IoT news of the week for June 5, 2020

Sign up for my machine learning at the edge event on June 11: There is a fundamental shift taking place in enterprises and industrial settings enabled by a constant flow of information coming from a sensor. Today, instead of taking a snapshot of a machine, a temperature, or a vibration signature once every five minutes, machines are generating a picture in real-time. It’s equivalent to trying to go from making financial sense of quarterly earnings to seeing every cash flow and outlay as they occur and trying to adjust financial projections on the spot. Obviously, making meaning of such a tsunami of data will result in fundamental changes in our understanding of business operations. But first, we have to get there. And we can’t do that without machine learning that takes place where the data is generated. That’s why I’ve gathers several experts to explain what machine learning at the edge enables and how to build systems that can make meaning from a constant stream of ongoing data. We’ll hear how John Deere is turning soil data and images of weeds into better crop yields. How firefighters in Massachusettes are using computer vision to see through smoke as they enter burning buildings and how to make money parsing huge amounts of data on relatively small machines. Register for the event here. (StaceyonIoT)

Imagination has a new chip for IoT and wearables: With the launch of both Wi-Fi 6 and Wi-Fi 6e, expect a bunch of new products touting the benefits of the two new Wi-Fi technologies in the near term. Last week, Qualcomm announced new Wi-Fi 6e chips and this week, Imagination released a low-power Wi-Fi 6 chip designed for the internet of things and wearables. I’m a bit skeptical about using Wi-Fi for a wearable because even a low-power Wi-Fi chip isn’t as power-efficient as Bluetooth Low Energy, but there are use cases where it may make sense, such as a medical device that is used for a short time and then plugged once the user is done with it. (Imagination)

An update on how Packet will tackle edge computing post-acquisition: Back in March, data center co-location provider Equinix purchased Packet, a company that was providing the computing infrastructure for telco edge networks. Packet’s idea was that data centers would be needed in more places as the internet of things and 5G expanded. It was right, but now it seems that its strategy has shifted a bit after being bought by Equinix. It won’t put any more data centers inside cell phone towers, and it may pull back entirely from some of its edge deployments because ensuring uptime in remote locations can be a challenge. (Light Reading)

The FCC offers a definition for telehealth: Even as the agency sleeps on the job when it comes to net neutrality (AT&T-owned HBO Max will not count against data caps when streamed on Ma Bell’s network), it is ready and willing to offer some definitions to go with its multibillion-dollar telehealth spending program. And I do love a good definition. Click through if you’d like to learn the difference between telehealth, telecare, and telemedicine. (FCC)

Full automation may not be the ideal in manufacturing: The Information has a good story about Foxconn and Apple’s experiment with a fully automated iPhone production line. Foxconn had been wanting to reduce its headcount by placing 1 million robots in its contract manufacturing operations by 2014, but today that number is closer to 100,000, in part because Apple wasn’t convinced that eliminating humans was the way to go. The story details Apple’s efforts to get robots to meet exacting specifications for applying glue and inserting screws — and how those robots failed when compared to the efforts of humans. As the manufacturing industry tries to reduce the number of humans on the manufacturing floor, both in response to COVID-19 and in general (because humans can be inconsistent), it’s starting to realize that for many tasks, human flexibility and adaptability is still an advantage sometimes. (The Information)

Samsara is taking its fleet management product to Ford Commercial Solutions: Samsara, a company that has built a platform for the internet of things, has linked its newly launched vehicle-tracking product to commercial fleets of Ford vehicles. The deal integrates data from Ford’s vehicles into the Samsara platform, making it easier to track the vehicles and their health without having to install special electronics. It’s an example of a maturing industry where companies that may have access to proprietary data realize they can’t do it all, and that they may be better off teaming up with startups or other platforms to bring a holistic view of the business to customers. (Just-Auto)

New effort to combines existing standards for smart buildings: Several standards groups, such as Open Connectivity Foundation, Thread Group, and groups responsible for the KNX, BACNet, and Zigbee standards have teamed up to create IP-BLiS, a collection of existing standards combined for smart buildings. The IP-BLiS standard aims to unify different building systems such as HVAC, safety, lighting, and building access to help give facilities and management a unified view of a commercial building. Think of it as a way to bridge the OT and IT divide in commercial building management. There’s not a lot of information out there yet, but on June 25th, the participating organizations will host a webinar, where presumably our questions will be answered. (IP-BLiS)

Tracking the economy through connected trucks: Many of us are probably familiar with Wall Street analysts trying to predict the success of retailers by tracking how full their parking lots are based on satellite imagery. Well, thanks to the internet of things and fleet tracking tools, it appears that we’re getting a closer look at the goods moving through our nation’s highways and byways, too. This story details how COVID-19 has affected different types of shipments such as grocery deliveries or cross-border shipping. (Tech Republic)

A Catch-22 created by COVID-19: COVID-19 has prompted the use of surveillance tech such as apps for exposure notification, saving lists of people visiting buildings for contact tracing efforts, thermal cameras, and even cameras designed to help people comply with social distancing. Even as these methods may help stop or curtail the pandemic, we’re in the midst of nationwide protests where such surveillance could be actively used to harm the communities most affected by COVID-19. This article does a good job discussing the unwitting acceptance of mass surveillance and why we need to push back. (Teen Vogue)

Updated: This story was updated on June 18 to clarify that the IP-BLiS standard will be a collection of existing standards, not a new standard.