{"id":13700,"date":"2018-06-02T22:00:18","date_gmt":"2018-06-02T22:00:18","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.ceo-na.com\/?p=13700"},"modified":"2018-07-13T17:49:05","modified_gmt":"2018-07-13T17:49:05","slug":"people-important-component-iot-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/servidor-mxigen1.com\/ceona-antiguo\/business\/innovation-business\/people-important-component-iot-2\/","title":{"rendered":"People, the most important component of the IoT"},"content":{"rendered":"

Smart technologies will revolutionize how we build things, if we take advantage of them.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

By Dusty Weis (Association of Equipment Manufacturers)<\/sup><\/p>\n

We\u00b4ve been told so often about the technology revolution, perhaps\u00a0industry leaders have come to\u00a0expect that any day now, the \u201cInternet\u00a0of Things\u201d (IoT) will come storming across their factory\u00a0floor\u00a0like an invading robot army.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>But the most intriguing revelation during the Association of Equipment\u00a0Manufacturers\u2019 recent\u00a0Thinking Forward conference on the subject\u00a0was not how any one innovation is reshaping the\u00a0way society lives and\u00a0works. It was that, while technology is still evolving at a historic pace,\u00a0we\u2019re\u00a0still waiting for the first \u201csmart\u201d city \u2014or \u201csmart\u201d manufacturer\u2014 to fully\u00a0embrace the\u00a0technology that\u2019s available to them.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are not there yet,\u201d says Dr. Larissa Suzuki, a renowned researcher,\u00a0computer scientist and\u00a0software engineer. \u201cPeople are taking the human capital\u00a0out of the equation.\u201d<\/p>\n

Considered a foremost expert on the paradigm-bending potential of the\u00a0so-called IoT, Dr. Suzuki\u2019s\u00a0work engineering vast, highly-interconnected systems\u00a0has been applied to streamline\u00a0services and provide insights in banking,\u00a0medicine and the city of London\u2019s infrastructure.<\/p>\n

All too often, she says, the question of how technology will change lives\u00a0focuses too intently on the\u00a0technology and loses sight of the people whose\u00a0lives it would be changing. And she says that\u00a0mindset could be particularly\u00a0dangerous to the construction, farming and equipment\u00a0manufacturing sectors,\u00a0where companies have been slow to test the waters of the IoT.<\/p>\n

The IoT concept is actually pretty straightforward. Technology is getting\u00a0smaller, cheaper and more\u00a0pervasive, while GPS, Wi-Fi and cellular data\u00a0networks are growing exponentially. Therefore,\u00a0it\u2019s easier than ever to equip\u00a0previously \u201cdumb\u201d everyday objects with \u201csmart\u201d\u00a0technologies that track\u00a0performance, monitor conditions and report data to a central source.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s no need to mark your calendar for some sci-fi future when the\u00a0technology will be ready to change the world; Suzuki says it\u2019s ready now.<\/p>\n

What\u2019s needed is human innovation and the will to put that technology\u00a0to work in unexpected ways.\u00a0And as the capital costs of innovation continue\u00a0to decline, Suzuki believes fortune will favor the bold.<\/p>\n

\u201cDon\u2019t be afraid of trying new things and new ways of interfacing with\u00a0technology,\u201d she told AEM\u2019s Thinking Forward conference. And that starts with people. Here are just a few examples that are\u00a0already\u00a0reshaping industries and cities.<\/p>\n

PREDICTIVE\u00a0MAINTENANCE:\u00a0MORE\u00a0DATA,\u00a0LESS\u00a0DOWNTIME<\/strong><\/p>\n

Reacting to his \u201ccheck engine\u201d light in a classic episode of\u00a0the Simpsons, Homer gasps, \u201cUh-oh, the\u00a0tape must have\u00a0fallen off,\u201d before replacing a strip of electrical tape over\u00a0the blinking indicator.\u00a0Not surprisingly, the car breaks\u00a0down a few moments later.<\/p>\n

In some way or another, we\u2019ve each repeated Homer\u2019s\u00a0mistake in our own lives, with often costly\u00a0results. But on\u00a0an industrial scale, in a world where data is cheaper and\u00a0more readily available\u00a0than ever, it\u2019s possible that failures\u00a0to collect and put to use information could be costing us\u00a0billions in preventable breakdowns and downtime.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s where predictive maintenance is poised to make\u00a0a major impact on equipment\u00a0manufacturing\u2014both on\u00a0the type of equipment that\u2019s being built and on the manufacturing\u00a0process itself.<\/p>\n

Whether it\u2019s a single piece of industrial equipment or\u00a0a factory that churns out thousands of them, Dr.\u00a0Suzuki\u00a0says that any system can be monitored for a near infinite\u00a0number of performance metrics.\u00a0By automating the data\u00a0collection process through the use of IoT technology,\u00a0manufacturers can\u00a0develop a better understanding of how\u00a0systems work, and when they will fail.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhy would you wait for an asset to be faulty to try\u00a0to do something about it?\u201d she asked at AEM\u2019s\u00a0Thinking\u00a0Forward conference. \u201cIf you can predict that a particular\u00a0asset is outputting odd data, you can understand something\u00a0is\u00a0going on and you can better make decisions about\u00a0replacing or updating that asset.\u201d<\/p>\n

According to the worldwide management consulting\u00a0firm McKinsey &\u00a0Company,\u00a0widespread\u00a0adoption of predictive\u00a0maintenance technologies could reduce\u00a0companies\u2019\u00a0maintenance costs by 20 percent, reduce unplanned outages\u00a0by 50 percent and extend machinery life by years. A\u00a0report by the firm notes one airplane manufacturer that\u00a0has already implemented IoT sensors in its business plan:<\/p>\n

\u201cBy providing real-time data, the sensors immediately\u00a0alert the manufacturer about\u00a0potential problems, which\u00a0makes it easy to conduct preventive maintenance and\u00a0maximize\u00a0uptime. Other sensors help with parts-inventory\u00a0management. Together, these IoT\u00a0enhancements have\u00a0contributed to 9 percent revenue growth and a 30 percent\u00a0increase in engine availability. That means airplanes spend\u00a0more miles in the air and less time on the ground, consistently\u00a0reducing overall operating costs.\u201d<\/p>\n

However, a McKinsey survey of business leaders\u00a0demonstrated there is still a reluctance to\u00a0make\u00a0decisions\u00a0based on these hard data troves. The most significant\u00a0source of the disconnect goes\u00a0back to Homer\u2019s \u201ccheck engine\u201d\u00a0light\u2014most people still trust \u201cgood ol\u2019 fashioned gut\u00a0instinct\u201d more than they trust exhaustive, objective data.<\/p>\n

And until we\u00a0put more faith in the numbers, it\u2019s probably\u00a0going to cost us.<\/p>\n

VIRTUAL\u00a0REALITY\u00a0AND\u00a0AUGMENTED\u00a0REALITY:\u00a0MORE\u00a0THAN\u00a0VIDEO\u00a0GAMES<\/strong><\/p>\n

A manufacturer plunking down a whole lot of cash for a\u00a03D virtual reality (VR) multimedia center\u00a0might seem a\u00a0little unorthodox from a conventional perspective.<\/p>\n

Ordering 11 of them, like agricultural and construction\u00a0equipment manufacturer Case IH, a unit of\u00a0Case New Holland\u00a0(CNH) did, is downright unheard of. But the initial\u00a0investment paid for itself\u00a0quickly, Case IH Vice President\u00a0Jim Walker told AEM\u2019s Thinking Forward conference.<\/p>\n

Walker says the system allows engineers to manipulate\u00a0computer designs in ways that have eliminated the need\u00a0to build expensive prototypes the company once needed.\u00a0In virtual reality, design\u00a0teams can analyze assembly processes,\u00a0inspect ergonomics and sightlines, simulate\u00a0maintenance\u00a0to ensure clearance for tools and conduct safety reviews.\u00a0The VR software\u00a0interfaces seamlessly with CNH\u2019s\u00a0computer-aided designs to allow engineers to hone their\u00a0prototypes to within 97 percent accuracy in a digital environment.\u00a0But Dr. Suzuki says that there\u00a0are still traditionalists\u00a0who write off virtual reality as the province of kids\u00a0and video games.<\/p>\n

While that\u2019s where many of these technologies were\u00a0developed, she says the potential applications are\u00a0too numerous\u00a0to count. \u201cWhen your kids are playing games, they\u00a0are driving an industry that is\u00a0changing everything we do,\u201d\u00a0Suzuki says.<\/p>\n

The technology behind the often-mocked Pok\u00e9mon\u00a0Go fad could, ultimately, turn industry\u00a0conventions upside\u00a0down as well. Using a simplified version of \u201caugmented\u00a0reality\u201d that\u00a0superimposed cartoon critters over the urban\u00a0landscape, the mobile game prompted crowds of\u00a0people to\u00a0wander aimlessly throughout cities (and occasionally into\u00a0traffic) in search of the mythical Pok\u00e9mon.<\/p>\n

But Dr. Suzuki and her team have worked to develop\u00a0an augmented reality app that helps users find faulty components,\u00a0not Pikachu. Her application of the technology\u00a0envisions \u201csmart\u201d buildings where\u00a0networked infrastructure\u00a0pings maintenance crews when it\u2019s in need of service,\u00a0and augmented\u00a0reality guides them to the problem component.\u00a0It\u2019s a short leap to see how such\u00a0technology could be\u00a0applied to farming and construction equipment. With the\u00a0right software, Suzuki says the cameras on many modern\u00a0smartphones are capable of identifying the components of\u00a0an engine or other complex systems and projecting schematics, data and repair instructions over it.\u00a0If the machines\u00a0are networked to the phone via Wi-Fi or Bluetooth, technicians\u00a0would be able to\u00a0view real time performance metrics\u00a0and analysis.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

WE\u00a0ALL\u00a0WORK\u00a0IN\u00a0TECH\u00a0NOW<\/strong><\/p>\n

With all the attention being focused on how technology\u00a0will revolutionize business models, it\u2019s easy\u00a0to lose sight of\u00a0the fact that people are still the most important component\u00a0in the IoT. But as increased automation has historically reduced\u00a0the number of people working in fields like\u00a0construction,\u00a0farming and manufacturing, those people are understandably\u00a0concerned that the\u00a0latest advances might put them\u00a0out of work.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s not necessarily the case, says Longbow Securities\u00a0Senior Vice President Eli Lustgarten, a research analyst and\u00a0market advisor for industrial manufacturers the world over.<\/p>\n

Lustgarten envisions an evolving workforce where notions\u00a0like \u201cunskilled workers\u201d will become obsolete. If IoT\u00a0technology becomes a part of every job, then, essentially,\u00a0every worker will have to be skilled in using technology.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s basically businesses and corporations that have\u00a0to recognize that they need to internally develop skills to\u00a0meet their needs,\u201d Lustgarten says. \u201cThat will ultimately\u00a0put pressure on universities, and all\u00a0the way down through\u00a0elementary schools.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rather than fret over the cost of providing workers\u00a0with a basic background in technology, Lustgarten\u00a0says\u00a0manufacturers should consider it an investment in their\u00a0workforce. As evolving technologies enable workers to be\u00a0more productive, he says it\u2019s an investment that should pay for itself over time.<\/p>\n

That\u2019s how the city of London is viewing its launch of\u00a0a new program intended to help construction\u00a0companies\u00a0train their workers in emerging technologies.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re not saying they have to become computer scientists,\u201d\u00a0she says. \u201cThey just have to understand\u00a0how to\u00a0interface with technology in a way that will make them\u00a0more efficient on the job site.\u201d<\/p>\n

That can also mean actively listening to users and addressing\u00a0their specific needs. In London, Dr.\u00a0Suzuki says\u00a0the infrastructure construction community expressed an\u00a0interest in gaining access to\u00a0the vast troves of project data\u00a0the city maintains.<\/p>\n

So Suzuki and the Greater London Authority developed\u00a0the London Infrastructure Mapping\u00a0Application, which\u00a0consolidates construction and infrastructure plans through\u00a02050 and\u00a0displays projects on a map. Utilities, developers\u00a0and municipal departments contribute to the\u00a0database, allowing\u00a0them to identify opportunities to co-locate projects\u00a0and deliver infrastructure\u00a0improvements jointly.<\/p>\n

Instead of having a power utility dig up and repair a\u00a0street one week and a water utility dig up that same street\u00a0a week later, Dr. Suzuki says the mapping application reduces\u00a0costs for infrastructure\u00a0providers and disruptions for\u00a0citizens. And it happened because the people developing\u00a0technology tailored their approach to people.<\/p>\n

* Dusty Weis is AEM\u2019s strategic communications manager, covering the impact that new and emerging technologies will\u00a0have on the construction, agriculture\u00a0and manufacturing sectors. Email him at dweis@aem.org or follow him on Twitter @dustyweis.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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