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1. IoT Digest
April 2018
By Dmytro Mysak,
Software Developer

2. www.eliftech.com
Hardware news
Software news
General news

3. www.eliftech.com
Hardware news
▪ Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+
▪ Smart cities with LPWA
▪ Qualcomm + next-gen VR
▪ Gemalto unveils two new
enhanced security features
for ID documents
▪ New GPS device for truckers
in North America
▪ LED controllers++ from
Diodes
▪ TomTom brings connected car
services to Kia and Hyundai
▪ Brexit: Robots could fill gaps
in UK farm labour market
▪ Robots to flip the burgers
▪ Radar sensors build 3D
pictures without cameras
▪ Ultra low-power AI
processors

4. www.eliftech.com
Software news
▪ Your smartphone and the
connected car
▪ Big Data as a Service (BDaaS)
▪ IoT firm deploys blockchain to
transform pharmaceutical
shipments
▪ Waymo turns the ignition on
self-driving trucks
▪ KardiaBand sensor could
replace invasive blood tests
▪
▪ Korean security firm
announces cryptocurrency
hardware wallets
▪ Smart city hotspots: FLIR
manages traffic using thermal
imaging
▪ Linux Foundation, Intel launch
open source IoT hypervisor
▪ Affectiva launches emotion
tracking AI for connected car
drivers

5. www.eliftech.com
General news
▪ IoT Global Awards 2018
▪ Sierra Wireless completes
digital transformation of 1.9
million smart vending
machines
▪ How a drone games company
started saving lives
▪ DARPA aims to hack sea life
to create underwater spy
network
▪ Vodafone, Audi to put 4G on
Moon, proving man walked
there
▪ Security camera “riddled” with
13 serious security flaws
▪ Israeli hackers breach baby
monitors, smart homes in 30
minutes
▪ Alexa for Business
▪ Smart cities give every person
back 125 hours a year
▪ Toshiba smart glasses
▪ AI vs sports drug cheats
▪ Bee robotic

6. www.eliftech.com
Hardware news

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Upgraded Raspberry Pi has a more powerful CPU, offers
faster Ethernet and dual-band wireless networking
Farnell element14 has announced the launch of the Raspberry Pi 3
Model B+, the fastest and most powerful version yet, enhancing the
already successful Raspberry Pi 3 Model B. Built on a new quad-core
Broadcom BCM2837 64-bit application processor running at 1.4GHz,
the Raspberry Pi 3 Model B+ is over 15% faster than the Raspberry Pi 3
Model B, delivering increased performance for both professional and
maker markets.
● Dual-band wireless LAN: a new Cypress networking device,
delivering 2.4GHz and 5GHz IEEE 802.11ac wireless LAN and
Bluetooth 4.2 capability
● Improved thermal management
● Faster Ethernet (Gigabit Ethernet over USB 2.0, maximum
throughput of 300Mbps)
● Power over Ethernet (PoE) enabled RJ45 providing PoE support via
a new PoE HAT
● (using OAuth)
For more click here

8. www.eliftech.com
Building a better future for smart cities with LPWA
Increasingly, local governments around the world are
trying to use the IoT to develop smart city applications
designed to make their cities greener, safer and more
efficient. The IoT’s ability to provide cities with real-
time data on natural disasters, crimes, air pollution,
traffic and other problems and conditions throughout
a city, as well as help monitor and control lighting,
water, waste collection, public parking and other
critical infrastructure, make it an essential enabling
technology for smart city applications.
For more click here.

9. www.eliftech.com
Qualcomm announces support for next-gen VR
experiences with new Snapdragon 845 VR development kit
Qualcomm Technologies, Inc., a subsidiary of Qualcomm
Incorporated, at the Game Developers Conference (GDC),
announced a new virtual reality development kit consisting of a
wireless, standalone VR head mounted display (HMD), and a
new software development kit (SDK) for the powerful
Qualcomm® Snapdragon™ 845 Mobile VR Platform. This new
virtual reality development kit (VRDK) from Qualcomm
Technologies is designed to support the next generation of
mobile virtual reality applications.
● Room-scale 6DoF SLAM
● Qualcomm® Adreno™ foveation
● Eye tracking
● Boundary system
More info here.

10. www.eliftech.com
Gemalto unveils two new enhanced security features
for ID documents
Gemalto, the provider in digital security, announced the launch of
two new laser-personalised innovations designed to further
increase the security of official identity documents. These advanced
security features are available immediately as additional options in
the Gemalto Colour Laser Shield* secure identity solutions range
and are supported by major brands of personalisation equipment.
● Gemalto colour variable microtext adds colour to personalised
microtext, a strong level 2 security feature (visible with a
magnifier). It combines colour and high resolution to engrave
sharp characters and is difficult to forge and copy. Only
authorised entities can access Colour Laser Shield technology.
● Gemalto colour window – a transparent window inside the
polycarbonate card which is colour laser-engraved with a
portrait making it impossible to copy and enabling quick
checking.
For more click here.

11. www.eliftech.com
TomTom introduces new GPS device for truckers in
North America
TomTom (TOM2) announced the launch of the new TomTom TRUCKER – a GPS navigation device
specifically developed to help truckers get to their destination more efficiently. The new GPS
device, which comes in two sizes, comes with a Lifetime TomTom Truck Maps subscription for the
US and Canada, now updatable over Wi-Fi, as well as tailored routing which guides drivers to
carefully selected points of interest (POIs) for trucks such as fuel stops and travel centres. The
TomTom TRUCKER is compatible with Siri voice recognition software and Google Now – allowing
truckers to access their personal assistant with their smartphone safely tucked away.
For more click here.

12. www.eliftech.com
Linear LED controllers from Diodes Incorporated deliver
efficiency and accuracy
Diodes Incorporated, a global manufacturer and supplier of high-
quality, application-specific standard products within the broad
discrete, logic, analog and mixed-signal semiconductor markets,
announced the AL5814, AL5817, AL5815 and AL5816 linear LED
controllers.
These devices deliver dimmable and adjustable drive current for LED
strings with more than 80% efficiency. The AL58xx series provides a
low BOM-cost solution for a range of applications in the commercial
and industrial areas including signage, instrumentation illumination,
appliance interior lighting, architectural details and general smart-
lighting installations.
For more click here.

13. www.eliftech.com
TomTom brings connected car services to Kia and
Hyundai
TomTom has announced a deal with Hyundai to provide
connected car services, such as its On-Street and Off-Street
Parking, Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Locations, and Fuel Price
Service.
TomTom will also provide the same services to Kia drivers in
Europe. This is an expansion from a previous offering that
originally included TomTom Traffic, TomTom SpeedCams, Local
Search, and Weather services.
For Hyundai drivers, the services will be delivered via Hyundai’s
Live Services connected infotainment system and will be
available on all new Hyundai cars produced for Europe, starting
from November 2018.
For more click here.

14. www.eliftech.com
NEWSBYTE: Robots to flip the burgers at CaliBurger
restaurants
The Flippy kitchen assistant robot made its public
debut today at a branch of the CaliBurger restaurant
chain. Its main role is flipping burgers and taking
them off the grill once they have been cooked to
order.
Flippy is the result of a two-year development project
between CaliBurger and Miso Robotics, and it will
now work full time at the franchise’s Pasadena
restaurant.
The project began in 2016 with the aim of developing
a cost-effective and efficient ‘cobot’ that could work
regularly alongside kitchen staff.
More info here.

15. www.eliftech.com
Brexit: Robots could fill gaps in UK farm labour market
With Brexit on the horizon and the continued freedom of
movement for migrant workers uncertain, the UK’s
agriculture industry is facing uncertain times. Researchers
from the University of Plymouth are testing a fleet of robots
with the potential to fill the gap while cutting overheads.
One example has been developed by Plymouth University’s
robotics lecturer Dr Martin Stoelen. His team’s GummiArm
robot has been designed to harvest as a human would. It has
jointed arms, the strength of which can be made soft or stiff
depending on the task at hand. Dexterous fingers fitted with
sensors assess crops in real time.
For more click here.

16. www.eliftech.com
Privacy: Radar sensors build 3D pictures without
cameras
▪ The technology can accurately build a picture of 3D
spaces in real time, whether that’s for monitoring
activity in the office or home, or for providing
information on movement in sensitive installations.
See the video, below, for a demonstration of the
technology.
▪ Vayyar’s sensors work by emitting multiple low
power radio frequency waves. Once these sensors
detect an object, Vayyar’s software creates a 3D
image of what’s going on inside the environment,
allowing the user to quickly assess the situation at
hand.
More info here.

17. www.eliftech.com
Kneron unveils new ultra low-power AI processors
▪ The Kneron NPU IP Series consists of the KDP 300
ultra-low power version, the KDP 500 standard
version, and the KDP 700 high-performance version.
▪ The new processors are designed to run AI
applications for smartphones, and for smart-home,
security, and other IoT devices.
▪ With them, users are able to operate deep learning
networks, such as ResNet and YOLO on edge devices,
said the company.
For more click here.

18. www.eliftech.com
Software news

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Your smartphone and the connected car
▪ These apps simply use accelerometers or GPS readings to
provide a driving score based on factors such as braking,
cornering, accelerating or compliance to speed limits. The
potential for assigning a “driver score” could possibly inspire
better driving behaviour and could also help insurance
companies enable more customised insurance or provide
companies like Uber and Lyft to better rank their drivers.
▪ And of course, having real-time data flowing into the car also
provides the potential for driver convenience, such as quickly
locating parking spots. While there are already a number
parking locator apps available today, imagine if these features
were more tightly integrated into the car’s navigation system,
with real-time recommendations and directions to the nearest
parking spots.
For more click here.

20. www.eliftech.com
Telefónica creates a suite of big data products for
enterprises in partnership with Huawei
▪ These Big Data as a Service (BDaaS) products will be
marketed under the brand of LUCA, Telefónica’s data unit.
Initially, the agreement provides customers four core
services: Hortonworks Data Platform as a service to help
store, process and analyse data; Big Data Integration to
migrate data to the cloud; Data Governance to control the
quality and security of data; and Data Miner to help create
insights from data through analytical algorithms and complex
structured and unstructured data integration.
▪ Each of the services can be self-deployed for use by the
customer on-demand. They are infrastructure agnostic
meaning they can be deployed over a variety of
Infrastructure-as-a-Service environments.
For more click here.

21. www.eliftech.com
IoT firm deploys blockchain to transform
pharmaceutical shipments
▪ The firm has teamed up with transport and logistics company
DSV on a pilot programme that deploys blockchain-connected
tracking and sensing devices to monitor pharmaceutical
shipments.
▪ The pilot is based on blockchain network Traceum, which
facilitates smart contracts, fiat currency transactions, fixed
transaction fees, partner ecosystem transparency, trusted data,
and data archiving.
▪ The new system gives companies the ability to monitor issues
such as product temperature, humidity, and light exposure –
which can affect many drugs. This information is then turned
into blockchain transactions, along with vehicles’ locations.
For more click here.

22. www.eliftech.com
Waymo turns the ignition on self-driving trucks
▪ Since its beginnings as Google’s self-driving car project in 2009,
Waymo has focused on getting passengers from A to B with AI at
the wheel. Its autonomous vehicles have driven five million miles
and navigated complex streets, and along the way the company
has launched its own reference vehicle, Firefly.
▪ Now, as an independent enterprise, Waymo has turned its
attention to logistics. Its self-driving truck pilot will launch in
Atlanta, Georgia, this week, carrying cargo bound for Google’s
data centres.
▪ The past year has seen Waymo road test its trucks in California
and Arizona, adapting its self-driving technology to cope with the
different braking, turning, and blind spot needs that come with
fully laden articulated vehicles.
For more click here.

23. www.eliftech.com
Health IoT: KardiaBand sensor could replace invasive
blood tests
▪ KardiaBand is a smart watch strap that provides
electrocardiographic monitoring (measures electrical
activity in the heart). Algorithms can then be applied to
assess heart rate, stress levels, fatigue, heart age, and
other health warning signs.
▪ According to the research, the KardiaBand is capable of
predicting dangerous levels of potassium in the blood
with 90 to 94 percent accuracy. The condition,
hyperkalemia, interferes with the electrical activity of
cells, including those of the heart. It’s that irregular
activity that the KardiaBand can pick up.
For more click here.

24. www.eliftech.com
Korean security firm announces cryptocurrency
hardware wallets
▪ The wallets will be available in two form factors: a card, and
a device. The card comes with multiple authentication
options, while the device sports an integral display and
embedded security features.
▪ Both models are compatible with the company’s wallet
management smartphone app, which can be used to
maintain authentication security throughout the key
management and transaction processes, said the company.
▪ The wallets will work with a range of cryptocurrencies, such
as Ether, Monero, and Bitcoin, and support communication
technologies such as Bluetooth and NFC. Users can also
sync them with their smartphones and make use of
biometrics technology.
For more click here.

25. www.eliftech.com
Smart city hotspots: FLIR manages traffic using thermal
imaging
▪ According to FLIR, its V2X imaging technology will
be one voice in the digital conversation between
cars, other road users, and smart-city traffic
infrastructures of the future.
▪ FLIR traffic management using thermal imagingThe
aim is to make roads safer. FLIR’s ThermiCam V2X
(pictured) could support a real-time collision
avoidance system that accounts for the movements
of all road users, said the company. It can be
mounted onto existing traffic signals to read the heat
signatures of vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists at
intersections.
For more click here.

26. www.eliftech.com
Linux Foundation, Intel launch open source IoT
hypervisor
▪ Called Acrn, the project has been assisted by Intel, which contributed code and
engineering. The main thrust of the project is to create small, flexible virtual machines.
▪ It added that consolidating a diverse set of IoT workloads with mixed criticality on a
single platform would help reduce development and deployment costs, enabling a more
streamlined system architecture.
▪ “ACRN will have a Linux-based service OS and the ability to simultaneously run multiple
types of guest operating systems, providing a powerful solution for workload
consolidation,” said Imad Sousou, corporate VP and general manager of Intel’s Open
Source Technology Center.
For more click here.

27. www.eliftech.com
Affectiva launches emotion tracking AI for connected
car drivers
▪ Affectiva, an MIT Media Lab startup, has launched the
Automotive AI service, which enables the manufacturers
of connected vehicles and in-car systems to track drivers’
and passengers’ emotional responses.
▪ The system is designed to boost road safety.
▪ Affectiva said that its AI model offers a deep
understanding of driver and occupant emotions, cognitive
states, and reactions to the driving experience, including
joy, surprise, fear, and anger. More significantly for road
safety, it can also identify drowsiness, yawning, and other
signs of fatigue.
For more click here.

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General news

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IoT Global Awards 2018 winners named at Smart IoT
London
The winners are:
1. AUTOMOTIVE, TRANSPORT & TRAVEL
a. Product: BSQUARE, DataV Software
b. Service: GEOTAB, Revolutionising Automotive IoT
2. INDUSTRY & CONSTRUCTION
a. Product: Globalstar, Smartone Satellite Tracker
b. Service: Sensolus, Scaling Industrial IoT
3. RETAIL, MARKETING & HOSPITALITY
a. Product: Designworks Windsor, O2 Digital Clothes Rail
b. Service: SMARTRAC Technology GmbH, Smartrac Experiences Solution
4. SMART CITIES, GOVERNMENT & UTILITIES
a. Product: Amscreen, Collaborative Smart City Solution
b. Service: Gemalto, End-to-end Cybersecurity solution for smart Utilities
For more click here.

30. www.eliftech.com
Sierra Wireless completes digital transformation of 1.9
million smart vending machines
▪ Sierra Wireless, a provider of integrated device-to-cloud solutions
for the Internet of Things (IoT), reported that the International
Vending Alliance (IVA), the largest global network with 1.9 million
vending machines in more than 70 countries, has selected Sierra
Wireless’ Smart SIM and AirVantage® IoT Platform to support its
vending service delivery.
▪ One hundred million customers interact with IVA vending
machines daily, but the vending experience has remained largely
unchanged for the last 25 years. IVA’s smart “black box” solution,
powered by Sierra Wireless IoT Services, is transforming the
vending industry by enabling new business models and customer
experiences, including cashless payment, touch screens, targeted
advertising, online monitoring and more efficient management.
For more click here.

31. www.eliftech.com
Edgybees: How a drone games company started saving
lives
Edgybees first arrived on the scene at the start of
2017, with an AR racing game designed for use
with DJI drones. Back then, the ability to design an
augmented track and compete in the sky against
friends was an exciting, if niche, application.
But all that has changed. Edgybees has moved
beyond drone racing and is now applying its AR
technology to solving real-world problems, such as
in search and rescue, and disaster/emergency
response situations.
For more click here.

32. www.eliftech.com
DARPA aims to hack sea life to create underwater spy
network
▪ The United States’ Defense Advanced Research
Projects Agency (DARPA) is well known for running all
kinds of weird and wonderful programs. One of the
latest aims to harness the sensitivity of marine life to
build an organic network of underwater spies.
▪ The US military already deploys huge networks of
sensors and manned hardware to keep tabs on its
adversaries. But tracking enemies in the underwater
vastness of the oceans is near impossible.
▪ In the name of national security, DARPA’s Persistent
Aquatic Living Sensors (PALS) program will study
natural and modified organisms. The aim is to find
sealife that can be either hacked or deployed to support
a network of underwater sensors.
For more click here.

33. www.eliftech.com
Vodafone, Audi to put 4G on Moon, proving man walked
there
▪ A Tesla roadster in space? That’s so last month. How
about two Audi Quattros on the moon?
▪ Those of you who have been frustrated by the lack of
4G coverage on the Moon can rest easy, thanks to a
new partnership with Vodafone, Nokia, Audi, and a
space exploration company.
▪ German new-space company PTScientists is working
with Vodafone Germany and Audi to achieve the first
privately funded Moon landing. The Mission to the
Moon will launch from Cape Canaveral next year, on a
SpaceX Falcon 9 rocket.
For more click here.

34. www.eliftech.com
Security camera “riddled” with 13 serious security flaws
▪ Thirteen bugs have been found in the SmartCam range
made by South Korean company, Hanwha Techwin. The
cameras are sold to European SMEs and consumers.
▪ Via the flaws, attackers could gain access to a camera,
send voice messages to its onboard speaker, or use its
resources for cryptocurrency mining, said Vladimir
Dashchenko, head of the ICS CERT Vulnerability Research
Team at security vendor Kaspersky Lab.
▪ Among the vulnerabilities are the use of insecure HTTP,
root privilege remote command execution, and zero
protection from brute force attacks for the camera’s
admin password. Any one of these flaws could enable
hackers to launch attacks from within a connected
network.
For more click here.

35. www.eliftech.com
Israeli hackers breach baby monitors, smart homes in
30 minutes
▪ “It is truly frightening how easily a criminal, voyeur or
pedophile can take over these devices,” said Dr Yossi
Oren, a senior lecturer in BGU’s Department of
Software and Information Systems Engineering.
▪ BGU researchers discovered several ways hackers can
take advantage of poorly secured devices. They
discovered that similar products under different brands
share the same common default passwords.
▪ “It only took 30 minutes to find passwords for most of
the devices and some of them were found through a
Google search of the brand,” said PhD student Omer
Shwartz, a member of Dr. Oren’s lab.
For more click here.

36. www.eliftech.com
Alexa for Business: Amazon’s voice getting louder in
enterprise, it claims
▪ According to Vogels, the voice assistant has been
deployed in growing numbers of businesses for
environmental controls, and to give directions, book
meeting rooms, report problems, or arrange
transportation for employees.
▪ “One of the biggest applications of voice in the
enterprise is conference rooms, and we’ve built some
special skills in this area to allow people to be more
productive,” he said.
▪ “With Alexa for Business, the administrator can
configure conference rooms and integrate calendars
with the devices. When you walk into a meeting, all you
have to say is ‘Alexa, start my meeting’,” he added.
For more click here.

37. www.eliftech.com
Intel: “Smart cities give every person back 125 hours a
year”
New research sponsored by Intel and published by Juniper
Research suggests that smart cities can “give back” 125
hours a year to every resident.
So how do the figures stack up? There are big pluses for
mobility, health, and public safety, according to the
research.
▪ Mobility: +60 hours a year
▪ Health: +10 hours a year
▪ Public Safety: 35 hours a year
For more click here.

38. www.eliftech.com
Atheer brings enterprise AR platform to Toshiba smart
glasses
▪ Owners of Toshiba’s recently-announced smart glasses will
soon be able to use them with an enterprise-grade augmented
reality (AR) platform from Atheer.
▪ Toshiba’s Client Solutions Division has just inked a strategic
partnership deal with the California-based AR firm. This marks
the first time that Atheer’s AiR platform has come to Windows
10 users.
▪ Atheer has confirmed that its enterprise AR technology will be
available to owners of the dynaEdge AR glasses by the second
quarter of 2018.
▪ It’s described as an “integrated suite of capabilities designed to
meet the needs of today’s industrial enterprises”.
For more click here.

39. www.eliftech.com
Anti-doping agency to use AI to catch sports drug
cheats
▪ The World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) has said it plans to
harness artificial intelligence (AI) to fight illegal doping in sport.
▪ WADA director Olivier Niggli confirmed that pilot projects are
being planned for later this year.
▪ In the struggle to be faster or stronger than their rivals,
professional athletes have sometimes been known to cross a
different kind of line. But from Lance Armstrong to the endemic
doping that appears to dog Russian athletics, most of the
individuals concerned are well-funded, highly motivated, and one
step ahead of the authorities.
▪ WADA, the global organisation tasked by sporting bodies to
uncover drug cheats, is now looking to level the field with the help
of AI and big data analytics.
For more click here.

40. www.eliftech.com
Bee robotic: Walmart files patents on automating
agriculture
▪ According to a report from environmental organization
Greenpeace, around one-third of the crops we eat rely solely on
insect pollination.
▪ It’s estimated that the global economic benefit of pollination
from insects, such as bees, amounts to over €265 billion. And
that’s just the financial return of the crops it helps to produce.
The real value, which will only come to light if food shortages
become more severe or certain crops die out, is infinitely high.
▪ As has been well-publicised, bee populations worldwide are
struggling in the face of environmental and man-made
challenges. One of Walmart’s patents offers a unusual solution
– or rather an alternative – in the form of automated, robotic
pollinators.
For more click here

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