IoT news of the week for April 17, 2020

Let’s learn about a new neural network that could make edge ML more efficient: Everyone wants to move machine learning further to the edge, if only because that’s where the data is. But matching data against a neural network takes a lot of computing power (not as much as training a neural network, but still more than some processors have). That is why I found this article about binarized neural networks so interesting. The idea is that data is represented in 1-bit numbers, which requires different models and cuts down on the memory footprint required to run a neural network. While this is good, it requires specialized hardware and software, which is why two London startups have teamed up to turn the idea into a business reality. (EETimes)

Estimote pivots to social distancing warning devices: The nice thing about Bluetooth beacons is that they are designed to tell your phone where something is. Historically, companies have used Bluetooth beacons for marketing or sending messages about a place or an item, such as a painting. For example, museums tried beacons so that when patrons came near a painting they’d get a notification they could click on for more info. But with COVID-19, Estimote has decided to turn wearable beacons into a social distancing device that will emit a warning in case someone (or rather, their phone) gets within six feet of them. The idea is that people in warehouses or other job sites could wear the Estimote devices as a watch, a lanyard, or a fob and get audible reminders to stay back. (Estimote)

The internet of things doesn’t have to solve every problem: We’ve been hearing a lot about contact tracing using cell phones, or companies putting up cameras to detect fevers in people, but data doesn’t have to come from a connected device to come in handy. This article talks about how cities are using old-school mapping of 9-1-1 calls to understand and predict outbreak sites for COVID-19. Data is what’s important here — or rather, analyzing it. For many businesses thinking about IoT and digital transformations, it’s yet another lesson in how you may not have to spend big on connected sensors if you take some time to think about what data you already have and what it might be able to tell you. (Wall Street Journal)

Raspberry Pis could power ventilators: Sales of Raspberry Pi devices have hit their second-highest month since its launch back in 2012, thanks to people staying home and presumably having more time on their hands to experiment. Sales of Pis reached 640,000 in March, according to the Raspberry Pi Foundation. Those sales may also be inspired by engineers trying to find meaning by applying their skill set to today’s coronavirus-related problems. For example, a $5 Pi Zero device can apparently power a homemade ventilator. (Tom’s Hardware)

Another wellness app proves to be less scientific and more like digital snake oil: Researchers from the School of Health, Wellbeing and Social Care at the Open University in Milton Keynes, England, analyzed the results from several fertility- and period-tracking apps to determine how accurate they are. Unfortunately, they are about as accurate as marking dates on a calendar and doing your own analysis, which any couple that practices the rhythm method can do — and without sharing a lot of sensitive data with a company that’s likely to use that data in unexpected ways. (MedpageToday)

No-code may not be the panacea we hoped for: You can’t talk about a digital transformation without discussing software. But since software is becoming the lingua franca of business post-digital transformation, greater emphasis is being placed on the no-code movement, which tries to give laypeople the ability to program and control business applications without learning Python or Javascript or, heaven help us all, C. But this post does a good job of explaining what no-code solutions can and cannot do, and how those limits are going to present a challenge for companies that want to embark on a digital transformation without having some serious programmers on board. It’s a good read. (Alex Hudson)

Ligado gets FCC OK to use mid-band spectrum for an IoT/5G network: Well, this is a blast from my past. Ligado is a satellite company that was created a decade ago to build a 4G network. At the time, it was called LightSquared, and I had significant doubts about its future. It managed to overcome a lot of its technical challenges, only to hit a snag when federal agencies argued that its network would interfere with GPS signals. Then the FCC dropped the proposal to provide the spectrum, and I thought LightSquared died. But it has a new name, and Ajit Pai’s FCC has apparently resurrected its claims and approved the use of spectrum for a terrestrial/satellite network that will be used to build a 5G network designed for the IoT. (MultiChannel News)

MIT’s using wireless motion sensing to monitor COVID-19 patients: This feels like a product from a pretty dark timeline, but the researchers at MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory (CSAIL) have shown they can monitor a COVID-19 patient through walls using wireless signals. The project helps keep the patient isolated and protects doctors, but it’s a pretty heartless thing to deny a sick person the comfort of humanity. The technology is similar to efforts being made in radar and Wi-Fi motion detecting, and uses disturbances in the RF field to figure out if a person is moving, breathing, etc. The system is called Emerald, and it’s already in use in hospitals and assisted living facilities to track patients and residents. This research shows it can be used to monitor COVID-19 patients, too. (VentureBeat)

Qualcomm has a new NB-IoT modem: Qualcomm released details of a new NB-IoT modem that it plans to launch in the second half of the year. The radio will consume less power than previous iterations, which is a good thing. But what will also help is lowered costs, since NB-IoT network success will depend on having lots of devices sending bits of data. The cheaper the modems, the more devices can afford to use NB-IoT. (Fierce Wireless)

A wearable for seniors: Verizon Wireless is launching a connected watch designed to track fitness and make calls among a trusted circle of 10 family members and friends. The Care Smart watch lets seniors send their location, receive notifications, and make one-button emergency calls. Two things here. First, this is the same functionality people put in smart watches designed for young children, which seems somewhat insulting to seniors. And two, designing such a device and marketing it to seniors may indicate how mainstream smart watches are. It will cost $149.99 for the watch and there’s a $10 monthly charge. (Verizon)