Are Smart Cities The Next Great Disruptor?
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When the city of Columbus, Ohio, submitted its bid to become Amazon’s HQ2, city officials rolled out the usual fanfare: an assortment of tax incentives, promotion of its major educational institutions and real estate deals. But the hallmark of its proposal was a pitch to create a smart city by “embracing the reinvention of transportation to accelerate human progress.” The proposal noted that Columbus had just won the first-ever U.S. Department of Transportation Smart City Challenge, beating out 77 other communities with its proposal to become a model for connected cities of the future.
Columbus is not alone. Around the world, as increasingly mobile workforces prize connectivity, seamless transportation and sustainability as the determining criteria for quality-of-life, cities – large and small – have recognized that technology has become the great equalizer. From Boston to Bangkok, cities are unveiling plans to link fiber optics, light rail lines, automated vehicles and 5G networks in a seamless grid of always-on mobility.
An estimated two-thirds of cities globally are investing in smart city technology, with spending projected to reach $135 billion by 2021. Currently, the top applications being pursued include; smart utility meters, intelligent traffic signals, e-government applications, wi-fi kiosks and radio frequency identification sensors in pavement.
However, not everyone is on board with this movement. Privacy advocates recently launched a campaign to stop Alphabet’s Sidewalk Labs smart city project in Toronto, citing a lack of transparency and concerns about how the company is collecting and using citizens’ personal data. As more smart city initiatives continue to gain momentum, they will raise significant questions about the role of private enterprise in government, the reliance on untested new technologies and the very definition of infrastructure spending. Sidewalk Labs released its master plan for the project this past Monday in an effort to address some of those concerns and promise to create “the most innovative district in the world.”
One example that shows both the real-world progress and the complex maze of regulatory and infrastructure-related issues that go along with these types of initiatives is the U.K.’s recently-announced effort to revolutionize the way people find parking spots with mobile apps that identify open spaces and allow you to pay for parking from your phone. Before the project can get off the ground, however, government and local authorities need to agree on a single standard for parking data. Only then will app developers be able to access the information on available parking spaces, permitted times and pricing that they need to begin the process of creating digital parking apps.
While the initiative seems completely logical, it introduces a debate on data privacy and level of collaboration between governments and private sector companies that can make some people skittish. As parking consultant Steve Vollar told the BBC, “There will be a lobby who will object to online payment details and knowledge of their movements.”
Read the article here: Are Smart Cities The Next Great Disruptor?
Pavegen, which harvests energy and data from footsteps, secures crowd and Hinduja Group funding
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Pavegen, a UK startup which harvests energy from people’s footsteps and also tracks that data, has raised £2.6m on its crowdfunding push having doubled its initial £950k target.
The campaign secured funds from over 1,400 investors, including partnership and anchor investment from major global engineering conglomerate Hinduja Group and family investment firm Tamar Capital.
The Hinduja Group, whose Co-Chairmen topped the UK 2019 Rich List, aims to use the technology to reduce the cost of manufacturing and provide access to fast-growing markets in India and South East Asia.
The funding round follows expansion into 36 countries worldwide, and £1.8m in revenues in 2018, with installations including smart city developments, retail destinations, transport hubs and education institutions in Hong Kong, India, Korea, Thailand, UAE, UK & USA.
In 2018, Pavegen also signed a Memorandum of Understanding with global engineering and technology giant, Siemens, to develop smart city projects together.
The key to Pavegen is not just power generation. Pavegen which converts the kinetic energy of footsteps into both electricity and data, and it is also developing an ecosystem allowing people to be rewarded for steps on Pavegen walkways.
The company says its first shopping center deployment at The Mercury mall in East London has raised engagement with the site by 15%.
Laurence Kemball-Cook, CEO of Pavegen, said: “We believe in placing people at the heart of the smart city. With the support of Hinduja Group, Siemens and Tamar Capital, our plan of making our technology ubiquitous for all cities becomes achievable.”
Hrag Sarkissian, Founding Partner, Tamar Capital, said: “Pavegen is very relevant when it comes to Smart cities, from a power and a data play. As cost comes down, large scale deployments could really change the game.”
Shom Hinduja, President of Alternative Energy and Sustainability Initiatives at Hinduja Group said: “It’s an exciting time for Pavegen with new projects in airports, retail sites and smart city developments in Asia, the Middle East and North America. We believe the Hinduja team will be able to play a key role in enabling the Pavegen team to rapidly bring their ambitious vision to life.”
Read the article here: Pavegen, which harvests energy and data from footsteps, secures crowd and Hinduja Group funding
LG tries to bring webOS to cars, robots, and the smart home with new partnership
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LG and The Qt Company have announced an expanded partnership to bring webOS to more devices including cars, robots, and other smart home products. LG says the partnership will make it more efficient to port webOS to new devices.
LG and The Qt Company have been working together on webOS since 2014, after LG acquired the Palm-developed operating system from HP. LG used Qt’s software developer framework and GUI tools to scale webOS from a phone OS into one that can now be found in TVs, smart refrigerators, and even a smartwatch for a short time. Last year LG open-sourced webOS, in an attempt to drive its adoption. While this latest move doesn’t guarantee an increase in webOS adoption, it will make it easier for device makers to adapt webOS to a variety of experiences.
It should come as no surprise that LG’s arch rival, Samsung, has similar ambitions for its own open-source Tizen operating system, which can already be found in the company’s wearables, cameras, and yes, smart refrigerators. In the past, Samsung has said it wants to bring Tizen to other home appliances such as robot vacuum cleaners, washing machines, and air conditioners, and has also attempted to bring it to cars.
Read the article here: LG tries to bring webOS to cars, robots, and the smart home with new partnership
Digital Health Startup Omada Snags Another $73 Million in Funding: Brainstorm Health
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Sean Duffy, the co-founder and chief executive at digital health upstart Omada Health, approached the company’s new $73 million funding round with a philosophical question: “What will healthcare delivery look like in 20 years? How should it look?”
Duffy’s firm has taken a decidedly digital approach to the business of diabetes prevention and maintenance, creating an online platform that links patients to online coaches with the help of medical biometrics communicated via connected devices. The latest funding round was led by Wellington Management and joined by a host of big names from Kaiser Permanente Ventures to Andreessen Horowitz. CNBC reports that Omada’s overall VC haul now brings it to about a $600 million valuation, or more than halfway to “unicorn” status.
But Duffy’s vision, to borrow an entirely overused term, is to make the company a true disruptor through the use of sleek technology and personally tailored advice for patients—he even goes so far as to say the biggest and most effective health care providers of the future will be digital ones.
“Digital care means providing holistic, preemptive support to avoid the adverse outcome in the first place, instilling small changes that add up to powerful—and lasting—gains in health,” wrote Duffy in a post on Wednesday. “That’s our vision for Omada, and for healthcare: human-centered, elegantly designed digital experiences for patients. We can increase access to life-altering care, improve outcomes, and lower costs. We’re eager to help millions of people in their journeys to lifelong health, one step at a time. In short, it’s time to build the healthcare provider for the 21st Century.”
As I reported in Fortune‘s July issue, digital health firms enjoyed a record $8.1 billion in venture funding in 2018. The money doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon.
Read the article here: Digital Health Startup Omada Snags Another $73 Million in Funding: Brainstorm Health
New York Label & Box Co. expands to become ‘a vehicle for smart packaging’
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New York Label & Box Company provides packaging to companies in the Cosmetic, Health, Food, Beverage, Pharmaceutical, Vitamin and Nutraceutical industries.
Read the full article here: New York Label & Box Co. expands to become ‘a vehicle for smart packaging’
DesignLights and CABA Sign Smart Buildings Collaboration Pact
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CABA is a global non-profit industry association dedicated to advancing home and intelligent building technologies.
The DesignLights Consortium (DLC) and the Continental Automated Buildings Association (CABA) announced a new agreement designed to enhance and promote development and adoption of smart building technology.
CABA is a global non-profit industry association dedicated to advancing home and intelligent building technologies that foster better utilization of building space, occupant comfort and energy savings, said a DLC press release on the agreement. The DLC is devoted to driving efficient lighting by defining quality, facilitating thought leadership and providing tools and resources to the lighting market. The DLC’s just-released Networked Lighting Control System Technical Requirements V4.0 policy addresses roadblocks to wider adoption of technology capable of serving as a smart building gateway while significantly boosting the energy efficiency of light emitting diode (LED) fixtures.
The scope of the DLC-CABA Reciprocal Agreement includes establishing forums for exchange of information on current and planned activities and increasing engagement with hardware and software manufacturers, service providers, the utility industry, regulatory organizations, technology companies, vendors, consumer and non-profit groups, and government entities.
The two organizations will also work together in working groups developing, reviewing and commenting on policy and technical materials and commenting on each other’s research relevant to the lighting and home and building automation industries.
“The DLC has become increasingly interested in networked lighting’s ability to increase energy savings, while unlocking the Internet of Things (IoT) capabilities of commercial and industrial lighting,” DLC Executive Director Christina Halfpenny said. “We were thrilled to include CABA’s expertise in this arena at our recent Annual Stakeholder Meeting. This agreement cements our relationship and formalizes our intention to work together to advance smart building technology.”
Read the article here: DesignLights and CABA Sign Smart Buildings Collaboration Pact
2019 Smart Cities Award winners announced
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The winners of the 2019 Smart Cities Awards have been revealed at a Gala Awards Ceremony as part of the Smart Cities 2019 Conference in Melbourne.
Awards were handed out in six categories, celebrating the greatest achievements in the development, technological advancement and interconnection of cities around Australia.
The aim of these awards is to gather some of the best ideas and talent when it comes to the development and enhancement of our cities, so that we can all learn and benefit from the exciting work already being undertaken across the sector.
The winners are:
Smart City of the Year – Metropolitan
City of Newcastle
City of Prospect
Smart City of the Year – Regional
Latrobe City Council
City of Darwin
Best Integration of an Individual Technology
City of Wanneroo – RailSmart Planning Support System
Best Residential Innovation
Solar Analytics
Smart Innovator of the Year
David Klingberg
Young Smart Innovator of the Year
Oliver Lock
Read the article here: 2019 Smart Cities Award winners announced
Using Machine Learning to Keep the Beer Flowing
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The world’s largest beer maker is using low-cost sensors and machine learning to predict when motors at a Colorado brewery might malfunction, reports The Wall Street Journal (Jan. 24, 2019). The Anheuser-Busch plant was the first among the company’s 350 beer facilities to test whether wireless sensors that can detect ultrasonic sounds—beyond the grasp of the human ear—can be analyzed to predict when machines need maintenance. “You can start hearing days in advance that something will go wrong, and you’ll know within hours when it’ll fail. It’s really, for us, very practical,” said the VP.
The installation at the brewery cost just $20,000. Since the system was deployed, it has predicted pending equipment failures and prevented unscheduled production-line halts, and more than $200,000 in product loss. (The Colorado plant employs 580 people and ships 225 truckloads of Budweiser, Bud Light and other beer brands each day).
Sensors have been used for predictive maintenance in the past, but they were unable to transmit information in real time. Advances in processing data at the edge of the network, referred to as edge computing, enable companies to collect and analyze real-time sensor data from machines. Machine learning refers to the subset of AI that allows computers to act “intelligently” without being explicitly programmed. Algorithms can increase the accuracy of predictions based on large amounts of historical and real-time sensor data.
Organizations that own wind turbines or jet engines are expected to save about $1 trillion a year as a result of predictive maintenance techniques. Sound-based predictive maintenance is becoming more important for companies, as there has been a wave of retirements among workers who were tasked with listening to machines to identify potential breakdowns. The price of internet-of-things sensors is expected to fall to 26 cents on average by 2024, from 46 cents in 2018.
Read the article here: Using Machine Learning to Keep the Beer Flowing
Siemens opens smart campus in Zug
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Next year, building technology will become a core element of the new operating company, Smart Infrastructure, and its global HQ will be in Zug
Siemens AG has inaugurated its new smart campus in the Swiss city of Zug. It is one of the first new building projects to use building information modelling (BIM) in its design and construction and is described as a “reference project” that illustrates the opportunities of digitalisation in building technology.
The Siemens Zug campus is the international headquarters of the Siemens Building Technologies (BT) Division. In 2019, building technology will become a core element of the new operating company, Smart Infrastructure (SI) and its global headquarters will also be in Zug. The seven-storey building features a new office building with 1,000 work spaces and a newly constructed production building.
Sustainability and energy efficiency
The campus complex is equipped with building automation, security and fire safety technology from Siemens BT. Particular emphasis was placed on sustainability and energy efficiency of the buildings. The office building meets the highest requirements of the LEED standard, earning it a Platinum certification; the production building meets the criteria for LEED Gold certification.
An integrated building automation system with energy optimisation based on the Desigo CC integrated building management platform controls the energy consumption and all the disciplines in the buildings.
Energy-efficient heat pumps use water from Lake Zug as a heat source and for direct cooling. The campus buildings do not need fossil fuels to generate energy. The heating, ventilation and air conditioning systems are equipped with heat and cold recovery systems. Even the compressed air systems in production have an energy recovery system for water heating.
The buildings have green roofs, and the office building uses approximately 1,500 m3 of rainwater. A photovoltaic system on the roof of the production building will go into operation in the spring of 2019.
“A smart building is flexible, it learns from previous interactions and it continually adapts to the needs of building users, thus actively contributing to their success”
Matthias Rebellius, CEO of Siemens Building Technologies, called the campus a reference project that illustrates the opportunities of digitalisation in building technology, energy efficiency and future-oriented working. “A smart building is flexible, it learns from previous interactions and it continually adapts to the needs of building users, thus actively contributing to their success.”
Smart building company
Zug has been home to Siemens Building Technologies since 1998, when Siemens took over the industrial activities of Elektrowatt AG. “With our investments in research and development, we are using the opportunities of digitalisation to steadily evolve into a smart building company,” explained Rebellius.
“We offer a full range of building technologies for fire detection, security and automation solutions to optimise sustainability, total cost of ownership and the user experience in buildings. Smart buildings are based on comprehensive analytics and use of digital building data.”
Construction of the office and production buildings began in May 2016 and was completed in July 2018. The digital twin – a 3D model of the building, enhanced with technical information relevant for later operations – is the foundation for efficient, cost-optimized and forward-looking building management.
The campus also includes an existing office and production building, scheduled for modernisation in 2021. Beginning in late 2022 it will house the approximately 450 employees of BT research and development. The city of Zug is taking over the former Siemens office building.
Read the article here: Siemens opens smart campus in Zug