AI & DATA ANALYTICS
The 5G network and improving connectivity IoT may have existed since the 1980s , but as costs have gone down and advances in cloud computing and 5G have largely moved the technology along , it has become far easier , faster and cheaper to collect and store data . Physical hurdles such as power cables are also being tackled by the likes of Ericsson and PowerLight Technologies , who recently claimed to have demonstrated the world ’ s first safe and fully wireless powered 5G base station . Its laser-based technology uses ‘ optical beaming ’ to convert electricity into high-intensity light , which is then captured and transformed to electricity at the radio base station . Wireless power could also support automated guided vehicles and drones , as well as devices like IoT sensors and lamps . It ’ s expected to become commercially available in the next few years .
In an industry where productivity is a major business objective , the cost of software , the lack of standardisation and a short supply of developer talent mean there is so much more to be gained from implementing Industrial IoT programmes . Edge devices , with their own languages and resource constraints , can benefit from industry-agnostic collaborative projects such as thin-edge . io , which suggest that product manufacturers need secure cloud and hardware agnostic connectivity ; robust device management and monitoring .
“ The use of small IoT sensors that simply . peel and stick have . revolutionised data . management into a seamless experience ”
WILLIAM COWELL DE GRUCHY CEO , INFOGRID
102 December 2021