macau. “With our commitment to providing best-of-breed innovative wireless network solutions, we will continue to facilitate and accelerate the adoption of Wi-Fi 6 in Hong Kong with greater network performance and an improved mobile experience, while driving new innovations that will change the way people work, live, play and learn.”

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In a latest survey of 1,350 IT business decision makers across 14 countries in Asia, Europe the Middle East and North America, the respondents expect the cybersecurity challenges pose by  connected devices but are not prepared for them. Over 40%  of them admitted they need to make a lot of improvements to the way they approach IoT security, and 17% said that a complete overhaul is needed – amounting to more than half of those polled. The survey was conducted by technology research firm Vanson Bourne on behalf of Palo Alto Networks

The results of the poll are revealed in the report entitled “The Connected Enterprise: IoT Security Report 2020”. Palo Alto Networks released the survey as part of its ongoing efforts to shed light on security threats posed by the surge in deployment of internet-connected devices.

IoT device proliferation

The explosive growth of IoT devices is a serious concern, with 89% if respondents seeing increased number of IoT devices on their networks in the past 12 months. Of these respondent, more than a third or 35% cited a significant increase.

IoT device proliferation is a growing issue. Most IT decision-makers (89%) reported seeing increased numbers of IoT devices on their networks in the past 12 months, with more than a third (35%) reporting a significant increase.

Furthermore, the report pointed out that more non-business devices are coming onto networks, with everything from connected teddy bears to medical devices to electric vehicles now needing to be secured alongside business IoT. Below the most common IoT connected devices being plugged onto home and corporate networks:

Hong Kong context

Overwhelmingly, 91% of Hong Kong respondents have seen a rise in the number of IoT devices connecting to their networks over the last year.

One red flag emerged: 31% of respondents said they need to make a lot of improvements to the way they approach IoT security, and 37% said that a complete overhaul is needed, amounting to more than two thirds of those polled.

“Devices that employees innocently bring onto an organisation's network are often not built with security in mind, and can be easy gateways to a company’s most important information and systems,” said Wickie Fung, managing director, Hong Kong and Macau at Palo Alto Networks. “To address that threat, security teams need to be able to spot new devices, assess their risk, determine their normal behaviours and quickly apply security policies.”

Back to the report’s general findings, one in five (20%) of those surveyed reported that they have not segmented IoT devices onto separate networks – a fundamental practice for building safe, smart networks.  Only 21% reported following best practices of using micro-segmentation to contain IoT devices in their own tightly controlled security zones.

“Traditional networks are ill-equipped to handle the surge in adoption of IoT devices,” said Tanner Johnson, senior cybersecurity analyst at Omdia. “Device behaviour baselines need to be established to allow for new recommended policies to help stop malicious activity. For instance, it would raise a flag if a connected thermostat started transmitting gigabytes of data to an unfamiliar site.”

Indeed, IoT devices are the weak link in IT networks. An earlier research conducted by Unit 42, Palo Alto Networks threat intelligence research arm said 57% of IoT devices are vulnerable to attacks of medium to high severity. This posed  a big challenge as Business Insider Intelligence forecasts there will be more than 41 billion IoT devices by 2027, up from 8 billion last year.

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In its recent analysis entitled “Emerging Technologies Driving Growth Opportunities in Ophthalmic Diagnostic and Monitoring Devices”, the technology research firms finds the demand for such devices is expected to surge with the prevalence of eye diseases. These diseases are caused by aging population and lifestyle changes among others.

"Conventional ophthalmic diagnostic devices are bulky and non-portable, take a long time for analysis, require expertise, are uncomfortable for patients, and require frequent visits to the clinic or hospital," said Dr. Sneha Maria Mariawilliam, technical insights senior research analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

She added: "Going forward, these emerging technologies will support ophthalmologists in better understanding of diseases, taking rapid clinical decisions, and also improving patient compliance and access to eye care, while obtaining better clinical outcomes. These digital solutions will enable ophthalmic diagnostic companies to strengthen their portfolio and stay competitive in the growing market."

Due to the expected shortage of ophthalmologists and increase in the number of patients with eye diseases and disorders, along with the need for timely diagnosis and treatment, ophthalmic diagnostic and monitoring devices with high operational efficiency will find promising growth opportunities in the industry, including:

• Partnering with AI technology providers to improve ophthalmic diagnosis efficiency and accuracy to help ophthalmologists in managing the anticipated overwhelming patient numbers.
• Launching new and reliable handheld devices with increased image quality and added digital solution features to increase the access to ophthalmic care in remote regions of developing countries.
• Investing in the development of home monitoring for ophthalmic diseases, as continuous monitoring of disease progression and efficacy of treatment can enhance the clinical outcome. Strategic partnering, mergers and acquisitions in this space are also growth levers.
• Driving growth through geographical expansion of digital health companies using telemedicine solutions in low- and middle-income countries as there is a high demand for remote ophthalmic consultations in these regions.

Mariawilliam observed that the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak is pushing the demand for contactless ophthalmic diagnosis and monitoring technologies.

“Because of this, home-monitoring devices and portable handheld devices will experience massive growth in the days ahead. Healthcare providers are adopting new business models, and digital-based devices and platforms are the most sought-after solutions in ophthalmic care in the current scenario,” she said.

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This mobile infrastructure will enable companies in the city to monitor and control real-time Internet of Things (IoT) applications. By integrating 5G with mobile edge computing in a private campus network, enterprises can also deploy IoT applications and enable data sharing through 5G connectivity.

The initiative was formed through the partnership of Dell Technologies, HGC Global Communications (HGC), SmarTone and VMWare. The four companies are also planning to launch a 5G technology lab in the second half of this year to further navigate and accelerate Hong Kong’s 5G journey.

“5G opens a broad new frontier for businesses and consumers with the power and connectivity of rich mobile services and various broadband options, bringing positive impacts to industries and enterprises, expanding and improving economic activities and enriching our daily lives,” said Danny Tam, vice president, Hong Kong Sales and China Global Account Sales, Dell Technologies.

“With the strong expertise and technological know-how of industry-leading telecom and technology companies – HGC, SmarTone and VMware – we are well positioned to offer enterprise-grade 5G solutions that are the best fit for customers in Hong Kong. Our collaborative efforts and synergy will enhance and stimulate the development of 5G in Hong Kong,” he added.

An ecosystem driving 5G development and innovative applications

With this newly announced 5G initiative, the four companies hopes to nurture a rich ecosystem to support industries and businesses in the deployment and development of 5G technologies with reference use cases across retail, construction, education and healthcare.

5G can help industries transform by leveraging on many other technologies including computing, artificial intelligence, computer vision, IoT devices, machine learning and domain knowledge in vertical sectors ,among others.

In view of the importance of cross-sector collaboration in facilitating creative, successful and commercially valuable 5G applications, the alliance aims to foster cross-industry collaboration on 5G applications for all enterprise sectors.

Combining the expertise of the four companies with solid fibre-based network infrastructure will assist organisations in Hong Kong to simplify IT operations. The combined set of solutions from the respective companies will enable local application developers, technology startups and enterprises with an application development environment that supports edge computing platforms, AI APIs, IoT hardware and software.

This will not only foster the ecosystem but also nurture a wide range of innovative applications. With those applications and the experience gained, a huge data lake in Hong Kong from different sectors will be established and maintained, which can be further utilised by different industries for the next step of innovation including big data analytics, business insight creation, machine learning for better performance of newly-developed AI algorithms, and more.

Joe Cheong, COO, Corporate Business & Enterprise Market at HGC, expressed excitement about playing a significant role in helping Hong Kong’s public and private sectors to meet business challenges with comprehensive 5G solutions.

“Leveraging on HGC’s solid and sizeable local network infrastructure and rich base of local corporate, enterprise and consumer customers, as well as a comprehensive suite of ICT solutions supported by Macroview Telecom, our subsidiary company, we are confident in delivering one-stop, customer centric and sophisticated digital and 5G solutions to customers and assisting them to harness the power of 5G in the new era of digital transformation,” he said.

Stephen Chau, CTO of SmarTone, echoed the same sentiment: “5G unleashes limitless opportunities for enterprises with its ultra-high speed, low latency and massive connectivity. 5G private networks can act as a springboard for organisations to capitalise on 5G for digital transformation with security and privacy, control and flexibility, backed by SmarTone’s powerful 5G network. It can also be tailored for business or industry needs, creating new opportunities that improve operational efficiency and experiences for organizations.”

In May this year, SmarTone successfully launched its widest coverage 5G network with Dynamic Spectrum Sharing (DSS) technology.

“Companies in Hong Kong need to transform their IT systems rapidly to be 5G-ready and create new opportunities in the cloud economy. VMware has over twenty years’ experience in helping companies achieve success with digital transformation, and we are ready to help in the 5G era,” said Franco Lan, general manager of VMware Hong Kong and Macau.

He added: “The VMware Ready for Telco Cloud program has been relied upon by more than 100 telecom operators worldwide to deliver premier services to 800 million subscribers daily. VMware is happy to work together with other industry leaders in Hong Kong, to empower companies to maximise the benefits of 5G.”

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Otherwise known as the “SMT Programme”, the course will include practical operation know-how on automated mask production lines and mechanical assembly, as well  the introduction of new technologies to improve production quality under the trend of digital transformation, such as an overview of Industry 4.0, artificial intelligence production monitoring system, remote data collection and analysis of Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) to name a few.

With the current COVID-19 pandemic (COVID-2019), the strong demand for personal protection equipment such as masks and has led to the emergence of the local personal protection equipment manufacturing industry in Hong Kong.

However, the large professional talent gap and insufficient technical support in the industry have become major challenges for the industry.

Sinopharm Tech is pioneer in the local personal protective equipment manufacturing industry in Hong Kong. The company’s practical experience and technical resources can be learned from and be used for reference, by industry participants or potential entrants through the SMT Programme course. This will help accelerate the overall improvement to the management and production excellence of the industry.

Chan Ting, executive director and chief executive officer of Sinopharm Tech, reiterated the company’s commitment to quality by “our product quality into another level” with recent partnerships with world leading melt blown manufacturers, together with its investment in setting up a world-class testing laboratory.

“Quality staff is the most critical contributing factor to high quality product. With the rapid development of mask manufacturing in Hong Kong, the whole industry is lacking experienced workers and machine technicians,” Chan said. “We are very happy to work with VTC and FHKI, to contribute our professional know-how and experiences. We hope more people will understand the potential of the mask manufacturing industry and join Sinopharm or other mask manufacturing companies to fight Covid-19 together."

Through training programmes on production, processing, and quality monitoring, the practitioners will be able to put theory into practice to effectively ensure the efficiency and quality of the manufacturing process. The knowledge from the education chain of smart manufacturing of personal protection equipment manufacturing industry continually benefits the practitioners, while this continuous supply of professional talents to the market will help to further Hong Kong's reindustrialisation.

The SMT Programme is running under the recently launched “Reindustrialisation and Technology Training Programme” (RTTP)  of the Hong Kong SAR Government. While the SMT Programme will be under the RTTP, and the SMT Programme will provide practitioners in the personal protection equipment industry with both theoretical and practical training. In addition, the SMT Programme will also cover Hong Kong "Q-Mark" Scheme and related international standards of testing knowledge and certification.

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“Our Amazfit smartwatch is among the top five for global watch shipments and market shares in the first quarter of 2020, and we look forward to partnering with Prudential to develop exciting new products that will expand our global reach," said Mike Yeung, chief operating officer of Huami.

Established in 2013, Huami is a cloud-based healthcare services provider with world-leading smart wearable technology. In 2019, Huami shipped 42.3 million smart wearable devices. Leveraging its powerful AI algorithm capabilities along with the massive data analysis, Huami provides 24x7 health monitoring services to millions of its product users.

The company seamlessly integrates smart wearable technology into the extensive application scenarios of the IoT ecosystem worldwide, creating a smarter and more convenient lifestyle for its users.

With their extended partnership, Huami and Prudential will explore the integration of digital capabilities, including features from Pulse in Huami's smartwatches and wristbands to help Pulse users access the information they need to lead healthier lives.

Pulse by Prudential is a mobile health app launched by Prudential Corporation Asia last month and is now available in 11 countries across Asia. To date, it has been downloaded more than 8 million times in Asia. It is currently available on the Apple App Store and Google Play in Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The Pulse app will also include PAI Health's science-backed activity metric for heart health, known as Personal Activity Intelligence.

"We designed Pulse to make our users healthier and wealthier. We have observed how our users are increasingly interested in tracking their health metrics for a better quality of life. Both our partnership with Huami and growing health ecosystem harness the power of technology, empowering Pulse users to personalise their health and wealth journeys,” said Al-Noor Ramji, group chief digital officer at Prudential.

Meanwhile, Huami and Prudential will also seek to grow their partnership by seeking opportunities to leverage each other's expertise to co-create complementary products and solutions with the shared purpose of helping people lead healthier lives. Through this partnership, more than 16 million Prudential customers across Asia and Africa will have the potential to access Huami health products and services.

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Assistive robotics can fill this gap. Studies – such as  one on “Paediatric robotic rehabilitation” made in 2017 – suggest that wheelchair-mounted robotic arms provide an increased sense of independence for users, and that these assistive tools can reduce the need for caregiver time by up to 41%. Today, however, the cost of these devices is incredibly high, making them virtually inaccessible to most people who need them. This is largely due to the expensive parts needed to enable the arm to adapt to the user and the environment in real time.

In a bid to make robotic arms accessible to more people, Intel and Accenture this week announced their support of a project that is currently developing a wheelchair-mounted robotic arms to assist patients with daily tasks.

The project, which is being run under the auspices of the Intel Neuromorphic Research Community (INRC), is being led by the Neuro-Biomorphic Engineering Lab at The Open University of Israel.

The project is being operated using funding and technology support from Accenture, as well as Intel’s neuromorphic technology and algorithmic support from Applied Brain Research (ABR).

“The ability of robotic arms to benefit people today is largely limited due to high cost and excessive power consumption,” said Elishai Ezra Tsur, lead project researcher at the Open University of Israel. “This funding from Accenture, along with additional support from Intel and ABR, is allowing us to explore the implementation of adaptive controls on neuromorphic hardware in an effort to address the need for a collaborative, user-friendly, accurate robotic arm at a significantly reduced cost.”

Benefits of neuromorphic computing

The wheelchair-mounted robotic arm will be clinically evaluated and tested with children at ALYN Hospital, Israel’s most advanced adolescent rehabilitation centre

The real-time learning capability of Intel’s neuromorphic research chip, Loihi, shows potential to reduce the cost of creating and operating such devices. By utilising Loihi’s real-time learning, researchers predict they can implement adaptive control to enhance the arm’s functionality, while using affordable parts that could reduce the cost by more than 10 times.

Loihi’s power efficiency also shows promise for making assistive technologies more useful and effective in real-world situations. Because Loihi is up to 1,000 times more energy efficient than general-purpose processors, a Loihi-based device could require less frequent charging, making it more ideal for use in daily life.

“This research project is a powerful demonstration of the impact that neuromorphic computing can have on the development of affordable intelligent assistive devices. Making these devices accessible, particularly to such young patients, can have a profound impact on their independence, improving the way they live,” said Edy Liongosari, Technology Innovation growth and strategy lead and chief research scientist at Accenture.  “We are looking forward to teaming closely with the Open University of Israel researchers, ALYN and Intel, contributing our technical and industry experience to advance this technology for those who need it the most.”

Gearing up for clinical trial

Researchers at the Open University of Israel and ALYN have already created the robotic arm they will use in their trial. The next step is to build the neural network model that controls the arm.

To do this, the research team will build on the recurrent error-driven adaptive control hierarchy (REACH) algorithm, which was developed by ABR and is being provided by the company for this project. Paired with neuromorphic computing, the REACH model has been demonstrated by ABR to move a simpler robotic arm through complex paths – such as handwritten words and numbers – with fewer errors and a significant improvement in energy efficiency over traditional control methods.

Once the algorithmic work is complete, the research team will deploy the new model on Intel’s neuromorphic hardware and test the capabilities of the arm. After making refinements, the device will undergo clinical testing and evaluation at ALYN Hospital with patients who rely on electric wheelchairs and have motor impairment of their upper extremities. The participants will control the arm using a small, dedicated joystick, and researchers will collect information on the robotic arm’s performance to assess its usefulness.

“We believe that the development of a robotic arm based on neuromorphic computing can be a game-changer for people with disabilities. It could make it easier for them to engage with the community, boost their independence and grant them new employment opportunities,” said Arie Melamed-Yekel, general manager of ALYNnovation at ALYN. “The expected cost and performance improvements are potentially disruptive to this market. We are proud to lead this revolution together with the Open University, Intel and Accenture.”

Researchers from Accenture Labs and Intel Labs will leverage their experience in neuromorphic computing and artificial intelligence (AI) to assist with the development of the neuromorphic algorithm, as well as provide support for the design of the study.

If this project is successful, the research team plans to explore how to produce this assistive robotic arm for patients. In addition, they plan to investigate applications of adaptive control technology in flexible manufacturing and industrial automation.

Intel and Accenture will also continue to collaborate to identify and fund additional neuromorphic research that has the potential to advance the field.

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Derived from one of the most comprehensive health studies (the HUNT Study), and recently validated with a large US population of over 56,000 participants, maintaining a PAI score of 100 or more has been associated with a reduction of mortality risk from cardiovascular disease and other lifestyle diseases by an average of 25%, with the potential to extend people's lives by an average of five years.

Users require a compatible heart monitor wearable to enable the PAI feature in the Pulse app. The PAI feature is device-agnostic, meaning it can be used with any leading wearable brands including Apple, Garmin and Fitbit devices.

Users can set and achieve health goals, track physical and nutrition activities, receive feedback, coaching and guidance on their health and fitness, as well as access useful content and insights. For those without an existing device, Huami, a healthcare services technology company and world-leading maker of smart wearables, will be a featured partner enabling customers to purchase their affordable Amazfit devices directly via the Pulse app.

"It has never been a more important time than now to help people build health resilience and boost immunity by adopting a more active lifestyle. Through Pulse, we are committed to providing leading technology, content and services to help people live healthier lives,” said Nic Nicandrou, chief executive of Prudential Corporation Asia. “We are excited to add PAI Health's programme to our platform and provide new actionable heart health insights to users, so we can help them live healthy and well, for longer."

Pulse is part of the insurance firm’s strategy to provide affordable and accessible healthcare across Asia Pacific by leveraging digital technologies and best-in-class partnerships.  Equipped with Us AI-powered self-help tools and real-time information, the app serves as a 24/7 health and wellness partner to users, helping them prevent, postpone, and protect against the onset of diseases.

Since its launch in August 2019, Pulse has been downloaded more than 6 million times in Asia to date. It is currently available on the Apple App Store and Google Play in Cambodia, Hong Kong, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the Philippines, Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, and Vietnam.

The new PAI  feature joins a growing suite of value-add services on the Pulse app, which includes a symptom checker and health assessment, personal wellness services, and video consultations with certified doctors and specialists.

"PAI is becoming the new health standard for physical activity, addressing the global health problem of inactivity that has reached concerning proportions," said Sally Powell, general manager of PAI Health. "Given that PAI is so inclusive, being suited to all fitness levels and recognising all forms of physical activity, we are delighted that Prudential will be introducing PAI in the Pulse app. This will motivate millions of users to become more active with a potential to make profound improvements in public health."

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Based in Osaka Japan, Shionogi & Co. is a 142-year-old global, research driven pharmaceutical company dedicated to building new platforms in the healthcare area. China-based Ping An Insurance Group, on the other hand, is a leading technology-powered financial services company that focuses on delivering both financial services and healthcare services.

The two new joint venture companies namely Ping An-Shionogi Co., Ltd is based in Shanghai and Ping An-Shionogi (Hong Kong) Limited is based in Hong Kong. Both JVs will leverage on the strengths of their parent companies combining competencies in big data and AI analytical technology with deep knowledge about diseases and strong drug-discovery capabilities. They will establish a research and development platform to efficiently create high-value-added, innovative medicines and healthcare services and deliver customised solutions for customers.

To enhance pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality control, Shionogi will fuse its manufacturing and quality control technology and knowhow with Ping An's AI technology to create a new manufacturing and quality control system. The joint ventures will use AI to monitor the manufacturing and analysis in real time, and to deploy an innovative pharmaceutical manufacturing and quality control system that offers high quality and low costs.

"We are excited to have completed the joint venture agreement and to now be prepared to make a full-scale start. Ping An Group has a world-leading platform and AI technology in the healthcare field, in addition to their strength in the insurance & financial field,” said John Keller, Ph.D., senior executive officer, senior vice president, Global Business Division, Shionogi

He added: “By fusing Ping An's strengths with Shionogi's strengths as a drug discovery-oriented pharmaceutical company in this joint venture, we will work together to provide total healthcare solutions for the benefit of patients, families, healthcare professionals and society as early as possible. We believe this alliance represents a very significant step toward our goal of creating new platforms to shape the future of healthcare."

The joint ventures will be able to supply new, generic and over-the-counter drugs to customers in China via Ping An Health Cloud, an affiliate of the Group. Ping An Good Doctor is today the largest mobile medical application in China in terms of user scale, with 315.2 million registered users, 729,000 average daily consultations, and a professional network of more than 3,000 hospitals and 94,000 pharmacies by the end of 2019. It leverages Ping An Health Cloud Company Limited's in-house full-time medical team and its proprietary AI-based medical system to cover end-to-end services including 24/7 online consultation, prescription, referral, appointment, second medical opinion and drug delivery.

The post New Ping-An JVs to use AI to manufacture innovative drugs appeared first on FutureIoT.

The winning team EcoBuilding from Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU Singapore) used a system of multi-variant sensing for predictive controls of air-conditioning. They achieved more than 20% energy savings and improved comfort through machine learning of room occupancy and air quality metrics. Their prototype enables the air-conditioning system to be controlled by artificial intelligence.

Besides the AI software, the smart control solution from EcoBuiling also uses sensors to measure humidity, carbon dioxide and other room conditions.

“The  current version of our AI-assisted smart control solution is targeted toward buildings with BEMS (Building Energy Management Systems). If the control software of the aircon systems is interacting with BEMS, our AI-assisted smart control system will also provide the supervisory control to the aircon systems. There is a possibility for our solution to be integrated with aircon control software in the future,” a spokesperson from EcoBuilding told FutureIoT.

According to EcoBuilding, the AI-assisted smart control solution can be installed into the existing BEMS servers of buildings with centralized HVAC as a supervisory control layer to the existing BEMS. The AI-assisted smart control system might require extra sensors depending on the sensor availability in the existing buildings.

“We envision the AI-assisted smart control solution will be available as building energy management system (BEMS). It could work as a plug-in module to existing BEMS or as standalone BEMS,” the team’s spokesperson said.

Team EcoBuilding was proclaimed the winner of the inaugural challenger after a final judging of the top three teams, which was head virtually on June 24.  The winning team, together with the other two finalist teams at the final presentation have also received prototyping awards. Following this challenge, all three teams will continue to explore how to build a startup with ENGIE and access further venture capital funding.

Introducing AI to hospital operations

The competition  was jointly organised by ENGIE Factory Asia-Pacific, the innovation arm of French energy company ENGIE Asia Pacific, and NTUitive, the innovation and enterprise company of NTU Singapore.

The facilities of the JurongHealth Campus – which is comprised of the Ng Teng Fong General Hospital (NTFGH)  and Jurong Community Hospital (JCH) – provided the test environment; while the competing teams were mentored by industry executives in sustainability, energy and smart city technology, and received up to S$10,000 in prototype funding.

“We are delighted by this opportunity to collaborate with NTU and the JurongHealth Campus to support our customers’ low carbon transition initiatives. We are impressed by the works of the participating students and we are glad that through this engaging challenge, we will discover innovative solutions for the benefits and continual improvement of our customers. This partnership is the testament of our commitment to further enhancing energy efficiency for the country, especially in the healthcare sector, through our expertise in provision of sustainable client solutions,” said Pierre Cheyron, CEO, ENGIE South East Asia.

Ensuring service efficiency and optimisation of electrical systems is an important part of ENGIE’s services for its customers. Through the partnership with NTFGH, the students proved how artificial intelligence and other technologies can be incorporated seamlessly into hospital operations for predictive maintenance, digitisation of services and ultimately, autonomous building management.

Ng Kian Swan, chief operating officer of NTFGH and JCH, and director of Jurong Medical Centre said hosting the event was an “important gateway” in the competition.

“Healthcare institutions are critical areas where we need to continually innovate and adopt the latest technologies to improve the health environment for safe and quality care,” he said.  “Hosting the student on our campus was an important gateway in the competition where they were able to work with live data and test the feasibility of their theories when applied to an actual environment – and further refine their ideas for a scalable solution.”

Highlighting the importance to develop youth in the community, Quentin Vaquette, managing director of ENGIE Factory Asia-Pacific said: “We believe that entrepreneurs will play a pivotal role in driving the energy transition toward renewable and sustainable sources. This collaboration represents a platform for nurturing talents who are tackling massive challenges in the future of energy and smart city.”

Dr Alex Lin, interim chief executive officer of NTUitive, echoed the same sentiment.

“Innovation Challenges are an excellent avenue that exposes students to realistic business problems. Working with industry mentors, business owners, and multi-disciplinary peers, students gain deeper insights into the issues and discover possible solutions,” he said. “The ENGIE x NTU Innovation Challenge doesn’t just find a solution to the problem, it enables ENGIE to discover talents, and allows students to learn outside the standard curriculum.”

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Called Fitbit Flow, the automatic resuscitator has obtained Emergency Use Authorization for the US Food & Drug Authorization. The newly-designed Fitbit Flow is inspired by the MIT E-Vent Design Toolbox and based on specifications for Rapidly Manufactured Ventilation Systems.  Fitbit hopes the new device to help alleviate the global demand for ventilators.

“COVID-19 has challenged all of us to push the boundaries of innovation and creativity, and use everything at our disposal to more rapidly develop products that support patients and the health care systems caring for them,” said James Park, co-founder and CEO of Fitbit. “We saw an opportunity to rally our expertise in advanced sensor development, manufacturing, and our global supply chain to address the critical and ongoing need for ventilators and help make a difference in the global fight against this virus.”

During development and testing, Fitbit consulted with Oregon Health & Science University emergency medicine clinicians caring for COVID-19 patients at OHSU Hospital and worked with the Mass General Brigham Center for COVID Innovation working group on the design to meet the needs of practitioners.

“Fitbit Flow is a great example of the incredible innovation that emerges when academia and industry employ problem-based innovation to respond quickly to an important need. COVID-19 is a new illness and we still have much to learn about the progression, treatment, and potential recurrence of this disease. It’s critical that we develop solutions that can help ensure our health systems have the equipment they need now, and in the future if we do see a resurgence of COVID-19,” said David Sheridan,MD, MCR, assistant professor of Pediatric Emergency Medicine and co-director of Emergency Clinical Innovation Oregon Health & Science University.

Reduce strain on healthcare staff

Fitbit Flow builds on standard resuscitator bags, like those used by paramedics, with sophisticated instruments, sensors, and alarms that work together to support automated compressions and patient monitoring.

The device is designed to be intuitive and simple to use, potentially helping to reduce the strain on specialised staff who are typically needed to operate a commercial ventilator. Other similar emergency ventilators vary in the combination of features they offer, but Fitbit believes that none delivers all of the attributes of its device at the same lower price range.

Fitbit aims to leverage the company’s vast infrastructure and manufacturing capabilities that currently produces millions of Fitbit devices per year to produce large volumes of these emergency devices quickly. The goal is to supply these devices to health care systems around the world that do not have a sufficient number of traditional commercial ventilators. Fitbit Flow is designed to be used only when a traditional commercial ventilator is not available.

Fitbit is in talks with state and federal agencies to understand current domestic needs for emergency ventilators and plans to work with U.S. and global aid organisations as well, both today and ahead of any future waves of the virus.

According to the New England Journal of Medicine, “U.S. hospitals are already reporting shortages of key equipment needed to care for critically ill patients, including ventilators and personal protective equipment (PPE) for medical staff. Current estimates of the number of ventilators in the United States range from 60,000 to 160,000. No matter which estimate we use, there are not enough ventilators for patients with COVID-19 in the upcoming months.”

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"We are very pleased to see Exosite technologies deployed broadly across the healthcare marketplace," said Hans Rempel, CEO, Exosite. "I'm confident that our mature technologies will contribute significantly to West's digital transformation initiatives, and I look forward to the collaboration between our organizations in the coming years."

Going forward, Exosite will provide support for West’s Digital Technology Center and other regional customers through its teams in both Taiwan and Minneapolis. As an organisation, Exosite will continue to expand its zero-barrier IIoT applications, like ExoSense and ExoHome, and its off-the-shelf vertical solutions offering best-in-class features that enable organisations to quickly deploy connected solutions.

Exosite has been working with the world’s leading manufacturers with IoT technology and solutions that accelerate connected-product development and support a digital strategy for long-term success.

Exosite’s technologies have been validated in highly regulated markets similar to West Pharmaceutical’s and deployed in a variety of public and private cloud environments. These proven technologies help companies like West Pharmaceutical provide new value to customers and stakeholders through digital monitoring and innovation.

The post Exosite licenses IIoT technology to West Pharmaceutical appeared first on FutureIoT.

The RC143 is an application that will enable contact tracing using the geo-location and sensory capabilities of smartphones. The app will also enable its users to get information on their likely levels of exposure to the virus.

"The app will be a great force-multiplier for the Philippine Red Cross's first responders in our active monitoring and efforts to assist affected persons and many more people and communities at risk," said Philippine Red Cross secretary general Elizabeth Zavalla.

With the user's consent, the PRC app will track movements using the location facility of their mobile phone. This information will go to a data base through which the PRC will be able to determine which individuals have come into contact with COVID-positive cases.

"We have high hopes for RC143, in the hands of many Filipinos, not only to contain the spread of the virus but to actually safeguard us in our certain but slow and cautious return to normal social and economic activity," said Zavalla.

100K free text messages

Local mobile operator Smart is enabling its subscribers to download and use the mobile app free of data charges. Furthermore, an SMS broadcasting service has also been provided to the Philippine Red Cross by Soprano Design to strengthen their messaging capabilities and information dissemination programs.

"Data is an important weapon in the fight against COVID-19. RC143 can gather information that will help individuals protect themselves and also help health authorities take more effective action to control and defeat this pandemic. This is why we at PLDT and Smart are supporting the Philippine Red Cross in this initiative," said Alfredo S. Panlilio, president and CEO of Smart Communications and chief revenue officer of PLDT.

The Smart Messaging Suite, powered by Soprano, will provide Red Cross 100,000 free text messages per month to strengthen their messaging capabilities to their constituents and other organizations to augment their communications efforts.

Part of the “bayanihan" efforts

The service delivered by the contact tracing app  is another addition to the collective "bayanihan" efforts of the PLDT group and the MVP Group of companies in assisting government agencies and non-governmental organisations in their efforts to control the spread of the virus and assist the general public amid the ECQ challenges.

Kirt Ugas, business development manager for the Philippines at Soprano Design, is pleased to provide enterprise messaging services to support PLDT and Smart in their Covid-19 response efforts.

“The current situation is unprecedented, and we applaud the incredible efforts of all frontline responders, who are going above and beyond to fight this pandemic,” he said.

With more than 100 million mobile phone subscribers, SMS is still used as the primary mobile service in The Philippines.

“We are aware of the role technology players like us play in the current situation, and hope our messaging services will help alleviate some of the pressures on their communications efforts,” Ugas said.

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The Singapore headquartered digital health company has recently received an HK$500k grant from Cyberport, a digital community supported by the Hong Kong government to develop a tech ecosystem for driving digital adoption in the public and private sectors.

The Cyberport grant enforces MyDoc's position in the market and allows the company to be better connect with local businesses. With the grant, MyDoc is looking to develop its MyDoc Labs initiative in across the region, first starting in Hong Kong.

"There are tremendous opportunities for the development of digital health innovation and services in Hong Kong, especially in the Greater Bay Area. With Cyberport, we would be able to take a more proactive approach in developing the healthcare landscape in Hong Kong, and driving some of the innovations," said Jonathan Linstow, general manager of MyDoc's Hong Kong operations.

MyDoc Labs is an innovation programme develop by MyDoc to take advantage of the latest technologies and drive practical innovations in healthcare through governments and large industry partnerships. The partnership with Cyberport enables MyDoc to take advantage of Cyberport's 5G infrastructure, which is a unique offering by Cyberport as compared to other accelerators.

"We see a future of healthtech that is deeply integrated into daily life, especially in the field of wearables and IoT devices. Through the use of these technologies, doctors would be able to make informed decisions through remote monitoring in multiple chronic conditions and provide better care for the patients," said Dr.Vas Metupalle, chief information officer and co-founder of MyDoc.

Under MyDoc Labs, the company is looking to develop advanced healthcare capabilities such as at-home monitoring, at-home rehabilitation, therapy using AR technology, as well as incorporating technologies such as visual AI, VR, biometrics, into their workflow for better chronic disease management.

Currently, the company is working with a regional telco partner in both Hong Kong and Thailand to scale-out MyDoc Labs across the region.

The post MyDoc eyes 5G healthtech in APAC with Cyberport grant appeared first on FutureIoT.

Engineers need to deal with the complexities of electromagnetic compliance  (EMC) requirements because of the side effects of closely spaced electronic devices. They must evaluate their designs for quality and functional safety by meeting or exceeding regulations.

To accelerate EMC testing that produces accurate and repeatable results, Keysight Technologies has opened a new Regulatory Test Laboratory in Penang, Malaysia to deliver accredited EMC testing services for manufacturers of electronic devices and mission-critical industries across wireless communications, IIoT, automotive, healthcare and medical applications.

“On average, 40% of first-time compliance tests fail. The failure to pass a compliance test causes a minimum delay of three to four weeks. With our EMC Test Lab and EMC test experts, companies can jump-start their schedule by validating their EUT (equipment under test)  to standards and

regulations earlier in the design process. Our experts know why and how to make measurements.” Said Niels Faché, vice president of Service Portfolio, Global Services at Keysight. "Keysight's compliance and testing laboratories around the world and now in Asia, offer expertise and emerging technologies that can help our customers validate designs and accelerate time to production."

Ambient-free measurement environment

Located in Malaysia’s high-tech industry centre, the Regulatory Test Lab in Penang joined similar testing facilities operated by Keysight in California in the US and in Boelingen, Germany.

The new testing facility is equipped with a state-of-the-art 10-metre semi-anechoic chamber, which

provides an ambient-free measurement environment with a dual-antenna system. The fully automated door allows easy access to bring larger products and even vehicles inside the chamber.

The facility also uses CISP- compliant highspeed PXE with time-domain scan functionality and state-of-the-art software, providing fast, accurate testing. Furthermore, it generates fast and accurate automated test reports, which  is in contrast with 90% of test houses that struggle to generate good-quality test report, according to Keysight. Engineers often spend up to two months finalising the report after completing a test.

Other benefits that the Regulatory Test Laboratory deliver, include:

• Engineers and technicians who can review EMC test plans, testing and standard operating procedures, to help ensure that testing is performed correctly the first time.
• Tailored testing solutions to help customers meet deadlines with state-of-the-art software automation that enhances process efficiency, analyses results and reduces testing cycles, resulting in reduced test costs.
• Proven technologies that help ensure equipment conforms to regulations and standards with pre-compliance/compliance testing and certifications.

"We are committed to helping customers with our comprehensive solutions, even during difficult times," said Gooi Soon Chai, president of Keysight's electronic industrial solutions group "We recognise that COVID-19 is creating a variety of challenges for existing and new manufacturing customers, and believe that this facility, and the myriad of services it can provide, will support these customers through even the most demanding situations."

As a technology company, Keysight’s target market includes engineering companies, enterprises, mobile network operators, and governments. The company claimed all 25 of the top technology companies use its solutions.

In wireless, it was one of the first to market 5G solutions, demonstrate 5G data rates greater than 4 Gbps over the air, offer narrowband IoT test solutions, and enable International Mobile Telecommunications-2020 progression. For its cloud and data centre customers, Keysight has developed a comprehensive public and private cloud visibility solutions.

Keysight is a leader in the areas of automotive and IoT, with more than 88 solutions launched since 2015 including e-Call, C-V2X, RTS, cell formation, and charge and discharge. The company’s automotive R&D centres in the United States, Germany, Malaysia, Japan, and China serve customers around the globe.

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In its latest study entitled “The Internet of Things: Consumer, Industrial & Public Services 2020-2024”, the research firm noted that businesses seeking greater resilience in areas including supply chain and asset management, against external factors such as the disruption caused by the global COVID-19 pandemic, will enable the IoT market to overcome the anticipated widespread economic disruption over 2020 and beyond.

It advises that IoT platform providers will need to adjust development strategies to capitalise on this growth, or risk losing market share to competitors. It pointed out  technologies that enable the seamless integration of IoT technologies into existing infrastructure will be crucial to attracting high-value IoT users.

The study highlighted It highlights RSP (Remote SIM Provisioning) as a key technology that will alleviate distribution and implementation disruption during the pandemic. RSP enables IoT devices to be remotely connected to IoT platforms after deployment. This approach is beneficial as it minimises human interactions and reduces the time needed to deploy IoT devices.

Meanwhile, analysts at Forrester Research said that connected solutions are proving their worth in today’s crisis, making them a critical part of the organisation’s near-term technology roadmap.

Sensors connected to IoT help employers monitor the health and well-being of their staff. Furthermore,  IoT also monitors the condition of machines and the built environment, giving field service leaders the tools to optimise their use of a diminished workforce.

“Now is the time to accelerate successful pilots and proofs of concept into production, but it may not be the time to start entirely new activity in this area,” Forrester said.

Last month, Forrester Research told FutureIoT that healthcare technologies will be a greater priority among IoT service providers once the disruptions caused by the COVID-19 die down.

“The crisis has triggered a lot of ideas and solutions, however there was simply no time to look at a more strategic approach for both the technologies and the processes. This will be the focus of governments, health care providers, and others, once the acute crisis is behind us,” Achim Granzen, principal analyst at Forrester, had said.

In its latest study, Juniper Research likewise sees that the COVId-19 pandemic will kickstart IoT adoption in the healthcare industry.  It points out that he strain on healthcare systems caused by the crisis has brought into focus the potential efficiency benefits that can be gained from remote monitoring in healthcare.

The sector has been historically slow to integrate IoT technologies into its ecosystem, however, the research anticipates that the continuing pandemic will drive the adoption of remote monitoring to minimise public interactions.

“Telemedicine has consistently failed to meet market expectations. However, when it is used in tandem with connected healthcare devices, it has the potential to transform a significant proportion of physical healthcare interactions into remote interactions; relieving pressure on badly stretched healthcare systems,” said research co-author Sam Barker.

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Leveraging its existing ecosystem of investors, pharma and service companies, SmartLabs will accelerate fundraising and clinical development for promising Taiwanese startups, including two companies focused on the detection of novel coronavirus.

“Taiwan has abundant research and development resources and maintains one of the world's most comprehensive healthcare systems, which makes it a natural location for our first investment in the Asian life science and biotech industry. Since our inception, SmartLabs has helped companies minimise administrative and logistical hurdles by providing turnkey laboratory space that allows them to focus on the work that matters, scientific discovery. This expertise uniquely positions us to advise and help connect Taiwan’s startups to businesses worldwide. By investing in promising Taiwanese startups, we can foster partnerships that help to commercialise products in the United States and around the globe,” said Seth Taylor, CBO and CFO of SmartLabs.

Taiwanese biomedical startups tap IoT

The Department of Academia-Industry Collaboration and Science Park Affairs will carefully select biomedical innovation teams to participate in the Global Launch Program. The program is open to any promising life sciences startup. SmartLabs has already identified two participants with technologies potentially suited for the detection of novel coronaviruses.

• Hawk Scientific’s qPCR nucleic acid detection technologies, such as the portable diagnostic suitcase and the handheld IoT reader with lateral flow strip tests, are designed for emerging pathogen outbreaks and animal diseases for on-site detection. At present, each machine can complete 300 nucleic acid tests in one hour. Both detection systems could apply in rapid COVID-19 virus screening and identification.
• Instant NanoBiosensors uses nano-fiber particles to develop nano-biosensors. Its state-of-the-art fiber optic particle plasmon resonance (FOPPR) technology offers instant and accurate results for a wide range of detection applications, including medical diagnostics and possible early detection of the virus SARS-CoV-2. Using Instant NanoBiosensors technology, diagnostic time has been drastically reduced from 3 hours to minutes.

Through its new Taiwan office, SmartLabs will assist both Hawk Scientific and Instant NanoBiosensors in navigating accelerated commercialisation processes and FDA testing in an attempt to mitigate current and future global epidemics.

Through the Global Launch Program, the startups will have access to training, mentorship and residency in SmartLabs’ leading, adaptable lab spaces. The three-month curriculum will include guidance on creating a business plan, engaging in fundraising and partnerships, developing intellectual property, and conducting product launches while navigating regulatory environments. Following the initial stages of learning and development, the teams will have access to SmartLabs' facilities and operations across Massachusetts, enabling companies to quickly scale and enter the international market.

In addition to the curriculum provided by SmartLabs, the company will also serve as a strategic partner for the startups. SmartLabs will help to drive global opportunities for the selected biotechs, providing:

• Guidance on business development and partnering with venture investors
• Access to SmartLabs' facilities and operations across Massachusetts, enabling companies to quickly scale and build a U.S. presence
• Counsel on recruiting and managing board of directors and management teams that drive strategic growth

“SmartLabs’ whole model is rooted in accelerating businesses and creating time savings. They are more than a typical incubator with lab space, their program allowed us to meaningfully accelerate our efforts and achieve key objectives in less time,” said Andrew Allen, the CEO of Gritstone Oncology.

The post SmartLabs launches new global accelerator in Taiwan appeared first on FutureIoT.

Both companies have collaborated to deliver the iDOCWATCH wearable with its corresponding mobile app IDOC Easy Track, which will be made available as part of EasyCare services – specifically in between the annual and  annual chronic disease screening for corporate clients.  The device will first be released for non-clinical use for example health promotion, fitness tracking and health coaching.

The iDOCWATCH will be available from May 2020 at  the online retail platform iDOC ePharmacy iDOC Clinics in Hougang and Jurong West.  The iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard will be rolled out in phases starting with non-clinical uses such as with gyms, health coaches and fitness instructors before deployment for research and clinical use.

The wearable is designed for continuous monitoring of the user’s health by collecting and analysing essential health data that are sent to the iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard. The app  provides a comprehensive visualisation of the individual's health markers and other critical data, empowering users to stay on top of their own health from practically anywhere.

As part of its services, EasyCare conducts annual or biannual chronic disease screening for corporate clients. In between screenings, the iDOCWATCH together with mobile app iDOC Easy Track, will be made available to individuals to enable continuous monitoring of their health by collecting and analysing essential health data from the user to be sent to the iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard, which aims to improve health and fitness amongst users. The app also provides a comprehensive visualisation of the individual's health markers and other critical data, empowering users to stay on top of their own health from practically anywhere

"Our partnership with KaHa is an important first step to lead our fitness and healthcare ecosystem venturing into remote monitoring technologies. This remote monitoring solution leverages a natural synergy between our services and wearable technology,” said Dr. Poh Pei Ghim, chief operating O0fficer of EasyCare. “iDOC will be able to upgrade its AI and data analytics capabilities with the additional input from wearables. I would be keen to share our current anonymised data to interested medical professionals, assist in reproducing the data, and advance the uptake and implementation of medical wearables in the healthcare setting locally."

Powered by KaHa’s IoT platform

The iDOC Remote Monitoring Solution consists of the iDOCWATCH, iDOC Easy Track and the iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard, and is powered by COVE, KaHa's proprietary IoT platform. The solution encourages health awareness, enabling individuals to take greater control of their health choices in a way suitable for them. For iDOC and its partners, this solution gives health and fitness advisors the ability to make informed choices when formulating treatment plans and early intervention.

With the iDOC Remote Monitoring Dashboard, a health or fitness advisor will at a glance, have the requisite information about the user's health, including activity level, sleep quality, blood pressure, heart rate and more. Specific health parameters and thresholds can be set for individual users, and the health or fitness advisor will receive alerts and notifications when a user exceeds a prescribed threshold, such as a custom-set blood pressure level individualised to the selected user.

“Extending our platform to the healthcare space was a natural evolution for KaHa, and telemedicine is an emerging space that is hugely exciting, as it brings unparalleled levels of convenience and solutions to both patients and doctors. Using AI and data-driven decision making, wearable tech stands to play a pivotal role in healthcare management. Wearable tech in healthcare can also support and protect healthcare workers in the ongoing battle against COVID-19,” said Pawan Gandhi, founder and CEO of KaHa.

Embracing technology in healthcare will benefit patients and healthcare workers. The iDOC Remote Monitoring Solution can bring a bevy of benefits including efficiency and safety by reducing contact in times of an infectious disease outbreak. It can potentially serve as a first line of screening for the public, help reduce the risk to healthcare providers and enable doctors and nurses to prioritise patients requiring critical care.

Not only is it expected to radically improve preventive healthcare management, the iDOC Remote Monitoring Solution will in the future, allow doctors to access information that may otherwise be unavailable, such as blood pressure and heart rate trending and variability.  Health information can provide more useful insights into a patient's state of health, as compared to data collected in a controlled and clinical setting. It may also eliminate the incidence of 'white coat syndrome', a phenomenon observed in clinical settings where patients exhibit blood pressure readings that are higher than normal due to anxiety.

As an end-to-end IoT platform company with a multitude of smart wearable devices filling an array of use cases, KaHa will in the near future integrate more of their devices into the iDOC Remote Monitoring Solution, including a smart fitness t-shirt, an electrocardiogram (ECG) fitness tracker and a body temperature monitoring fitness tracker.

The post EasyCare and KaHa forge ehealth pact in SG appeared first on FutureIoT.

The device uses Microsoft technology and camera equipment that continuously scans people. It immediately alerts first-line staff when problems are detected so they can stop potentially infected individuals.

“We have collaborated with Microsoft Taiwan to deploy AI masks and infra-red (IR) temperature 2-in-1 detection device,”  said the hospital administration vice superintendent Liao Mao-Hung.“With the deployment of Microsoft AI technology, we can effectively and quickly detect whether hospital personnel are wearing masks or have abnormal body temperatures that need to be addressed in a timely way. It not only improves the efficiency of epidemic prevention, but it also reduces the work burden of front-line personnel, so that limited human resources can be used more effectively.”

Deployed in two weeks

The 2-in-1 detection device employs artificial intelligence (AI), the intelligent edge, and the cloud to help protect the hospital’s patients and staff from the outside spread of COVID-19.

Daniel Li, Microsoft Taiwan Azure Business Group Lead, said a Microsoft team pre-emptively started design work in early February, weeks before COVID-19 was declared as a global pandemic.

“Within two weeks, we developed the solution on Microsoft Azure and – together with local Internet of Things (IoT) partners – were able to launch the 2-in-1 device,” Li said. “We look forward to helping Taiwan’s medical intuitions, enterprises, and society to work together to go through this difficult time.”

The AI mask and IR temperature detection system is built with Microsoft Azure Cognitive Services. It empowers an organisation’s IT staff to build modules around their proprietary databases quickly and also to deploy trained AI models to an IoT Edge module for real-time image analysis via Power BI.

In addition, system alerts are available through Azure Bot services to notify authorities immediately about real-time monitoring.

Yonghe Cardinal Hospital was the first customer to deploy the solution. Since then, Microsoft Taiwan and its local partners have received inquiries from many other organisations.

“We hope that through this collaboration, we can mitigate the demand gap for Taiwan’s medical industry. We are also exploring more intelligent cloud solutions to empower Taiwan’s medical ecosystem and help society to achieve more,” Li said.

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Traditional quarantine methods, including camera usage, door sealing and locking, are limited in effectiveness and typically unable to effectively monitor the status of building exits and entrances. Additionally, these methods require frequent manual inspection, which increases labour costs and exposes maintenance workers to contact with isolated persons. LoRa-based solutions bring real-time insight into quarantined buildings and replace manual processes.

To help China’s quarantine measures, Semtech Corporation, together with several of its leading customers, including CIAAIoT, EasyLinkin, IOCA, RisingHF, and Winext Technology, have integrated Semtech’s LoRa devices and the LoRaWAN protocol with cloud-based platforms developed by Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud, to deploy smarter Internet of Things (IoT)-based monitoring applications for residents in quarantine scenarios.

These solutions provide healthcare workers with data and insight into community health, allowing more optimised workflows for the distribution of efficient healthcare services during the ongoing Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak.

"Smarter technologies and IoT applications play an important role in providing high quality health services during COVID-19. Semtech’s LoRa devices and LoRaWAN protocol provide an easy to use and deploy solution to quickly connect systems and provide optimised, effective healthcare in communities,” said Mike Wong, vice president of China sales for Semtech.

CIAAIoT and EasyLinkin integrated LoRa-based magnetic door sensors with Alibaba Cloud's Cloud-based application development platform and services to create a “smart doorkeeper” solution for efficient building monitoring. IOCA, RisingHF, Winext Technology, and other leading LoRa-based device manufacturers collaborated with Tencent Cloud to leverage its LoRa-based door sensors in a new cloud-based door seal monitoring solution.

These products have successfully been deployed into the residential communities of China’s Hubei province, as well as Chengdu, Hangzhou, Nanjing, Shanghai, Shenzhen, and Zhengzhou.

Both Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud’s Cloud-based monitoring solutions are comprised of a LoRa-based gateway and connected door sensor, and immediately begin the transmission of accurate door use data upon deployment. These LoRa-based applications offer the following features:

• Simple and easy installation, connecting instantly to a network
• LoRaWAN-based connectivity with long range transmission and deep signal penetration
• Low power consumption
• Consistent and reliable 24/7 remote operation, management and maintenance
• Real-time reporting of building access changes, reducing the need for manual inspection and increasing management efficiency
• Simple integration with temperature and humidity sensors, smoke and fire alarms, as well as other smart building applications

Data collected from the LoRa-based solutions is easily viewable on Alibaba Cloud or Tencent Cloud’s cloud-based platforms for trend analysis and insight into quarantine effectiveness, as well as enabling the optimisation of personnel management. In addition to quarantine monitoring, Alibaba Cloud and Tencent Cloud’s solutions offer the capabilities to deploy in shopping mall security, hospital patient care, child safety protection, and other scenarios to monitor the status of door and window use in real time.

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This includes Interlink's patented Ring Sensor, a touch-operated, wheel-shaped sensor used in non-invasive ventilators that assist COVID-19 patients experiencing respiratory distress. The sensors are designed to be operated by users wearing gloves, and can also withstand quick deep cleanings -- both ideal features for any hospital or medical environment.

As COVID-19 attacks the respiratory system particularly aggressively, healthcare providers are in desperate need of more ventilators to assist patients who have trouble breathing. Global manufacturers are working around the clock to make as many ventilators as possible, and Interlink rapidly responded to increased demand by quadrupling the production of its Ring Sensor components. Interlink is structured to handle a sudden increase in output thanks to its agile manufacturing operation, a multi-disciplinary engineering team, and distribution facilities placed strategically around the globe.

"The extreme threat posed by the COVID-19 pandemic demands an equally extreme response from our healthcare services. As the virus spreads across the globe, it is vital for hospitals and doctors to have access to the equipment they need to save lives. The dire nature of this situation is evidenced by the conditions in the hardest-hit areas around the world, where shortages of the device have forced doctors to make life-or-death decisions about whom should receive ventilator treatment," says Steven Bronson, president and chief executive officer of Interlink. "To avoid similar situations in the future, we need to make sure that everyone has access to the lifesaving devices they need, and Interlink is committed to playing its part. I urge other manufacturers around the world to join Interlink in stepping up production to support this effort."

The sanitary benefit of gloved operation makes all of Interlink's FSR-based HMI technologies effective in curbing the spread of disease, particularly among frontline healthcare workers, who are already facing increased exposure due to a shortage of personal protective equipment (PPE).

"To minimise the human toll of COVID-19, we must do everything we can to immediately fill the critical gap between the supply of lifesaving equipment and the rapidly expanding need for it," said Dr. Albert Lu, chief technology officer of Interlink Electronics. "The unique properties of our sensing devices and technology platforms—such as gloved operation, resistance to fluid exposure, and the ability to be deep cleaned quickly—make them ideal for broad-based implementation in mitigating the spread of the disease."

All of Interlink's products are made to the highest quality standards at its in-house manufacturing facility, which is certified to adhere to ISO-90001 manufacturing standards and ISO-13485 medical standards.

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“With the new infrared LoRa-based temperature sensors, cities are able to provide better health monitoring and services to communities. Health officials will be able to monitor people’s temperature and if needed, escalate to provide immediate healthcare to individuals who are in need,” said Alex Wu, president of Polysense.

Based in Silicon Valley, Polysense has operational and R&D presence in China, including Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.

The global community is increasingly turning to Internet of Things (IoT) technologies to help countries and cities provide better community services to its population. IoT solutions with flexible, long range capabilities allow the healthcare industry to develop applications that optimize hospital, patient care and public health workflows through reliable and accurate data monitoring.

Polysense offers its new LoRa-based human temperature monitoring products in two variants. A wireless sensor for individual use, the WxS x800-IRTM, which leverages thermal sensing technologies and embedded LoRa devices to consistently monitor patient temperature in real time. The sensor utilises connectivity based on the LoRaWAN protocol to communicate temperature data to Cloud-based applications for trend analysis. Alerts are pushed to mobile devices if temperature thresholds are exceeded, allowing the patient to limit exposure to others and seek medical attention. Polysense’s WxS x810-IRTMS is a standalone thermal meter for use in public spaces. This product enables public health officials to efficiently and reliably monitor populations on public transportation, at airports, railway stations, schools, shopping centres, and large building entrances. Deployment of the WxS x810-IRTMS takes place in less than five minutes, allowing immediate temperature screening and enhanced public safety.

“LoRa devices accelerate product development and enable the deployment of solutions to quickly address customers’ needs. Polysense’s thermal temperature monitoring applications serve as an example of how LoRa-based IoT solutions can provide immediate insights that help communities and healthcare providers better address the Covid-19 crisis,” said Marc Pegulu, vice president of IoT for Semtech’s Wireless and Sensing Products Group.

Polysense’s LoRa-enabled WxS x800-IRTM and WxS x810-IRTMS are in production and available to order immediately, with the government of Italy recently purchasing five kits to aid in its COVID-19 containment efforts.

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The SEC is a smartphone attachment that serves the function of a conventional slit-lamp microscope and able to record the ophthalmological images and videos to help make a diagnosis online. SEC makes it possible diagnose diseases in the eyelids, conjunctiva, cornea, anterior chamber, iris, cystal lens and anterior vitreus due to its portable slit-lamp. The device is comparable to that of professional grade slit-lamp microscope.

The SEC passed one of the world’s toughest regulations to get approval as a medical device in Japan. The SEC is manufactured and distributed by OUI Inc.  And now, it has become the first Japanese-made medical device recognised by the IAPB.

The IAPB Standard List / Valued Supplier List is a platform managed by IAPB to source and compare eye health products and technologies for eye care professionals to identify and purchase high-quality eye care equipment at the right price. The List provides only products carefully evaluated by IAPB.

Pilot test in rural Malawi

In December last year, OUI Inc. sent a mission to  Africa for the first time to undertake the pilot test of the SEC in public eye clinics for rural residents in Malawi.

About  85% of the population in the country lives in remote, rural communities that are far from the country’s few eye health centres. Also, it is estimated that about 36,000 people in Malawi are suffering from blindness, with half caused by cataracts.

“With the great cooperation of our local partner, Blantyre Institute for Community Outreach (BICO), which have dedicated themselves for the prevention and control of the blindness of the rural residents with severe difficulty in access to the eye health services, we visited two clinics located in Zomba and Chikwawa, where the local doctors/medical staffs diagnosed more than 50 patients through SEC,” said Shintaro Nakayama, vice president for global business at OUI Inc.

The OUI mission team received positive feedback from the pilot test, with field doctors enumerating three potential use cases for the SEC medical device:

1. Eye camp for cataract surgeries

SEC possibly could achieve tremendous efficiency in outreach to identify the potential patients for eye camp for cataract surgeries. Also, it could achieve higher efficiency in diagnosis for post-surgeries of eye-camp for cataract surgeries.

2. Diagnosis in rural eye clinics with frequent blackout

In the rural clinics they suffer from frequent blackout of electricity where the existing slit-lamp microscope cannot be used. (Not many rural clinics have installed generator.) Even under such condition, doctors can keep on undertaking diagnosis through slit-lamp through SEC.

3. Training for young/less-experienced doctors/medical staffs

Making it possible to share the same vision together, SEC could work well for training scenes for young/less-experienced ophthalmologists/paramedics.

“We are very happy and excited to be able to confirm the strong potential of SEC for improving the operational efficiency and quality of the medical services for rural residents suffering from serious eye disease,” Nakayama said. “Bringing back with lots of insights and feedback, we go forward to make a difference on the medical services in rural areas in developing countries through our products.”

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To help solve this challenge, Ping An Smart Healthcare launched on February 18 a smart audio screening system for COVID-19 to strengthen epidemic control and prevention with artificial intelligence (AI) technology. Ping An Smart Healthcare is a subsidiary Ping An International Smart City Technology under the Ping An Insurance Group.

To date, the smart audio screening system has completed over 580,000 screenings in 47,000 households in 17 communities in Wuhan, and successfully identified more than 1,600 suspected cases for tracking.

"Preventing and controlling an epidemic is like racing with the virus. Ping An's COVID-19 smart audio screening system can effectively strengthen the ability to prevent and control the epidemic, resulting in higher efficiency and smarter management. As a result, epidemic prevention personnel can focus their time and efforts on more important tasks," said Geoff Kau, Co-President and Chief Strategy Officer of Ping An Smart City.

Putting AI robots to work

The smart audio screening system has capacity for up to 3,000 AI robots working at the same time. Each AI robot can handle up to 500 auto call screenings per day, a total of 1.5 million daily. On launch day, the system screened more than 1,200 households in Wuhan, categorising and reporting information such as body temperature and symptoms to the related authority. It took five minutes in total to complete all the 1,200 calls including second attempts in case they failed in their first attempts.

Ping An's COVID-19 system applies one of the most sophisticated technologies in AI, Natural Language Processing Technology (NLP). The system can activate automated dialogue according to programmed questions, understand the semantic meaning of the conversation, structure and categorise the results for risk assessment, and report to the epidemic prevention and control management team, who can then accurately track the residents with suspected symptoms.

The smart audio screening system is one of two new systems that Ping An Smart Healthcare developed as the COVID-19 epidemic in Wuhan reached a critical stage. While the smart audio screening system helped in the triage of COVID-19 patients, the smart image-reading system helps medical frontliners in the early detection of the diseases by allowing radiologist to read CT-scan images taken from patients. The system can generate smart analysis results in around 15 seconds, with an accuracy rate above 90%.

Also released in February, the AI-based smart-image reading system image has provided services to more than 1,500 medical institutions. More than 5,000 patients have received smart image-reading services for free.

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The VHP Robot is created from a joint project of MTR and Avalon Biomedical, a Hong Kong biotechnology company.

By automatically spraying hydrogen peroxide solution that is atomised to a specific concentration, the VHP Robot ensures that disinfectants penetrate in the small gaps that are difficult to reach during normal cleaning work. In this way, it can eliminate viruses and bacteria, including staphylococcus aureus, Escherichia coli and so on. The effectiveness of the VHP Robot has passed relevant tests and achieved the desired results.

“We fully understand our passengers’ concerns about hygiene in their travelling environment, especially amid the current COVID-19 outbreak,” said Dr Tony Lee, operations director of MTR Corporation. “While MTR has comprehensively strengthened cleaning and disinfection work in the railway network, we have also continued to actively explore feasible enhancements.”

Automated deep cleaning

When there is a need to conduct disinfection, an MTR staff can pre-set the VHP Robot to operate automatically by pre-setting the floor plan of the designated area, or remotely control the robot manually with a mobile device within a distance of 20 metres.

In general, it takes about 4 hours to complete the cleaning of an 8-car train in automatic mode. If there is a special situation, such as a passenger vomiting on a train, MTR staff will deploy the VHP Robot to perform deep cleaning on top of the regular cleaning with diluted bleach water.

Recently, the robot was dispatched to disinfect the back-of-house area at Mong Kok East Station, including staff changing rooms, staff toilets and mess room, as well as the passenger lifts at the station after an MTR employee there was diagnosed with COVID-19.

“We plan to deploy a total of 20 VHP robots for train cleaning in depots and hope this helps to ensure the comfort of passengers’ journeys by providing ever greater health protection for our colleagues and

our customers alike. We are very happy to be collaborating with Avalon and are very encouraged by the results,” said Lee.

Face mask production

Meanwhile, the collaboration between MTR and Avalon also includes the introduction of a dedicated surgical face mask manufacturing facility for MTR, which can produce masks that are capable of blocking PM 2.5 particles with nanofibre technology developed by experts of Hong Kong Polytechnic University.

The manufacturing facility has been delivered to MTR and the setting up of a clean production room is underway. Production is expected to start in the second half of this year at the earliest, and the ultimate production rate should meet the daily consumption rate of MTR staff.

“As MTR staff will wear face mask when they carry out customer-facing duties during the current epidemic, the production can help ensure its smooth operations with stable supply of face masks,” said Dr Lee.

Furthermore, MTR and Avalon are also testing the use of air filters made by nano-air filtration technology to further improve the air quality of stations.

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Leveraging on its AI expertise, Ping An Smart Healthcare’s new smart image-reading system could help control the epidemic through earlier diagnosis and treatment, especially on the frontlines.

"Since its launch, the smart image-reading system has provided services to more than 1,500 medical institutions. More than 5,000 patients have received smart image-reading services for free. The system can generate smart analysis results in around 15 seconds, with an accuracy rate above 90%", said Geoff Kau,  co-president and chief strategy officer of Ping An Smart City. By comparison, it usually takes radiologists about 15 minutes to read the CT images of a patient suspected of contracting COVID-19.

The company launched the smart image-reading system on February 19. Ping An Smart Healthcare is affiliated with Ping An Smart City, which is part of  Ping An Insurance (Group) Company of China.

Closing the gap in COVID-19 detection and treatment

As COVID-19 is a new disease, medical institutions, especially at the primary level in China, lack diagnosis experience, according to Ping An Healthcare.  The Nucleic Acid Test (NAT) had been regarded as the major reference for COVID-19 diagnoses. But as the epidemic continues to spread, the NAT has had several problems, including long detection times and a high proportion of false negative cases. This resulted in some patients missing the chance for early treatment or quarantine.

The company said Computed Tomography (CT) images is being used by many doctors for diagnosis, but the lack of radiologists in the epidemic areas to review the volume of CT images is a major challenge.  Ping An's COVID-19 smart image-reading system aims to close the gap.

Ping An Smart Healthcare used clinical data to train the AI model of the COVID-19 smart image-reading system. The AI analysis engine can conduct a comparative analysis of multiple CT scan images of the same patient and measure the changes in lesions. It helps doctors to track the development of the disease, evaluate the treatment and have prognosis of patients, ultimately it assists doctors to diagnose, triage and evaluate COVID-19 patients swiftly and effectively. Ping An Smart Healthcare's COVID-19 smart image-reading system also supports AI image-reading remotely by medical professionals outside the epidemic areas.

Medical institutions that require COVID-19 smart image-reading services can also gain access on public or private cloud platforms or on premises. At the same time, the public or private cloud platforms support storing and sharing electronic film. The smart image-reading system can also be quickly transplanted to CT equipment with the help of manufacturers to assist diagnosing the COVID-19.

“Patients with COVID-19 need multiple CT scans during the treatment. Comparing multiple images is a time-consuming task and it cannot be accurately completed manually. Utilizing Ping An Smart Healthcare's COVID-19 smart image-reading system, it can effectively improve the diagnostic accuracy and the doctor's image-reading efficiency,” said Dr. Xiao Jing, chief scientist at Ping An.

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According to the latest report by Frost & Sullivan entitled “Growth Opportunities in the Global 5G Chipset (ICs) and Devices Market, Forecast to 2025”, 5G chipset suppliers will leverage growth from verticals such as automotive, healthcare, industrial IoT and retail to grow the market to US$27.8 billion in 2025 at a CAGR of nearly 60%. Currently, the 5G chipset market recorded a total revenue of US$1.6 billion in 2019.

According to market research firm, smartphones are a major revenue contributor for 5G chipsets, accounting for a 35.4% share of the total 5G chipset market in 2019, with an estimated revenue of US$595 million. The vertical is expected to grow significantly toward the end of 2020 and early 2021. Revenues from 5G smartphones have been forecast to reach $18.6 billion by 2025, growing at a CAGR of 77.5% from 2019.

"5G smartphone shipments are expected to begin with high-end devices, as announced by leading OEMs. However, volume shipments will gain momentum only from 2021, when mid- and low-end smartphones enter the market," said Prabhu Karunakaran, industry analyst at Frost & Sullivan.

He pointed out that 5G chipset growth will be driven by smartphones and network infrastructure in the first wave of commercialisation.

“However, the market's future growth will expand beyond the traditional markets, as the successful trials in retail, industrial and automotive verticals suggest,” said Karunakaran.

Frost & Sullivan's latest research aims to uncover the potential of 5G-enabling chipsets by providing a thorough understanding of the 5G chipset market.

The research analyses all related market verticals and provides detailed shipment and revenue forecasts through the year 2025 for every segment. The report also identifies the key growth opportunities in the segment and provides strategic recommendations to leverage them.

5G chipset and device manufacturers can also explore the opportunities in:

• Providing a cost-effective solution for the deployment of a high-speed, low-latency network for industrial use.
• Developing automotive-grade reliable devices and networks for autonomous vehicles.
• Focusing on cost-optimized solutions that can process large volumes of data and communicate quickly.
• Improving the AI and ML capabilities in system on chip (SoC) applications.
• Developing power-efficient devices to enable high-volume data processing in real time.

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In Hong Kong, researchers at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) and The Polytechnic University of Hong Kong (PolyU) have developed an automated diagnostic machine that can pathogens for infectious respiratory diseases.

Detection in 40 minutes

A team of researchers from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST) recently invented the  portable 2019-nCoV detection device.  With the latest microfluidic chip technology, the device can detect the virus in just 40 minutes from sampling to testing, compared to the currently-used polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology which takes between 1.5 to 3 hours.

PCR technology is a molecular biotechnology used to amplify specific DNA fragments for the extraction of viral RNA, and the speed of temperature change is the key that determines the efficiency of the DNA’s amplification process, meaning the faster the temperature rises, the shorter the device can come up with a test result.

Unlike conventional large-scale PCR devices which use semiconductor to heat up testing samples, the team led by Prof. WEN Weijia from HKUST’s Department of Physics developed a novel silicon-based micro-heater module for the purpose. The micro-heater, which has lower thermal mass and a better thermal conductivity, could speed up temperature rises to around 30℃ per second from an average of 4-5℃ per second in conventional PCR devices, greatly reducing the detection time.

The detection device uses standard rapid testing tools such as those used for influenza: a quick screen is used to take a sample of the nasal cavity, which is then put into the analyser to determine the result.  Measuring just 33cm long, 32cm wide and 16cm high, the equipment set is light and portable, which is suitable for rapid on-site testing in places such as centres for disease control and prevention, customs, entry-exit inspection and quarantine departments, as well as nursing homes for the elderly.  Each device is equipped with a microfluidic portable PCR analyser, a pre-processing instrument, a bioassay chip and the novel coronavirus nucleic acid detection kits. It can test up to 8 samples simultaneously.

Leveraging on Shenzhen Shineway Technology – a biotechnology startup company co-founded by Prof. Wen and his doctoral graduate Dr. GAO Yibo, the team started this research immediately after obtaining the new coronavirus sequence on January 20 and came up with the testing kit within a week.

The new device is already in use by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDCP) in Shenzhen and Guangzhou, while two more sets were being delivered to the CDCP in Hubei and Nansha.  The device has obtained international CE certification (EU standard) and is qualified for export to all European Union (EU) countries as well as Hong Kong.

Detect up to 40 pathogens in one single test

Similarly, the researchers from PolyU have created what claims to be the world's most comprehensive automated multiplex diagnostic system, which includes a fully automated machine and a multiplex full-screening panel for the point-of-care genetic testing (POCT) of respiratory infectious diseases, including the 2019-nCoV.

"Early and accurate detection of pathogens could contribute to effective and efficient disease control and management, and prevent spreading of any contagious pathogens. It benefits the patients as well because timely therapy can then be applied to prevent complications. The existing challenge is that we lack full panel POCT technologies for early and on-site diagnosis, which should ideally be capable of differentiating between different pathogens at the same time. This newly-developed system could be a practical solution," said PolyU Professor Terence Lau Lok-ting, director of Innovation and Technology Development and adjunct professor at the Department of Applied Biology and Chemical Technology.

Professor Lau has overseen this latest project with the support of HKU Professor Yuen Kwok-yung. Through collaborative efforts, their team has spent the past four years to develop the device. The research team has received indispensable support from a local biotechnology company Avalon Biomedical Management for this project.

In the past year, the team has optimised  it and conducted trials on different clinical samples. In the midst of the 2019-nCoV outbreak, the team has also conducted tests on clinical samples using the device.

In one single test and within approximately one hour, the device can identify 30 to 40 pathogens including seasonal influenza viruses, such as influenza A subtypes H1, H2 and H3, avian influenza viruses H5, H7 and H9, human respiratory syncytial virus, severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS-CoV), Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus (MERS-CoV) and 2019-nCoV.

"This fully automated, quantitative rapid diagnostic platform possesses a proprietary technology which overcomes limitations of existing technologies by ensuring sensitivity – and hence significantly enhancing the reliability of test results. Most importantly, our innovation can substantially reduce the cost of the microfluidic cartridge manufacturing thus making it feasible for wide adoption. It is ready for mass-scale production," said Professor Lau.

Leveraging the current polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technology, the system is fully automated from sample nucleic acid extraction and amplification, to signal detection and analysis. The System adopts patent-pending microfluidic and biochemical technologies that achieve ultra-sensitive detection (down to 5 gene copies) and simultaneous differentiation of various pathogens with extremely high specificity. It is also user-friendly, with manual handling not being required throughout the testing process.

"The device's versatility and capability will provide for comprehensive monitoring during disease outbreaks or routine surveillance,” said Professor Yuen. “It will become a crucial technology for ensuring the effective control of infectious diseases, medical diagnosis, and treatment."

Smart wristbands monitor potential

Meanwhile the Hong Kong Government has deployed smart wristbands to monitor city residents quarantined inside their homes. The government distributed a total of 500 smart wristbands initially, with an additional 1,000 to be produced in the coming days, if needed.

Government Chief Information Officer Victor Lam explained how the smart device works, saying the wristbands are used in conjunction with smartphones and given to people who had been to Wuhan in the past 14 days and need to quarantine at home as a result.

“This smart wristband will work together with the smartphone. So, a signal will be sent, basically exchanged, between the smartphone and the smart wristband.”

Lam said that the smart technology is designed to send an alert if quarantined individuals attempt to leave their homes.

“If the smartphone is disconnected, then an alert will be immediately sent to the Department of Health and Police for follow up,” he added. “And if the wristband is broken, an alert will also be immediately sent to the Department of Health and Police for follow. So, they work as a pair basically.”

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The Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS), provided by DERMALOG, has been in operation since May 2019.

“Our new system has increased the rate of catching criminals at our borders tremendously," says Immigration Bureau chief Sompong Chingduang.

The core of the ABIS solution for the Thailand Immigration Bureau is composed of fingerprint and facial recognition scanners that validates a traveller’s identification by their biometric data. The new system in Thailand takes only 0.1 seconds to identify a person through the entire database by fingerprint and face. It claims to be the world's fastest multi-biometric systems for so-called one-to-many matching.

To date, the ABIS has already checked about 49 million travellers,  and the Thai Immigration Bureau identified more than 4,300 blacklisted persons and about 127,000 people who had violated visa regulations. In addition, 3,166 persons had been arrested for fraud attempts, detected by the biometric system.

According to DERMALOG, its  innovative biometric systems have improved border security in 16 countries globally. In total, more than 240 government agencies in 90 countries are using this latest biometric technology from Germany.

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Some of the engineering challenges that product designers often face include how to choose the right intelligent sensing technology; how to best to integrate hardware system and AI algorithm so that sensory data can be translated into meaningful insights. They also struggle  how to accelerate the engineering design cycle and minimise development costs.

At the recent Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas earlier this month, Arrow Electronics has demonstrated the first healthcare-focused proof-of-concept design incorporating Analog Devices' 3D time-of-flight (ToF) technology, which could help product designers address these challenges.

Powered by intelligent sensing algorithm, the design demonstrates how 3D ToF technology can be deployed to deliver highly accurate, up to nanosecond real-time sensory data for monitoring breathing pattern and small motion detection.

This integrated design will be used by Hubble Connected, an IoT platform that provides connectivity and services to Motorola-branded smart nursery products, to create these intelligent and intuitive nursery products.

"We appreciate Arrow's support in jump-starting our innovation cycle by developing an integrated platform that combines Analog Devices' latest depth-sensing technology, powerful computing module, and intelligent sensing algorithms to enable smarter and more intuitive features for next-generation health monitoring products.  This solution gives room for future custom development within the AI deep learning space," said Feynman Li, CEO of Hubble Connected.

Expanding the use of ToF to a broad range of applications

ToF principle is a method of measuring how long a light signal travels between a sensor and an object.  It creates a depth mapping of objects within the field of view and is a key technology used for developing digital vision, delivering high precision, sub-nanosecond real-time sensory data, overcoming signal disturbance challenges.

In the past, Analog Devices’ 3D depth-sensing technology is primarily used in industrial environments as well as autonomous vehicles and smart city applications, according to Kris Lokere, technical director of the Broad Market at Analog Devices said.

“This high-resolution imaging technology enables contact-free and non-invasive measuring of sensory data regardless of the lighting conditions.  We look forward to working with Arrow to expand the use of ToF to a broad range of applications, including healthcare monitoring,” he said.

CUHK to help on the solution’s AI capability

Collaborating with Arrow Electronics, Professor Guoliang Xing of the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) is the principal researcher for developing the intelligent sensing algorithm for this design.

"We are excited to apply our AI research and development work to power a commercial application.  Sensing technology is key to capturing accurate and ubiquitous data needed for harnessing the power of AI and deep-learning technologies,” he said.

He added that this combined capability provides devices with the ability and intelligence to analyse data, identify hidden patterns, make classifications, and predict future outcomes with improved accuracy overtime."

To accelerate the design development phase, Arrow's engineers worked closely with Hubble Connected and CUHK research team to address various engineering challenges.

"As a global technology company, we are able to aggregate the solution with deep engineering expertise and broad technology portfolio to help innovators such as Hubble Connected create, make and manage complex integration of advanced electronics and AI technologies so that they can focus on their core competence in delivering extraordinary healthcare products into the hands of consumers," said Jacky Wan, Arrow's vice president of engineering for Asia Pacific region.

To help engineers accelerate prototyping and product development activities using ADI's 3D ToF technology, Arrow now offers an evaluation kit which includes the AD-96TOF1-EBZ mezzanine card, a complete analog front end (AFE) from ADI, along with a Qualcomm DragonBoard 410c.

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“We hope that our breakthrough will be a trailblazer for the future of minimally invasive health monitoring solutions where patients are immediately alerted whenever their physiological conditions such as heart rate and blood glucose cross a critical threshold,” said Professor John Ho. who led the team of NUS researchers from the university’s the Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering at the NUS Faculty of Engineering and the NUS Institute for Health Innovation and Technology

Tiny subcutaneous implants that can continuously measure a person’s blood glucose, heart rate and other physiological conditions are a Holy Grail of modern medicine.

Current efforts to make these microsensors small have been largely hampered by technology limitations. These sensors are too small to be powered by a battery, so they require a sensor reader to be placed near them to constantly detect signals such as chemical or pressure changes using magnetic fields. For a reader to make sense of the signals, the sensor must be large enough to create a strong signal in the reader. So far, researchers have not been able to create viable microsensors below 1 millimetre.

Dream to reality

The NUS team made the quantum leap in this area by devising a new way of measuring the signal, by calibrating the wireless reader to work at an exceptional point.

This is a special state where the reader becomes extremely sensitive to nearby objects. The result is that the new reader is so sensitive – three times more sensitive than existing readers – that it can even read the tiny signals emitted by the sub-millimetre microsensors.

The team developed a working prototype of the reader that can read a microsensor that is 0.9 millimetres in diameter while implanted underneath the skin using a syringe. In lab experiments, the reader was able to monitor the rate of breathing and heart rate by detecting subtle movements of the battery-free microsensor.

It took two years of research by the team, from February 2017 to January 2019, to develop this innovative microsensor. The team’s achievement was published in August 2019 in the scientific journal Nature Electronics.

“Now that we have proven the viability of our reader, the next step is to develop a suite of passive (battery-free) microsensors that can monitor various physiological parameters such as glucose, bioelectrical activity and blood chemistry,” Ho said.

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