Everyone is talking about the Internet of Things, but how much do instrument professionals know about it?

Thread Content

I’ve read many answers regarding the Internet of Things, and I’ve found that many people have many misconceptions about its concept. Therefore, this post outlines some misconceptions about the Internet of Things to help everyone understand it better. Internet of Things yunrun.com.cn/news/2676.html Misconception 1: The Internet is the essence of the Internet of Things ✘ Wrong. The Internet is just one of the technical tools. It’s just something that ordinary people can see and touch. Following the same logic, I can equally claim that sensors or artificial intelligence are the essence of the Internet of Things. Under this way of thinking, it is claimed that any product that becomes connected to the Internet is an IoT product. For example, if each light bulb is given an IPv6 address and its switch can be controlled via the Internet, does that make it an IoT light bulb? Does a home temperature sensor become Nest once it sends data to the homeowner’s phone? In reality, things aren’t that simple. For a product to be integrated into the Internet of Things, it’s not enough to simply be connected to the network; it must become an intelligent, interconnected product. Smart connected products have three core elements: physical components, intelligent components, and connection components. Smart components enhance the functionality and value of physical components, while connection components boost the capabilities and value of smart components, thereby creating a virtuous cycle of continuous value improvement. Physical components include the mechanical and electrical parts of a product. For example, in a car, these include the engine, tires, and battery. Smart components include sensors, integrated processors, data storage, control mechanisms, and software; they usually also comprise an embedded operating system and a user interface. For example, in cars, intelligent components include the engine control unit, anti-lock braking system, a windshield with rain sensors and automatic wipers, and a touchscreen display. Connection components include ports, antennas, and protocols that enable wired or wireless connectivity with the product. Smart connectivity products support a whole new set of product features, which can be divided into four categories: monitoring, control, optimization, and autonomy. Each function itself is very valuable and lays the foundation for the next level. For example, monitoring functions are the foundation of product control, optimization, and autonomy. Myth 2: Connecting to the Internet just for the sake of it – everyone is rushing to adopt the Internet of Things. ✘ Many company owners adopt the Internet of Things merely because it’s popular. Upon discovering that a competitor has an IoT xx system, or due to policy incentives, companies rush to adopt IoT systems in a reckless manner. There is absolutely no competitive strategy thinking. The results came back, and it turned out that a lot of money was spent without yielding any real benefits. Thus, people blame the Internet of Things for not working properly. Therefore, a careful decision must be made before going ahead; the value generated by networking must exceed its costs in order to be profitable, and only then does it make sense to do so. For example, some water heater manufacturers have developed fault monitoring and notification features. However, water heaters have a long and reliable service life, so very few households are willing to pay a sufficient amount for these features. Therefore, water heater manufacturers only offer them as an option on a few models. Myth 3: The Internet of Things is merely about collecting and transmitting device data. ✘ The Internet of Things is not just about collecting data from sensors and PLCs and sending it to the cloud. For example, the software functions of products on-site can be upgraded remotely, allowing for continuous improvement of these functions without any changes to their physical form. Alternatively, parameters can be modified remotely, and the process parameters of on-site equipment can be optimized from a distance. The terahertz frequency-modulated continuous-wave radar level gauge introduced by Changhui Instruments is an example of such instrument connected to a material network, enabling remote parameter adjustment and optimization. http://yunrun.com.cn/upload/201908/14/201908141851234123.png Misconception 4: The more data that is collected, the better and faster it is. ✘ Many customers stubbornly believe that the higher the frequency at which device data is collected, the better. But in reality, data is not information. Data has no value; information does. Myth 5: Pursuing a cool visual interface ✘ In many cases, many IoT systems only offer basic remote monitoring capabilities that don’t provide much value; as a result, they focus on improving the appearance of their user interfaces. IoT systems that fail to deliver value have become nothing more than exhibition display screens aimed at creating a flashy visual effect. Myth 6: A device becomes an IoT device just by being equipped with a gateway. ✘ Collecting data from devices for remote monitoring is only the most basic step. To create an IoT-enabled smart product, four functions are required: monitoring, control, optimization, and autonomy. With only basic monitoring and control, it descends into low-level, homogeneous competition. ①Monitoring: Smart connected products can provide comprehensive monitoring of the product’s status, operation, and the external environment through sensors and external data sources. By collecting data, the product can alert users or others to changes in the environment or performance. It is also possible to monitor and track the operational characteristics and history of products, in order to gain a better understanding of their actual usage. These data are of great significance for design, market segmentation, and after-sales service. Monitoring data can also reveal compliance issues with after-sales warranties as well as new sales opportunities. In the medical device industry, monitoring is a core element in creating value. Some digital blood glucose monitors available on the market use sensors to measure blood glucose levels beneath the patient’s skin, and they are connected wirelessly to other devices; these devices send alerts to both the patient and clinicians 30 minutes before the blood glucose level reaches a critical threshold, allowing for appropriate adjustments in treatment. ②Control: Through remote commands or algorithms embedded in the device or hosted in the cloud, intelligently connected products can be remotely controlled. An algorithm can be rules that indicate how a product should respond to specific changes in its conditions or environment (for example, \"If pressure is too high, close the valve\" or \"When traffic in the parking garage reaches a certain level, turn on the lighting or turn it off\"). Through control, users can control and personalize their interaction with the product in many new ways. For example, users can use their smartphones to adjust the color tone of the lights, turn them on and off, program them to flash red when an intruder is detected, or gradually dim them at night ； Another example is an intelligent, connected door lock that allows users to identify visitors via their smartphone and then unlock the door from a distance to enter their home. ③Optimization: The vast amount of monitoring data streams from smart connected products, combined with the ability to remotely control these products, enables companies to optimize product performance in multiple ways. Intelligently connected products can apply algorithms and analyses to real-time or historical data, thereby significantly improving utilization and efficiency. For example, in wind turbines, a local microcontroller can adjust each blade with every rotation to obtain the maximum amount of wind energy. Furthermore, by adjusting each turbine, it is possible to not only improve its performance but also reduce its impact on the efficiency of nearby turbines. Real-time monitoring of product status and remote control of data enable companies to carry out preventive maintenance before failures occur, as well as to perform repairs remotely, thereby reducing product downtime and avoiding the need to send maintenance personnel. Even when on-site repair is required, it is possible to understand in advance what is damaged, which components are needed, and how the repair will be carried out, thereby reducing service costs and improving the first-time repair rate. For example, monitoring for early signs of failures in ATM machines. After assessing the condition of the malfunctioning ATM, remote repair is performed if feasible. Even when a company needs to send a technician to the site for repairs, that technician receives in advance a detailed diagnosis of the fault, recommended repair methods, and the parts to be brought along before arriving at the site. ④Autonomy Monitoring, control, and optimization functions are combined, enabling intelligently connected products to achieve autonomous operation that was previously impossible. At the simplest level, the product can operate autonomously. For example, some smart vacuum cleaners use sensors to clean floors autonomously in different rooms. More complex products are able to understand their environment, analyze their own service needs, and adapt to users’ preferences. Autonomy can not only reduce the need for operators, but also enhance safety in hazardous environments and enable safe operations in remote locations. Autonomous products can also work in conjunction with other products and systems. As more and more products get connected, the value of these features could increase exponentially. For example, as more smart meters are connected, the energy efficiency of the power grid improves, enabling utility companies to gain a better understanding of demand and respond to it over time. Ultimately, the product can operate completely autonomously. The algorithm utilizes data regarding its performance and environment, as well as its ability to communicate with other products. The operator only needs to monitor the system’s performance metrics. http://yunrun.com.cn/upload/201908/14/201908141855592984.png Misconception 7: Manufacturing companies adopting the Internet of Things without transforming their organizational structure ✘ In the vast majority of manufacturing companies, it is still the traditional mechanical and electrical professionals who drive the development of Internet of Things systems. What is not realized is that this technological wave in the field of the Internet of Things aims to shift the mindset from traditional mechatronics approaches to one focused on digital, intelligent connected products. As a result, the IoT strategies of many companies were derailed by those who lacked an understanding of products with intelligent connectivity features. Intelligent connected products create new human resource needs and challenges. The most urgent need is to recruit talent with a new set of skills, many of which require a high level of expertise. Traditional engineering and technical departments, which consist of mechanical engineers and electrical engineers, must hire professionals in software development, systems engineering, cloud computing, big data analysis, and other fields. Jeff Immelt, the chairman of GE, once said: Every industrial company must become a software company – every industrial enterprise needs to focus on software development. Misconception 8: Thinking that the list of customer requirements compiled by a product manager constitutes the requirements for an IoT system is completely wrong! These customer requirements are only superficial, functional needs. Many other requirements, such as reliability, scalability, and flexibility, were not taken into account. These requirements are more important. Myth 9: The Internet of Things simply means connecting everyday objects to the network. ✘ Apart from smart homes, smart speakers, smart appliances, and intelligent transportation, there are many things beyond our daily lives that also need to be intelligently connected. For example, PLCs, robots, CNC machines in factories, mining equipment underground, and various machines on farms, etc. Myth 10: Everyone has the same view on the Internet of Things. ✘ In fact, everyone has different opinions regarding the Internet of Things. Ask a few random people what the Internet of Things is, and you’ll get different answers. If asked a regular person, they would say that the Internet of Things is smart home technology ； If the question is directed at an Internet of Things product provider, they will answer based on their products. For example, hardware manufacturers of MCU microcontrollers would say that the Internet of Things is essentially IoT chips, while cloud computing providers would claim that the Internet of Things is an IoT Hub. Those working with RFID think that the Internet of Things is nothing other than RFID, while those working with NB-IoT believe that the Internet of Things is nothing other than NB-IoT. I believe that now everyone has a deeper understanding of the Internet of Things. As infrastructure such as 5G and low-power wide-area networks is being developed at an accelerated pace, trillions of new devices will connect to the network, generating massive amounts of data. New technologies such as artificial intelligence, edge computing, and blockchain are accelerating their integration with the Internet of Things, giving rise to numerous new application areas. Industry applications such as smart cities, intelligent transportation, smart manufacturing, and smart healthcare are increasingly widespread, and the Internet of Things is gradually transforming our world.