Blog - Chika Wonah | New Technology

Internet of Things for Lovers

On February 14, 2018

Flowers die. Candy is unhealthy. Get that nerd in your life something they can really use. No need to be conventional anymore; not with the Internet of Things!

For the Chef The Drop Scale: $99

Not only does this item measure out ingredients precisely, it even amends recipes based on the amount of ingredients you have. There is also an app that contains hundreds of interactive recipes, each providing you with a unique visual and audio environment for your culinary adventure. Best of all, you need not be a genius in the kitchen; the guidance in this Bluetooth device can make anyone a foolproof chef.

For the Music Lover Sonos One: $199

While there are many smart speakers on the market, the Sonos One is custom-made for playing music with high quality sound. This speaker contains a mid-woofer and a tweeter, and two Class-D digital amplifiers. It is also comparable to the Amazon Echo in that “Alexa” comes along with it. You can play music in every room or just one room, from all the top streaming apps like Pandora and Spotify.

For the Pet Lover PetCube: $199

Instead of wondering and worrying about your pet while you’re out, the PetCube connects you with them from anywhere. The camera allows you to not only watch your pet, but also communicate and “interact” with it. Use the laser toy to play fetch, talk to them in your cutesy pet voice, or just observe their daily routines. You can also use their subscription service to store and later review your pet videos.

For the Green Thumb Rachio Smart Sprinkler: $199

Who hasn’t killed a plant by under-watering or overwatering it? Sometimes remembering your watering schedule is difficult. Not only can the Rachio help keep up with your vegetation by putting together (and carrying out) a personal watering schedule for each individual plant, it also connects with the local weather forecast to reschedule waterings based upon rainfall, both helping you to reduce the frequency of replacing dead plants, and your water consumption.

This is only a smattering of perfect IoT gifts. Depending on your geek, there are tons more options. So go ahead, impress them with a gift they are sure to actually love!

The Internet of Things Can’t Fail

By Chika Wonah

On January 3, 2018

In Internet of Things

You’ve probably used a connected device before- in fact, you may have used one while reading this. All of the connected devices you use in your daily life comprise something known as the “Internet of Things”. The Internet of Things, or IoT, is an interconnected web of all of the technological gadgets you use in order to make your life more efficient. One unfortunate reality of these devices is that they will fail sometime during their lifespan. Their failure may come unexpected, undesired, and may even cause you a bit of trouble. These failures, however, have the potential to come with far greater consequences.

Industries around the world have begun to adopt and integrate the usage of technologies within the Internet of Things into their everyday business operations. The potential for increases in efficiency and productivity provides great intrigue for corporations that are looking to take their enterprise to the next level. The pros do not come without potential cons, however. Depending on the nature of the industry adopting these technologies, the consequences of a software failure can be catastrophic. Forbes states that “industrial giants” such as GE, Siemens, and Bosch have begun to invest billions into the integration of technology within their daily operations. It is easy to imagine the repercussions that could occur as a result of a technological hiccup within a company as crucial to sensitive operations as Siemens or Bosch. Envision a scenario where a software-operated, industrial grade Bosch power tool blue screens, posing a serious danger to other machines and potentially other people as a result of an intermittent failure.

Despite this obvious potential for failure, the allure for more efficient means of production have thus far outweighed the fear of technological slip-ups, resulting in more and more companies investing resources into the Internet of Things. New platforms for jumping into the world of the IoT have begun to spring up within the industrial environment, making it easier than ever for companies to partner up and begin to utilize what this new technology has to offer. Some companies have even kick-started their own platforms, providing the opportunity to expand from within their own operations. However companies elect to delve into the IoT, it has become apparent that this is more than just a temporary trend- it has become equally as apparent, however, that the capacity for consequence means that these industrial technologies can not afford to fail.

Source utilized: https://www.forbes.com/sites/baininsights/2017/11/27/blue-screens-are-not-an-option-in-the-industrial-internet-of-things/#19c2d26ff5cf

Therapy Bots

By Chika Wonah

On August 15, 2017

In Internet of Things

Mental Health Care and all adjacent topics like access, protocol, and awareness continue to dominate public discourse as shows like Thirteen Reasons Why grow in popularity and teen suicide rates continue to swell. Naturally, technology does not exist in a vacuum but rather responds to the market demands and social needs. As such, many socially conscious programmers and inventors have looked into ways to harness algorithms, bots, and pre-existing social media to diagnose and treat mental health conditions before victims resort to extreme and harmful coping mechanisms.

The diagnosis side has called into collaboration predictive analytics, human behavior, and believe it or not, Instagram users. A March 2017 study out of Cambridge analyzed the Instagram behaviors of users with and without clinical depression to determine whether there were any tell-tale signs of developing depressive episodes. Ind determining the predictors of depression, the researchers hoped to publicize these and call into action users’ followers to check in on them.

After scrutinizing the posts of 166 users, 70 of whom were diagnosed with depression, the researchers found that depressed people tend to post more photos using the black and white filter, post fewer faces, and spend more time on the app. The researchers set their algorithm loose on fresh accounts and were able to correctly identify Instagram users with depression about 70% of the time. Mental health professionals and counselors can usually make a correct ID a little over 40% of the time, so this tool could help people get they need before they succumb to a treatable illness.

In addition to tools to diagnose mental health problems, programmers have ventured into providing better care to people who need additional support by means of hotlines and bots. Facebook Messenger has been a testing ground for lots of interactive bots, including webby-nominated Poncho, a humorous weather-predicting cat.

Programmers at Stanford University launched Dr. Woebot, a chatbot available on Facebook Messenger to help users document and track their moods and anxiety levels without having to consult (or pay for) a therapist. Their little project lives on Facebook and tracks moods, triggers, and solutions for its users/patients. Harnessing the year and years of research in the field of Cognitive Behavior Therapy, the bot guides users through exercises that bring harmony to thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Users are asked to work through hypotheticals and think through difficult scenarios so that they can reclaim agency over their reactions and emotions in certain real-life settings.

Mental and cognitive health are nothing to be ashamed of, and it’s high time that our technological advances come to the aid of those who need our help the most.

Best Smart Devices for your Home

By Chika Wonah

On July 24, 2017

In Internet of Things

Whether your home is already hooked into the Internet of Things, or whether you’re shopping for your first smart device, there are lots of great products on the market for you to try. Here are some places to start:

Amazon Echo: This smart speaker can access Amazon Music, Spotify, Pandora, iHeartRadio, and TuneIn, and has great 360 degree sound quality. Its voice-activated AI, Alexa, can make phone calls, check the weather, report traffic, and more. If you’ve never owned a smart device before, the Echo is a fun and accessible place to start. And it connects to many other smart devices, including Hue lights and Nest systems, so you can really start building your smart home.

Logitech Harmony Elite: Great if you like the idea of Alexa but feel silly barking orders at your radio, or if you’ve fantasized about the idea of a truly universal remote. This looks like a regular TV remote, but can access all sorts of smart devices, including your TV, your speakers, and even smart lights. Users also get access to the Harmony App, which allows you to use your phone like a remote as well.

Nest Protect Smoke Detector: The Internet of Things can be fun and convenient, but it can also be used to make your home safer. The Nest Protect senses smoke and carbon monoxide, and can be controlled from your phone.

Kuna Toucan: This outdoor security camera works with Alexa or a smartphone app. It alerts you when a car pulls into your driveway or a visitor arrives at your door, and takes both video and audio, which it stores online for easy access. You can even have it make a siren sound to scare away unwanted visitors.

Nest Learning Thermostat: Not only is this thermostat easy to control through a phone, tablet, laptop, or Alexa, it quickly learns your temperature preferences, and is capable of turning itself down when the house is empty. Plus, by monitoring outdoor temperatures and your preferences, it can help guide you to the most energy efficient temperature settings, and save you lots of money on your heating bill.

June Intelligent Oven: Tell this oven what you’re baking and how you want it, and it does all the work to make that happen. The June Intelligent Oven works great for everything from casseroles to Eggo waffles, but it’s at its most impressive cooking hard-to-perfect meats. At just under $1500, it’s the priciest item on this list by far, but it’s also a great demonstration of how smart smart tech can be.

QardioBase Smart Scale: If you’re watching your health, this scale can give you all the relevant information–not just your weight. This scale can check your BMI, muscle mass, and bone mass, help you set and track fitness goals, and even tell if you’re pregnant. And it’s compatable with iOS, Android, and Kindle.

Binky: The App about Nothing

By Chika Wonah

On June 29, 2017

In Internet of Things

Every app is, at least on its face, “about” something. Twitter is for microblogging. Instagram is for sharing pictures. Snapchat is for silly filters. WhatsApp is for texting. But what about an app that does absolutely nothing?

Enter Binky, the nihilistic app that allows users to go through the motions of a social media app, but offers no real interaction, purpose, or end goal. There are no other users with whom to interact. There’s no accumulation of followers or likes. It’s all utterly meaningless.

Founder Dan Kurtz talked with NPR about why he created the app. One day, he was scrolling through a feed and realized that he couldn’t remember any part of the most recent article he’d read. Being on his phone and flicking his thumb upwards on the screen in a scrolling motion had become “his default state.” The futility of it all hit him like a ton of bricks, and he set about creating Binky, the app that does nothing.

Those who have the app can “swipe” left or right on generic stock photos in a tinder-like motion, but that information is stored nowhere and impacts the user experience in no capacity whatsoever. Users can “comment” by touching a keyboard, but only pregenerated words appear in the comment box.

Many have suggested using the app as a way for social media users to wean themselves off the endless drivel of “real” social media. For many, the simple act of going through the motions will help abate the addiction they’ve developed to scrolling and reacting. Kurtz described it as “the fidget cube of social media,” for people to feel like they’re participating without actually logging onto anything.

Binky provides all the action with none of the cognitive costs of having to plough through a New York Times article or argue in the comments with a political adversary. It’s pure, unfettered nothingness, and it’s making a splash on the App store.

For now, it’s only available on IOS, but it promises to be live on other platforms shortly.

Google Cloud IoT Core

By Chika Wonah

On May 30, 2017

In Internet of Things

As the 2rst century has expanded in tremendous ways, technology has been a big driving factor. The world consists of a myriad of devices from cellphones, tablets, and laptops to wearable devices and more. Through data and the world wide web, better known as the internet, comes the possibility of connecting any and all devices.

In recent news, Google announced the release of Cloud IoT Core, the secure device connection and management system. This system allows consumers to securely connect their devices, along with analyzing data on each device as well. This service allows data to be collected, analyzed and turned into a visualization in real time throughout the globe. When it comes to user experience, Google has an exceptional understanding of what consumers want and will support.

Google is striving to make device data easier among a bundle of technologies. This also provides a rising opportunity to take advantage of this with their own products. The growth of productivity is expected to spike rapidly through the use of these various electronics.

A major trick Google has up its sleeve is the service’s ability to use a tool called natural language processing (NLP). Both consumers and industrial domains will be able to take advantage of the various tools Cloud IoT Core has to offer. This tool means that computers will have the capability to understand both written word and speech, or spoken word. With this advancement in technology, different computers will be able to communicate with each other, thus offering the ability to connect multiple devices through Cloud IoT.

Users of Cloud IoT can expect to improve operational efficiency through this management service. Any device used through the cloud will be connected via data for tracking, analyzing and more. Cloud IoT Core takes a level of complexity and simplifies it for all users. Whether you’re a large or small company, using large or small devices, Cloud IoT is an easy to use tool that takes the data and makes it easily manageable.

Google is also allowing it’s users to bring in third parties, meaning they don’t necessarily have to collect this data and analyze it through Google alone throughout their process.

Although this software is generally most beneficial to companies or even small businesses, Google has opened Cloud IoT Core to anyone who wants a more efficient way to manage their devices and data.

The Internet of Things and the Environment

By Chika Wonah

On April 28, 2017

In Internet of Things

The Internet of Things holds wild implications for how we interact with our environment and urban centers. Because IoT lets us track where we go, what we buy, and how much we waste, we could feasibly use it to help us live greener lives…or it could make us waste even more.

The idea of such innovation and connectivity often leads to an increase in conversation, both positive and negative, and debate. Of course, the introduction of IoT technologies is no exception. The focus of this debate is whether or not IoT will be harmful to our already decaying environment.

In the eyes of IBM Watson, the answer to that question is a resounding no. Thanks to the company’s contributions to IoT technologies, as well as their collaborations with companies like Siemen’s and KONE, the future looks bright for environmentally conscious companies around the globe.

For example, IBM-powered IoT technologies aid businesses in diminishing their carbon footprint by reducing pollution and enhancing building sustainability. In recent years, buildings using these IoT technologies have been able to analyze real-time data from sensors and use this gathered information to generate insights on how people use the office building.

By tracking these trends, building managers may be able to install certain devices to reduce energy waste, including: smart lights that brighten and dim in relation to the amount of natural lighting available; smart window shades that lower and rise to improve the efficiency of both the heating and cooling system; and buildings that create their own energy via solar panels and return the energy they do not use.

Additionally, IoT technologies have given way to pocket-sized sensors that can be used to track environmental changes such as air quality, radiation, water quality, and airborne chemicals. Such devices not only improve our ability to seek out effective solutions to environmental crises, but improve the lives and health of those inhabiting affected regions.

While these IoT technologies offer us the opportunity to change our world for the better, it is important to note that they are not inherently good. Such technologies can be used to the detriment of our environment, like in the growing epidemic of electronic waste (e-waste). Therefore, it is important to do our due diligence and promote awareness of such injustices, thus ensuring the continued development and improvement of these life-changing IoT technologies.

The Return of the Basic Phone

By Chika Wonah

On March 29, 2017

In Internet of Things

All of our devices are getting smarter and more connected. Our refrigerators, our lamps, our cars, and more are all connected to each other and to our phones. Our phones also increasingly connect us to huge audiences of people, from social networks to chatting apps and more productivity apps than we know what to do with. All this connectedness can become easily overwhelming and deprive us of sleep, relaxation, and mental respite from work and the hustle of keeping up appearances.

Whereas many of us have chosen, whether actively or passively, to keep up with the fast pace of smart technology, some have halted it all and returned to something way more simple: A basic phone.

In this day and age, how could someone survive without being totally connected, you may ask. It’s a different lifestyle than the one we’ve all found ourselves living, but for the sake of their sanity and solitude, they have chosen to purposefully disconnect from the Internet of Things. And if you can believe this, there are some tech companies who are creating phones explicitly designed to reduce the amount of time spent on them.

Businesses have a stake in the game when it comes to making sure you spend lots of time on your mobile devices. Cell phone carriers can charge you more for data. Social apps can display more advertising to you. E-commerce apps and platforms want you to linger so that they can convince you to make a purchase. Big data aggregators want to collect as much information about your travels, whereabouts, habits, and decision-making processes as they can to learn about humanity, society, and how to best market to certain groups.

To that end, it’s been in the best interest of most businesses to make sure you spend lots of time on your phone, and many features work to ensure this. Most apps, for example, have a blue interface, which is known to hold your attention for longer and make it more difficult to sleep. Frequent updates fix bugs and adapt to changing desires in the user experience. Apps will often work together to keep you hooked in a loop of toggling among them.

However, there are two particular disruptors who are designing phones designed to help people use their phones less. The first is Nokia, which has long been hailed as an extremely utilitarian and unbreakable device. Their new basic phone, the Nokia 3310, offers a more modern design but with little more than the basic calling and texting functions. Between the multi-day battery life, low cost of minutes, and the relief from the constant binging of app notifications, the new Nokia stands to provide welcome respite from the social network fatigue.

The other device is still in development. Siempo is a smartphone that allows users to simplify their notifications and encourages users to spend less time on it. For example, the phone has options that lock it for a certain amount of time after you wake up so that your first moments up involve exercise, meditation, or reading, not mindless scrolling. The phone also lacks a front-facing camera to cut down on the selfie urge and includes a lot of controls for how often you receive notifications.

Many are rethinking their phone usage and looking for ways to return to a more balanced lifestyle. Perhaps the kinds of phones they chose to use, be it a very simple “dumb” phone, a smartphone with a different purpose, or a total 180 to a house phone, will help users find an equilibrium between constant internet connection and real-world connections.

Smartwatches and Fitness Trackers Made Us Neither Smarter nor Fitter

By Chika Wonah

On March 10, 2017

In Internet of Things

Once phones got “smart” and were added to the Internet of Things network, the natural progression was to the watch. We wear watches all the time to track the time and day, so adding features like text messaging, heart rate tracking, calorie counting, and steps taken were a wise next step. Smartwatches and fitness trackers were going to be perfect for the information age and for giving average citizens ownership of their data. In a TED talk in 2014, statistician Talithia Williams advocated for keeping track of your body’s data, arguing that “knowing your body” will give you more evidence for backing up the feeling that something’s not right.

Between the Internet of Things’ bunny-like reproduction and the frenzy to produce, harvest, track, and analyze personal data, smartwatches and fitness trackers should have been widely accepted and effective at helping people become more fit, right?

As it turns out, though, fitness trackers have done little if anything to improve the health of those who wear them. A recent study in The Lancet demonstrated that people who wore fitness trackers did exercise a little bit more, but not nearly enough to produce any real counterattack against chronic diseases. Another study went even further and published findings indicating that fitness tracker wearers became less healthy than those who logged their health data on a computer manually.

The 10,000 steps aspect of most fitness trackers has drawn particular scrutiny lately. You may have experienced a coworker pacing around the office to get her “steps in” to reach her 10,000 step goal. However, as Steve Blakeman noted in a linkedin pulse article, the decision to make 10,000 steps the goal was all but arbitrary, plucked from a study done in Japan in the 1960s on how many calories the average man burns while walking.

Roman Mars pointed out the issue with averages in an episode of his well-loved podcast 99% Invisible. While we tailor many of our studies and much of our production to the “average,” very few people actually are average — many are close, but the number of people who fit the bill of an “average citizen” is negligible. This came to light specifically when the US was building fighter jets for soldiers based on the average measurements of various body parts, but the army found that not a single soldier exhibited all the measurements of the average soldier. Specifically regarding the 10,000 steps, it’s a fine number, but not all steps are created equal, and not all steppers will benefit from 10,000 steps the same way.

Additionally, smart watches have utterly failed to take off, despite the wild promises made about how the wrist-worn technology was going to fundamentally transform the way we live and function. It appears, however, that most consumers find smartwatches redundant, since for all intents and purposes, a smartwatch is a smartphone that sits on your wrist. And since most consumers already had a smartphone, it was difficult to justify the cost of a smartwatch. As Extreme Tech noted towards the end of 2016, “The vast majority of smartwatches have retailed for more than $200 and as much as $700 or $800 for the fancier models. This is smartphone money, so for that people quite reasonably expect a device to make a similar impact on their lives. Smartwatches don’t do that.”

Part of the problems? Smartwatch and fitness tracker manufacturers were way behind the eight ball when it came to appearance and wearability. Wired magazine ran an article drawing attention to the phenomenon that the section of the wearable technology market dedicated to tween and teenage girls had performed remarkably better in terms of sheer visible pleasure. Fashion and function have to work in tandem in teen girls’ wearable technology, but in adult design, these two aspects are considered separately, leading to well-working ugly jewelry, or attractive but useless pieces.
Wearable tech has a long way to go before the Internet of Things is ready to deem it a good addition. Until then, smartwatches and fitness trackers will struggle for a place on the modern consumer’s wrist.

What Is the Internet of Things?

By Chika Wonah

On February 15, 2017

In Internet of Things

Popularized by the explosion of wifi-enabled technology, the phrase Internet of Things (often abbreviated IoT) usually refers to the interconnectedness of physical items to the world wide web via wifi or cellular communication. Describing a device as a “smart” device often refers to the same general phenomenon. This “connection” is made possible by sensors and software that allows for remote monitoring and control of said device. Today’s Internet of Things is the stuff of science fiction, marked by self-driving cars, bluetooth enabled refrigerators, apps that turn off your lights from anywhere in the world, and voice-command devices that answer questions and performs on command.

The idea that things could be connected to each other and to a wider network first captured national attention in 1982, when a Coca Cola machine installed at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA, was programmed with the ability to report its inventory and detect the temperature of recently-loaded drinks. The actual term Internet of Things was coined in 1985 by Peter T. Lewis during a speech he delivered to a Congressional Black Caucus, during which he said, “The Internet of Things, or IoT, is the integration of people, processes and technology with connectable devices and sensors to enable remote monitoring, status, manipulation and evaluation of trends of such devices.” Since then, the term has been adopted in academia, predictive analytics, and technology forecasting to describe the exponential growth of “smart” items, devices, and tools.

Over the past 10 years or so, broadband internet has become less expensive and more widespread. Simultaneously, more and more items have been constructed with wifi capability. Thus, we found ourselves with all the ingredients for an explosion in the field of Internet of Things.

Some items that fall into the “internet of things” have come as welcome advancements in medicine and health. Some heart monitors and glucose monitors, for example, can connect to a smartphone or computer to capture and log data regarding its measurements and the wearer’s health. On a less extreme level, this comes in the form of sports technology like a fitbit or jawbone, which tracks movement and sleep schedules.

Some items in the Internet of Things, by contrast, benefit the home and pander to those who have the funds to make everything in their houses interconnected. Appliances like dishwashers, coffee pots, and refrigerators are now equipped with the ability to sync to a smartphone and take commands from anywhere in the world. Amazon has been on the forefront of developing IoT for the home by producing and pushing Amazon Echo and Amazon Dash buttons to assist in keeping up a home.

The Internet of Things also extends from just the home to beyond. Headlines have touted the continued testing of self-driving autonomous cars. Elon Musk and some progressive European cities have begun designing and implementing the concept of the smart city. In such a city, the assets and properties, including transportation, parks, libraries, schools, roads, hospitals, etc., would all be interconnected via IoT and communications tech.
The future of the Internet of Things looks more and more connected. Gartner, Inc., predicted in 2015 that the number of interconnected “things” will reach 20.8 billion by 2020. As time marches on and “things” become more and more connected, law, research, and human interactions will alter and adapt to keep up with developments.