EMERGING TECHNOLOGIES: IOT, AUGMENTED

REALITY, VIRTUAL REALITY

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 COURSE DESIGN COMMITTEE

Chief Academic Officer Content Reviewer

Dr. Sanjeev Chaturvedi Prof. Dhrubasish Sarkar
NMIMS Global Access – Visiting Faculty, NMIMS Global
School for Continuing Education Access - School for Continuing Education
Specialization: Information Technology
(Social Network Analysis, OOPs, Internet
Technologies)

TOC Reviewer TOC Reviewer

Ms. Brinda Sampat Kali Charan Sabat
Assistant Professor, NMIMS Global Assistant Professor, NMIMS Global
Access - School for Continuing Education Access - School for Continuing Education
Specialization: Information Technology Specialization: Operations Management

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Author: Fazil Sheikh
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Reviewed By: Prof. Dhrubasish Sarkar

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Copyright:
2017 Publisher
ISBN:
978-93-86052-14-8
Address:
4435/7, Ansari Road, Daryaganj, New Delhi–110002
Only for
NMIMS Global Access - School for Continuing Education School Address
V. L. Mehta Road, Vile Parle (W), Mumbai – 400 056, India.

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 C O N T E N T S

CHAPTER NO. CHAPTER NAME PAGE NO.

1 Introducing IoT 1

2 Trends and Characteristics of IoT 21

3 IoT Applications in Industries 39

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4 Challenges In IoT 63

5 IoT for Smart Cities 87

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6 IoT and Consumer Wearables 113

7 Augmented Reality 143

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8 Virtual Reality 185

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9 Case Studies 217

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EMER GI NG T E CH N O LO G I E S : I O T,
AUGMENTED R E A LI T Y, V I R T UA L R E A LI T Y

curriculum

Introduction to IoT: What Is IoT? Characteristics of IoT Data (Streaming, high-volume, semi-struc-
tured), Models for IoT, Technology Roadmap, Benefits of IoT, Impact of IOT on the business land-
scape

Trends and Characteristics: Intelligence, Architecture (Network architecture), Complexity, Size

considerations, Space considerations

IoT Applications in Industries: Building and home automation, Retail, Media, Supply Chain,

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Environmental monitoring, Infrastructure management, Manufacturing, Pharmaceuticals and
Healthcare, Transportation,
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IoT Challenges: Security & privacy concerns, enterprise security, fragmentation of Standards,
Processing Big Data, Scalability, Compatibility between different smart sensors

IoT for Smart Cities: What is “smart” in smart cities? Smart components – (sensors, microproces-
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sors, data storage, controls, software, and, typically, an embedded operating system and enhanced
user interface), Terminology related to smart cities, Technology framework, Smart Communities
and Energy management
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IoT and Consumer Wearables: Wearable technology, quantified self, connected health, and smart
retail.

Augmented Reality: Introduction to AR, HW and SW Technology requirements for AR, Business
Models, AR Applications (Archaeology, Architecture, Commerce, Education, Medical, Military,
Navigation, Industrial design, Tourism, Retail, Video Games), Privacy Concerns

Virtual Reality: Introduction to VR, Evolution of VR, VR Applications (Education and training,
Fine Arts, Engineering, Therapy, theme Parks, retail, marketing, Fitness, Media etc.), Companies
working in the virtual reality sector, challenges faced with VR.

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 C h a
1 p t e r

INTRODUCING IoT

CONTENTS

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1.1 Introduction
1.2 Characteristics of IoT Data
Self Assessment Questions
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Activity
1.3 Models for IoT
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
1.4 Technology Roadmap
Self Assessment Questions
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Activity
1.5 Benefits of IoT
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
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1.6 Impact of IoT on the business landscape

Self Assessment Questions
Activity
1.7 Summary
1.8 Descriptive Questions
1.9 Answers and Hints
1.10 Suggested Readings & References

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Introductory Caselet
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JCB India’s IoT Initiative

JCB India is in the business of manufacturing construction equip-

ment. The JCB group has its presence in four continents and sells
products in 150 countries through 2,000 dealer depots. JCB India
is a leader in earth-moving and construction equipment manufac-
turing enterprise and has five manufacturing facilities in India.

“Product Innovation” always remains a high priority among the

manufacturing business. They are constantly looking for new fea-
tures and functionalities in their product. They also strive for new
revenue streams and business models to remain competitive in
today’s world.

IoT or the Internet of Things is one of the emerging technologies

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which will accelerate the pace of innovation and help the enter-
prises in this direction. Being always connected helps you to re-
main informed all the time and empowers the business in many
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ways.

IoT brings new value propositions in the product life cycle. It not
only helps in creating better products but also helps in cost-cut-
ting. It assists in creating a connected asset. It helps to make crit-
ical business decisions. It may be from inventory management to
manufacturing to shipment and the after-sales service.
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In manufacturing sector, we can see the IoT implementation tak-

ing place in three broad categories:
‰‰ Connected supply chain
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‰‰ Connected products
‰‰ Smart manufacturing

In 2012, the JCB India launched the Business need IoT program
called “LiveLink”. Its purpose was for its customers to remain in
constant touch with their machines. This was to be achieved by
sending the data in real time and keeping the customers informed
all the time. It helped its users in retrieving data by using sensors,
the major parameters of the performance of the machines, its con-
dition, its location, etc. It helped them in three areas of their busi-
ness—service, operation and security, the explanation of which is
as follows:
‰‰ Service: Sensors are installed on the machines and can col-
lect the important machine parameters which helped them
to monitor the machine health and accordingly send service
alerts.

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Introductory Caselet
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‰‰ Operation: By constantly monitoring the usage of equipment,

its health, fuel consumption and idle time, the company could
implement a business model– “product as a service”.
‰‰ Security: On the security front, the company could apply the
geo-fencing mechanism, which may help them to mark the
secure operational boundaries. By continuously monitoring
the machine location, they were now able to send some kind
of alerts, if the machine seems going outside the designated
boundary.

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learning objectives

After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

>> Explain IoT
>> Describe the characteristics of IoT Data
>> Discuss the different models for IoT
>> Explain the benefits of IoT
>> Discuss the impact of IoT on the business landscape

1.1 INTRODUCTION
IoT stands for Internet of Things. IoT comprises each and every object

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connected to the Internet and may communicate with each other. It is
one of the emerging technologies. The term ‘Internet of Things (IoT)’
was coined by Ashton in 1999. In recent years, it has been a growing
technological trend.
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In academia as well as in industry, we can see a significant usage of
IoT in the past decade. In the perspective of Industrial Revolution,
IoT is termed as Industry 4.0 as it includes Internet of Things, cloud
computing and cyber-physical systems.

IoT presents a world where all the smart things are connected and can
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communicate with each other.

All this happens without or minimum human intervention. The goal

behind IoT is to create a better connected world for the whole human-
ity. These smart things provide services which are real-time, cheap
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and non-intrusive.

IoT can be very useful and it can be used to improve and benefit the
lives of persons all over the world. People will be able to monitor their
vital signs and eating patterns and habits so they will be healthier.
They will be safer as they can remotely secure their homes. The busi-
nesses will be enormously benefitted by implementing IoT-based
solutions. They can make their business strategies more effective and
their products smarter.

IoT is considered to be the next evolution of the Internet, as it has the

ability to collect and analyse data.

We can derive insight from the data that will help us to make critical
decisions that can even save someone’s business or life. IoT can make
almost any process simpler, safe and useful.

We can see the roots of IoT at Auto-ID center of MIT. A research group
was founded in 1999 to work on RFID.

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Figure 1.1 shows the number of connected devices vs. the world’s pop-
ulation:

World
6.3 Billion 6.8 Billion 7.2 Billion 7.6 Billion
Population
Connected 500 Million 12.5 Billion 25 Billion 50 Billion
Devices

More
connected
device
Connected than
Devices 0.08 1.84 3.47 6.58
people
Per Person
2003 2010 2015 2020

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Figure 1.1: Connected Devices vs. World’s Population
Source: Cisco IBSG, April 2011
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Let’s see the basic architecture of an IoT system. It consists of some
smart devices, an embedded system, such as a microcontroller with
network connectivity capability, some gateway/local network all con-
nected to the Internet.

Figure 1.2 shows the basic architecture of an IoT system:

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Other IoT Internet/Cloud

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Devices

Embedded
Smart Devices
System (with Gateway/Local
(Sensors,
Network Network
Actuators, etc.)
Connectivity)

Figure 1.2: Basic Architecture of an IoT System

In this chapter, we will study the various characteristics of IoT data.

We will also see the different models of IoT that can be used for com-
munication. Next, we will see the technology roadmap for IoT. Here,
we will discuss the technology from the historical point of view. We
will also highlight the benefits of IoT from industrial as well human
perspective. Towards the end, we will see the impact of IoT on the
business landscape. Here, we will discuss how this emerging technol-
ogy is affecting various domains and the industry as a whole.

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1.2 CHARACTERISTICS OF IOT DATA

The data that we are considering under IoT should possess certain
characteristics. These can be termed as:
‰‰ Accuracy

‰‰ Consistency

‰‰ Completeness

‰‰ Timeliness

By accuracy, we mean that the data which is being collected accurate-

ly reflects its source of generation.

Suppose we have certain devices/sensors within the same room that

are reporting the ambient temperature. Now, by accuracy, we expect

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that all of these devices/sensors report the same temperature or be in
the reasonable limit with each other’s value.
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By consistency, we mean that the data being collected is consistent
with the context in which it was produced by each device.

For example, if we report multiple events that are tagged with some
information such as a geolocation, then by consistency, we expect that
those geolocations be the same or approximately close to each other.
By completeness, we mean that all the data which has been generated
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or being generated gets recorded. There should not be any data miss-
ing. By timeliness, we mean that the data which we are capturing gets
recorded in the stipulated time frame. If there is an unforeseen delay
in capturing, the data may lose its significance.
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self assessment Questions

1. One of the characteristics of data, completeness means that

there should not be any data.
2. If the data doesn’t get recorded in the stipulated time frame, it
will lose its significance. (True/False)

Activity

Search and find out some more characteristics of IoT data other
than the characteristics discussed in the chapter.

1.3 MODELS FOR IOT

There are various approaches of connection and communication for
IoT. These are not standardised. The selection of a particular approach
is problem and domain-dependent. The different models for IoT can
be listed as follows:

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‰‰ Device-to-device: In a Device-to-Device communication, two or

more devices are connected and can communicate with each oth-
er. The communication can be done over any type of network. In
most of the cases, we use the protocols like Bluetooth, Z-Wave, and
ZigBee, etc. Applications like home automations, wearable IoT,
etc. commonly use this type of model. The amount of information
to be sent in such types of applications is very small. Examples can
be temperature data, room brightness data, etc.
Figure 1.3 shows the Device-to-Device Communication Model of
IoT:

Device 1 Network Device 2

(e.g.Bulb) (Wireless) (e.g.Switch)

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Figure 1.3: Device-to-Device Communication
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In this model, the security is simplified because of the short range
of communication and mostly one-to-one device interaction. This
model is also popular among wearable IoT devices. For example,
we can have a heart rate monitor paired to a smart watch. Several
standards are being developed around Device-to-Device IoT mod-
el. Here we can specifically mention one of the several standards
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for data communication, the Bluetooth Low Energy.

It is popular among wearable and portable devices. It has the char-
acteristics such as low power requirements, which means devic-
es can operate for months without replacing the battery. Size and
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cost of the device could also be further reduced due to its lower
complexity.
‰‰ Device-to-cloud: In Device-to-Cloud model, an IoT device is di-
rectly connected to the cloud. The data is sent from the device to
the cloud and most of the data processing is done on cloud. From
cloud, the result of the processing/insight can be shared with the
concerned person/device. Most often, this model uses the wired
Ethernet or Wi-Fi. Cellular technology can also be used for com-
munication. Figure 1.4 shows the device-to-cloud communication
model of IoT:

Cloud

Sensor 2
(e.g. Humidity)

Sensor 1
(e.g. Temp.)

Figure 1.4: Device-to-Cloud Communication

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This model offers remote access to services and provides on the air
software updates. As an example, we can have the scenario of ani-
mal tracking. The animal will have a smart tag which will give the
location of the animal wherever it is to its owner’s mobile. From
a security point of view, this model has more complexity than the
Device-to-Device model. It is so because of the involvement of the
following two credentials:
 Network access credentials
 Cloud access credentials
‰‰ Device-to-gateway: In this model, an intermediary device is used
as a gateway to connect the IoT devices to the cloud. An intermedi-
ary device can be a hub or a smartphone. We can provide security
and other functionality through this gateway. For example, if we

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have a smartphone as a gateway, then we can have an app on a
smartphone that pairs with the IoT device and communicates with
the cloud.

IMFigure 1.5 shows the device-to-gateway communication model of
IoT:

Cloud
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GATEWAY
Sensor 2
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(e.g. Humidity)

Sensor 1
(e.g. Temp.)

Figure 1.5: Device-to-Gateway Communication

In the other scenario, we can have multiple devices connecting to
a gateway. This gateway can work as a data aggregator.
It can then send this data locally to different devices/controllers
or it can send that data to the cloud. It is common to have devic-
es with different communication standards. A gateway can bridge
the gap of interoperability among the devices. This is another ad-
vantage of having a gateway.
‰‰ Backend data sharing: This model can be thought of as an ex-
tension to the device to a cloud model. Here the authorised third
parties can access the sensor data and the IoT devices. With the
Backend Data Sharing model, we can export and analyse smart
object data from a cloud in addition to the data from other sources.

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We can also send this data to other services for aggregation and
further analysis.
Figure 1.6 shows the backend data-sharing communication model
of IoT:

Cloud 2

Sensor
Cloud 1
(e.g. Light)

Cloud 3

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Figure 1.6: Backend Data-Sharing Communication

The selection of a particular IoT model depends on the application

and the domain area. There is, as such, no clear IoT deployment mod-
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el. This makes the work of IoT developers quite complicated. This is
so because they have to make decisions regarding the device connec-
tivity and how to integrate different devices, whether the data should
be aggregated or send it directly to the cloud.

It is not just a matter of convenience of implementation. We have to

take into consideration the various factors like limitations of the dif-
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ferent wireless technologies, security, small size considerations, low

energy consumption, cost cutting, etc.

self assessment Questions

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3. There are _________ models of IoT.

4. Device-to-Device model offers more simplicity. (True/False)
5. Convenience of implementation is the only factor in selecting
a particular IoT model. (True/False)

Activity

Using the Internet, search the factors to be considered while select-

ing a particular IoT model over the other. Prepare a report on your
findings.

1.4 TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP

In 1960s, the computer network made it possible for the two comput-
ers to communicate. In the late 1980s, the use of Internet was wide-
spread. This was made possible due to the introduction of TCP/IP in
the early 1980s.

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In 1991, the World Wide Web, popularly known as www, was intro-
duced. It made the Internet more popular. It also stimulated the rapid
growth of the Internet in all spheres. Then, in the early 2000s, various
mobile devices got connected to the internet. Thus, it formed the mo-
bile-internet. In the mid-2000s, people got connected to each other
over the Internet by the use of social networking sites. In early 2010s,
people started connecting more and more to such devices and it start-
ed the era of IoT – the next big thing in the technology landscape.
Figure 1.7 shows the Technology Roadmap of IoT:

Technology
Communication between Internet
everything – Host, Home, Car, of
People, Mobile & Web Things

Communication between Internet +

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Hosts, People, Mobile & People +
Web Mobile + PC
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Hosts, Mobile & Web Mobile

Communication
between Hosts & Internet
Web

Communication Network
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between Hosts
Time
1960 1990 2000 2010 2015 2020

Figure 1.7: Technology Roadmap

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self assessment Questions

6. Every object can be made IoT-enabled. (True/False)

7. ________ objects can identify themselves.

Activity

Prepare a report on the security challenges related to the IoT road-

map.

1.5 BENEFITS OF IOT

The benefits of implementing IoT can be listed as follows:
‰‰ Task automation
‰‰ Process optimisation

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‰‰ Behavior tracking
‰‰ Optimised resource consumption
‰‰ Contented computing
‰‰ Intelligent service
‰‰ Cost-cutting

‰‰ More accurate and fast data collection

Some examples of the possible advantages that can be leveraged out

of IOT can be explained as below:
‰‰ Inventory management: In any industry, inventory management
is one of the major and most essential tasks. Here IoT can be used
to track the inventory level. Accordingly, the stock can be main-
tained in advance, the orders can be placed automatically and

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alerts can be raised for some unforeseen stoppages due to insuffi-
cient inventory. It increases the overall efficiency in managing the
inventory.
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‰‰ Supply chain: In the supply chain, it is always desirable and, in
some cases, almost essential to track the location or movement of
the vehicle/goods. By tracking, we can know the exact status of the
consignment to be delivered. Earlier, tracking was being done us-
ing GPS. Now the use of IOT not only eases the tracking of things
but also simplifies the entire process by using sensors. All this is
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done in real time. It eases the overall operational and monitoring

process.
‰‰ Promotional Ads: IOT can be used to send mobile promotions to
potential customers. For this, the customer’s previous buying pat-
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terns/interests are analysed and, accordingly, the offers are given

automatically.
‰‰ Identifying potential customers: IOT can be used to find the po-
tential customers by tracking their online presence. By observing
their social media usage, likes, comments, clicks, a better under-
standing of their interests and possible shopping/spending can be
made. It proves to be a very useful analysis to identify the key cus-
tomers and their preferences. It truly justifies the proper use of the
already constrained marketing budget.
‰‰ Enhanced services: Businesses can enhance their service offer-
ings by using IOT. It enables them to track the product perfor-
mance.

By observing the product usage pattern, they can predict the possible
failure/maintenance needs much before they emerge as a problem.
Accordingly, they can inform their customers in time, which, in turn,
increases the satisfaction level of the customers. The businesses can
also make some good offers for product replacement/upgradation. An-
other advantage that we can get is the product-tracking in case of loss/

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theft. All this helps in building a loyal relationship with the customers.
These are just a few of the benefits IoT offers. It is also equally im-
portant and essential that we tap on the right spots in order to make
better use of this technology to work best for all of us without causing
any damage to the environment. Connected smart products can offer
ever-expanding opportunities for the added functionality and features
that go beyond the traditional products. The overall value chain is be-
ing disrupted by the continuously changing nature of a product. This
is forcing the businesses not only to rethink their strategies but also
how they do everything. It includes inventory management, opera-
tions product design, manufacturing, supply chain, services, etc.

The availability of day-to-day operational data, when combined with

the analytics, can give a huge competitive advantage. This surely en-
ables the businesses to incorporate new functionalities, features and

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capabilities in the overall product cycle. Businesses can analyse the
data which they obtain from the connected products, operational en-
vironment and business assets and use this insight to innovate, bring
new ways to serve, reduce costs, save time and improve quality.
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self assessment Questions

8. To remain competitive, companies must adopt IoT (True/

False)
9. IoT can help in ________ marketing.
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10. IoT will help in cost cutting (Yes/No)

Activity
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Search about the benefits and risks of IoT in the field of healthcare.
Discuss them in your class.

IMPACT OF IOT ON THE BUSINESS

1.6
LANDSCAPE
The impact of IoT on businesses is huge all over the world. Those
businesses which are implementing IoT-based solutions are getting
some significant benefits, which involve increased efficiency, better
product control, enhanced operations and services, cost cutting, etc.

IoT makes each and every device capable to communicate with the
other devices directly or over the internet. In the near future, this is
going to change the business processes drastically. Thus, it becomes
essential for the businesses to start thinking in terms of IoT very se-
riously.

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In almost all the companies, we can have assets that could be tracked.
By implementing IoT for this, the businesses can improve efficiencies,
make the better use of the intelligence obtained from the connected
assets, improve the business operations, etc. All this helps a business
to increase the satisfaction of their valuable users/customers.

All the businesses, in general, and industrial companies, in particular,

lose money when equipment/machinery fails. With the new data col-
lected from sensors, IoT can help a company save money by avoiding
or minimising equipment/machinery failure. This can be achieved by
planning and performing the much, needed maintenance just in time.
As the saying goes, “A stitch in time saves nine”. For example, sen-
sor data that records the abnormalities in equipment vibration can be
used to predict and avoid the equipment failure.

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Exhibit

An International Data Corporation (IDC)

survey data using IoT in business
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Big Data technologies, such as Hadoop and NoSQL, can enable
companies to collect, store and analyse large volumes of IoT data in
real time. As per a report from Mckinsey, IoT offers potential eco-
nomic impact of $4 trillion to $11 trillion a year in 2025. As per one
of the IDC surveys on the use of IoT in businesses:
‰‰ 73% of the survey respondents had deployed IoT-based solu-
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tions or planning to implement within a year.

‰‰ 73% of the survey respondents from the healthcare industry say
that IoT is transformative.
‰‰ 67% of the survey respondents from the transportation sector
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and 66% from the manufacturing sector say that IoT is trans-
formative.
The following figure shows the survey result on IoT by IDC:

33% 16%
of all industry of the population will be
leaders disrupted by millennials by 2018 and will
digitally enabled accelerate Iot adoption
competitirs by 2018 (connected life)

58% of companies think

IoT is strategic
of all organizations see
Iot as transformational
24%
Figure: IDC’s Global IoT Decision-Maker Survey Result
Source: IDC’s Global IoT Decision Maker Survey, August 2015

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Now, we can say that the IoT is gearing up in such a way that it will
completely change the way businesses work. Let's discuss some of the
areas of the businesses where IoT will have major and more relevant,
direct impact:
‰‰ Minimum downtime: As more and more devices are getting
IoT-enabled, businesses can now do the predictive maintenance
in time.
As machines interact with each other, the system will be able to
predict any probable fault/failure and inform/alert the concerned
department/person and avoid the major downtime. Thus, by con-
tinuously analysing the machine operation and performance, the
businesses can avoid or minimise any downtime.
‰‰ Targeted marketing: Marketing has always been an integral and
very important area of any business. Unless and until you do prop-

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er marketing, the chances of selling of your product/service are
low. At the same time, it is also a fact that the budget for market-
ing is also limited. So, it has to be spent very carefully such that
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it leads to sales. But the question remains how to decide where to
invest the marketing budget? Here the IoT comes to your rescue.
IoT-based solutions will help you in identifying target customers.
You can then do the focussed marketing so that the chances of get-
ting sales increases manifold. IoT lets you collect and analyse the
customer data, behavior, preferences, locations, and interests, etc.
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in real time. Once you have the details about the customer, you can
do the focussed and individualised marketing.
‰‰ Improved business intelligence: IoT makes it much easier and
simpler to collect and extract the relevant information from the
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data.
This helps the businesses to examine and get insights which are
required for the improvement of the businesses. With the adoption
of IoT-based solutions, the business can create an infrastructure
which is data-driven. It enables the businesses to get the product
feedback, performance reviews, tracking loyalty, observing cus-
tomer behaviour, etc. in real time.
‰‰ New service oriented approach: With the increasing adoption of
IoT in businesses, some of them are moving from product-based to
service-oriented solutions. Now, instead of focussing on the prod-
uct sales, they are focussing more on renting the product.
New business models, such as freemiums, subscriptions, bundles,
etc. are gaining more attraction in the business community, mak-
ing their services more and more flexible and scalable. All these
will give businesses multiple opportunities of revenue generation.
‰‰ Enhanced customer experience: Nowadays, customers are more
connected and also more demanding. Thus, it becomes a priority

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for the businesses to fulfill their expectations in a right perspec-

tive and also in time. So, the businesses are now leveraging IoT to
access the consumer data in real time and listening to their com-
plaints, fulfilling their requirements immediately, troubleshooting
their problems and, thus, giving them an enhanced personalised
experience.
‰‰ Creation of new demands: IoT is all set to create new business op-
portunities. In IoT era, new business models are being generated
because of the new demand and availability of the products and
enhanced services that are compatible with the changing business
landscape. Requirement of improved services on top of regular
products, effective supply chain management, access to real-time
product and customer data and the resulting intelligent opera-
tions will all give impetus to the new businesses to emerge and the
existing businesses to go for diversification.

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By the adoption of IoT in businesses, the benefits realised will not
only be from a financial point of view but also from operational and
strategic perspectives.
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Becoming an IoT-enabled business is an urgent requirement in order
to protect your business from the threats of your competitors who are
better equipped digitally and IoT-enabled.

IoT is not a simple landscape. It is complicated. There are numer-

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ous categories and many vendors/suppliers in each category. The four

main categories of an IoT solution landscape are as follows:
‰‰ Sensor that often resides in devices
‰‰ Machine-to-Machine (M2M) device management platform
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‰‰ Solution delivery platform

‰‰ Apps that enable IoT devices to report or act on the collected data

Although there are many vendors and solution providers, no single

vendor can offer a complete packaged solution. They have to build a
strong ecosystem of partnerships.

As a business wants to start its IoT journey, it should build a cross

functional team. The team should consist of IT and business manag-
ers, who will evaluate strategic partnerships. It should also take into
consideration various factors like financial position of the vendors,
domain knowledge, partnership ecosystem, range and breadth of of-
ferings, etc.

In order to understand the true potential and value of IoT, the busi-
nesses have to understand that IoT does not mean the same thing for
everybody. It will depend on the context, the product, the services and
the business problems they want to address.

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Thus, we have seen how IoT can bring a new wave of opportunities
not just for businesses but also to individuals. It will have major oper-
ational as well as economic impact on the businesses.

As more and more devices get connected, we can see an exponential

growth in IoT. According to Robert Metcalfe, founder of 3.com, the
network value increases in proportion to the square of the number of
network users. The value will increase incredibly large as more and
more devices and people get interconnected.

The businesses can now face their challenges effectively by putting

together processes, people and products. They can now provide ex-
ceptional services to the end-users as well as to the partners. We can,
thus, conclude that IoT has become more prevalent and useful today
and it is the need of the hour to embrace IoT in every field.

S
self assessment Questions

11. IoT will have profound impact on businesses. (True/False)

IM
12. ______ technologies, such as Hadoop and NoSQL, enable
companies to collect, store and analyse large volumes of IoT
data in real time.
13. Can we reduce the downtime by using IoT? (Yes/No)
14. There will be new demands created by the use of IoT. (True/
M

False)

Activity
N

Prepare a report on IoT devices that monitor the use of energy in

a company to make it function in an environment-friendly manner.

1.7 SUMMARY
‰‰ IoT comprises each and every object connected to the Internet
that may communicate with each other.
‰‰ The goal behind IoT is to create a better connected world for the
whole humanity.
‰‰ IoT can make almost any process simpler, safer and more useful.
‰‰ In a Device-to-Device communication, two or more devices are
connected and can communicate with each other.
‰‰ In Device-to-Cloud model, an IoT device is directly connected to
the cloud.
‰‰ In this model, an intermediary device is used as a gateway to con-
nect the IoT devices to the cloud.

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‰‰ In1991, the World Wide Web, popularly known as www, was intro-
duced.
‰‰ IoTcan be used to send mobile promotions to the potential cus-
tomers.
‰‰ IoT can be used to find the potential customers by tracking their
online presence.
‰‰ IoT makes each and every device capable to communicate with
the other devices directly or over the Internet.
‰‰ Big Data technologies, such as Hadoop and NoSQL, can enable
companies to collect, store and analyse large volumes of IoT data
in real time.

key words

S
‰‰ Downtime: It is the amount of time for which the system is un-
available.
‰‰ Intelligent service: It is a service based on data insights.
IM
‰‰ Internet of Things (IoT): It consists of each and every object
connected to the Internet that may communicate with each
other.
‰‰ RFID: It stands for Radio Frequency Identification. RFID tags
are mostly used on/and to identify products.
M

‰‰ Smart object: An object capable of communicating over the

network.

1.8 DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS

N

1. Describe the characteristics of IoT data.

2. What are the different IoT models?
3. Enlist any four benefits of IoT.
4. How will the service sector benefit from IoT?
5. Describe the impact of IoT on businesses.
6. How can IoT be leveraged for marketing?

1.9 ANSWERS and HINTS

ANSWERS FOR SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

Topic Q. No. Answers

Characteristics of IoT Data 1. Missing

2. True

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Topic Q. No. Answers

Models for IoT 3. Four

4. True

5. False

Technology Roadmap 6. True

7. Smart

Benefits of IoT 8. True

9. Targeted

10. Yes

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Impact of IoT on the Business
11. True
Landscape
12. Big Data
IM
13. Yes

14. True

HINTS FOR DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS

1. The characteristics of IoT data are Accuracy, Consistency,
M

Completeness and Timeliness. Refer to Section

1.2 Characteristics of IoT Data.
2. The different IoT models are Device-to-Device, Device-to-Cloud,
Device-to-Gateway, Backend Data-Sharing. Refer to Section
N

1.3 Models for IoT.

3. The four benefits of IoT are Task Automation, Process
Optimisation, Behavior Tracking and Cost-cutting. Refer to
Section 1.5 Benefits of IoT.
4. By using IoT, the service sector can provide enhanced and timely
services. Refer to Section 1.5 Benefits of IoT.
5. The impact of IoT on businesses is profound. It will create new
demands as well as change the way businesses are done. Refer to
Section 1.6 Impact of IoT on the Business Landscape.
6. IoT can be leveraged for targeted marketing. Refer to Section
1.6 Impact of IoT on the Business Landscape.

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1.10 SUGGESTED READINGS & REFERENCES

SUGGESTED READINGS
‰‰ Dourish, P. (2014). Divining a digital future: mess and mythology
in ubiquitous computing. Cambridge, MA: MIT Press.
‰‰ Guinard, D.D., & Trifa, V.M. (2016). Building the web of things:
with examples in Node.js and Raspberry Pi. Shelter Island, NY:
Manning Publications.

E-REFERENCES
‰‰ The Internet of Things (IoT) is a Key Enabling Technology for Dig-
ital Businesses. (n.d.). Retrieved May 05, 2017, from http://www.
gartner.com/technology/research/internet-of-things/

S
‰‰ Smith, S. (2015, February 23). Interview Winter 2015: Kids and
the IoT – Phase Change – Medium. Retrieved May 05, 2017, from
https://medium.com/phase-change/interview-winter-2015-kids-
IM
and-the-iot-be891df7ec08#.spmnyu6za
‰‰ Internet of Things. (n.d.). Retrieved May 05, 2017, from http://www.
mckinsey.com/global-themes/internet-of-things
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N

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M
IM
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 C h a
2 p t e r

TRENDS AND CHARACTERISTICS OF IoT

CONTENTS

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2.1 Introduction
2.2 Artificial Intelligence and IoT
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Self Assessment Questions
Activity
2.3 IoT Design Considerations
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
2.4 IoT Architecture
M

Self Assessment Questions

Activity
2.5 Size and Space Considerations in IoT
Self Assessment Questions
N

Activity
2.6 Summary
2.7 Descriptive Questions
2.8 Answers and Hints
2.9 Suggested Readings & References

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Introductory Caselet
n o t e s

IoT Enabled Car by Tesla Inc.

Tesla, Inc. is an American company in the field of automobile,

solar panel manufacturing and energy storage. It is founded in
2003 by Elon Musk, JB Straubel, Martin Eberhard, Ian Wright
and Marc Tarpenning. It is headquartered in Palo Alto, California,
United States. It has set new standards, added value to the prod-
uct, provided sustainable value and proved itself as one of the best
examples of the use of IoT in the automobile industry.

Tesla has created an IoT based system to update the software in

a car over the air. It has successfully implemented the system and
is a great success.

The company received a notice from the NHTSA (National High-

S
way Traffic Safety Administration) regarding a charger plug that
needs to be fixed. It was identified to be the cause of fires. The
company got the flaw fixed for its 29,222 vehicles through a soft-
IM
ware update.

It was possible due to the IoT enabled system. This was not for
the first time that Tesla has delivered such an update to enhance
a car’s performance.

In the previous year also, it had changed the suspension settings

M

of a car. This was to give more clearance to the car at high speed.
N

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learning objectives

After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

>> Discuss the trends of IoT
>> Describe the characteristics of IoT
>> Explain the relationship between AI and IoT
>> Discuss the IoT design considerations
>> Explain the IoT architecture
>> Discuss the size and space considerations in IoT

2.1 Introduction
Most technological trends of 2016 are about to modify themselves in

S
the year 2017 which include Internet of Things (IoT), Artificial Intel-
ligence (AI) and machine learning. Many technical experts are still in
the process of improving various IoT applications, developing smart
IM
offices and homes that comprise networked climate controls, devices
and utilities for improving energy consumption and security. The vari-
ous Trends of IoT, we can see today, are in business automation, smart
cities, home automation, pharmaceuticals, retail, transportation, etc.
Not only trends, there exists some characteristics of IoT which make a
product IoT inherent and encompass it with a set of capabilities. Some
of these characteristics of IoT are sensing, connectivity, dynamic na-
M

ture, complexity, large volume, security, heterogeneity, etc.

In this chapter, you will see how AI and IoT are interrelated. This
chapter will also discuss the various IoT design considerations. The
N

IoT architecture is also explained in the chapter. Finally, the size and
space considerations for IoT are explained in detail.

2.2 Artificial Intelligence and IoT

The intelligence given to machines is called as Artificial Intelligence
(AI). Its goal is to create intelligence like a human being. The term Ar-
tificial Intelligence was coined by John McCarthy in 1955. According
to John McCarthy, AI is a field of creating machines that are intelli-
gent. This field can be considered both as a science as well as engi-
neering. AI enables us to perform analysis on the collected data and
help us to make better and informed decisions. To make, sense out of
the collected data, we need to process it. So, in this respect, we can say
that the data collection part is done by IoT and its processing is done
by AI.

As an example of the systems where AI and IoT work together are

fitness trackers, smart watches, smart homes, etc. Now one may ask
if is it necessary that AI and IoT needs to work together. Let’s try to
answer this. As more and more devices get interconnected and the

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number of IoT systems grows, the amount of data generated will be

very large. To perform analysis on this growing data will be very diffi-
cult. It will just become impossible without an automated analysis sys-
tem. This is where AI comes into picture. Artificial Intelligence makes
it possible to perform automated analysis on large volumes of data.

AI will help in improving the accuracy and speed of the analysis per-
formed on the collected data. It is only with the Artificial Intelligence
that IoT would be able to deliver its promised value in time. Continu-
ous growth of IoT data gives rise to many challenges such as collecting
the ever increasing data, storing and performing analysis on that data.

Fast and more accurate finding out of the similarities, correlations

and abnormalities in the data are equally important to view insights
from the data. With the passage of time, the AI technology is getting
advanced and its models are becoming comparable to that of the hu-

S
man brain. Now AI systems are capable enough to handle complex
problems without human intervention. They can also do self learning.
Figure 2.1 shows how AI and IoT make a smart product:
IM
Keys of Singularity
M
N

AI Smart Robots IoT

Figure 2.1: AI and IoT make a Smart Product

Source: http://cdn.softbank.jp

As IoT is all set to enter into every business and every aspect of life,
there arises a compelling demand for fast and accurate analysis of the
ever increasing collection of the IoT data. As AI and IoT grow hand in
hand, we may expect very intelligent systems coming out in the near
future. More and more attention is being given to use the applications
of AI in a variety of products and services that are meant to make our
lives easy, comfortable and better.

All these developments and advancements of these technologies are

considered as good not only for our lives but also for the whole envi-
ronment as they are supposed to make effective use of the available
resources and reduce waste.

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AI equips us with the necessary tools and techniques to go beyond

the usual process of data manipulation/processing. It greatly helps in
automatising the task.

Some applications of AI in IoT are as follows:

‰‰ AI will enable computers to have a deeper level of understanding
of the images that are on the screen.
‰‰ New AI applications will also understand the image context.
‰‰ Itmay create such menus that will be optimised as per individual
requirements.
‰‰ Itmay have recipes that will include local ingredients automati-
cally.
‰‰ We may have new sensors that will make computers hear the infor-

S
mation about our environment.

The above mentioned applications are just like a tip of an iceberg.

Artificial Intelligence will have many promising applications in IoT.
IM
In the near future, we may have specialised services for individuals.
The applications are endless. They will change dramatically, the way
we live. For example, our doctor will receive the instant notification
whenever our heart rate reaches to an abnormal level.

Exhibit
M

Artificial Intelligence (AI) challenges in IoT

Apart from the promising benefits and applications, AI certainly

has several challenges in IoT. Some of them are:
N

‰‰ Complexity

‰‰ Privacy

‰‰ Compatibility

‰‰ Security

‰‰ Safety

‰‰ Legal Issues
‰‰ Ethical grounds
‰‰ Artificial stupidity

The Internet of Things is very closely related to Artificial Intelligence.

In fact, IoT would not be very powerful without AI. So if we consider
IoT as a body, then AI can be considered as its brain. The brain also
needs to be developed with the same speed and advancement as that
of IoT. Then only we can expect intelligent and effective systems that
will change the way businesses are done and will truly make differ-
ence in our lives.

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self assessment Questions

1. AI stands for ____________ ____________.

2. AI adds value to IoT. (True/False)
3. Security is a major concern in IoT. (True/False)
4. AI and IoT will make products ____________.

Activity

Divide your class in two groups and discuss the relationship

between Artificial Intelligence and IoT.

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2.3 IoT Design Considerations
The IoT design considerations are unique. They are very different
IM
from the usual computing platforms. IoT designs are more focused on
physical aspects like sensor and actuator interfaces which allow the
IoT systems to sense and accordingly actuate our surrounding world.

The usual computing platforms are focused primarily on interfacing

with humans. Examples of these systems include handheld devices
and desktop machines. In these designs, the input and output devices
M

are generally placed near to each other and with the interfacing hu-
man being.

On the other hand, in IoT designs, the systems receive their input via
sensors and that data is sent to the gateway/mobile/computers/cloud
N

via the wired or the wireless interfaces. Thus, the placement of devic-
es in IoT systems may be at remote locations from each other. Further,
the sensors/actuators may be highly miniaturised by using the MEMS
technology.

While designing an IoT system, there are various factors that need to
be considered.

These can be enlisted as follows:

‰‰ Size

‰‰ Power

‰‰ Cost

‰‰ Features

‰‰ Interfaces

‰‰ Network

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‰‰ Antenna

‰‰ Interoperability

‰‰ Security

‰‰ Cloud

Let’s now discuss these factors as follows:

‰‰ Size:Size matters a lot in IoT systems. The network will also have
an impact on the device size. Some networks will require antennas
and connectors. This requirement will also add to the size.
‰‰ Power: It is the very important factor and should be the first con-
sideration. If batteries are used to power the device then preserv-
ing the power should be taken into consideration during the over-
all design. Battery power is not suitable with many networking

S
technologies. The selection of power source is also influenced by
the frequency of communication.
‰‰ Cost: IoT products, or smart products, help the businesses as well
IM
as consumers equally. But cost is the major determining factor. So,
the design consideration should also include cost reduction.
‰‰ Features: It is now possible for the companies to add new features
to their existing products because of IoT. These features help you
to get direct access to your valuable customers. You may use it for
customer feedback, customer updates, in time service and preven-
M

tive maintenance, new revenue opportunities, etc.

‰‰ Interface: Interface is an important aspect of the IoT product. It is
very important that how your customer interacts with the product.
Will you use display, LEDs or buttons on the product? It will also
N

matter what kind of app and Web interfaces you will be providing.
‰‰ Network: There are certain issues with the network technology
such as communication distance, interoperability, gateway issues,
etc. If the Internet is needed, then you need to have Wi-Fi/Ether-
net. If you are in a room/building then Z-Wave, ZigBee and Blue-
tooth can be used. It should be remembered that an FCC certifica-
tion is needed by all the wireless technologies.
‰‰ Antenna: Antenna is used by all the wireless networks. It may be
external or internal to the product. There is a trend to keep the
antenna inside the plastic enclosure, whereas external antennas
are preferred for the metal enclosures.
‰‰ Interoperability:If your product needs to communicate with the
other products then you have to use a set of standard protocols in
order to make your product interoperable.
‰‰ Security:Security is a major concern. You need to consider the
implementation of security layers as and when possible. Password
and SSL are considered to be the minimum security levels.

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‰‰ Cloud: Cloud provides a kind of user interface between prod-

uct and data. There are different cloud offerings such as public,
private and hybrid. Most clouds provide a standard API for appli-
cation development.

IoT poses several challenges. One of them is cross platform design.

When we talk about the various aspects and views of designing IoT
services, a good IoT product would require us to think across the vari-
ous design layers. Figure 2.2 shows the facets of design in IoT:

Most Visible

Ui/Visual Design

S
Interaction Design Industrial Design
IM
Interusability

Conceptual Model
M

Service Design Productization

Platform Design
N

Least Visible

Figure 2.2: Facets of Design in IoT

Source: https://harbinger-systems.com

The layers, as shown in Figure 2.2, vary from the less visible layers like
Platform Design, Service Design, Productisation, Conceptual Model
and Interusability to the more visible layers like Industrial Design,
Interaction Design, and Visual Design. It is important and should be
noted that to empower the higher visible layers, the critical UX deci-
sions should be taken in the early design stages.

It is required to have clarity in the data representation as well as its in-

terpretations. It is a requirement of the Design of Cross Platform that
there should be a combination of dynamic and customisable interface.
It should be able to manage the smooth flow of data along with the
required security among sensors, applications, devices and people.

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self assessment Questions

5. IoT devices receive input through ____________.

6. Sensing modalities can include:
a. pressure b.  temperature
c. strain d.  all of the above
7. MEMS stands for _________ _________ _________ _________.

Activity

Search and prepare a report on various design considerations that

must be taken into account before starting an IoT project.

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2.4 IoT Architecture
IM
Architecture of an IoT system is to be considered in four stages. These
stages can be listed as follows:
‰‰ IoT Devices (Sensors/Actuators)
‰‰ Gateway

‰‰ Edge IT
M

‰‰ Cloud/Data Center

In the first stage of an IoT architecture, we have IoT devices. These

devices can be sensors (wired/wireless), actuators, etc.
N

In stage 2, we have data collection/aggregation systems. It may also

include the ‘analog to digital’ data conversion step.

In stage 3, we have edge IT systems that may perform some sort of

preprocessing on the data before the data is sent to the cloud/data
center.

In the last stage 4, the data is stored, processed and analysed.

It is obvious that in the first stage, the persons involved will be pro-
fessionals from operations technology. They are usually called as OT
people. It is also true with stage 2.

In stage 3 and stage 4, we have people from IT domain. The edge IT

processing may be located near to the data center or it may at a re-
mote location.

Figure 2.3 shows an IoT architecture involving these four stages:

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Figure 2.3: Four Stages of an IoT Architecture
IM
Source: http://techbeacon.com

The traditional demarcation between the roles and responsibilities of

the OT and IT is shown by the vertical dashed line which is labeled as
‘The Edge’ in Figure 2.3. Depending on the situation and the require-
ment, the data may need to be processed at the device level itself. For
example, robotic surgery, car accident, etc. In such cases, we cannot
M

have time to send the data to the cloud and wait for the response. So,
the data needs to be processed there itself – at the device level. So, in
IoT architecture some of the stages can be combined or may be elim-
inated.
N

Let’s describe the architecture in detail.

Stage 1: IoT Devices

The data is collected by the sensors from the object under consid-
eration. The physical conditions of the object or the surroundings is
then modified or controlled by the actuators as per the decisions taken
by processing the data.

The examples of sensing/actuating devices can be anything like indus-

trial devices, camera systems, air quality sensors, water level indica-
tors, accelerometers, pulse rate sensors, heart rate monitors, etc.

The list of IoT devices is continuously increasing with the expansion

and focus on IoT systems. An IoT architecture, in some cases, may
involve some sort of data processing at every stage. The amount and
kind of processing that can be done at the IoT device level is limited
by the available processing power on the IoT device. Most of the IoT
devices have got low power due to their design considerations.

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Depending on the situation and the requirement, the data may need
to be processed at the device level itself. For example, robotic surgery,
car accident, etc.

In such cases, we cannot have time to send the data to the cloud and
wait for the response. So, the data needs to be processed there itself –
at the device level.

In other cases, the data may be sent to the cloud for storage and fur-
ther processing.

Data is at the core of IoT system architecture. When processing the

data, you have to decide whether to process it onsite or send it to the
cloud.

Stage 2: Internet Gateway

S
Before the data is received by the gateway, it needs some sort of pre-
processing. It is like aggregating all the data and converting the an-
alog data to digital. There are systems called Data Acquisition Sys-
IM
tems (DAS) that perform the tasks of data aggregation and necessary
conversion. The Internet gateway gets the data in the aggregated and
digitised form. It is then routed via Wi-Fi, LANs, or the Internet, to the
next stage 3 for further processing.

The system at stage 2, usually resides near the site, i.e. to the sensors
M

and actuators. For example, a water pump may have some IoT de-
vices that send data to the data aggregation/digitisation system. This
system might be attached to the pump physically. The received data
might be then processed by the nearby gateway or server and forward
it to the systems in next stages 3/4.
N

The basic gateway functionality can be extended by adding other ca-

pabilities to it making it an intelligent gateway. This gateway would
then be able to perform malware protection, analytics, data manage-
ment services, etc. By using such systems, we are able to do the anal-
ysis in real time of the data streams.

Gateways are external devices to the data center. They are like edge
devices. Here the location and geography does matter. As in the pump
example we have taken above, suppose there are 100 pump units and
we want to process the data onsite. As we have instant data available
at the pump level, we can aggregate it and create a plant wide view.
At the same time, we can send this data to the cloud/data center for
a larger companywide view. Because of DAS and gateways, we may
have a wide variety of IOT devices from the factory site to the mobile
stations, so the designing of these systems is generally kept portable,
easy to deploy and maintain and at the same time rugged enough to
sustain the temperature variations, dust, humidity, vibration, etc.

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Stage 3: Edge IT

From stage 2, now the data enters into stage 3. There may be, however,
some data processing needed depending on the kind of application
and domain before it is sent to the cloud/data center. This is the point
where, the edge IT systems get introduced. They further process the
data and perform more analysis. These systems (edge IT) may be lo-
cated anywhere, may be onsite or in remote offices. Generally, they
remain near the facility where the sensors are placed.

As the amount of data being generated from the IoT systems is very
large, it will be unwise to send the whole of data to the cloud. This is so
because it will consume a lot of network bandwidth and other resourc-
es on the cloud. It is thus desirable to have some sort of preprocessing
on the data at this stage so that only the needed data should be sent to
the cloud for further processing. It will thus reduce the amount of data

S
to be sent to the cloud, reducing the network bandwidth usage as well
as the other resources on the cloud.
IM
Security is another concern. If we have to send the whole data to the
cloud, then the kind of security needed to protect the data will be very
complex. So, it is always a good practice to have some powerful sys-
tems at the edge level to do some processing on the data, perform
some sort of analysis and send only the data that needs further pro-
cessing or which is required to be shared with others.
M

For example, as in the pump case, we can collect, convert and anal-
yse the data (e.g. vibration data) and send only the results/projections
such as device getting failed or in need of maintenance on to the high-
er level.
N

Let’s consider another scenario. Suppose we have the machine main-

tenance data available with us. If we apply some sort of machine learn-
ing algorithm at this edge level and identify that some abnormalities
are present that predicts the approaching maintenance problems.
Now this insight calls for immediate attention. Here, we can use the
visualisation systems to present that insight in a more meaningful way
using graphs and dashboards which are easy to understand. This will
help us in taking immediate action and prevent any further damage.

Figure 2.4 shows a sample dashboard:

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Figure 2.4: Sample Dashboard
Source: https://projectbodyinteraction.files.wordpress.com
IM
Thus, having an edge IT system help us in many ways.

Stage 4: Cloud/Data Center

The data is sent from gateway/edge IT to the Cloud/Data Center for

further storage and processing. Here, we apply the various algorithms
M

and models for further processing of the received data. At the cloud
level, we have more powerful systems that can store the data at a large
scale as well as perform analysis on the large data. We can thus obtain
a deeper insight out of the given data and are in a position to make
better decisions. Further, we can manage the data effectively and pro-
N

vide security to the data.

It may take some time to get the insight from this stage; however the
results obtained have more meaningful information and deeper in-
sight.

Exhibit

Data storage and data processing

The data storage refers to the storage of data on hardware com-

ponents. Various hardware devices and technologies are used for
storing data. Hard disk, pen drive, CDs, DVDs, SD card, etc. are
used for storing data whereas the cloud computing technology is
used to store data on remote locations often known as data centres
and allows access of data irrespective of the geographical location
of a user.

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The data stored in these data centres or remote locations are then
retrieved to determine useful information from it and this mecha-
nism of retrieving useful information from data is known as data
processing. The data is processed to get deep insight into knowl-
edge contained in raw data. The processing can either be done
manually or electronically by a user.

self assessment Questions

8. In IoT, wireless connectivity is always desirable. (True/False)

9. Internet is an essential component of IoT architecture. (Yes/
No).

S
Activity

Search some alternative architectures for IoT, other than discussed

IM
in this chapter, and show them in your class with the help of a chart.

Size and Space Considerations in

2.5
IoT
M

Size and space matters a lot in IoT systems. Today’s consumers want
everything to be as compact and small as possible. When we consider
size and space, there arise two perspectives:
‰‰ IoT device perspective
N

‰‰ IoT data perspective

From the IoT device perspective, it is desirable that its size should
be as small as possible so that it occupies less space. Further, an IoT
device may not be always used as a standalone single device. In most
cases, it may be used as a constituent of some other device/system. In
such situations also, it is desired to have a small sized IoT device.

From the IoT data perspective, it is desirable that the space for IoT
data storage should be large enough to accommodate the constant
streaming of data. The IoT data will be very large over time. So the
space consideration for the data storage should be given enough and
equal priority in the overall IoT system. For example, IoT wearables
are often small in size; however, they need to equipped with high per-
formance batteries to perform various types of tasks.

Rural or outdoor areas generally have a large range where the signals
need to cover a longer distance to reach to the server or the wireless

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gateway. This kind of set up requires a GPS or a cellular interface. If

the transmission distance is very large, it will require high frequencies
as well as high power. If the location is a remote one, then the life of
the battery becomes a very important factor.

The operational distance can also be affected by the interference with

some physical obstacles or with other RF devices. Manufacturers also
have many options available in hardware and software relative to the
network technology for IoT based products. Some of the IoT devices
can be connected directly to the Internet. They may use Ethernet or
Wi-Fi. There may be other products that use wireless technologies.
But they all will be requiring a ‘gateway’ so as to convert their network
technology to either Wi-Fi or the Ethernet. Figure 2.5 shows some of
the available technologies:

S
IM
M
N

Figure 2.5: Available Technologies for Connectivity

Source: http://gridconnect.com

Some networks will require antennas and connectors. This require-

ment will also add to their size. It is a fact that our physical environ-
ment is very diverse. This diversity also leads to the similar diverse
IoT based application space, which includes tiny implantable heart
rate monitors, oil reservoir diagnosis sensors, HVAC sensors that have
extremely long lifetime, etc. Some ontological properties that are crit-

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ical in determining the requirements of IoT devices, which help in

categorising the large and varied application space are as follows:
‰‰ Sensing modality: Pressure, temperature, strain, etc. come under
sensing modality. The other examples of sensing modality includes
measurement frequency, timer triggers, abnormality identified in
the value being monitored, some external event, e.g. radio mes-
sage.
‰‰ Form factor (size): It may range from millimeters to 10s of centi-
meters. For example, implantable sensors (small size), infrastruc-
ture monitoring sensors (large size).
‰‰ Energy source/sensor lifetime: It is very desirable to have a long
battery life for a sensor. Also the lifetime of the sensor itself should
be long enough so that there should not be a frequent need to
change/replace the sensors. These are also largely dependent on

S
the kind of application under consideration.
‰‰ Connectivity: The connectivity is influenced by communication
distance, interval, data rate/size, etc.
IM
It is not an exhaustive list. The possible number of values for each
property can be very large. It will result in a very wide application
space.

self assessment Questions

M

10. Size is a very important consideration for IoT design. (True/

False)
11. We can neglect including space in an IoT-based design. (Yes/No)
N

Activity

Discuss the significance of size and space considerations in IoT in

your class.

2.6 Summary
‰‰ AI enables us to perform analysis on the collected data and help us
to make better and informed decisions.
‰‰ AI will help in improving the accuracy and speed of the analysis
performed on the collected data.
‰‰ AI equips us with the necessary tools and techniques to go beyond
the usual process of data manipulation/processing.
‰‰ IoT designs are more focused on physical aspects like sensor and
actuator interfaces which allow the IoT systems to sense and ac-
cordingly actuate our surrounding world.

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‰‰ An IoT device may not be always used as a standalone single de-

vice.
‰‰ From the IoT data perspective, it is desirable that the space for IoT
data storage should be large enough to accommodate the constant
streaming of data.
‰‰ The operational distance can also be affected by the interference
with some physical obstacles or with other RF devices.

key words

‰‰ Artificial Intelligence (AI): It is a kind of intelligence given to ma-

chines so that machines could take decisions like a human being.
‰‰ Data Acquisition System (DAS): It is a kind of system that is
used to collect and convert (e.g. analog to digital) data.

S
‰‰ Form factor: It is an aspect/view of the hardware design. The
physical specifications of a component like size, shape, etc. can
be defined using a form factor.
IM
‰‰ Micro-Electro Mechanical Systems (MEMS): It is a micro-
scopic device technology.
‰‰ Sensing modality: It is an aspect/view of a stimulus/impetus.

2.7 Descriptive Questions

M

1. What do you understand by artificial intelligence? Enlist the

applications of AI.
2. How are IoT and AI interrelated?
N

3. Describe the various design considerations for IoT.

4. Describe the architecture of IoT in detail.
5. Describe the size and space considerations for IoT.

2.8 Answers and Hints

Answers for Self Assessment Questions

Topic Q. No. Answers

Artificial Intelligence and IoT 1. Artificial Intelligence
2. True
3. True
4. Smarter
IoT Design Considerations 5. Sensors
6. d.  All of the above
7. Micro-Electro-Mechanical
Systems

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Topic Q. No. Answers

IoT Architecture 8. True
9. Yes
Size and Space Considerations 10. True
in IoT
11. No

Hints for Descriptive Questions

1. The intelligence given to machines is called as Artificial
intelligence (AI). Its goal is to create intelligence like a human
being. Refer Section 2.2 Artificial Intelligence and IoT.
2. As AI and IoT grow hand in hand, we may expect very intelligent
systems coming out in the near future. Refer Section 2.2 Artificial

S
Intelligence and IoT.
3. The various design considerations for IoT include Size, Power,
Cost, Features, Interfaces, Network, Interoperability, Security,
IM
Cloud etc. Refer to Section 2.3 IoT Design Considerations.
4. Architecture of an IoT system is to be as considered in four
stages. These stages are IoT Devices (Sensors/Actuators),
Gateway, Edge IT and Cloud/Data Center. Refer to Section
2.4 IoT Architecture.
5. The size and space considerations for IoT are very important.
M

It is always desirable to have small size of an IoT device and large

space for IoT data storage. Refer to Section 2.5 Size and Space
Considerations in IoT.
N

2.9 Suggested Readings & References

Suggested Readings
‰‰ Russell,S. J., & Norvig, P. (2016). Artificial intelligence: a modern
approach. Boston: Pearson.
‰‰ Guinard, D. D., & Trifa, V. M. (2016). Building the web of things:
with examples in Node.js and Raspberry Pi. Shelter Island, NY:
Manning Publications.

E-References
‰‰ The Internet of Things (IoT) Is a Key Enabling Technology for Dig-
ital Businesses. (n.d.). Retrieved May 06, 2017, from http://www.
gartner.com/technology/research/internet-of-things.
‰‰ Internet of things. (2017, May 03). Retrieved May 06, 2017, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_things.
‰‰ Internet of Things. (n.d.). Retrieved May 06, 2017, from http://www.
mckinsey.com/global-themes/internet-of-things.

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 C h a
3 p t e r

IOT APPLICATIONS IN INDUSTRIES

CONTENTS

S
3.1 Introduction
3.2 Applications of IoT in Building and Home Automation
IM
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
3.3 Applications of IoT in Retail
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
3.4 Applications of IoT in Media
M

Self Assessment Questions

Activity
3.5 Applications of IoT in Supply Chain
Self Assessment Questions
N

Activity
3.6 Applications of IoT in Environmental Monitoring
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
3.7 Applications of IoT in Infrastructure Management
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
3.8 Applications of IoT in Manufacturing
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
3.9 Applications of IoT in Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
3.10 Applications of IoT in Transportation
Self Assessment Questions
Activity

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CONTENTS

3.11 Summary
3.12 Descriptive Questions
3.13 Answers and Hints
3.14 Suggested Readings & References

S
IM
M
N

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Introductory Caselet
n o t e s

Efficient Trash Collection at Barcelona

Barcelona, Spain uses the IoT based connectivity solution to make

the trash collection system more efficient. Barcelona is one of the
cities that had adopted a solution called ‘Urbiotica’s M2M’. It is an
autonomous wireless sensor system that makes use of ultrasound
to indicate the status of a trash bin such as how full the bin is. This
information gets transmitted to the software platform of Urbioti-
ca’s M2M which then links up this information with the systems
designed to optimise the routes of trash collection.

There are other companies also in the connected trash bin market
such as ‘SmartBin’ which is an Ireland-based company. The sys-
tem is more useful in cases where the waste is being produced at

S
different locations at variable rates.

It also results in having less traffic and less truck emissions due to
routes being optimised. Thus, it also helps in reducing the pollu-
IM
tion and protecting our environment.

In a period of around 10 years, it is expected that the city, Barce-

lona alone would save approx. $4 billion by using IoT based solu-
tions.
M
N

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learning objectives

After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

>> Describe the applications of IoT in Building and Home
Automation
>> Explain the applications of IoT in Retail
>> Discuss the applications of IoT in Media
>> Explain the applications of IoT in Supply Chain
>> Discuss the applications of IoT in Environmental monitoring
>> Discuss the applications of IoT in Infrastructure manage-
ment
>> Discuss the applications of IoT in Manufacturing
>> Discuss the applications of IoT in Pharmaceuticals and

S
Healthcare
>> Discuss the applications of IoT in Transportation
IM
3.1 INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter, we have learned about the trends and char-
acteristics of IoT. We have also seen the various IoT design consider-
ations, IoT Architecture, etc.
M

IoT enabled us to have ecofriendly and energy efficient homes and

buildings. Moreover, IoT is being used by retailers for the purpose of
customer acquisition and retention. IoT is also being used by media
very effectively to deliver the relevant contents to the consumer.
N

The infrastructure services like the electric grid and water distribu-
tion systems can be made more reliable and efficient using the appli-
cation of IoT. By implementing IoT based solutions, the overall cost of
production can be reduced.

In pharmaceuticals and healthcare industries, IoT can be utilised for

effective analysis of the clinical treatment data and for remote patient
monitoring. IoT has also benefitted the transportation sector by re-
ducing the fuel consumption and asset tracking.

The potential applications for IoT can be extended to a wider market

due to recent advancements in the field of IoT. Therefore, you can
say that IoT provides a more detailed and beneficial competitive in-
telligence not only to the manufacturers but also to the consumers. It
benefits the whole chain; thereby increasing revenues and customer
satisfaction.

In this chapter, we are going to see the applications of IoT in indus-

tries and home automation as well as in other sectors such as retail,
media, supply chain, environment, infrastructure, manufacturing,
pharmaceutical, healthcare and transportation.

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APPLICATIONS OF IOT IN BUILDING

3.2
AND HOME AUTOMATION
As discussed earlier, ecofriendly and energy efficient buildings can be
created by using IoT. A building enabled to use its energy efficiently
by monitoring the physical conditions could not rely on persons to
read the current available data and configure accordingly the heating
and cooling systems of the building to achieve the desired efficiency.

It is also expected for the building management system to interact

with the computer systems to make the needed changes automatically
and, if required, notify the concerned persons of any problem. This
interaction and notification is known as information management in
a building. The features of a smart building are shown in Figure 3.1:

S
IM
M
N

Figure 3.1: Displaying the Features of a Smart Building

Source: http://www.happiestminds.com/infographics/6-Appilcations-of-IoT-for-Building-Auto-
mation-solutions-in-2016.pdf

On the other hand, in case of home automation, different types of elec-

trical and electronic appliances such as fans, lights, fire alarm, kitchen
timer, etc., are controlled by using different control techniques. The
appliances are controlled or operated with no or very less human in-
tervention. Wi-Fi technique is very commonly used in home automa-
tion for connecting the different appliances or devices with the con-
troller device that can be a smartphone or wireless remote control.
Wireless home automation using IoT can be regarded as an innovative

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application to control the home appliances remotely. Figure 3.2 shows

the application of IoT in home automation:

S
Figure 3.2 Application of IoT in Home Automation
IM Source: www.ayla.com

Connected appliances provide a more meaningful functionality and

cost effective solution for the consumers. Connectivity would give us
various benefits such as a better user experience, ease and comfort,
safety, proactive alerts, etc.
M

IoT is also playing its role in fire safety devices used to protect homes
and buildings. The consequences of fire are very dangerous and di-
sastrous. It propagates in very short time and can cover its adjoining
areas. If we add connectivity to the fire safety devices using IoT, they
can provide us the ability to remotely monitor our home/property and
N

take appropriate actions in case of fire or in case of any other danger-

ous situations. The safety devices can send alerts to our neighbors and
friends that can control the situation before it transforms into worse.

Exhibit

Location tracking

Location tracking refers to retrieving information about the pres-

ence of individuals or objects at different geographical locations at
different time periods. For example, it helps in collecting the whole
information about the location of an individual at any instant of
time using various location tracking devices or mechanisms. Lo-
cation tracking not only helps in tracking a location of people but
it also helps in locating objects at your home or away from your
home such as your keys, car, remote control, etc. There are vari-
ous devices available in the market used for tracking location of an
individual or object such as mobile devices, trackers, etc. To track
people and devices, the global positioning system (GPS) technology
is used. Not only location tracking helpful for common people in

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locating their valuable items at home, their vehicle or their loved

ones, it is also useful for businesses which involve heavy move-
ment of vehicles such as cab provider companies, truck load-
ing and unloading companies etc. Companies also use location
tracking of their customers to provide useful information about
places where they are present at the moment. For example, a
restaurant chain provides information using a SMS facility to its
regular customers about their nearby outlet by tracking custom-
ers’ current location so that the customer can take advantage
of it. Thus, location tracking is useful in the growth of business.

self assessment Questions

1. IoT can play a major role in building automation. (True/False)

S
2. _____________ technique is very commonly used in home
automation.
3. Nowadays, IoT is being used extensively for building and
IM
home automation. (True/False)

Activity

Prepare a report on RF based and touch screen based home auto-

M

mation system.

3.3 APPLICATIONS OF IOT IN RETAIL

N

Retailers these days are using IoT extensively to promote the growth
and retention of their customers. IoT helps retailers to analyse cus-
tomers’ patterns of shopping, individualise their offerings and per-
sonalise the shopping experience of every individual customer. The
nature of the retail business has always been a very dynamic one. The
effective use of relevant technology would prove to be a major game
changer in the retail space. The consumers, nowadays, have become
technology savvy. The expectations of consumers are ever increasing.
Now, it is up to the companies that how far they can meet those ex-
pectations. They have to redesign their business models and business
strategies in order to address the customer needs and expectations.
They have to improve upon different channels as well as customer
touch points.  Mobile and digital technologies are empowering and
enabling the retail business to make their customised offerings move
closer to the customers.

With the use of IoT, customers’ preferences can be influenced digitally,

can have better customer engagement and make their overall shop-
ping experience more customised and personalised. Retail can be
benefitted in a number of ways by implementing IoT based solutions.

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Some of these can be enlisted as follows:

‰‰ Deeper Consumer Insights
‰‰ Supply Chain Efficiency
‰‰ Inventory Optimisation
‰‰ Improved Customer Service
‰‰ Smart Digital Signage
‰‰ Just in Time Promotions
‰‰ Theft/Loss Prevention
‰‰ Personalised Shopping
‰‰ Smart Shelves

S
Customer closeness definitely brings more sale and hence more rev-
enues. Every customer experience, while shopping, is considered as
a digital experience by the intelligent devices. By analysing the nav-
igation data of the customer captured by these devices, retailers can
IM
improve the ‘in-store shopping experience’ of the customer.

In order to have an efficient supply chain management to fulfill the

need of customers, we need to manage the complexities from start to
end. It is essential to track the inventory and its condition and treat-
ment throughout the delivery chain.
M

Placing proper displays at the right positions with correct and accu-
rate information or lucrative offers gives retailers the opportunities
to engage the shoppers. Digital signage can be utilised to display new
inventory, promotional offers, etc. Its effectiveness can be measured
N

by analysing the gathered data. We can integrate the sensors with the
stockroom and the inventory on shelf for quantity and price regula-
tion.

Retailers can leverage an IoT based solution for connected store

management. The various processes/activities like issue notification
process in inventory management and the automatic trigger for the
replacement request, etc. can be streamlined by using IoT based solu-
tions in retail.

There are certain problems faced by each retailer like loss, theft, fraud,
etc. which might occur because of various causes such as employee
stealing, shoplifters, organised crime gang, etc. To prevent these kinds
of illegitimate activities, IoT can bring an additional layer of protec-
tion by implementing smart technologies.

It is always good for retailers to have multiple revenue channels. Re-

tail IoT gives many options for this like digital commerce, mobile re-
tail, connected retail, etc.

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n o t e s

Online retailers have a competitive edge over the traditional brick and
mortar kind of retailers. It is because they know the right time to fulfill
the demands. To encash the market demands, these digital retailers
can clearly identify the customer requirements and do the up-selling
and cross-selling of products. By leveraging the digital intelligence,
these retailers can provide demand centric deliveries with the added
discounts. Figure 3.3 shows the application of IoT in retail:

S
IM
Figure 3.3: Application of IoT in Retail
Source: https://media.licdn.com

self assessment Questions

4. Digital retailers can clearly identify the customer requirements

M

and do the up-selling and ________ of products.

5. IoT has the potential to make retail industry more profitable
and focused. (Yes/No)
N

Activity

Collect information about smart technologies like RFID used in the

retail sector.

3.4 APPLICATIONS OF IOT IN MEDIA

Media can very effectively use IoT to deliver the relevant contents to
the consumer. Smartphones are certainly changing the media and en-
tertainment landscape.

Connected smartphones would be able to generate news through the

collected data and deliver the relevant news to the individuals based
on their previous history of consumption, interests and habits. It all
reflects the ever increasing expectations around the delivery of more
relevant and personalised content.

As per one of the studies, it is found that around 39 of the top 50 sites
related with news in the USA get more traffic from the mobile devic-

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es than from the desktops. It is also found that there was around 4%
drop in ad revenues as far as the print media and newspapers are
concerned.

The role of IoT in media can be best viewed in terms of people, as-
sets and processes. The most interesting question here is ‘How can
the delivery of media and its associated services be best managed and
improves beyond simply tracking the assets and controlling the appli-
cations because of IoT enabled automation?’

The consumer data that can be collected via IoT is the main concern
for the marketing agencies. The deeper insight of the consumer data
means better ways can be developed to reach to the consumers and
across a much broader ecosystem of consumption and touch points.

The value and the insights associated with this data provides the con-

S
text for the media consumption metrics. It gives a more clear picture
and measurement about the information received instead of the ex-
isting measurement system which is based on samples. For example,
IM
the data that is being generated from wearables can help the media
industry in determining and understanding why a particular consum-
er should watch their content.

At the same time, the media needs to be cautious while exploiting the
connected machines and the IoT enabled automation. It may be that
consumers are not prepared or willing to go with it. It is an interesting
M

and very important point to know that how the media industries are
going to get the aggregated data from all the varied sources to analyse
consumer habits, interests, movements, timing, etc.

Consumers expect more relevant and appropriate advertising/content

N

across all the connected devices as they move from home, to car, to
mobile device, to office, to hotel, to cinema, to restaurants and so on.
With the help of smart sensors, we can know about the number of
people in a room as well as their mood. So the delivery/ presentation
of content will be based on that data and it will be customised to suit
the mood/environment in the room.

The content delivery should not create an annoying or worse expe-

rience for the consumers rather it should create an interesting and
delightful experience. So the media needs to carefully handle the ag-
gregated data taking into considerations the privacy, security, safety
and the legal issues.

self assessment Questions

6. The role of IoT in media can be best viewed in terms of people,

______ and______.
7. Use of IoT in media is not effective to know the customer
preferences. (True/False)

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Activity

Prepare a report on the application and use of wearables in the

media industry.

APPLICATIONS OF IOT IN SUPPLY

3.5
CHAIN
IoT can benefit the supply chain by optimising the various processes
in the chain. It can also improve the collaboration in the chain, may it
be with the suppliers or the customers, by creating more value across
the chain. IoT will improve material tracking, factory workflow, opti-
mise distribution and thereby increasing revenues.

S
IoT in supply chain management may utilise Radio Frequency Identi-
fication Devices (RFID) tags on the product which provide us a whole
lot of information like production date, warranty period, expiry date,
sales and after sales data, etc. which would definitely help us to auto-
IM
matically manage the supply chain efficiently.

RFID tags are also used in large scale industries like shipping for
tracking containers. Production planning can be optimised by having
real time information from the supply chain management. With the
same investment, it will yield more productivity. In supply chain man-
agement, IoT provides a richer and deeper data intelligence and bene-
M

fits the whole chain by increasing revenues and customer satisfaction.

IoT also helps in reducing the bullwhip effect in supply chain man-
agement which refers to inefficiencies that generally occurs in supply
chain management.
N

self assessment Questions

8. Supply chain management cannot be improved with IoT.

(True/False)
9. RFID stands for
a. Radio for Identification of Devices
b. Radio Frequency Identification Devices
c. Radio Frequency Identifying Devices
d. Radioactive Frequency Identification Devices

Activity

Search and collect more information about the bullwhip effect in

supply chain management.

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APPLICATIONS OF IOT IN
3.6
ENVIRONMENTAL MONITORING
IoT is also playing an important role in detecting various metrics of a
particular environment with the help of various sensors. IoT sensors
are very small in size which can be easily carried around and indicate
air quality, radiations, hazardous chemicals, water quality, etc.

It will help us all to protect ourselves from these environmental haz-

ards and especially the infants and asthma patients as well as the oth-
er people working in radiation prone or hazardous environment.

The data gathered from the environmental sensors will help us to

have a better and clear understanding of our environment and the
surroundings so that we can prepare well to find the best suitable

S
solutions in time for our environmental problems.

Weather monitoring will also help us in smart agriculture. Depending

on the weather, sunlight, humidity etc. conditions, we can better pre-
IM
pare for the right amount and timing of the use of water, pesticides
and fertilizers.

The other way where IoT can benefit our environment is by helping
us to reduce CO2 emissions. In energy sector, we can have IoT enabled
smart electric grids that could reduce CO2 emissions by implement-
ing smart meters and balancing the demand-supply ratio. Energy
M

efficiency could also be improved by selecting optimised routes for

transportation.

Ambient sensors can be deployed for weather monitoring and better

prediction of weather. It will also help us to get prepared for extreme
N

weather conditions. As more and more IoT based applications and

products become available, we can expect larger positive impacts on
our environment.

Figure 3.4 shows an application of IoT in environmental monitoring:

Figure 3.4: Application of IoT in Environmental Monitoring

Source: https://www.ipi-singapore.org

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self assessment Questions

10. By using IoT, the environmental monitoring system can be

made more reliable. (True/False)
11. _________ sensors can be deployed for weather monitoring
and better prediction of weather.
12. IoT can be useful in protecting our environment. (Yes/No)

Activity

Search and collect LPWAN technology for IoT environmental sen-

sors.

S
APPLICATIONS OF IOT IN
3.7
INFRASTRUCTURE MANAGEMENT
IM
Infrastructure management refers to managing the infrastructure of
an organisation which may include storage devices, power, network
devices, human resource, etc.

Some of the applications of IoT used in managing infrastructure of an

organisation are as follows:
M

‰‰ Smart electric grid management: The electricity data such as

current and voltage can be collected by adding intelligent sensors
along the line of transmission of the electricity grid. We can then
send an alert in case of an abnormal situation to the grid oper-
N

ators before any problem occurs. Thus, the electric grid can be

made more reliable and efficient.
‰‰ Smart water grid management: We can make the water grid smart
by adding sensors to it. Then we would be able to identify the leaks
in the distribution system, enable predictive maintenance, adjust
the water flow, balance the water outage from streams and lakes,
etc. This improves the overall water distribution system.
‰‰ Smart warehouse management: In warehouse management, we
can include smart forklifts which are sensor enabled; therefore,
exhibits intelligence like automatic speed control, collision detec-
tion, anti-slipping, etc. in addition to the other features. This will
give boost to the overall productivity.

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Figure 3.5 shows the applications of IoT in smart grid management:

S
Figure 3.5 Applications of IoT in Smart Grid Management
Source: https://media.licdn.com
IM
self assessment Questions

13. The system of water distribution can be improved and made

more efficient by using IoT. (True/False)
14. By using IoT, electric grid can be made more reliable and
efficient.  (True/False)
M

Activity

Search and determine the companies which are involved in provid-

N

ing smart forklift solutions.

APPLICATIONS OF IOT IN
3.8
MANUFACTURING
Using sensors in manufacturing has been already in practice. But
these sensors were not smart enough to have intercommunication or
interaction with the other machines. In the era of IoT, sensors have
become smart and now it is possible for the sensors to have communi-
cation with each other as well as with the other machines and equip-
ments.

With the help of IoT in manufacturing, the defects or the problems are
identified much earlier and with greater details. So, now we can fix
the problems ahead of time or sometimes, it can be fixed automatical-
ly by the IoT enabled systems.

IoT makes the manufacturing process more reliable, less error prone,
optimised and more productive with reduced losses and effective re-

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source consumption. IoT makes the whole process of manufacturing

streamlined, more automated and intelligent.

IoT seamlessly connects people, processes, products and the whole

infrastructure making it an informed manufacturing. In the IoT termi-
nology, we can now call it a smart manufacturing. Figure 3.6 shows an
anatomy of the so called informed manufacturing plant:

S
IM
Figure 3.6 : An Anatomy of the Informed Manufacturing Plant
Source: http://pbs.twimg.com/media/CGiKrwjVAAAn-1o.png

The worldwide investment in IoT enabled manufacturing is growing

with each passing year. The companies are realising the real benefits
they will get by implementing the IoT based solutions in the manufac-
M

turing sector.

Figure 3.7 shows the estimated annual investment in the IoT based
manufacturing:
N

Figure 3.7: Estimated Annual Investment in the

IoT based Manufacturing
Source: BI Intelligence Estimate,2015

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The manufacturing cost is also affected dearly by the cost of transpor-

tation among other processes.

The different areas/processes where a manufacturer sees opportunity

of implementing IoT based solutions in order to cut the overall cost of
production are shown in the Figure 3.8:

S
IM
M

Figure 3.8: Percentage of Manufactures seeing IoT Opportunity in

Different Processes
Source: Forbes Magazine
N

self assessment Questions

15. IoT can be used in manufacturing to improve operational

efficiency. (True/False)
16. IoT seamlessly connects people, processes, products and the
whole infrastructure making it a ___________ manufacturing.

Activity

Prepare a report on the companies that were early adopters of

smart manufacturing.

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APPLICATIONS OF IOT IN
3.9
PHARMACEUTICALS AND HEALTHCARE
The application of IoT in pharmaceuticals will also help in tracking
the dosage pattern of the patients.

Usually, a healthcare professional checks the vital signs of a patient at

regular intervals. For this, either the patient has to come to the hospital
or the healthcare professional has to go to the patient’s place. It con-
sumes a lot of time and a substantial amount of cost is involved in it.

Now, with the advent of IoT, the vital signs can be continuously moni-
tored and proper action can be taken. With the availability of accurate
information about a patient, his/her condition can be predicted more
precisely.

S
By using IoT devices, we can also track the medication uptake and
observe any side effects of the medication. This enables the healthcare
professional to have timely intervention as and when required.
IM
The implementation of IoT in healthcare gives more convenience to
the patients as well as it lowers the overall cost and provides a better
care via remote health monitoring.

We can use non-invasive IoT-driven monitoring systems to continu-

ously monitor the critically ill, chronic disease as well as the elderly
M

patients by being in the comfort and safety of their homes. We can

have an alert mechanism which will inform the physician or caregiv-
er in time to avoid any catastrophe. IoT devices are said to have 3Is
which are:
N

‰‰ Instrumented

‰‰ Interconnected

‰‰ Intelligent

These 3Is can be utilised very well in pharmaceuticals and healthcare

professions. We can have medical devices which are instrumented and
interconnected with the IoT devices to give continuous readings of
the patient’s vital signs. These can be observed through the mobile
phones, tabs etc. as per the requirement and convenience. Further,
they can be combined with the analytics intelligence to have better
insight of the patient’s condition and provide recommendations ac-
cordingly.

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Figure 3.9 shows IoT enabled healthcare ecosystem:

S
IM
M
N

Figure 3.9 IoT enabled Healthcare Ecosystem

Source: https://image.slidesharecdn.com

self assessment Questions

17. The use of IoT in pharmaceuticals can provide treatment

solution as per individual patient’s need. (True/False)
18. IoT devices are said to have 3Is which are instrumented,
_______ and intelligent.
19. The application of IoT in pharmaceuticals will not help in
tracking dosage pattern of the patient. (True/False)

Activity

Determine and discuss how IoT is helpful for doctors working in

a hospital.

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APPLICATIONS OF IOT IN
3.10
TRANSPORTATION
Like in other sectors, IoT is playing its role in making the transport
sector smart by reducing the congestion, smartly managing the en-
gine on/off timer, reducing the air pollution, etc.

The logistics used in transport sector can be made more transparent

with the help of IoT. We can tag logistics with smart sensors which will
give us the data about its location, condition, weather condition, etc.
to manage the situation accordingly.

In addition to the logistics, the vehicle itself can be made smart which
will better guide the driver regarding the best possible route, avoiding
congestion and assist in safe and secure journey.

S
Transportation and logistics companies are now improving their cus-
tomer service levels and their productivity by taking advantages of the
analysis and intelligence drawn from the continuously generated data
IM
by the IoT enabled cargo tracking solutions.

Effective cargo tracking also helps companies to ensure regulatory

compliance. The collected data about the cargo conditions during
transit can be submitted to the regulatory bodies as and when asked
for by the cargo companies.
M

Figure 3.10 shows IoT enabled cargo containers:

N

Figure 3.10: IoT enabled Cargo Containers

Source: Actsoft

IoT also assists in having a better control over the moving assets. The
assets like yard trucks or forklifts can be effectively utilised by know-
ing their current usage and location.

Moreover, city and the transport services can also be improved by

connecting them with smart parking lots which lead vehicle drivers
know about the availability of parking space in a particular parking
lot. More number of smart parkings can help in reducing the fuel con-

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sumption thereby reducing costs of running a vehicle and reducing

the environment pollution.

Railway stations, bus terminals, airports, parking spaces, shopping

malls, cinema theatres are some of the areas where management of
transport is required essentially to prevent chaos and traffic jams.
Here, IoT enabled devices can be used for avoiding rush and provid-
ing better convenience to end users. Better management may also
lead to monetary gains for these small and large scale organisations.

As far as traffic is concerned, managing congestion and preventing

accidents is the primary concern. IoT allows concerned organisations
to better manage these issues. We can have smart devices installed all
over the traffic control points. These will enable us to observe, analyse
and take corrective actions in time. Thus, IoT may ease the overall
traffic management and save the lives of many by preventing or avoid-

S
ing accidents.

self assessment Questions

IM
20. In the transport sector, application of IoT can reduce cost.
(True/False)
21. Applications of IoT in transport will help to reduce environment
pollution. (Yes/No)
22. Parking system can be made more efficient and effective by
M

applying IoT. (True/False)

Activity
N

With the help of the Internet, search and enlist the devices which
are useful for drivers during transportation.

3.11 SUMMARY
‰‰ IoT enables us to have ecofriendly and energy efficient homes and
buildings.
‰‰ IoT is being used by retailers for the purpose of customer acquisi-
tion and retention.
‰‰ Infrastructure services like the electric grid and water distribution
systems can be made more reliable and efficient using the appli-
cation of IoT.
‰‰ In pharmaceuticals and healthcare industries, IoT can be utilised
for effective analysis of the clinical treatment data and for remote
patient monitoring.

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‰‰ Wi-Fi technique is very commonly used in home automation for

connecting the different appliances or devices with the controller
device that can be a smartphone or wireless remote control.
‰‰ Connected appliances provide a more meaningful functionality
and cost effective solution for the consumers.
‰‰ IoTis also playing its role in fire safety devices used to protect
homes and buildings.
‰‰ Customer closeness definitely brings more sale and hence more
revenues.
‰‰ Onlineretailers have a competitive edge over the traditional brick
and mortar kind of retailers.
‰‰ The role of IoT in media can be best viewed in terms of people,
assets and processes.

S
‰‰ The consumer data that can be collected via IoT is the main con-
cern for the marketing agencies.
IM
‰‰ Ambient sensors can be deployed for weather monitoring and bet-
ter prediction of weather.

key words

‰‰ Environmental monitoring: It is a process of monitoring the

parameters of the environment which may include tempera-
M

ture, humidity, etc.

‰‰ Home automation: It is used to describe a home which can be
controlled remotely.
N

‰‰ Infrastructure management: It is used to describe the manage-

ment of the various resources that comprise the infrastructure.
‰‰ Remote health monitoring: It refers to an IoT enabled system
used for monitoring a patient’s health from a remote location.
‰‰ Smart parking: It refers to the parking space or area equipped
with sensors to send or show the information about free parking
slots.

3.12 DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS

1. Describe the applications of IoT in building and home automation.
2. Explain the applications of IoT in retail sector.
3. Describe the applications of IoT in media.
4. Describe the applications of IoT in supply chain management.
5. Explain how IoT is being used for environmental monitoring.

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6. Explain the applications of IoT in infrastructure management.

7. Describe how IoT is applied in manufacturing sector.
8. Explain the applications of IoT in pharmaceuticals industry.
9. Explain the applications of IoT in healthcare.
10. Describe the applications of IoT in transportation sector.

3.13 ANSWERS and HINTS

ANSWERS FOR SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

Topic Q. No. Answers

Applications of IoT in Building and 1. True

S
Home Automation
2. Wi-Fi
3. True
IM
Applications of IoT in Retail 4. Cross-selling
5. Yes
Applications of IoT in Media 6. Assets, processes
7. False
Applications of IoT in Supply Chain 8. False
M

9. b. Radio frequency
identification de-
vices
Applications of IoT in Environmental 10. True
monitoring
N

11. Ambient
12. Yes
Applications of IoT in Infrastructure 13. True
management
14. True
Applications of IoT in Manufacturing 15. True
16. Smart
Applications of IoT in Pharmaceuticals 17. True
and Healthcare
18. Interconnected
19. False
Applications of IoT in Transportation 20. True
21. Yes
22. True

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HINTS FOR DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS

1. A building enabled to use its energy efficiently by monitoring
the physical conditions could not rely on persons to read the
current available data and configure accordingly the heating and
cooling systems of the building to achieve the desired efficiency.
Refer to Section 3.2 Applications of IoT in Building and Home
Automation.
2. Retailers these days are using IoT extensively to promote the
growth and retention of their customers. Refer to Section
3.3 Applications of IoT in Retail.
3. Media can very effectively use IoT to deliver the relevant
contents to the consumer. Refer to Section 3.4 Applications of
IoT in Media.

S
4. IoT can benefit supply chain by optimising the various processes
in the chain. It can also improve the collaboration in the chain,
may be it with the suppliers or the customers, by creating more
value across the chain. Refer to Section 3.5 Applications of IoT
IM
in Supply Chain.
5. IoT is also playing an important role in detecting various metrics
of an environment with the help of various sensors. Refer to
Section 3.6 Applications of IoT in Environmental Monitoring.
6. Infrastructure management refers to managing the infrastructure
M

of an organisation which may include storage devices, power,

network devices, human resource etc. Refer to Section
3.7 Applications of IoT in Infrastructure Management.
7. Using sensors in manufacturing has been already in practice. But
N

these sensors were not smart enough to have intercommunication

or interaction with the other machines. Refer to Section
3.8 Applications of IoT in Manufacturing.
8. The applications of IoT in pharmaceuticals will also help in
tracking the dosage pattern of the patients. Refer to Section
3.9 Applications of IoT in Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare.
9. A healthcare professional checks the vital signs of a patient at
regular intervals. Refer to Section 3.9 Applications of IoT in
Pharmaceuticals and Healthcare.
10. Like in other sectors, IoT is playing its role in making the
transport sector smart by reducing the congestion, smartly
managing the engine on/off timer, reducing the air pollution, etc.
Refer to Section 3.10 Applications of IoT in Transportation.

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3.14 SUGGESTED READINGS & REFERENCES

SUGGESTED READINGS
‰‰ Greengard, S. (2015, March 19). The Internet of Things. Retrieved
May 09, 2017, from https://mitpress.mit.edu/books/internet-things
‰‰ Lucas, P., Ballay, J., & McManus, M. (2012). Trillions: Thriving in
the Emerging Information Ecology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley

E-REFERENCES
‰‰ The network. (n.d.). Retrieved May 09, 2017, from https://news-
room.cisco.com/ioeThe Internet of Things becomes the Internet
that thinks with Watson IoT. (2017, May 08).

S
‰‰ Retrieved May 09, 2017, from https://www.ibm.com/inter-
net-of-thingsInternet Of Things Services The Way We Engage In-
dustry Solutions RetailMate™. (n.d.).
IM
‰‰ Retrieved May 09, 2017, from https://www.cognizant.com/inter-
net-of-thingsInternet of Things. (n.d.).
‰‰ Retrieved May 09, 2017, from http://www.wipro.com/services/prod-
uct-engineering/capabilities/internet-of-things
M
N

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 C h a
4 p t e r

CHALLENGES IN IOT

CONTENTS

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4.1 Introduction
4.2 Different Types of Security in IoT
IM
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
4.3 Securing a Device in IoT
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
4.4 Enterprise Security
M

Self Assessment Questions

Activity
4.5 Fragmentation of Standards
Self Assessment Questions
N

Activity
4.6 Processing Big Data
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
4.7 Scalability
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
4.8 Compatibility between Different Smart Sensors
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
4.9 Summary
4.10 Descriptive Questions
4.11 Answers and Hints
4.12 Suggested Readings & References

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Introductory Caselet
n o t e s

‘Hacking into Homes’

(A hacking research by University of Michigan, USA, found security

flaws in a popular ‘Smart home’ system)

It was a research experiment involving hacking into a smart home

system. It was undertaken by the cyber security researchers at the
University of Michigan. The smart home system they have chosen
for their security study was from one of the leading automation
systems. They were successful in getting the front door PIN code
of the home.

The researchers selected one of the top-selling IoT platform

meant for consumers. It was a platform named ‘SmartThings’
from Samsung. The researchers from the University of Michigan

S
carried out various attacks on ‘SmartThings’.

From the real world scenario of a connected home system, this

IM
research work of hacking is first of its kind when considered for a
study at the platform level.

They performed an analysis related with the security of the pro-

gramming framework of the said platform. To find flaws in the
security system, researchers have performed several successful
attacks. They demonstrated that a ‘SmartApp’ can secretly see a
M

door lock PIN code when someone sets it. The app then sends the
PIN to a hacker via a text message. This ‘SmartApp’ was indicated
as a battery level monitor and only asked the permission for that
only.
N

The researchers were successful in showing that even an existing

‘SmartApp’ which was highly rated also, could be hacked. They
have virtually created an additional door key by exploiting the
app remotely.

They have shown that an additional PIN can be created into the
same electronic lock by programming. In the third attack, the re-
searchers injected false messages to set off a fire alarm. Thus, it
can be concluded that it is very difficult to fully secure such sys-
tems.

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learning objectives

After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

>> Discuss the challenges in IoT
>> Discuss the different types of security in IoT
>> Describe the ways to secure a device in IoT
>> Discuss the enterprise security
>> Discuss the fragmentation of standards
>> Explain the processing of Big Data
>> Discuss the scalability of IoT
>> Discuss the compatibility between different smart sensors

4.1 INTRODUCTION

S
In the previous chapter, we have seen the applications and benefits of
IoT across industries. IoT can be applied to any industry be it home/
IM
building automation, retail, media, infrastructure, transportation, etc.
Besides benefits, various challenges also exists in the application of
IoT, such as security, uniformity of standards, device compatibility,
scalability, data processing, network bandwidth, etc.

There seems to be many obvious benefits of having connected every-

thing to the Internet like household appliances, cars and even our
M

clothes. But it also poses a huge risk of security. Hackers may take
control of our devices and make them behave in unpredictable ways.
They may steal our very personal data as well as login credentials and
may cause irreparable damage to us. Figure 4.1 shows the various
challenges in IoT:
N

Figure 4.1: Various Challenges in IoT

Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com

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With so many challenges ahead, it is now high time to take preventive

and corrective steps to avoid or overcome them.

In this chapter, we are going to see the challenges in IoT. We will also
discuss the various types of security and how to secure an IoT device.
We next discuss the fragmentation of IoT standards. The chapter next
describes the processing of Big Data and the scalability of IoT. To-
wards the end of the chapter, we explain the compatibility between
different smart sensors.

4.2 DIFFERENT TYPES OF SECURITY IN IOT

IoT security refers to safeguarding of smart devices that are used to
provide various services to users, customers or clients. In addition to
device security, some other types of security such as data security, net-

S
work security, platform security, enterprise security, etc. is also pro-
vided in IoT. The different types or levels of security is required in IoT
to prevent any kind of attack on smart devices or network. Figure 4.2
shows some types of possible attacks on IoT security:
IM
M
N

Figure 4.2: Types of Possible Attacks on IoT Security

Source: https://blog.gemalto.com

The different types of security attacks that need to be addressed in-

clude Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS), uncontrolled device,
altered device operations, code injection, virus attacks and sudden
surge in bandwidth requirement, etc. Figure 4.3 shows some more
types of security breaches in IoT:

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S
Figure 4.3: Types of Security Breaches in IoT
IM
Source: https://www.pubnub.com

In IoT, the devices communicate over a network by transferring infor-

mation among themselves. The network or devices can be hacked to
steal the information or to take control of them. IoT provides security
at different levels which includes:
‰‰ Device level security: Refers to securing the devices used in IoT
M

‰‰ Network level security: Refers to securing the network used for

transferring information among the devices.
‰‰ Gateway level security: Refers to securing the entry or exit points
N

of information on a network
‰‰ Storage/cloud/internet level security: Refers to securing the data
collected or stored on the smart devices used in IoT

To have a robust and secure IoT system, strong security measures

should be applied at each of these levels. In order to secure our IoT
system, we must deploy the various security measures, tools and tech-
nologies across these different operational stages and also revise them
from time to time.

self assessment Questions

1. Security is not important in IoT. (True/False)

2. DDoS stands for
a. Distributes Denial of Service
b. Distributed Denial of Service
c. Distributed Deny of Service
d. None of these

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Activity

Prepare a report on the different types of security in IoT from op-

erational perspective.

4.3 SECURING A DEVICE IN IoT

Until now, nobody considered security, as a high priority, for the IoT
devices and networks. Attacks on the IoT devices and networks can
be very dangerous. They can take full control over the device and
networks and may force them to operate in an insecure and harmful
ways. Figure 4.4 shows a device security in IoT:

S
IM
M
N

Figure 4.4: Device Security in IoT

Source: http://internetofthingsrecruiting.com

Many of these IoT systems which were considered to be safe, unfor-

tunately, are still vulnerable to attacks. For example, the installation
of the critical infrastructure devices and the industrial automation
devices is usually done inside the secure boundary of an enterprise
network. But it is found that the perimeter can be easily penetrated
or disabled.

In addition to this, it is also found that the insider threats usually make
up to approximately 70% of the cyber attacks, whether they are acci-
dental or malicious.

Figure 4.5 shows the percentage of risks in security vulnerability:

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S
IM
Figure 4.5: Percentage of Risks in Security Vulnerability
Source: http://techbeacon.com

It is necessary to secure IoT devices to avoid monetary or data loss.

Before moving in the direction of securing these devices, you should
first consider the challenges ahead. These challenges can be enlisted
as follows:
M

‰‰ Critical functionality
‰‰ Long life cycle
‰‰ Replication
N

‰‰ No upgradation
‰‰ Assumed security
‰‰ Proprietary/application specific protocols

A security solution meant for these devices has to ensure that the
firmware of the device has not been altered / tampered. It must pro-
vide security to the data generated / stored by these devices. It must
also secure all sorts of communication and must protect these devices
from the possible cyber attacks. All this can be made possible only
by the inclusion of security considerations in the early stages of the
design phase.

We can not have a single security solution which will be suitable for
all kinds of devices. The requirements of security must consider the
following:
‰‰ The cost of failure due to lack of security. The cost may be econom-
ical, social environmental, etc.
‰‰ The risk of attacks

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‰‰ The possible locations/points for attack

‰‰ The cost of implementing a security solution

Building in-built security features in the device itself provides a pri-

mary layer of security. These devices then no longer depend on the
enterprise firewall for their security requirements. The other advan-
tage of having in-built security is that it can be customised as per the
device requirements.

We can also have a strong verification mechanism and very strong

passwords. Depending on system specific needs, we can incorporate
various security tools, technologies and strategies in order to protect
the IoT devices and the system.

There are certain security technologies like anti-malware, white-list-

S
ing, encryption, system hardening, etc. which can be utilised individ-
ually or in combination as per the requirement. Security provision
must be included early in the design phase of a new device / system. It
requires specific hardware capabilities to detect firmware tampers as
IM
well as to have secure boot support. So this capability must also be
taken into consideration in the early design phase.

self assessment Questions

3. A security solution meant for these devices has to ensure that

the _______ of the device has not been altered / tampered.
M

4. Anti-malware and encryption are examples of security

technologies used in IoT. (True/False)
N

Activity

Search and enlist information about Gateway Level Network Secu-

rity Solutions.

4.4 ENTERPRISE SECURITY

As more and more devices get connected to the Internet, the risk asso-
ciated with it also increases. As enterprises move towards more open
and all things connected network architectures, like IoT, there arises
a need to re-evaluate and re-design the enterprise security policies,
permissions and procedures. Enterprises need to ensure that these
connected devices and the corresponding data will not get affected or
abused.

IoT is a technology that is evolving very fast and the enterprises are
required to put all the necessary security policies in place from the
start. Implementation of necessary security policies should not be an
afterthought. IoT may incorporate the possibility of major and very se-
rious attacks on an uncontrolled and massive scale. Architects of the

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enterprise security need to rethink their strategies and plans as they

begin to evaluate and use the IoT enabled devices. Figure 4.6 shows
the state of enterprise security:

S
Figure 4.6: State of Enterprise Security
Source: https://www.i-scoop.eu
IM
As the enterprise wants to leverage the full benefits and the advantag-
es from these connected systems, it needs to open its infrastructure
for more number of devices. It may introduce new vulnerabilities and
impose high security threats to the enterprise security. The present
scenario is that the tools to enable and manage the different phases
of the IoT security are considerably immature. Most of the times, it is
M

also difficult for the enterprises to know whether all of their devices
are functioning properly on a network and having strong passwords.

Weak authentication, hardcoded credentials and lack of data integrity

N

often exists in the IoT world. There is also a possibility that some of
the IoT devices may bypass the firewall settings and establish third
party connections.

Consider a case of a traffic system in Washington D.C., where it is

found that the system was transmitting its data in plaintext which
could be easily manipulated by an attacker and take full control over
the system. To prevent such occurrences, enterprises should assess
IoT devices for all kinds of possible risks before including the devices
in their enterprise network.

self assessment Questions

5. Devices present on the network should have strong passwords.

(True/False)
6. __________ authentication, hardcoded credentials and lack of
_________ integrity often exist in the IoT world.
7. There is no need to provide highest level of security in an
enterprise. (True/False)

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Activity

Search and discuss about the cognitive threat analytics in your

class.

4.5 FRAGMENTATION OF STANDARDS

Every company has its own set of standards which makes their IoT
devices communicate with the devices of the similar brand or of the
same company. The purpose of IoT is to provide connectivity between
devices to transfer important information irrespective of device’s
make, model, manufacturer or industry. But, the reality is that IoT is
fragmented because of the following reasons:
‰‰ Devices made by different manufacturers

S
‰‰ Device’s inability in performing on the same operating system
‰‰ Different versions of the devices
IM
‰‰ Different connectivity frameworks
‰‰ Difference in protocol standards required for communication

Big companies like Google, Apple, Microsoft, IBM, etc. have created
devices that functions on their proprietary operating systems, equip-
ment and protocols. To create an interoperable device may lessen
M

their recognition in the market. Instead of opening infrastructure in a

horizontal manner, these giant organisations are only providing their
contribution in fragmentation of devices or products by creating their
integrated vertical stacks. Figure 4.7 shows the fragmented IoT stan-
dards:
N

Figure 4.7: IoT Standards Fragmentation

Source: http://rethink-wireless.com

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According to Gartner, IoT will remain fragmented until 2018 due to

lack of a well-defined ecosystem of industry standards. This research
also suggests that IT leaders must find some ways so that IoT from
multiple providers can be used.

The market is seen to be slowly adopting the idea of connected homes,

buildings and cities, but the fragmentation of the IoT ecosystem would
likely to be an obstacle to its wider adoption. Figure 4.8 shows the
challenges for IoT standardisation:

S
IM
Figure 4.8: IoT Standardisation Challenges
Source: https://image.slidesharecdn.com
M

As discussed earlier, fragmentation of standards is the major obstacle

in harnessing the benefits of IoT. To gain more from the promised IoT
benefits, there should be a single, unified, open, secure and interoper-
able framework that all IoT-based products and services will support.
N

IoT is based on the concept that all the devices and systems can be
connected to the Internet in a simple and transparent way to have
continuous information sharing and intelligence, smoothly coordinat-
ed operations and activities across all the devices.

The level of interoperability and support required for the IoT cannot
be provided by a single company, so there needs to be a single, uni-
fied, all industry effort that will be supposed to deliver the all new IoT
experiences to the businesses as well as consumers. Some experts feel
that the existence of too many IoT standards may affect the deploy-
ment of IoT devices.

Exhibit

Categories of IoT networks

IoT networks can be categorised into two kinds of networks:

‰‰ Short range network
‰‰ Long range network

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The short range networks are suitable for IoT applications like
home/building automations. The long range networks are suitable
for applications like city wide networks. Today, it seems that we
cannot have a one unified wireless networking protocol that can be
optimised for efficient power consumption, resource utilisation, re-
duced in cost relative to both the kinds of network, may it be short
range or long range. This obviously results in a variety of standards
for short and long range networks. So, we see a lot many standards
in the market.

Figure 4.9 shows an overview of several IoT communications stan-

dards:

S
IM
M

Figure 4.9: IoT Communication Standards

N

Source: www.postcapes.com

There are certain initiatives that are being taken to resolve the con-
nectivity issues among IoT devices of varying standards. Certain con-
sortiums were formed to bring together different companies who are
looking for partners in the field of IoT. Some of them are mentioned
as follows:
‰‰ ZigBee Alliance
‰‰ AllSeen Alliance
‰‰ Open Connectivity Foundation
‰‰ LoRa Alliance Thread Group
‰‰ Open Interconnect Consortium (OIC)
‰‰ Industrial Internet Consortium (IIC)
‰‰ IEEE
‰‰ Open Trust Protocol
‰‰ IPSO Alliance
‰‰ Home Gateway Initiative

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These consortiums and alliances are helpful for the vendors interest-
ed in working in an ecosystem of IoT where there is a requirement of
consistent standards and interoperability among devices. In the past
few years, well known industry giants like Intel and Cisco Systems
have bonded together to form alliances and consortiums for differ-
ent components of IoT, which includes broadband services, connected
buildings and homes, industrial devices, etc.

self assessment Questions

8. IoT standards are not fragmented. (True/False)

9. The ____________ range networks are suitable for IoT
applications like home/building automations.
10. OIC stands for Open _________Consortium.

S
Activity

Search and prepare a report on Industrial Internet Consortium.

IM
4.6 PROCESSING BIG DATA
Big Data is a term used to describe the very large amount of data which
is of a variety of kind and is being frequently/continuously generated.
M

It is often described as having 3 Vs – Volume, Velocity and Variety.

Figure 4.10 shows the 3 Vs of Big Data:

Volume Velocity
N

(terabytes, (realtime or near-

petabytes) realtime)

Variety
(social networks, blog
posts, logs, sensors,
etc.)

Figure 4.10 : The 3 Vs of Big Data

Processing Big Data gives us the ability to extract meaningful infor-

mation from the data and obtain the required insight. Traditional
tools of data processing are not suitable for Big Data processing due
to different nature of Big Data.

The techniques for Big Data processing involve analysing the big data
sets at a very large scale such as in terabytes and petabytes.

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There are two kinds of processing:

‰‰ Offline

‰‰ Real Time

Typically, the offline batch data processing is done on full scale and
full power. It is an efficient way of processing high volumes of data. For
example, Hadoop is an example of offline batch data processing. On
the other hand, in case of real time data processing, there is a contin-
uous input, processing and generation of output of data. In real time
processing, data is processed in a very short span of time. For exam-
ple, processing of data at bank ATMs is an example of real time data
processing.

The toughest task or the challenge is to do fast or real time analytics

on a complete set of Big Data to get insight of the data. Practically,

S
it means that you have to scan terabytes or petabytes of data with-
in seconds. This can only be achieved by parallel processing of the
data. Traditional tools of data processing are not suitable for Big Data
IM
processing due to different nature of Big Data. Figure 4.11 shows the
overall picture of Big Data processing:

Service Service Service Data Stream Stored Data

Processing Processing

(3)
M

(1) rule Parallel &

Big Data Processing Platform Distribution
On-the-fly
Processing
Real-time
Processing
Big Data Data Extraction
OPS data Sensor Data Life Log Traffic Info RF-ID Flow
N

Access Log Picture Video Voice TransectionFinancial Info Stock Distribution Data (2)
Management

Big Data
Sensors, terminals, enterprise IT system

Figure 4.11: Overall Picture of Processing Big Data

Source: http://www.nec.com/en/global/rd/research/cl/bdpt.html

Some of the popular Big Data processing frameworks are as follows:

‰‰ Hadoop: It is the very first open source Big Data processing frame-
work. Hadoop is a distributed storage and parallel processing
framework. Figure 4.12 shows the logo of Hadoop:

Figure 4.12: Apache Hadoop Logo

Source: https://svn.apache.org

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n o t e s

It consists of mainly two components:

 HDFS

 MapReduce

HDFS stands for Hadoop Distributed File System used for Big
Data storage. This file system is highly fault-tolerant and can store
large amounts of data. It is capable of providing easier accessibility
to the stored data. MapReduce is a parallel processing technique
used for Big Data processing and is based on Java programming
language. The two tasks are performed in the MapReduce tech-
nique, that is, Map and Reduce. The reduce task is always per-
formed after the map stage. In the map stage, the large amount
data is extracted from HDFS and converted into small chunks.
These chunks are then processed and the output obtained is then
stored back in HDFS.

S
Hadoop apart from HDFS and Map Reduce has an ecosystem
of different tools and technologies such is Pig, Hive, Zookeeper,
Flume, YARN, etc., for various purposes. Hadoop is still the most
IM
widely used Big Data processing framework.
‰‰ Spark: Spark is another Big Data processing framework. Spark is
not a replacement for Hadoop, but is used in conjunction with it.
Spark is designed as an in-memory processing engine to replace
Map Reduce.
M

Spark can be accommodated into the Hadoop ecosystem. It leads

to a different environmental setup which may have a mix of oth-
er technologies and tools from both of these ecosystems. Spark
does not have its own file storage system. Instead, it uses Hadoop’s
HDFS as its file storage system.
N

Figure 4.13 shows the logo of spark:

Figure 4.13: Apache Spark Logo

Source: http://spark.apache.org

As spark uses in-memory processing, it speeds up the task of pro-

cessing many times. Thus, Spark is faster than the core Hadoop
as far as Big Data processing is concerned. It should be noted that
Spark and Hadoop aren’t mutually exclusive to each other.
‰‰ Flink: Flink is an engine for streaming dataflow. It facilitates the
distributed computation over the streams of data. Flink is both a
real-time and a batch and processing framework. Batch processes

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are considered to be the special cases of streaming data in Flink.

Figure 4.14 shows the logo of Flink:

Figure 4.14: Apache Flink Logo

Source: https://a248.e.akamai.net

Flink provides a variety of APIs for a number of programming lan-

guages such as Java, Scala, Python, etc. For machine learning and
graph processing, Flink has its own libraries. Some of the other

S
features of Flink are:
 Low latency and high performance
IM Fault-tolerant

 Support for events

 Streaming APIs with backpressure
 Stateful computations
When the requirement is to process streaming data in real-time,
M

Flink is the choice over Spark. Spark operates in the batch pro-
cessing mode.
‰‰ Storm: Storm is a computing system which is distributed and real
time. We can use any programming language with Storm. Un-
N

bounded streams can be processed easily using Storm. It is highly

scalable and provides a guarantee for job processing. Storm has
the benchmark of processing over a million tuples / second / node.
Storm is written in a functional programming language ‘Clojure’.
Figure 4.15 shows the logo of Apache Storm:

Figure 4.15: Apache Storm Logo

Source: http://nathanmarz.com

Storm can be used in applications where the data velocity is high.

We can also use Storm for real time analytics and distributed ma-
chine learning. It can be integrated as a part of Hadoop ecosystem
as well as it can run on top of YARN. Thus, it provides real-time

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stream processing as an additional feature to the existing systems.

Some other features of Storm are:
 Fast processing benchmark
 Scalable

 Easy to operate
 Fault-tolerant

 Reliable

‰‰ Samza: Samza is another distributed stream processing frame-

work which has the following features:
 Simple API
 Managed State

S
 Fault Tolerant
 Scalability

 Durability
IM
 Pluggable API
 Processor Isolation
Samza uses Apache Kafka and Hadoop YARN for providing the
preceding features. Apache Kafka is a distributed streaming plat-
form; whereas, YARN is used to allocate resources for performing
M

MapReduce jobs. Figure 4.16 shows the logo of Apache Samza:

N

Figure 4.16: Apache Samza Logo

Source: https://media.licdn.com

self assessment Questions

11. In Big Data, 3Vs corresponds to Volume, ______and ________.

12. No insights can be gained by processing Big Data. (True/False)
13. HDFS stands for Hadoop _______File System.

Activity

With the help of the Internet, search about the purpose of using
MongoDB in Big Data.

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4.7 SCALABILITY
Any enterprise thinking of implementing IoT must have plans for its
scalability. You must keep in mind both the current as well as future
needs when implementing an IoT based system. If your IoT system
is not scalable, it won’t be able to adjust/accommodate future expan-
sions. If this is the case, then it will leave the enterprise with unusable
devices and the systems which would need to be augmented or re-
placed. Both these options are expensive. Figure 4.17 shows a flexible
infrastructure for scalability:

S
IM
M
N

Figure 4.17: Flexible Infrastructure for Scalability

Source: https://mesosfer.com

Complete deployment is not necessary for a scalable network to func-

tion. It can have gradual addition and alterations, as and when re-
quired. There are certain guidelines that can be kept in mind while
planning for scalability. These are enlisted as follows:
‰‰ Align the devices and network longevity: While deploying an
IoT system, the probable longevity of the devices and the network
technology should be taken into consideration. The expected life
spans of the devices and the network longevity should be com-
pared. It should be made sure that your plans will have long term
support for the devices considering the technology projections.
‰‰ Create a system which can be easily expanded: You should plan
the systems such that they can be easily expanded as more num-
ber of devices are added to the system. Consider an example of a
company ‘Ingenu’. It deployed an IoT network for smart metering
application for one of the companies in utility space.

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At a short duration after the implementation, the utility company

wanted some additional services on its network. So, as per the util-
ity company’s requirement, ‘Ingenu’ added some additional devic-
es gradually to the network. These included devices for sensing
pressure, faulted circuits monitoring and smart systems for street
lighting.
All this is done without requiring any additional network infra-
structure or any network downtime. This became possible due to
scalability considerations in their initial plans. Figure 4.18 shows
that new functionalities could be added to a well-planned scalable
network:

S
IM
Figure 4.18: Adding New Functionalities to a Network
Source: https://maxtrak.com

‰‰ Demand device durability: The field of IoT is growing very fast.

All the enterprises are required to ensure that their IoT systems
M

are capable of keeping pace with the fast developments in the field
of IoT.

The maintenance cost of IoT systems is generally about 15% to 25%

of the enterprise IT costs annually. Therefore, the enterprises need to
N

ensure that IoT devices can operate for longer durations (many years)
without the need of much servicing. The upfront investment in IoT
devices quality and network may yield lower operational costs in the
long term.

self assessment Questions

14. Complete deployment is not necessary for a _______network

to function.
15. While scaling IoT systems, security is a major concern. (True/
False)

Activity

Prepare a report on the need of scalable solutions in IoT security.

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COMPATIBILITY BETWEEN DIFFERENT

4.8
SMART SENSORS
At present, we have a lot of different smart sensors available in the
market. As we don’t have any common unified standard for IoT, there
will remain the compatibility issues between these sensors. Suppose
a consumer has deployed an IoT-based solution depending upon his
requirement. After a period of time, the consumer again deploys a va-
riety of devices and sensors to fulfill his need. Now, the need arises to
interconnect these devices but its not possible due to compatibility
issues among devices. The different sensors from different vendors
might use a variety of connectivity and communication protocols such
as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, etc.

In order to avoid the compatibility issues between different sensors,

S
all the vendors should agree upon a common standard and then only
it would be possible to reap all the promised benefits of the IoT.

There are certain initiatives that are being taken to resolve this issue.
IM
There are certain consortiums that are being formed. In case of net-
working protocols, ‘Thread’ is emerging as a standard protocol and
in case of application protocols, ‘AllJoyn’ is emerging as a standard
protocol. ZigBee is a direct competitior to Thread. ZWave has been
very successful in commercial products especially in control and mon-
itoring.
M

self assessment Questions

16. There is no issue of compatibility between smart sensors.

(True/False)
N

17. Same kind of sensors from different manufacturers may

remain incompatible. (True/False)

Activity

With the help of the Internet, prepare a report on smart hydrogen

sensors.

4.9 SUMMARY
‰‰ IoT security refers to safeguarding of smart devices that are used
to provide various services to users, customers or clients.
‰‰ The different types or level of security is required in IoT to prevent
any kind of attack on smart devices or network.
‰‰ A network or device can be hacked to steal the information or to
take control over it.

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‰‰ In order to secure an IoT system, we must deploy the various secu-

rity measures, tools and technologies across these different opera-
tional stages and also revise them from time to time.
‰‰ The insider threats usually make up to approximately 70% of the
cyber attacks, whether they are accidental or malicious.
‰‰ It
is necessary to secure the Internet of Things devices to avoid
monetary or data loss.
‰‰ Depending on system specific needs, we can incorporate various
security tools, technologies and strategies in order to protect the
IoT devices and the system.
‰‰ IoT is a technology that is evolving very fast and the enterprises
are required to put all the necessary security policies in place from
the start.

S
‰‰ There is also a possibility that some IoT devices may bypass the
firewall settings and establish third party connections.
IM
key words

‰‰ Apache: It refers to an open source software foundation.

‰‰ Big Data: It is used to describe the very large amount of variety
of data getting generated frequently or continuously.
‰‰ Enterprise Security: It describes the security of resources at
M

enterprise level.
‰‰ Fragmentation of standards: It describes the lack of presence
of uniform standards among various IoT devices and applica-
tions.
N

‰‰ Smart Sensors: Sensors that can connect and communicate

over a network.

4.10 DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS

1. Describe the various types of security in IoT.
2. Explain the mechanism of securing a device in IoT.
3. Discuss the need and importance of enterprise security.
4. Describe the issues related fragmentation of standards in IoT.
5. Explain the processing of Big Data.
6. Discuss the importance of scalability in IoT.
7. Elucidate the compatibility between different smart sensors.

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4.11 ANSWERS and HINTS

ANSWERS FOR SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

Topic Q. No. Answers

Different Types of Security in IoT 1. False
2. b. Distributed Denial of
Service
Securing a Device in IoT 3. Firmware
4. True
Enterprise Security 5. True
6. Weak, data
7. False

S
Fragmentation of Standards 8. False
9. short
10. Interconnect
IM
Processing Big Data 11. Velocity, Variety
12. False
13. Distributed
Scalability 14. Scalable
15. True
M

Compatibility between Different 16. False

Smart Sensors
17. True

HINTS FOR DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS

N

1. IoT security refers to safeguarding of smart devices that are used

to provide various services to users, customers or clients. Refer
to Section 4.2 Different Types of Security in IoT.
2. Attacks on the IoT devices and networks can be very dangerous.
They can take full control over the device and networks and may
force them to operate in an insecure and harmful ways. Refer to
Section 4.3 Securing a Device in IoT.
3. Enterprises need to ensure that these connected devices and
the corresponding data will not get affected or abused. Refer to
Section 4.4 Enterprise Security.
4. Every company has its own set of standards which makes IoT
devices communicate with the devices of the similar brand or
of the same company. Refer to Section 4.5 Fragmentation of
Standards.
5. Big Data is a term used to describe the large amounts of data
which is of a variety of kind and is being frequently/continuously
generated. Refer to Section 4.6 Processing Big Data.

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6. Any enterprise thinking of implementing IoT must have plans

for its scalability. If your IoT system is not scalable, it won’t be
able to adjust / accommodate future expansions. Refer to Section
4.7 Scalability.
7. At present, we have a lot of different smart sensors available in
the market. As we don’t have any common unified standard for
IoT, there will remain the compatibility issues between these
sensors. Refer to Section 4.8 Compatibility between Different
Smart Sensors.

4.12 SUGGESTED READINGS & REFERENCES

SUGGESTED READINGS

S
‰‰ Stackowiak, R., Licht, A., Mantha, V., & Nagode, L. (2015). Big Data
and the Internet of Things: enterprise information architecture for
a new age. Nwe York: Apress.
‰‰ Lucas,
IM
P., Ballay, J., & McManus, M. (2012). Trillions: thriving in
the emerging information ecology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

E-REFERENCES
‰‰ Dickson, B. (2016, March 01). IoT security needs scalable solutions.
Retrieved May 10, 2017, from https://techcrunch.com/2016/03/01/
M

iot-security-needs-scalable-solutions/
‰‰ Y.(n.d.). IoT Security Architecture. Retrieved May 10, 2017, from
https://docs.microsoft.com/en-us/azure/iot-suite/iot-security-ar-
chitecture
N

‰‰ Posted by Michael Walker on August 13, 2013 at 2:30pm View

Blog. (n.d.). Batch vs. Real Time Data Processing. Retrieved May
10, 2017, from http://www.datasciencecentral.com/profiles/blogs/
batch-vs-real-time-data-processing

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N
M
IM
S
 C h a
5 p t e r

IoT FOR SMART CITIES

CONTENTS

S
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Smart Components
IM
5.2.1 Sensors
5.2.2 Microprocessors
5.2.3 Data Storage Controls
5.2.4 Software
5.2.5 Embedded Operating System
5.2.6 Enhanced User Interface
M

Self Assessment Questions

Activity
5.3 Terminology related to Smart Cities
Self Assessment Questions
N

Activity
5.4 Technology Framework
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
5.5 Smart Communities
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
5.6 Energy Management in Smart Cities
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
5.7 Summary
5.8 Descriptive Questions
5.9 Answers and Hints
5.10 Suggested Readings & References

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Introductory Caselet
n o t e s

‘Castellón’ Smart City Project: Usage Of Water

And Waste Management Control Platform

‘Castellón Smart City’ is nearby ‘Pau Gumbau’, in ‘Castellón de

la Plana’, Spain. It is a pilot project. The deployment of this pilot
project is in 2,22,000 sq. meters area. Nearly 8,000 citizens live in
this area. They follow their routine work on a daily basis making
use of public and private buildings, schools, gardens and parks,
etc.

This was the project started by ‘IoTsense’ company that is owned

by Grupo Gimeno Holding. This project makes use of Libelium
Technology.

There are around 25 different sensors that are integrated into this

S
pilot project. These sensors are used to capture organised data by
measuring and controlling data from various sources. The data is
being collected from the global perspective.
IM
Some of the sensors used in this project are ‘Watchmeter’, ‘Lim-
nimeter’, soil moisture sensor and Meteorological station. The
‘Watchmeter’ sensor is a data logger from the company IoTsense
and ‘Limnimeter’ is a waste level sensor. All these are connect-
ed to an OEM platform called as ‘Waspmote’ from the company
‘Libelium’. The connectivity emphasises on ‘Low Consumption
M

Modes’.

This project in interoperable, scalable, allows integration of third

party tools and is also secure. It is one of the good examples of a
smart city project.
N

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learning objectives

After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

>> Explain the application of IoT for smart cities
>> Discuss different smart components in IoT
>> Describe the terminology related to smart cities
>> Discuss the technology framework for smart cities
>> Describe smart communities
>> Explain the energy management in smart cities

5.1 INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter, we have seen the various challenges in IoT

S
such as security, uniformity of standards, device compatibility, scal-
ability, data processing, network bandwidth, etc. We have also dis-
cussed the various types of security in IoT. We have also seen how to
IM
secure an IoT device.

Then we have discussed the enterprise security and the fragmenta-

tion of IoT standards. We have also described the processing of Big
Data, the scalability of IoT and the compatibility between different
smart sensors.
M

In this chapter, we will see the application of IoT for smart cities.
Figure 5.1 shows a sketch of a smart city:
N

Figure 5.1: A Sketch of a Smart City

Source: http://www.smartcity-europe.com/english/images/adslider450081a3b70de96061.jpg

For a city to become smart, it requires to smartly manage the various

resources such as water, energy and other natural resources as well as
taking smart care of transportation, infrastructure, etc. so that there
will be a growth in investment, trade, jobs, economy, education, living

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standards, etc. The foundation of such a growth should be such that

it is sustainable. Cities should be enabled in such a way as to smartly
manage the existing capacity, resources and the infrastructure.

The various factors that should be taken into consideration for a smart
city project are:
‰‰ Infrastructure ‰‰ People

‰‰ Economy ‰‰ Living

‰‰ Mobility ‰‰ Governance

‰‰ Environment

Figure 5.2 shows smart city factors that need consideration:

S
IM
M
N

Figure 5.2: Smart City Factors

Source: https://www.coins-global.com

A smart city monitors and aggregates the existing facilities and re-
sources to provide a better infrastructure and improved services. It
should be equipped to better manage its roads, rails, airports, bridg-
es, subways, tunnels, ports, communications, energy, water, buildings,
public utilities, etc. A smart city can provide suitable services to its cit-
izens in a better and more enhanced manner by optimising its capac-
ities and resources, maintenance activities, security, governance, etc.

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Figure 5.3 shows different areas of concern for a smart city:

Commerce Industry

Live Work
Tourism, leisure Retailer Recycling Agriculture, fisheries
Financial facility Factory
institution
Building
Urban Energy
Study station
managenent Travel
Public Railway
facility infrastructure station

Residence Hotel
Research, university School Hospital Logistics

Equipment management
Sewage Operational information
treatment Internet
Analysis and simulation Broadcasting

Water Industrial
Communications
wastewater
Water treatment
treatment Data center Telephony

S
New energy Shipping
Gas

Batteries Aviation Mobility

Enargy
Roads
Large central Railways
power source
IM
IT

Figure 5.3: Areas of Concern for a Smart City

Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com
M

A smart city should fuel economic growth, provide a conducive en-

vironment, affordable healthcare, housing, education, transportation
and improve the standard and quality of life. It should make use of the
latest information and communication technologies in daily life and
work environment to bring social progress and comfort, equity and
N

prosperity. It should become innovative in its usage of the existing sys-

tems, resources, logistics, water, energy and infrastructure. It should
ensure adequate availability of the various resources for the present
as well as future generations and should emphasise on reutilisation
and recycling.

Some of the important elements in a smart city are:

‰‰ Connectable ‰‰ Sharable

‰‰ Accessible ‰‰ Sociable

‰‰ Ubiquitous ‰‰ Visible

The present growth and development should not become a burden

and liability for future generations. All these should be done and man-
aged carefully, effectively and smartly so as to have a sustainable ef-
fect.

Thus, by the use of IoT based information and communication tech-

nologies, a city can be turned into a smart city which fuels a sustain-
able growth and improves the overall standard and quality of life.

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This chapter first explains the application of IoT for smart cities. Next,
this chapter discusses about different smart components in IoT. Fur-
ther, this chapter discusses about the terminology related to smart
cities. Then it discusses the technology framework for smart cities.
Towards the end, this chapter discusses smart communities and the
energy management in smart cities.

5.2 SMART COMPONENTS

In IoT, we can have different types of security such as data security,
device security, network security, platform security, enterprise securi-
ty, etc.

5.2.1 SENSORS

S
A sensor network helps a city to become more efficient. The city au-
thorities can collect the citywide data in real time and can make better
decisions in real time. It helps the citizen as well as all the stakeholders.
IM
Due to the use of sensors, service providers are able to respond quick-
ly. Because of quick response, not only the time and efforts are saved
but also the overall efficiency is increased. A platform which is open
and innovative and is based on a network of smart sensors enables a
city to integrate the various services together as a strong fabric and
provides a robust infrastructure to the various stakeholders in order
M

to perform quickly, efficiently, smartly and in a more sustainable way.

Figure 5.4 shows a smart city sensor model:

Smaart City Sensor Model

N

Embedded

Smart Smart Grid

building sensors Industrial Cloud
sensors automation
Pollution sensors
sensors Dedicated
Meterorological Smart
sensors meters
HPC

INTELLIGENT INTELLIGENT
CITY FACTORY

Transactional
INTELLIGENT INTELLIGENT
HOSPITAL HIGHWAY

Sensors on Social
Portable medical Inductive Traffic
Medical smartphones
imaging services Sensors on sensors cameras
sensors on Location
ambulances vehicles

Figure 5.4: Smart City Sensor Model

Source: http://www.infograph.com.jo/u/media/infograph_pdf/images/news/articals/vol9issue1/
smart-city-sensor-model2125.jpg?la=en

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There are a variety of sensors available to make a city smart. For ex-
ample, we have sensors for healthcare, farming, weather forecasting,
home appliances, etc.

We can use sensors for water management, for energy management,

for street light control, for transport management, for pollution con-
trol, for waste management, for healthcare, etc. We can form a net-
work of these sensors to form a strong fabric which will enable us
to collect the data from various entities in real time and accordingly
make preventive as well as corrective actions.

Figure 5.5 shows a network of smart sensors connected to a server

through two gateways:

Wireless actuators

S
IM
gateway #1

Wireless sensors
M

gateway #2 server

Figure 5.5: A network of Smart Sensors connected

N

to a Server through Two Gateways

Source: https://www.isisingenieria.com

5.2.2 MICROPROCESSORS

The choice of microprocessor to be used for the smart city applica-

tions mostly depend on the target application and the kind of sens-
ing needed. The power requirement of these microprocessors that are
meant to be used in IoT applications should be as low as possible.
This is so because most of the IoT devices are wireless and are run on
battery power.

There are a variety of microprocessors available to be used in IoT

applications for smart cities. Some of these will be used to process a
limited amount of data such as pressure, temperature, humidity, etc.
whereas others will be used to process a vast amount of data such as
audio and video.

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Figure 5.6 shows one of such microprocessors:

S
IM
Figure 5.6: A Microprocessor
Source: https://www.libelium.com

The microprocessor requirement for IoT based applications is dif-

ferent from those existing embedded and mobile based applications.
M

As most IoT devices need wireless connectivity, integrating this on

chip is becoming a norm and a standard practice nowadays. Figure 5.7
shows one such microprocessor trend:
N

Figure 5.7 Microprocessor Trend

Source: https://www.imgtec.com

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There are various microcontrollers and single board computers avail-

able for IoT projects that have these microprocessors on chip. For ex-
ample Arduino, Raspberry Pi, Intel Edison, BeagleBoards, Broadcom
/ Cypress, Marvell, Texas Instruments, Qualcomm, etc.

5.2.3 DATA STORAGE CONTROLS

Smart cities will need to have a robust control over data storage. As
the amount of data generated from a network of smart sensors will be
very large and it will be of continuous nature, a lot of good and scal-
able planning is needed to store the captured data.

The data storage consideration will also be affected by deciding the

duration to keep the captured data in the storage. Some of the data
may be required to keep as a permanent asset, some may be kept for

S
a longer or shorter duration; whereas, some data may be just relevant
for the time being which can be discarded after its use.

All these decisions will have a greater impact on the data storage con-
IM
trols for smart cities. Figure 5.8 shows one such data storage:

Sensors/Devices
Internal Data
Sources
M

Open Data

Citizen Data External Datafeeds Capture l Compute l Analyze l Store Smart Solutions
N

Secure, Scalable and Cost Effective

Figure 5.8: Data Storage

Source: https://www.dc4cities.eu

We can have some processing of data at the device level called as edge
computing. This will reduce the amount of data that needs to be sent
to the cloud. As seen in the section 2.4, ‘IoT Architecture’ of Chapter
2, ‘Trends and Characteristics of IoT’, the data can be processed at
certain levels so that the amount of data that needs to be sent to the
cloud gets reduced. It will also reduce the amount of storage required
to store the data and we can have better control over it.

The data access and maintenance rights should also be well defined
and drafted at the very beginning in the planning and design phase it-
self to have better control on the data storage. It is also very important
and essential to decide the data ownership issues as it will help us to
resolve many future conflicts as and when any incident or breach of
contract / trust happens.

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The data storage control should ensure proper data access, process-
ing, maintenance and ownership rights so as to have accurate data
usage and preservation of data quality and data as a property and in-
dividual confidentiality and privacy.

5.2.4 SOFTWARE

Software for smart cities allows you to capture, collect, aggregate,

store, process, and analyse the data. It also enables us to utilize the
insights obtained by processing and analysing the data to make better
and more informed decisions.

The software may have various layers such as execution layer, exter-
nal libraries layer and the applications layer. Figure 5.9 shows the soft-
ware architecture of a smart city ‘StreamApp’:

S
IM
M
N

Figure 5.9: Software Architecture of a Smart City ‘StreamApp’

Source: https://image.slidesharecdn.com

5.2.5 EMBEDDED OPERATING SYSTEM

Embedded operating systems are used in IoT devices. There are many
embedded OS available in the market; some are real time and others
are not so real time. A real time OS is having one disadvantage. We
cannot perform multiple tasks in parallel in real time OS. Due to this,
it becomes hard to have complex layers in real time OS for simple
abstractions. This is the point where not so real time OS comes into
picture.

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In the applications requiring mission critical tasks, we are supposed

to use real time OS. In other cases, we can use not so real time OS
where features and user experience are very important.

For example, FreeRTOS, TinyOS, Contiki, mbed OS, ostro, RTX, Intel
VxWorks, etc. Figure 5.10 shows some of these embedded operating
systems:

S
IM
Figure 5.10: Some of the Embedded Operating Systems
Source: https://media.licdn.com

Linux is very popular OS as far as embedded devices are concerned.

M

There are various flavors if Linux from different vendors especially

for IoT devices. For example, the project ‘Yocto’ from the Linux Foun-
dation is dedicated specifically for embedded systems. It creates Li-
nux distributions that are custom made for the embedded devices.
N

We have similar offerings from other vendors such as ‘Brillo’ from

Google, ‘Ubuntu Core’ from Ubuntu, etc. From the Windows side, we
have ‘Windows 10 IoT Core’ as an alternative to Linux distributions.

5.2.6 ENHANCED USER INTERFACE

User interface plays a very vital role in the success of smart city proj-
ects. Enhanced user interfaces give citizens the ability to access the
various services and solutions offered by the smart city seamlessly
and easily. It can be considered as one of the gateways to the smart
city infrastructure.

With the enhanced user interfaces, the smart users can access the
various services such as transportation, healthcare, education, gov-
ernment plans and schemes, information about various activities/
happenings in the city on their finger tips. Enhanced user interfaces
enable citizen to do bookings for taxis, buses, railways, flights, hospi-
tals, cinemas, entertainment, sport and various other shows in the city.

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Figure 5.11 shows some of the enhanced user interfaces in a smart

city:

S
Figure 5.11: Enhanced User Interfaces in a Smart City
Source: https://media.licdn.com
IM
The smart user can even give feedback to the government and the
respective agencies regarding their offerings, services, plans and var-
ious schemes. Thus, it can be an effective mechanism for obtaining
feedback.
M

self assessment Questions

1. Sensors are sometimes required for data collection. (True/

False)
2. The power requirement of microprocessors used in IoT
N

devices should be low. (Yes/No)

3. Which of the following is an example of embedded operating
system?
a. FreeRTOS
b. TinyOS
c. Contiki
d. All of these
4. We cannot perform multiple tasks in ______in a real time
operating system.

Activity

Search the Internet for different types of smart components that

are required to build up a smart city. Take their printouts and paste
them in a scrapbook with proper labeling and explanation about
each of them.

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TERMINOLOGY RELATED TO SMART

5.3
CITIES
In the era of IoT, everyone is talking about smart cities. So first of all,
let’s try to understand what a smart city is. A smart city fuels economic
growth by smartly managing its available resources and the available
infrastructure so as to give its citizen a better quality and standard of
life. All these are done in a sustainable way so that there would not be
any burden on the future generations.

The various factors that are taken into consideration for a smart city
project are:
‰‰ Infrastructure

‰‰ Economy

S
‰‰ Mobility

‰‰ Environment
IM
‰‰ People

‰‰ Living

‰‰ Governance

For a city to become smart, the city’s infrastructure, economy, mobility,

environment, people, governance should also be made smart. There
M

will be an interconnection among the city’s various entities. These will

be sharing data and resources among themselves on the need basis.
Some of the important elements in a smart city are:
‰‰ Connectable
N

‰‰ Accessible

‰‰ Ubiquitous

‰‰ Sharable

‰‰ Sociable

‰‰ Visible

As mentioned above, the elements of the city should be connected,

accessible, ubiquitous, sharable, sociable and visible etc. Ubiquitous
means it should be accessible from anywhere and anytime.

The various terminologies related to smart city are:

‰‰ Smart energy management
‰‰ Smart water management
‰‰ Smart waste management
‰‰ Smart transport management

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‰‰ Smart lighting management

‰‰ Smart education management
‰‰ Smart economy management
‰‰ Smart living management
‰‰ Smart healthcare management
‰‰ Smart housing management
‰‰ Smart environment management
‰‰ Smart investment and trade management
‰‰ Smart infrastructure management
‰‰ Smart resource management

S
All these terminologies are self-explanatory. By the term smart man-
agement, we mean that these entities should be managed by using
technology such that these will be shared equally among all the citi-
zens and there will not be any shortage of resources. Moreover, smart
IM
management also ensures that there must not be any burden on the
future generations.

A smart city will have a good plan to service its citizens in a better
and more enhanced way by optimising its capacities and resources,
maintenance activities, security and good, responsible and transpar-
ent governance.
M

self assessment Questions

5. Which of the following is/are the elements of smart cities?

N

a. Sharable
b. Sociable
c. Visible
d. All of these
6. ________ means accessibility from anywhere and anytime.
7. IoT resources should be used optimally. (True/False)
8. A smart city gives its citizens a better quality and standard of
living. (True/False)

Activity

Search and prepare a report on Smart Energy Management Sys-

tem (SEMS).

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5.4 TECHNOLOGY FRAMEWORK

The technology framework for smart cities includes a simple method-
ology for making decisions. It enables the effective development and
implementation of the smart city initiatives. There are usually two
ways that can be adapted for the city’s development:
‰‰ Structured

‰‰ Intuitive

Rather than going in a structured way, most cities prefer intuitive

ways. But structured approach is more efficient and transparent.
Figure 5.12 shows one of the technology frameworks for smart cities:

S
IM
M
N

Figure 5.12: Technology Framework for Smart Cities

Source: https://encrypted-tbn1.gstatic.com

As shown in Figure 5.12, at the lowermost level, we have ICT Infra-

structure which generally includes devices, networks, protocols and
procedures. On the next level, we have City as a Platform. On top of it,
we have various other entities like smart energy management, smart
water management, smart mobility management, etc. for making cit-
ies smart.

The framework for a smart city recognises and identifies the value of
the city and proposes solutions for the entire city. There would be an
app based ecosystem which will guide the citizen about the govern-
ment policies and schemes time to time.

There would also be a feedback mechanism by which the citizen

would be giving their suggestions and feedback to the government so
that it could act accordingly. There is a technology framework stack
commonly known as ‘SMAC’. It stands for Social Mobile Analytics and
Cloud.

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Figure 5.13 shows the SMAC stack:

S
IM
Figure 5.13: The SMAC Stack
Source: https://www.kahunasystems.com

The technology framework for smart cities consist of various layers

such as city objective layer, City indicators layer, City components
M

layer, City content layer, etc. Figure 5.14 shows one such smart city
framework:

4. City Content: Best Practices & Policy Examples

N

Utilities Transportation Real Estate City Services

3. City Components

2. City Indicators (appropriate and matching)

1. City Objectives: Social, Environmental, Economic

Figure 5.14: Smart City Framework

Source: http://blogs.cisco.com

The layers in the smart city framework indicate the logical flow of data
/ control among the various entities/stakeholders. The framework also
highlights the overall functioning of the city and the respective func-
tions / responsibilities of the various entities / stakeholders.

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The smart city technology framework also helps us to get clues / an-
swers for the most pertaining issues/questions regarding ICT, the var-
ious components of a smart city, stakeholders, the data flow and inter-
connection among the various entities/departments, etc.

self assessment Questions

9. ________ and________ are the two ways that can be adapted

for the city’s development.
10. SMAC stands for
a. Social Mobile Analysis and Cloud
b. Social Mobile Analytics and Computing
c. Social Mobile Analytics and Cloud

S
d. None of these
11. SMAC is a kind of technology framework. (Yes/No)
IM
Activity

Discuss the role of Indian government in creating smart cities in

India.
M

5.5 SMART COMMUNITIES

Smart communities are communities that make use of Information
and Communication Technologies (ICT) in their daily lives for improv-
ing the standard and quality of life. Smart communities make smart
N

use of the existing resources and preserve it for future generations.

They bring change by their active participation and involvement into
city’s planning, execution and well being.

Smart communities have long term vision and commitment to pre-

serve the available resources, opportunities, economy, cultural heri-
tage, environment and the overall standard and quality of life. Smart
communities have a positive attitude and approach towards sustain-
able development. They are fair enough in their usage of the public
utilities, means of transportation and communication and other facil-
ities.

They create equal opportunities for education, employment and other

services. They promote the use of products and solutions based on the
renewable energy sources and are committed to preserve the nature
and its resources for the future generations.

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Figure 5.15 shows the components of smart communities:

S
IM
Figure 5.15: Smart Community Components
Source: http://komunitipintar.my

They work with the government agencies to bring goodness and well-
ness to their regions and communities as a whole. They strive to cre-
ate a social fabric that will be robust, safe and protect individual per-
spectives and identities.
M

Smart communities have a strong communication network. They have

various interconnected entities like government, law enforcement and
other agencies. The data and services are available at their fingertips.
N

They support to build a safe, secure and a sustainable environment

and assist in improving the overall standard and quality of life.

The local government will have maximum involvement of the local

smart communities in the planning and implementation of the various
government policies and schemes. Government may subsidise various
works and activities that will benefit the community.

For example, to have a high speed Internet connection available to the

community, the government may subsidise the Internet connection
to a social service group or to individuals. It may also give subsidy for
purchasing the various gadgets, equipments, products and solutions
which are of national importance, interest and which encourages the
use of renewable energy sources and helps to preserve the natural
resources.

Figure 5.16 shows an integrated smart community:

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Philips - Smart CIty through Lighting

Lighting affects how
people think and feel about
their city

Emotions
Sustainability and Deserted urban
Energy Savings centre into a vibrant
and inviting space
Responsible Safety

End to end services

that will limit risk Without wasting
of investments precious energy or
resources
Confidence In Control

S
Help with everything from
Consultancy creative design and
implementation
IM
Figure 5.16: An Integrated Smart Community
Source: http://todmaffin.com and Philips

To have a truly smart community, education also plays a very import-

ant role. So, smart communities give more emphasis on a good and
affordable education for all. It also encourages the continuing educa-
tion of life skills and digital education. It also encourages a culture of
M

creativity and innovation.

self assessment Questions

N

12. ___________ communities make smart use of the existing

resources and preserve it for future generations.
13. Which of the following is true about smart communities?
a. They have long term vision and commitment to preserve
the available resources.
b. They have a positive attitude and approach towards
sustainable development.
c. They create equal opportunities for education, employment
and other services.
d. All of these.
14. Smart communities lack strong communication network.
(True/False)

Activity

Search and prepare a report on the evolution of smart

communities.

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ENERGY MANAGEMENT IN SMART

5.6
CITIES
Rising costs of energy has been identified as the 6th highest ‘Economic
Risk’ by the World Economic Forum. We all must make it sure that our
energy costs are totally in control. The objective and primary goal of
any smart energy management system should be to monitor, control
and optimise the consumption of energy.

Energy management would enable smart cities to have serious im-

plications in economic development, sustainability and the overall
well-being of its citizens. As per one of the estimates, cities use only
2% of the global lands but utilise around 70% of the world’s energy. So
there is an urgent and immense need to focus on smart energy man-
agement in cities.

S
The increasing use and adaptation of policies and technologies related
to smart cities is bringing a fundamental change in the use and distri-
bution of energy. It is also encouraging the use of renewable energy
IM
sources and smart grids for energy management. Figure 5.17 shows
smart energy management:
M
N

Figure 5.17: Smart Energy Management

Source: http://smarthomegallery.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/Energy_management_Cut-
away.jpg

In smart energy management, we use smart grids to have an automat-

ed response to demands. For this, the initiatives like network manage-

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ment, grid management, demand management, etc. are being taken.

There is a new concept emerging in the energy sector called as ‘ener-
gy cloud concept’.

It has the potential to transform the traditional energy provision util-

ity model into a completely new model. This new model would incor-
porate the renewable energy sources and the generation technologies
from the demand side along with the traditional assets by creating a
dynamic and networked infrastructure. Such a model gives more flex-
ibility in the ways the energy is generated, distributed and consumed.
Figure 5.18 shows the energy cloud:

Today: One-way Power System

Emerging: The Energy Cloud

Power Plant

S
Transmission &
Distribution

Residential Commercial
IM
Industrial

Figure 5.18: The Energy Cloud

Source: http://www.energymanagertoday.com

The smart cities’ planning integrates various energy initiatives may

M

be it a small scale or large scale, local generation, city level energy

efficiency programs to a nationwide infrastructure improvement pro-
grams.
The cost of energy is increasing globally. This is due to the increase in
N

demand and at the same time reduction in the available resources to

generate energy. So it is desperately needed to monitor the details of
energy consumption at all levels. It should be monitored at city level,
area level, campus level, building level, floor level, room level, etc.
We have to use algorithms meant for energy optimisation to manage
peak demands as well as tariff based management. The equipment
should also be monitored and their energy efficiency should also be
improved.
It is expected that there would be a 5-10% reduction in energy con-
sumption year on year as a result of smart energy management. The
utilisation of energy would be normalised. There would be a reduction
in operational expenses as the equipments and devices would run op-
timally.
The serviceability of the equipment, network and the overall infra-
structure would also be impacted greatly due to the use of Augmented
Reality (AR) and workflows applications and timely alarm and warn-
ing systems. The most important effect of smart energy management
would be that it would help us to achieve our goal of sustainability.

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Figure 5.19 shows a smart grid for energy management:

S
IM
Figure 5.19: A Smart Grid for Energy Management
Source: http://blog.ebv.com

Exhibit
M

Smart cities and cyber attacks

Smart cities comprise thousands of interconnected IoT devices to

provide various facilities to the citizens living in the city. Not only
this, it also provides unprecedented financial opportunities to busi-
N

nesses running in the city. Because of thousands of interconnected

devices and are constantly increasing, cyber threats also exist. The
structure of smart cities appears as boon for cyber criminals for
making any kind of cyber-attack. Cyber attackers can propagate
malware which is capable enough to multiply itself across the net-
work and can cause serious harm to it. The attackers can also steal
important information about individuals or any organisation be-
cause of interconnected devices easily. Moreover, attackers might
take control of significant devices or a large number of devices in
their hand. If the attackers get successful in hijacking devices or
systems, then they can easily capture the entire city for performing
extortion attack in which they can ask for ransom. Ransomware or
malicious software is also designed to take control of city’s grid for
performing ransom attacks.

Therefore, there is a need to build smart cities that are cyber secure
and provide priority-wise security to devices deployed in the smart
city. Critical devices must be given more security or secured first in
the case of any kind of cyber-attack.

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self assessment Questions

15. Development of smart cities has brought a fundamental

change in the use and distribution of energy. (True/False)
16. _______ energy sources and smart grids can be used for energy
management.
17. Energy cloud concept can be used to manage energy effectively.
(Yes/No)

Activity

Search information on the future of energy cloud and discuss with

your friends in the class.

S
5.7 SUMMARY
IM
‰‰ A smart city monitors and aggregates the existing facilities and re-
sources to provide a better infrastructure and improved services.
‰‰ A smart city can provide suitable services to its citizens in a better
and more enhanced ways by optimising its capacities and resourc-
es, maintenance activities, security, governance, etc.
‰‰ A smart city should fuel economic growth, provide a conducive
M

environment, affordable healthcare, housing, education, transpor-

tation and improve the standard and quality of life.
‰‰ A sensor network helps a city to become more efficient. Due to the
use of sensors, service providers are able to respond quickly.
N

‰‰ The choice of microprocessor to be used for the smart city appli-

cations mostly depend on the target application and the kind of
sensing needed.
‰‰ Smart cities will need to have a robust control over data storage.
‰‰ Software for smart cities allows you to capture, collect, aggregate,
store, process, and analyse the data.
‰‰ Embedded operating systems are used in IoT devices. There are
many embedded OS available in the market; some are real time
and others are not so real time.
‰‰ The framework for a smart city recognises and identifies the value
of the city and proposes solutions for the entire city.

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key words

‰‰ Embedded OS: It is the operating system (OS) that is used in

embedded devices.
‰‰ Energy management: It is the management of energy for its
effective utilisation.
‰‰ Smart city: It is a city which is enabled to smartly manage its
resources for a sustainable growth.
‰‰ Smart communities: These are the communities that make use
of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) in their
daily lives for improving the standard and quality of life.
‰‰ Smart components: These are IoT-enabled components that
can communicate to each other over the Internet.

S
5.8 DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS
IM
1. Explain the role of sensors and microprocessors in smart cities.
2. Elucidate the concept of embedded operating system and user
interface.
3. Describe any three terminologies related to smart cities.
4. Describe the Technology Framework for smart cities.
M

5. Explain the significance of smart communities.

6. Discuss the energy management in smart cities.
7. Discuss the need for energy management.
N

5.9 ANSWERS and HINTS

ANSWERS FOR SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

Topic Q. No. Answers

Smart Components 1. True
2. yes
3. d.  All of these
4. Parallel
Terminology related to smart cities 5. d.  All of these
6. Ubiquitous
7. True
8. True
Technology Framework 9. Structured and Intuitive

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Topic Q. No. Answers

10. c. Social Mobile Analyt-
ics and Cloud
11. Yes
Smart Communities 12. Smart
13. d.  All of these
14. False
Energy Management in Smart 15. True
Cities
16. renewable
17. Yes

HINTS FOR DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS

S
1. A sensor network helps a city to become more efficient. The
choice of microprocessor to be used for the smart city applications
mostly depend on the target application and the kind of sensing
IM
needed. Refer to Section 5.2 smart components.
2. Embedded operating systems are used in IoT devices. There
are many embedded OS available in the market; some are real
time and others are not so real time. Refer to Section 5.2 smart
components.
3. Connectable means the various entities are interconnected via
M

the Internet; Accessible means we can access the resources as

and when required; Ubiquitous means the data and services
are always available at any time and any place. Refer to Section
5.3 Terminology related to Smart Cities.
N

4. The technology framework for smart cities includes the

various smart components connecting the various entities and
departments to the cloud to have better control over them and
hence provide an improved standard and quality of life. Refer to
Section 5.4 Technology Framework.
5. These are the communities that make use of Information and
Communication Technologies (ICT) in their daily lives for
improving the standard and quality of life. Refer to Section
5.5 Smart Communities.
6. The energy management in smart cities includes the management
of energy for its effective utilisation. Refer to Section 5.6 Energy
Management in Smart Cities.
7. The demand for energy is increasing and the available resources
are depleting. So the cost of energy is increasing globally. Hence,
there is an urgent need for energy management. Refer to Section
5.6 Energy Management in Smart Cities.

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5.10 SUGGESTED READINGS & REFERENCES

SUGGESTED READINGS
‰‰ Guinard, D. D., & Trifa, V. M. (2016). Building the web of things:
with examples in Node.js and Raspberry PI. Shelter Island, NY:
Manning Publications.
‰‰ Lucas, P., Ballay, J., & McManus, M. (2012). Trillions: thriving in
the emerging information ecology. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

E-REFERENCES
‰‰ The Future of the Energy Cloud. (2016, May 03). Retrieved May
15, 2017, from http://bosscontrols.com/future-energy-cloud/Smart
Energy Management System. (n.d.). Retrieved May 15, 2017, from

S
http://www.nsoft.in/products/smart-energy-management-system/.
‰‰ How Smart Communities Will Work. (2012, October 19). Retrieved
May 15, 2017, from http://home.howstuffworks.com/smart-commu-
IM
nities.htm
M
N

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 C h a
6 p t e r

IoT AND CONSUMER WEARABLES

CONTENTS

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6.1 Introduction
6.2 Different Types of Consumer Wearables
IM
6.2.1 Fitness Trackers
6.2.2 Smart Watches
6.2.3 Smart Glasses
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
6.3 Quantified Self
M

Self Assessment Questions

Activity
6.4 Smart Retail
Self Assessment Questions
N

Activity
6.5 Connected Health
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
6.6 IoT Applications for Wearables
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
6.7 Summary
6.8 Descriptive Questions
6.9 Answers and Hints
6.10 Suggested Readings & References

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Introductory Caselet
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‘Fitbit’ – A Fitness Tracker

Fitbit was founded by James Park and Eric Friedman on May 1,

2007. It is headquartered in San Francisco, California, USA. Ini-
tially, it was started as a consumer electronics company but has
transformed into a digital healthcare company. It makes activity
trackers with the brand name as ‘Fitbit’. It is a wearable technol-
ogy wireless-enabled device that is used to measure personal fit-
ness data such as the number of steps walked, the number of steps
climbed, heart rate, quality of sleep, etc.

The first product the company released was the ‘Fitbit Tracker’. It
was launched at the end of 2009. At the launch, it shipped around
5,000 units and booked further 20,000 orders. Fitbit also offers a

S
mobile app with the tracker. There is also a companion website
where the Fitbit users can log their activities, distance walked,
food intake, weight, calories consumed and burned, etc. that can
be tracked on a daily or weekly basis to know the changes/im-
IM
provements and adjust or change their routines or habits.

There is one more feature called as ‘Fitbit Connect’ which allows

to sync the Fitbit data to the user’s account. For this, a USB don-
gle is also provided. Fitbit has won the following awards:
‰‰ In 2008, Runner-up at TechCrunch50
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‰‰ In 2009, Honoree of ‘CES Innovation’ and Best-in the ‘Health

& Wellness’ category
‰‰ In 2016, ranked 37 out of the 50 ‘Most Innovative Companies’
N

Fitbit tied up with ‘Best Buy’ for sale. Initially, the sale was started
with four stores, then it grew up to forty and then to 650 stores.
Now, Fitbit is sold worldwide. ‘Pebble’ became its subsidiary on
December 7, 2016. Fitbit acquired ‘Vector Watch SRL’ a smart
watch startup based in Romania. The success story of Fitbit is
very important in the world of wearables.

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learning objectives

After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

>> Explain the applications of IoT for Consumer Wearables
>> Discuss the different types of Consumer Wearables
>> Describe the Quantified Self
>> Discuss the Smart Retail
>> Describe the Connected Health
>> Describe the applications of IoT for Wearables

6.1 INTRODUCTION

S
In the previous chapter, we have seen the use of IoT for smart cities.
We have also seen the various components of IoT for smart cities such
as sensors, microprocessors, data storage controls, software applica-
tions, embedded OS, enhanced user interfaces, etc. Then we have seen
IM
the various terminologies related to smart cities and also discussed
the technology framework for smart cities. We have also described the
concept of smart communities and in the last, we discussed the energy
management in smart cities.

In this chapter, we will see the application of IoT for consumer vari-
M

ables. We will see the various types of consumer variables such as fit-
ness trackers, smart watches, smart glasses, etc. We will also study
about the quantified self, smart retail and connected health.

Let’s first start with the introduction of IoT wearable landscape.

N

Figure 6.1 shows the global forecast of wearable products from

2016-2020:

Figure 6.1: Global Forecast of Wearable Products from 2016-2020

Source: https://media.licdn.com

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As depicted in Figure 6.1, the total sales volume of the various wear-
ables would be around 123 million with a total value of $ 14 billion in
2016; whereas in 2020, it is expected to go up to around 411 million in
volume and $ 34.2 billion in value. The various types of IoT enabled
wearables are enlisted as follows:
‰‰ Fitness, activity, sports tracker
‰‰ Smart watches
‰‰ Smart glasses
‰‰ Virtual and augmented reality headsets
‰‰ Wearable cameras
‰‰ Hearables

‰‰ Jewellery

S
‰‰ Cloths

‰‰ Shoes
IM
The IoT enabled wearables are capable of recording data. The record-
ed data can be sent by these wearables to the cloud via a smart phone
by using various connectivity options provided in the phone such as
Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, etc. The data stored on the cloud remained secure
and can be accessed irrespective of the geographical location of the
user using the wearable device. Figure 6.2 shows the connectivity of
M

wearables to the cloud:

N

Figure 6.2: Wearable Connectivity to Cloud

Source: https://www.ibm.com

So, now let’s explore the world of IoT wearables, their types and ap-
plications.

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DIFFERENT TYPES OF CONSUMER

6.2
WEARABLES
The various types of consumer wearables are fitness trackers, smart
watches, smart glasses, virtual and augmented reality headsets, wear-
able cameras, jewellery, cloths, hats, shoes, etc. Figure 6.3 shows dif-
ferent types of consumer wearables:

S
Figure 6.3: Different Types of Consumer Wearables
IM
Source: http://img.deusm.com

There are various locations where these wearables can be worn and
embedded. For example, if you want to track your fitness level, you
can wear wristbands or watches on your hand. Figure 6.4 shows the
preferred locations for wearables:
M

Preferred Locations for Wearable Technology

N

Contacts
20% Hat
20%

19%
Glasses
55%

26%

Wristband
65%
Shirt
31%

Shoes
20%

Source: SSI

Figure 6.4: Preferred Locations for Wearables

Source: https://www.ibm.com

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Out of the various wearables as mentioned above, we will explore

three of them viz. fitness trackers, smart watches and smart glasses.

6.2.1  FITNESS TRACKERS

Fitness trackers are the wearables that are used to track the fitness
level of the consumer. These are also known by the term ‘Activity
Trackers’. Figure 6.5 shows some fitness trackers:

S
IM
Figure 6.5: Fitness Trackers
Source: http://urbanwearables.technology

These wearables are mostly of wristband type and are worn on a wrist
just like a normal wristwatch. Figure 6.6 shows a fitness tracker worn
M

on a wrist:
N

Figure 6.6: A fitness Tracker wore on a Wrist

Source: http://cdn.pocket-lint.com

These fitness trackers can also have the companion apps that can be
downloaded on a smart phone and used to monitor various fitness
parameters, such as heart rate, blood oxygen levels, body tempera-
ture, etc. Some other types of measurements related to body can also
be recorded using these types of trackers. These trackers record and
provide helpful data to keep you in shape.

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These companion apps also suggest useful tips, advices and recom-
mend exercises to be done in order to maintain the required fitness
levels on the basis of the recorded data. Figure 6.7 shows the monitor-
ing of fitness trackers:

S
IM
Figure 6.7: Monitoring of Fitness Trackers
Source: http://crowddistrict.com

In Figure 6.7, various related parameters and their current values are
shown on the mobile interface with the help of app. The data is further
used to provide various suggestions which might include the type of
exercises to be done, diet to be taken, etc. in order to maintain or ac-
M

quire the fitness level.

There is a new concept coming in the wearables market that is pop-

ularly known as ‘Connected Garments’. Smart cloths like ‘Biometric
Shirts’, ‘Smart Fabrics’, ‘Smart Belts’ ‘Smart Sleeves’ and ‘Contact-
N

less Payment Jackets’ seem to be appearing in the market. These are

mainly related to tracking the fitness parameters of a user. Figure 6.8
shows smart cloths:

Figure 6.8: Smart Cloths

Source: http://icdn4.digitaltrends.com

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Besides, smart clothing, a wellness belt, also called welt is getting pop-
ular these days. WELT is helpful for tracking the key health data and
providing useful suggestions and timely warnings about your health.
Figure 6.9 shows a smart welt:

S
Figure 6.9: Smart Welt
Source: https://www.digitaltrends.com/wearables/smart-clothing-is-the-future-of-wearables/
IM
Smart clothing is not just limited to fitness anymore. There are prod-
ucts available that capture our vital signs. For example, smart socks
can monitor the heart rate.

For instance, there are smart socks from ‘Owlet’ for babies that can
monitor a baby’s heart rate making it sure that babies get the unin-
terrupted sleep and breathing during monitoring. Figure 6.10 shows
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smart baby socks:

N

Figure 6.10: Smart Baby Socks

Source: https://www.wareable.com

All In One (AIO) smart sleeve is the first compression sleeve smart
wearable. It enables a user to track his/her activities more precisely,
as well as helps in monitoring crucial health indicators such as heart
rate, blood oximetry and full-time ECG/EKG. For Heart Rate monitor-
ing, it will have ECG technology. It will also have other features like to
monitor sleep, air quality, workout intensity, body temperature, stress
levels and UV rays.

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Figure 6.11 shows smart sleeves:

S
Figure 6.11: Smart Sleeves
Source: https://www.wareable.com

6.2.2 SMART WATCHES
IM
Smart watches are the computerised watches that can be worn on
a wrist. They look like like normal wrist watches used for timekeep-
ing. Smart watches are equipped with very advanced features, such as
functionalities like calling capabilities, messages notifications, main-
taining phonebook, alarm functionality, calendar, data storage facili-
M

ties, pedometer, camera, smart phone connectivity, Bluetooth connec-

tivity, social sites connectivity, etc. Figure 6.12 shows a typical smart
watch:
N

Figure 6.12: A Typical Smart Watch

Source: http://gloimg.gearbest.com

Smart watches have audio-video and speech recognition capabili-

ties. They have Liquid Crystal Display/Organic Light-emitting Diode
(LCD/OLED) display, touchscreen, touchpads/buttons. They also have
microphone and speakers. Smart watches also have various sensors

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like accelerometers, thermometers, barometers, altimeters, compass-

es, GPS, etc. Figure 6.13 shows the various features of a smart watch:

S
IM
Figure 6.13: Smart Watch Features
Source: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com
M

A smart watch can be synchronised with a smart phone by using Blue-

tooth technology. After establishing the connectivity, the watch’s in-
terface can be used by the wearer for initiating and answering phone
calls from their mobile phone, reading e-mails and text messages, lis-
ten to music, etc. Figure 6.14 shows a smart watch synchronised with
N

a smart phone to receive incoming calls:

Figure 6.14: A Smart Watch Synchronised with a Smartphone

Source: https://complementoideal.com

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6.2.3 SMART GLASSES

Smart glasses can be defined as the wearable computer glasses that

can record information or whatever the wearer sees. These can be
worn like normal glasses. These smart eye wears provide many fea-
tures and functionalities like photo, audio and video capturing, GPS
tracking, etc. Figure 6.15 shows a typical smart glass:

S
IM
Figure 6.15: A Typical Smart Glass
Source: https://www.wareable.com

Smart glasses consist of transparent ‘Heads up Display’ (HUD) or ‘Op-

tical Head Mounted Display’ (OHMD). Some smart glasses may have
‘Augmented Reality’ (AR) covers/overlays that can reflect the project-
ed ‘Digital Images’. It also allows the user to see through it or see in a
M

better way. Figure 6.16 shows a variety of smart glasses:

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Figure 6.16: A Variety of Smart Glasses

Source: http://www.droiders.com

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Some smart glasses may have almost all the features of a smart phone.
They can even run preloaded mobile apps, communicate to the Inter-
net via touch buttons or voice commands. Some of them may have
activity tracking and life logging functionality. The following are some
more features of smart glasses:
‰‰ High resolution display
‰‰ Bluetooth and wi-fi connectivity
‰‰ Camera

‰‰ Audio-video capability
‰‰ Touch screen
‰‰ Memory

S
‰‰ Head motion tracking sensors
‰‰ Accelerometer

‰‰ Gyroscope
IM
‰‰ Magnetic compass sensors
‰‰ Magnetometer

‰‰ Ambient light sensors

‰‰ Microphone and speaker
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‰‰ Smart phone connectivity

‰‰ Social sites connectivity
‰‰ GPS tracking
N

‰‰ Speech recognition
‰‰ Touch pad/buttons
‰‰ Brain computer interface
‰‰ Eye tracking
‰‰ Micro USB connectivity

A popular smart glass known as ‘K-Glass’ has been developed by the

researchers at ‘KAIST’ - The South Korean Public University. It is
capable of recognising objects without requiring a barcode or any oth-
er markers. It is supposed to duplicate the human brain’s capability
of processing the visual data. Figure 6.17 shows a person wearing a
‘K-Glass’:

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Figure 6.17: A Person Wearing ‘K-Glass’
Source: http://img-1.newatlas.com
IM
self assessment Questions

1. OHMD stands for

a. Optical Head Mounted Display
b. Optical Headed Mounted Display
M

c. Optical Head Mounted Disc

d. None of these
2. Smart watches can be synced with smart phones. (Yes/No)
N

3. WELT is known as __________.

Activity

Search and discuss about the internal functionality of a smart glass

with your friends.

6.3 QUANTIFIED SELF

Quantified Self is a term used to describe the self knowledge through
numbers. It is also known by the term ‘life logging’. Quantified Self
can also be referred to as a process of acquiring people’s daily life’s
data. This data can be something like food consumed, mood, oxygen
level in blood, performance, etc. It is a kind of self-tracking using tech-
nology.

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Figure 6.18 shows a logo of the quantified self:

Figure 6.18: Logo of Quantified Self

Source: http://quantifiedself.com

There are also various other terminologies that are used to describe
the quantified self. Some of them are as enlisted as follows:
‰‰ Self quantifying

S
‰‰ Self tracking
‰‰ Body hacking
IM
‰‰ Auto analytics
‰‰ Personal informatics

Data collection in quantified self is done using sensors and wearable

computing. Quantified self also helps us to improve our habits, diet
and sleep pattern, exercise schedule, medical problems, etc. Figure
6.19 shows various exploratory tools for a quantified self:
M
N

Figure 6.19: Various Exploratory Tools for a Quantified Self

Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com

Quantified Self can also be used for personal development as well.

Nowadays, capturing and analysing personal data has become simple
and easy because of the advancements in the technology. Now, it is
possible to incorporate technology into personal devices like smart
phones and therefore, the quantified self has now become very easy to
use for personal analysis and improvement.

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Quantified self finds its major applications in health, wellness and per-
sonal improvement. It can also be used for the improvement of per-
sonal as well as professional productivity. It also finds its application
in corporate wellness programs and education.

self assessment Questions

4. Data collection in quantified self is done using _____ and

______ computing.
5. Quantified self can be used for improving personal productivity.
(Yes/No)

Activity

S
Search and prepare a report on the evolution of the quantified self.
IM
6.4 SMART RETAIL
Smart retail is defined as an IoT enabled retail that uses customers
behavior of purchasing for selling things to them. IoT is supposed to
have a major impact on retail. It will soon change the way the retail
industry engages with the shoppers. Now, using IoT based solutions
M

and tools, a smart retail can do targeted marketing by capturing the

personal and behavioral data of customers. A smart retail helps in cus-
tomer acquisition and retention. It will enable the retailers to individ-
ualise their offerings and personalise the shopping experience of their
customers. A smart retail will help the retailers to make their brands
N

more relevant in the eyes of their customers. Figure 6.20 shows a

sketch of a smart retail:

Figure 6.20: A Sketch of a Smart Retail

Source: http://www.zurb.com

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In real time, retailers can identify the potential buyers and can make
them personalised offerings. There can be a real time digital engage-
ment with the customers. A smart retail uses technology to tap into
the mobile phones of the customers to understand their preferences
and make real time decisions.

Using IoT, retailers can improve their customers’ in-store experience

and make them come again and again for shopping at the same store.
They can give personalised offers to the customers by doing proper
data analysis.

They can improve their operational efficiencies and in turn more ROI
by being smart retailers. The consumers, nowadays, have become
technology savvy and their expectations are increasing day by day.
Now, it is up to the companies that how far they can meet those ex-

S
pectations. They have to redesign their business models and business
strategies in order to address the customer needs and expectations.

Figure 6.21 shows a smart retail concept:

IM
Shopping Floor Cashier Area Exit
Process

Product
search Buying Prepare Price Anti-
Strolling for Payment Packing
and decision collection theft
selection payment

Loyalty Credit
Card Card
M

E-
Coupon
Check Out

EPC
NFC NFC reading
N

WiFi WiFi

Sending Receiving
Loyalty Invoice Check-out
Profile Alarm
Information Information
Reception Reception
of EPC Payment
data Status

Figure 6.21: A Smart Retail Concept

Source: http://www.stolpan.com/uploadpic/0_Smart%20shopping.jpg

Retailers have to improve upon a variety of channels as well as cus-

tomer touch points where appropriate information can be conveyed to
customers about the products. Mobile and digital technologies enable
retailers to move their customised offerings closer to the customers.

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Customer closeness definitely brings more sells and hence more rev-
enues. Every customer experience, while shopping is considered as
a digital experience by the intelligent devices. By analysing the nav-
igation data of the customer purchasing behavior captured by these
smart devices, retailers can improve the ‘in-store shopping experi-
ence’ of the customers.

With the use of IoT, retailing business has transformed into a smart
retail and influence the customers’ preferences digitally. It also en-
abled better customer engagement and make their overall shopping
experience more customised and personalised.

Placing proper displays at the right positions having the correct mes-
sages gives retailers the opportunities to engage the shoppers. Digital
signage can be utilised to display new inventory, promotional offers,

S
etc. Its effectiveness can be measured by analysing the gathered data.

In order to have an efficient supply chain management, we need to

manage the complexities from start to end. It is essential to track the
IM
inventory and its condition and treatment throughout the delivery
chain. Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tags can be used for this
purpose.

We can couple the sensors with the stockroom and the inventory on
shelf to have customised features regarding price regulation.
M

self assessment Questions

6. ________ tags are used to track the inventory and its condition
and treatment throughout the delivery chain.
N

7. A smart retail can enhance customers’ in-store experience.

(True/False)

Activity

Search and enlist some popular IoT applications that retailers are
using today.

6.5 CONNECTED HEALTH

Connected health is defined as a socio-technical model used in health-
care management with the help of technology in order to offer health-
care services remotely.

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Figure 6.22 shows ten benefits of connected health:

S
IM
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N

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Figure 6.22: Various Benefits by Connected Health
Source: Internet Innovation Alliance
IM
Connected health can improve the overall patient engagement with
the capturing and analysis of the patient data and hence help in im-
proving the health outcomes. It makes it possible to remotely monitor
a patient.

The patient can be continuously monitored and if any abnormalities

found, a quick remedial action can be taken to prevent any catastro-
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phe. Connected health proved to be a boon for the patients with chron-
ic diseases as they need continuous monitoring which is only possible
because of the affordable connected health technology.

In a connected health system, a patient would have wearable body

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sensors which would continuously sense the data and send it to the
cloud. There it would be processed, analysed and a corresponding
treatment or corrective measures can be prescribed by the doctor /
caregiver to the persons concerned. Thus, a timely and quick medica-
tion is made possible only by a connected health system. Figure 6.23
shows a general framework of a connected health:

Figure 6.23: A General Framework of a Connected Health

Source: http://telemedicine.arizona.edu

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As it can be seen from Figure 6.23, the sensors/devices used in con-

nected health can be worn on the body. They will sense the data and
send it to the cloud via a gateway (e.g. a smart phone).

There it can be processed and analysed and the preventive/remedial

action is taken accordingly.

Figure 6.24 shows the working of a connected health model:

How Telehealth Works

Healthcare Monitoring
Provider Devices

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IM
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Patient

Monitoring Center Vital Signs and

Technical and Clinical Triage Interview Questions
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Secure Data
Transfer

Figure 6.24: Connected Health Working

Source: http://www.wipro.com

As shown in Figure 6.24, the captured data from the patient/user will
be sent via monitoring devices to the monitoring center after the col-
lection of vital signs data. In some cases, questions may be asked to
the patients before the data is sent to the monitoring center. It may
happen in a situation where the data is collected at the Hospital by the
supportive staff/nurse.

From the monitoring center, the data is shared with the healthcare
provider who can recommend the appropriate medication and the
preventive/remedial steps.

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Figure 6.25 shows the connected health workflow:

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Figure 6.25: Connected Health Workflow
Source: http://www.sintef.no

Figure 6.26 shows another scenario of the connected health workflow:

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Figure 6.26: Another Scenario of the Connected Health Workflow

Source: http://www.sintef.no

In this scenario, we can have sensors implanted into the patient which
will sense the corresponding data and send it to the cloud.

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Figure 6.27 shows vital signs monitoring by using sensors of the con-
nected health:

Internet
Gateway

Blood
pressure
nanosensor

Pulse Nano-micro
oximetry interface
nanosensor
ECG
nanosensor

Healthcare

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provider

Figure 6.27: Vital Signs Monitoring using Sensors

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Source: https://www.researchgate.net

Connected health is not just about the use of technology in healthcare.

It is used for managing the intricacies of creating and implementing
connected health programs for:
‰‰ Engaging patients and providers for result-oriented participation
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‰‰ Empowering individuals for self-managing their health and well-

ness
‰‰ Achieving clinical workflow effectiveness and minimising hin-
drance from new programs
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‰‰ Ensuring regulatory and privacy compliance

‰‰ Evaluating and validating connected health solutions to make sure
of quality and value

self assessment Questions

8. Sensors can be used to collect vital signs. (True/False)

9. In a ________ health system, a patient would have wearable
body sensors which would continuously sense the data and
send it to the cloud.
10. Connected health proves to be a boon for in-time medication.
(Yes/No)

Activity

Discuss the role of governments in launching connected heath

model worldwide.

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6.6 IoT APPLICATIONS FOR WEARABLES

As discussed earlier, IoT is playing a vital role in creating smart wear-
ables. We can have IoT in fitness trackers, smart watches, smart glass-
es, smart hats, smart cloths, smart belt, smart shoes, smart jewellery,
etc.

These wearables then can be used to control and operate various ac-
tivities and applications like home automation, personal and sports
coaching, retail and inventory, transport, contactless payment sys-
tems, connected health, etc. These wearables are equipped with IoT
enabled apps for providing interface to interact with them. For exam-
ple, different smart phones are equipped different with operating sys-
tems which help a user in interacting with a device to use its various
functionalities. Similarly, smart wearables have IoT enabled apps for

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various purposes. IoT enabled apps in fitness devices help in monitor-
ing and measuring various health parameters such as blood pressure,
body temperature, diabetes, etc. On the other hand, in case of home
automation, IoT enabled apps help in automating electrical applianc-
IM
es / security devices or gadgets present at home, office, or other com-
mercial settings. In case of business automation, these apps help in
production planning, monitoring performance, tracking sales, provid-
ing security to real time information, analysing marketing trends, etc.
These apps give you an edge over your competitors in business.
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It is not wrong to say that smart wearables definitely help in easing the
overall operations and making our life more comfortable and mean-
ingful which is filled with lots of data, information and insights. Figure
6.28 shows various fields benefitted with the application of IoT:
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Aviation

Vehicle Telematics Home Automation

Telemetry & Monitoring System Retail/ Inventory

Telehealth & Telemedicine

Figure 6.28: IoT Applications for Wearables

Source: http://www.ideavate.com

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Figure 6.28 shows the various area/domains where we can utilise the
wearables for automated operations and transactions. It proves to be
very efficient, time saving and comfortable.

A very popular open-source platform for IoT is Kaa which comple-

ments wearable technology by providing ready-to-use IoT functions
and applications. Kaa can be embedded with tiny microchips pres-
ent in wearable devices and provides various features such as instant
interoperability, data collection, profile management, timely notifi-
cations, security, etc. It also offers scalable backend functionality for
ensuring communication without any loss between wearable devices
and with data analytics and visualisation tools.

The time required for development of wearable applications gets

shortened with Kaa to few weeks or even days. Wearable applications
developed using the Kaa platform perform better than widely used el-

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ementary solutions and can perform as per the expectations of a cus-
tomer. Figure 6.29 shows various features of the Kaa platform:
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Figure 6.29: Various Features of Kaa Platform

Source: https://www.kaaproject.org/wearables/

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self assessment Questions

11. IoT can be useful in providing telemedicine. (Yes/No)

12. The application of IoT in wearables makes it smart. (True/
False)
13. Kaa is an _________ platform for IoT.
14. Wearables can play a major role in home automation. (True/
False)

Activity

Search and enlist best developer tools used for creating an IoT ap-
plication.

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6.7 SUMMARY
IM
‰‰ The various types of consumer variables are fitness trackers, smart
watches, smart glasses, virtual and augmented reality headsets,
wearable cameras, hearables, jewelry, cloths, hats, shoes, etc.
‰‰ IoT enabled wearables are capable of recording the data.
‰‰ Fitness trackers are the wearables that are used to track the fit-
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ness level of the consumer.

‰‰ Fitnesstrackers could also have the companion apps that can be
downloaded on a smart phone.
‰‰ WELT is helpful for tracking the key health data and providing
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useful suggestions and timely warnings about your health.

‰‰ There are smart socks from ‘Owlet’ for babies that can monitor
the baby’s heart rate making it sure that babies get uninterrupted
sleep and breathing.
‰‰ Smart watches are the computerised watches that can be worn on
a wrist.
‰‰ Smart watches have audio-video and speech recognition capabil-
ities. They have Liquid Crystal Display/ Organic Light-Emitting
Diode (LCD/OLED) display, touchscreen, touchpads/buttons.
‰‰ A smart watch can be synchronised with a smart phone by using
Bluetooth technology.
‰‰ Smart glasses can be defined as the wearable computer glasses
that can record information or whatever the wearer sees.
‰‰ Smart glasses consist of transparent ‘Heads up Display’ (HUD) or
‘Optical Head Mounted Display’ (OHMD).

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key words

‰‰ Consumer wearables: It is a term used for IoT enabled wear-

able products that are used by consumers.
‰‰ Connected health: It is defined as a socio-technical model used
in healthcare management with the help of technology in order
to offer healthcare services remotely.
‰‰ Fitness tracker: It is a kind of IoT enabled wearable which is
used for tracking fitness of a consumer.
‰‰ Smart watch: It is a computerised watch that can be worn on a
wrist for using mobile functionality on it.
‰‰ Smart glass: It is an IoT enabled eye glass which can be used
for recording information or whatever the consumer sees.

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6.8 DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS
IM
1. Explain the importance of fitness tracker with suitable examples.
2. Discuss the significance and functionality of smart watches and
smart glasses.
3. What do you understand by the term ‘Quantified Self’? Illustrate
with suitable examples.
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4. Describe the concept of smart retail and its significance for

retailers.
5. Elucidate the connected health model along with benefits.
6. Discuss about IoT applications used for smart wearables.
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6.9 ANSWERS and HINTS

ANSWERS FOR SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

Topic Q. No. Answers

Different Types of Consumer 1. a. Optical Head Mounted
Wearables Display
2. Yes
3. Wellness Belt
Quantified Self 4. Sensors, wearable
5. Yes
Smart Retail 6. Radio frequency identification
(RFID)
7. True

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Topic Q. No. Answers

Connected Health 8. True
9. Connected
10. Yes
IoT Applications for Wearables 11. Yes
12. True
13. Open source
14. True

HINTS FOR DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS

1. The fitness trackers are wearables that are used to track the
fitness level of the consumer. These are also known by the term
‘Activity Trackers’. Refer to Section 6.2 Different Types of

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Consumer Wearables.
2. The smart watches are the computerised watches that can
be worn on a wrist. Refer to Section 6.2 Different Types of
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Consumer Wearables.
3. Quantified Self is a term used to describe the self knowledge
through numbers. It is also known by the term ‘life logging’.
Refer to Section 6.3 Quantified Self.
4. Smart retail is defined as an IoT enabled retail that uses
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customers behavior of purchasing for selling things to them.

Refer to Section 6.4 Smart Retail.
5. Connected health is defined as a socio-technical model used in
healthcare management with the help of technology in order to
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offer healthcare services remotely. Refer to Section 6.5 Connected

Health.
6. These wearables are equipped with IoT enabled apps for
providing interface to interact with them. Refer to Section
6.6 IoT Applications for Wearables.

6.10 SUGGESTED READINGS & REFERENCES

SUGGESTED READINGS
‰‰ Sullivan, S. (2017). Designing for wearables: effective UX for cur-
rent and future devices. Sebastopol, CA: O’Reilly Media, Inc.
‰‰ Geng, H. (2017). The internet of things and data analytics hand-
book. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.

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E-REFERENCES
‰‰ Rubens, P. (2014, November 05). How to Develop Applications for
the Internet of Things. Retrieved May 18, 2017, from http://www.
cio.com/article/2843814/developer/how-to-develop-applications-
for-the-internet-of-things.html
‰‰ Wearable Technology News and Reviews. (n.d.). Retrieved May 18,
2017, from https://www.wareable.com/
‰‰ The 10 most popular Internet of Things applications right now.
(n.d.). Retrieved May 18, 2017, from https://iot-analytics.com/10-in-
ternet-of-things-applications/

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 C h a
7 p t e r

AUGMENTED REALITY

CONTENTS

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7.1 Introduction
7.2 HW and SW Technology Requirements for AR
IM
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
7.3 Business Models in AR
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
7.4 AR Applications in Different Fields
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7.4.1 Archaeology
7.4.2 Architecture
7.4.3 Commerce
7.4.4 Education
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7.4.5 Medical
7.4.6 Military
7.4.7 Navigation
7.4.8 Industrial design
7.4.9 Tourism
7.4.10 Retail
7.4.11 Video Games
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
7.5 AR 3D Viewers and Browsers
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
7.6 Augmented Reality SDKs
Self Assessment Questions
Activity

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CONTENTS

7.7 Augment Desktop

Self Assessment Questions
Activity
7.8 Privacy Concerns
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
7.9 AR for Enterprise
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
7.10 Summary
7.11 Descriptive Questions
7.12 Answers and Hints

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7.13 Suggested Readings & References
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Introductory Caselet
n o t e s

‘FabIndia’ using Augmented Reality

FabIndia is India’s one of the largest Home, Furniture and Life-

style products company. It has around 235 stores spread across 91
cities. It is one of the largest retail brands and offers its products
in traditional style like ‘Hand Block Printing’ and ‘Weaving’ but
the tools used by it are modern and latest.

FabIndia offers various design solutions in order to create unique

and individualised feelings for the homes of their customers. Now,
FabIndia is using Augmented Reality (AR) to let their customers
try their products through their smartphones / tablets at home
before buying.

FabIndia clients can now visualise the products before making

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any purchasing decisions. The clients can see how the furniture fit
and look into their homes before buying. It helps a lot to the con-
sumers in making their decisions about the product. They can try
IM
and visualise the different colors and textures of the same product
and can decide accordingly which one is best and more suitable
for their homes.

Before implementing the augmented reality solution, the team of

‘Interior Design Studio’ at FabIndia used to work with their cus-
tomers by selecting the furniture from the catalogs and drawing
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the room layouts. But the customers could not visualise products
in the room fitting. Also they could not try different textures and
colors for the same furniture in order to find the best match.

This was the major challenge for FabIndia to find a solution to

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satisfy its customers by letting them try the products in a fitting

space of their homes instead of just guessing how it will look be-
fore purchasing it. So, the company decided to implement the
augmented reality solution.

Now, the customers can actually try and visualise the products
in their home space by using their own smart phones and tablets
and make a purchase decision accordingly. They can even select
a different mix of color and texture to see how the product looks
like and can finalise the best suitable one for their homes. Thus,
it gives a lot of freedom and flexibility to the customers in making
their final decisions.

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learning objectives

After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

>> Explain the concept of augmented reality
>> Discuss the different hardware and software technology re-
quirements for augmented reality
>> Describe the various business models in AR
>> Discuss the AR applications in different fields
>> Describe the various AR 3D viewers and browsers
>> Describe the various augmented reality software develop-
ment kits
>> Explain the concept of augment desktop
>> Discuss the various privacy concerns

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>> Describe the use of AR for enterprise
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7.1 INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter, we have seen the application of IoT for con-
sumer wearables. We have also seen the various types of consumer
variables such as fitness trackers, smart watches, smart glasses, etc.
We have also studied the concept of quantified self, smart retail and
connected health.
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In this chapter, we will see the concept of augmented reality. We will

also discuss the hardware and software requirements for AR, busi-
ness models in AR and the AR applications in different fields such
as archaeology, architecture, commerce, education, medical, military,
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navigation, industrial design, tourism, retail and video games.

We will also see the various AR 3D viewers and browsers, augmented

reality SDKs, augment desktop. At last, we will discuss the privacy
concerns and AR for enterprise.

Figure 7.1 shows AR usage:

Figure 7.1: Showing AR Usage

Source: https://www.recode.net/2016/2/1/11587458/the-augmented-
reality-enterprise-opportunity

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The potential of AR/VR devices is growing with every passing year

and so is the number of applications using the AR/VR technology.
Figure 7.2 shows the potential of AR/VR applications:

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Figure 7.2: Potential of AR/VR Applications
Source: http://www.digi-capital.com

The AR/VR devices are used for various purposes by the consumers.
The wearables help consumer in different areas such as healthcare,
M

education, information transfer, etc. The use of these AR/VR based

wearable products is also increasing with each passing year. Figure
7.3 shows the global forecast of wearable products from 2016-2020:
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Digi-Capital™ Augmented/Virtual Reality Revenue Share 2020F

AR AR
AR consumer games
adspend
AR theme
park

En
ter
p
AR rise
VR Theme
AR Park
Vid
eo VR Hardware
t)
nm x
tai s (e
en
ter pp
en R A

AR Voice AR Hardware
V

AR Data VR Video
VR Games
©2016 Di

aCommerce
gi-Capita
l

Figure 7.3: Revenue Share of AR/VR

Source: http://www.digi-capital.com

Companies have engaged themselves in manufacturing of these AR/

VR devices and encourage consumers to use these devices for gener-
ating higher revenues.

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Figure 7.4 shows the AR/VR revenue forecast:

160
140 Augmented Reality
  Virtual Reality
120
100
80
60
40
20
0
2016 F 2017 F 2018 F 2019 F 2020 F

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Figure 7.4: AR/VR Revenue Forecast
Source: http://www.thoughtwave.techendeavour.com
IM HW AND SW TECHNOLOGY
7.2
REQUIREMENTS FOR AR
For augmented reality to be functional, it requires a more innovative
combination of hardware & software technology. The augmented re-
ality works by superimposing a digital image, which is computer gen-
erated, onto the real world.
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It requires high computation power in order to augment the addi-

tional contextual information with the real world. So, the hardware
should be capable enough to process the required parameters in real
time. Also to see the effects of augmented reality, we need 3D viewers
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and browsers meant for the augmented reality.

The hardware required for augmented reality should allow us to track

measure as well as map the surrounding environments. The software
should capture the incoming data, make sense of it by doing the re-
quired processing and superimpose it onto the real world. Figure 7.5
shows a typical augmented reality Head Mounted Display:

Figure 7.5: AR Hardware (HMD)

Source: https://assets.entrepreneur.com

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As far as hardware is concerned, it requires input as well as output

devices, which are mostly sensors, cameras, processor, GPS, etc. The
output device has a display like that of a smart phone or Head Mount-
ed Display (HMD) or Head Up Display (HUD) that are worn on the
head and has a small display in front of eyes. In order to experience
the augmented reality, it is required to build a 3D model which would
overlay the augmented contextual information onto the real world. To
build, configure and test the 3D model, we require a 3D modeling soft-
ware. Specially designed 3D modeling software is available to have
the exclusive augmented reality capabilities, functions and features.

In the early stages of the augmented reality, the devices that were
made available are mostly the HMDs. Figure 7.6 shows hardware and
software applications of AR:

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Figure 7.6: AR Hardware and Software

Source: http://kb.eurovr-association.org
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As compared to smart phones, it is not convenient to carry an HMD

around anywhere and anytime; therefore, developers are now focus-
ing on creating AR experiences especially for smart phones. Smart
phones are becoming more powerful day by day and are considered
good to be used as an augmented reality device. They are equipped
with all the hardware components required for the augmented reality
like sensors, camera, processor, display, GPS, etc., and also their app
culture and the app ecosystem are very familiar to the consumers. All
this helps in the widespread adoption of the augmented reality tech-
nology into a wider market and across various sectors.

As far as software is concerned, many tools, platforms, viewers and

browsers are available for the development of augmented reality
apps. Some of the most common and popular augmented reality de-
velopment software are listed as follows:
‰‰ AR Toolkit
‰‰ SLAR toolkit
‰‰ FLAR toolkit

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‰‰ AR-media plug-in for Google SketchUp

‰‰ NyARToolkit

‰‰ HandyAR

‰‰ Unifeye Mobile
‰‰ Total immersion – D’Fusion Studio
‰‰ Wikitude

‰‰ Layar

‰‰ Junaio

‰‰ BeyondAR

‰‰ Argon

‰‰ Augment

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‰‰ JavaCV

‰‰ Mixare
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‰‰ DroidAR

‰‰ Vuforia

Figure 7.7 shows tools for developing augmented reality applications:

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Figure 7.7: Tools for Developing Augmented Reality Applications

Source: https://www.upsidelearning.com

self assessment Questions

1. HMD stands for ________.

2. In order to experience the augmented reality, we are required
to build a 3D model. (Yes/No)

Activity

Search and explain the internal working of HMD devices.

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7.3 BUSINESS MODELS IN AR

There are mostly two business models that are in practice in the world
of technology. These are:
‰‰ Business to Business (B2B)
‰‰ Business to Consumer (B2C)

In case of mobile app business, the B2C model is very popular as the
awareness of mobile and the app world is very high among the con-
sumers. But this is not the case with augmented reality. The aware-
ness of AR among the consumers is still very low. So the B2C model
seems to be unfit at this moment.

For example, consider the case of Microsoft HoloLens. Instead of going

with the B2C model, they are using the B2B model. They are hoping

S
to reach to the consumers through their branded and targeted experi-
ences. Microsoft is selling the HoloLens apps by customising it to the
businesses and by that way trying to reach to the consumers through
IM
their immersive experiences. According to Microsoft, this model is
Business to Business to Consumer (B2B2C), as shown in Figure 7.8:

The Wave of Digital Marketing

B2C B2B B2B2C

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Figure 7.8: The B2B2C Model

B2B2C integrates Business to Business (B2B) and Business to Con-

sumer (B2C) for making transactions of an entire product or service.
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Figure 7.9 shows visual share of AR/VR business models:

Digi-Capital™ AR/VR Business Models by 2020

Premium
Enterprise/ apps
B2B
Subscriptions

Mobile
Network Voice

In-app Hardware Sales,

purchases eCommerce Sales, Hardware
Adspend & Mobile Sales
Mobile Data/Voice to take >80%
Network Data Revenue

Adspend

eCommerce
Sales

Figure 7.9: Visual Share of AR/VR Business Models

Source: http://www.digi-capital.com

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There are other business models followed by different players in the

field of augmented reality. These models are based on the kind of of-
ferings they intend to provide. These business models can be listed as
follows:
‰‰ AR hardware
‰‰ AR platforms
‰‰ AR services
‰‰ AR products and games
‰‰ AR apps
‰‰ AR for enterprises
‰‰ AR content management tools

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‰‰ AR for ecommerce
‰‰ AR for advertising
IM
‰‰ AR mobile network data
‰‰ AR subscriptions

Depending on your strength, expertise, depth, market size, target

consumers, maturity, consumer awareness, etc., you can decide as to
which business model to choose. The business models such as hard-
ware, platforms, products and games, content management tools,
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ecommerce and mobile network data, etc. are supposed to be for the
big players who have the needed capacity, capability, finance and oth-
er resources required for such a large scale business.
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self assessment Questions

3. B2B2C stands for

a. Business to Business to Company
b. Business towards Business to Consumer
c. Business to Business to Consumer
d. None of these
4. The awareness of AR among the consumers is still very low.
(Yes/No)

Activity

Search and enlist some important factors that must be considered

while developing a business model.

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AR APPLICATIONS IN DIFFERENT
7.4
FIELDS
AR has made possible for businesses and consumers to view and ex-
perience things that actually is not present in reality; thereby, creating
deeper and more meaningful experiences. The augmented reality can
be applied to almost all the aspects of life. The following are some
areas where we will see the application and use of augmented reality:
‰‰ Archaeology

‰‰ Architecture

‰‰ Commerce

‰‰ Education

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‰‰ Medical

‰‰ Military

‰‰ Navigation
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‰‰ Industrial design
‰‰ Tourism

‰‰ Retail

‰‰ Video games
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7.4.1 ARCHAEOLOGY

Archaeology is the study of human activity in the past by recovering

and analysing the material culture. The archaeological record com-
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prises architecture, artifacts, biofacts, ecofacts, and cultural sites.

Figure 7.10 shows some archeologists trying to recover facts from an

archaeological site:

Figure 7.10: Archaeological Site

Source: http://www.augment.com

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The most important factor in any archaeological site is the preserva-

tion of facts or materials found at the site. The presence of human at
such sites brings damage to the site. For example, our steps may wear
the surface, floor and staircase, etc., oils from the fingers may spoil
and wear the artwork, the moisture content in our breath may bring
damage to the interiors and the caves, etc.

Figure 7.11 shows the AR device used for recreating the facts virtually
on an archaeological site:

S
IM
M

Figure 7.11: AR in Archaeology

Source: https://horizon-magazine.eu/article/not-just-pok-mon-prepare-
augmented-reality-deluge_en.html

The augmented reality plays a very important role in archaeology. We

N

can build a 3D model of the archaeological site in its exact dimension

and utilise it for viewing the site from various directions, measuring
different dimensions, noting down the various findings, revisiting the
points of interests again and again, providing augmented information
about the archaeological site and its history and other details, etc., as
shown in Figure 7.11.

With the use of augmented reality, the physical visit to the sites can
be avoided in order to prevent any losses and damage to the archaeo-
logical site due to human presence. The augmented reality 3D model
can also be used for giving the tourists the same exact feeling of being
present at the actual archaeological site along with the useful infor-
mation.

Therefore, it can be concluded that AR is useful in solving our pur-

pose of examining, visiting and getting information about the archae-
ological field and sites along with the prevention of any damage or loss
to the site due to human presence.

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7.4.2 ARCHITECTURE

The potential of augmented reality in architecture is huge. It can be

used for architectural design, construction as well as demonstration
purposes.

Figure 7.12 shows use of AR in architecture:

S
IM
M

Figure 7.12: AR in Architecture

Source: http://i.vimeocdn.com
N

On a construction site, the ‘see-through’ walls would enable builders

to view the structure and layout of the different pipes and ducting.
Before, actually placing the different types of furniture in a room after
completing the construction, the furniture can be seen through aug-
mented reality for its size, correct fitting, and appearance in a room.

While planning construction at various sites in the city, it can be ren-

dered as a canvas for seeing the past, present and future buildings
along with the augmented data. The city’s overall architecture, un-
derground water and drainage system, etc. can be better visualised by
making use of augmented reality.

By having the virtual elements to stand in place of the real physical

components, the augmented reality could result in lots of savings on
the material and fabrication costs of the real world models and proto-
types. It would also help in performing architectural repair and main-
tenance tasks in a better way.

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Figure 7.13 shows the use of AR creating an architectural design:

S
Figure 7.13: AR in Architectural Design
Source: http://www.arch2o.com
IM
An augmented reality can overlay a real construction site with a vir-
tual generated design and that is also at full scale. The platforms for
augmented reality now enable the customers to have a ‘Walking-Tour’
of a building that does not exist physically. They can view the outer
design of the building even before the beginning of its construction.
AR also helps in creating the interior design of the flat, office or entire
building.
M

Figure 7.14 shows the use of AR in creating interior design of a house:

N

Figure 7.14: AR in Interior Design

Source: http://www.holo4orm.com

With the use of augmented reality, many users can share the design
of same available physical space and view digitally generated object.
This makes AR a standard, ideal mechanism and an environment for
collaborative problem solving.

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7.4.3 COMMERCE

Augmented reality is also making its impact felt in the field of com-
merce. Many companies are now utilising the augmented reality in
their product advertising and marketing. Earlier, customers used to
select products by using the flat images provided online. But, now
customers can have a better interactivity with a particular product
using AR without actually purchasing or placing that product.

They can even try different colors and textures for the same product
and can choose the best match or the most suitable product. All this
use of AR in business had boosted the commerce a lot. According to
a recent survey, most shoppers like to view the product by using AR/
VR devices. Consider the case of a well-known watch maker TISSOT
using AR and commerce to provide users an environment where they
can select watches in a better and highly interactive way.

S
Figure 7.15 shows the integration of AR with commerce by TISSOT:
IM
M
N

Figure 7.15: Integrating AR in Commerce

Source: https://tctechcrunch2011.files.wordpress.com/2010/05/heh.jpg

Augmented reality not only empowers customers for making better

decisions but also helps the brands to build a better credibility along
the whole process.

AR would relieve the consumers from guessing and measuring wheth-

er a product would be a good fit for them may be it a furniture, a
house, a car or clothes, etc. The augmented reality apps are all set to
provide better future in the field of commerce.

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7.4.4 EDUCATION

Augmented reality these days is playing a vital role in imparting edu-

cational information to children in an entertaining way. With the help
of AR, 3D objects and models can be created that would be more clear
and interactive for learning purposes.

Figure 7.16 shows education with and without AR:

S
IM
Figure 7.16: Education with and without AR
Source: http://3.bp.blogspot.com

With AR, you can visually build basic skills in education. You can make
use of built-in cameras to have a conversation among the animated
characters when aligned with certain pages and sections of the books.
M

There are augmented reality apps that let the students go on an AR

voyage through the library to know and understand where to find the
needed thing and whom to ask for help. AR allows for more effective
and far deeper engagement with the native speakers when compared
N

to many classroom lessons.

The students can point their gadgets to the sky and can see the cur-
rently visible stars and planets along with their names and with other
additional ‘Astronomical’ information. The students may be asked to
write the educational impact of their immersive AR experience. Fig-
ure 7.17 shows kids making use of the AR technology:

Figure 7.17: Kids making use of AR Technology

Source: https://image.slidesharecdn.com

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With just a simple scan, the student would be able to obtain the aug-
mented 3D model of the corresponding object may be it some figure,
part of a body or some historical monument. The use of augmented
reality in education would definitely change and enhance the overall
teaching – learning experience.

Figure 7.18 shows the process of scanning using AR:

S
IM
Figure 7.18: Scanning using AR
Source: https://static.layar.com

Having augmented reality integrated into the lectures would result in

capturing the students’ undivided attention. We can have 3D models
of the complex and difficult concepts. By seeing the augmented reality
M

3D models, the students could have a better understanding of their

study concepts. Figure 7.19 shows AR in education:
N

Figure 7.19: AR in Education

Source: http://www.theround.it

They would definitely be excited by the new offerings and the ideas
augmented reality has to offer and they would think critically about

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their surrounding and the world around them with a different per-
spective altogether. The following are some of the highlights of the use
of augmented reality in education:
‰‰ Interactive lessons
‰‰ Higher retention
‰‰ Portable learning materials
‰‰ Enhanced learning
‰‰ Foster intellectual curiosity
‰‰ Makes learning easy & enjoyable

Figure 7.20 shows the use of AR in conveying educational information

in an interactive manner:

S
IM
M
N

Figure 7.20: Using AR in Conveying Education

Source: https://www.credencys.com

7.4.5 MEDICAL

AR can be used in the field of medical education and training as it can

help in getting details of a patient and determine whether the patient
is ready for various medical tests such as MRI.

The study of anatomy would become much simpler and easy with the
help of augmented reality. You can take an image of a bone and the
information associated with it would appear there itself on the user’s
screen and that also in real time.

Remote medical assistance had become more accurate and wide-

spread using AR. Moreover, there are AR apps that can even find the
location of veins, valves, and other organs in the human body. Finding
a vein in human body is a cumbersome task that is now comparatively
easier with the use of AR. The use of augmented reality in medical

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field proves to be a boon for the whole medical community especially

for the patients.

Figure 7.21 showing the use of AR in medical field:

S
Figure 7.21: A Sketch of AR in Medical
IM
Source: http://www.idsfabindia.com

According to a study conducted in the medical field worldwide, the

following are some challenges that exist in this field:
‰‰ No access to affordable, timely and safe surgery for around 5 bil-
lion people worldwide
M

‰‰ Annually, around 143 million (simple) operations to be done

‰‰ Requires around 2.2 million surgeons and the related staff

These issues and challenges can be solved up to some extent by mak-

N

ing use of the augmented reality in the medical field.

Figure 7.22 showing the use of AR in medical applications:

Figure 7.22: AR in Medical Applications

Source: https://image.slidesharecdn.com

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7.4.6 MILITARY

The military operations are highly significant and diversified in na-

ture. In order to deal with the new, more challenging and demanding
tasks, the military has started using AR in its various operations. It
also uses AR while conducting the training of soldiers getting ready
for any type of operations. Augmented reality is being experimented
and used heavily in military for getting information about surround-
ings.

The major countries that have started using augmented reality in

their military are USA, Israel and Norway among others. In 2006, FFI
– the ‘Norwegian Defense Research Establishment’ conducted an ex-
periment with the simulated augmented reality and the ‘Battlefield
Management Systems (BMS)’. This was their first experiment and for
this they used the simulator which was developed in-house and was

S
based on a commercial game.

Figure 7.23 showing the various AR devices used in military:

IM
M
N

Figure 7.23: Using AR in Military

Source: https://i1.wp.com/www.alienelement.com

The military of USA is using AR tools to train their airmen and other
military personnel for the ever complex battle conditions. They inject
virtual threats into a live battle environment and thereby teach their
troops to operate and use the equipment in all conditions and capac-
ities.

In order to have mission readiness, they are accelerating their train-

ing efforts by using simulations and augmented reality environments
and other innovative tools. Effective training is very important and a
must in today’s operational environment which is not only complex
but also becoming very critical.

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To have a special mention here, Israel has developed military soft-

ware that lets their commanders to see the positioning of troop from
enemy points. They are also developing tools to enable medication in
the battle field. While receiving the needed guidance from the expert
surgeons, they are preparing to treat the wounded soldiers using Ho-
loLens glasses.

The other use of AR is to enable the soldiers to fix the military equip-
ment in the battle field itself making use of augmented reality tools. In
addition to this, the AR glasses could also be used to monitor in real
time the ‘Psychological State’ of the soldiers.

The views from an overhead drone/satellite can be directly superim-

posed onto the Soldiers’ Head-Mounted Display. Thus it would greatly
help the soldiers to have the overall blueprint of the battle field and
that also in real time.

S
7.4.7 NAVIGATION
IM
A navigation system that is based on augmented reality integrates an
AR display and removes any need for a navigation map.

AR provides hands free navigation. As it eliminates the need for maps,

we get many safety and practical benefits. Apart from the navigation-
al informational, it also gives the user additional information of their
surroundings.
M

Figure 7.24 show the use of AR in navigation:

N

Figure 7.24: Use of AR in Navigation

Source: http://www.theprimacy.com

7.4.8  INDUSTRIAL DESIGN

In the age of augmented reality, it is not only the products that are
changing but also the tools that are used in designing those products.

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Nowadays, even concept design software like Computer Aided Design

(CAD) is making use of augmented reality in the ‘Product Design’.
With the change in time, the design is becoming more collaborative
and AR would prove to be very beneficial in this regard.

Designers are increasingly using the AR technology in their designs to

visualise different prototypes and hypotheses. They overlay the virtual
elements of a service design onto the real world design environment.

For example, if you are designing the interior of a car, the use of aug-
mented reality would let you sit inside the design as you are creating
it. It seems that the AR headsets would soon become a part of the
design toolkit.

Figure 7.25 shows using AR in industrial design:

S
IM
M

Figure 7.25: Using AR in Industrial Design

Source: http://www.xcubelabs.com

7.4.9 TOURISM
N

In the tourism industry, planning plays a very important role, and AR

has the potential to revolutionise the tourism industry as it facilitates
the planning process.

Figure 7.26 shows AR in tourism:

Figure 7.26: AR for Tourism

Source: https://media.licdn.com

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It would completely change the experience of a traveler by assisting

him/her in making the tour planning much more simple, interactive,
and seamless.

The process of hotel booking, navigating around the destination, ac-

cessing detailed information about the location, etc. can all become
handy and more convenient. During travelling, the navigation based
on augmented reality would help a lot in finding the places which you
want to visit.

While making decisions about the stay, AR would assist you in visual-
ising things before making any bookings. It enables you to take virtual
tours of the hotels you would like to have a stay at, check out the hotel
facilities and the other amenities offered in order to have a comfort-
able stay.

S
Figure 7.27 shows AR in city tourism: IM
M
N

Figure 7.27: AR in City Tourism

Source: http://imascono.com

The tour operators can also leverage the augmented reality for their
advantage. They can show the visual tour of the possible tourist lo-
cations, hotels and other points of interests which would definitely
assist the tourists to make more informed decisions and more suitable
choices.

If you do not have any information about a particular site or a location,

you can just point your AR enabled device or a smart phone towards
it and you would get more details about it such as its name, its his-
tory and any other additional information associated with that spot.
You can check real time weather information, locate nearby Wi-Fi
hotspots, information about nearby locations etc on your smart phone
itself. You can even have translation of the various signs, messages/
instructions in other languages etc. using AR.

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The benefits of AR in tourism can be enlisted as follows:

‰‰ Self-exploration of monuments and landmarks
‰‰ Interactive travel guides
‰‰ Enhanced city tours
‰‰ Real time navigational directions
‰‰ Visual tour of the facilities

Overall, the augmented reality makes tourism a more enriching, more

fulfilling and a more satisfying experience.

7.4.10 RETAIL

In the retail industry, providing the best possible shopping experience

S
to the customers is a key to success. So, they are constantly making
use of the latest technological innovations to make this experience the
best a customer can get.
IM
Figure 7.28 shows AR in retail:
M
N

Figure 7.28: AR in Retail

Source: http://www.iamwire.com

Augmented reality would not only improve but also transform the re-
tail industry. For example, consider the case of online retail of glass
frames. The user would like to try different frames on his face before
making any choice. Now it’s a challenge for the retailer how to give
this experience to the consumer.

The augmented reality has a solution for this. The user can simply up-
load his/her photo and the AR tool would let you try different frames
on your photo. In fact, it would place all the possible frames onto your
photo and you can select the most suitable frame for you.

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Figure 7.29 shows AR in mobile retail:

Figure 7.29: AR in Mobile Retail

S
Source: https://c.martech.zone

Let’s take another retail example. If you want to purchase a shoe, you
need not go to the store and try out different shoes in order to select
IM
which one look best for you.

There are augmented reality apps available that let you sit in the chair
at the comfort of your home.

The only thing you have to do is point your smart phone’s camera to
your foot and the AR app will show you the options of different shoes
M

that can be worn on your foot. This helps you in deciding which pair
of shoes looks good on your feet and suits you the best.

It is observed that when a retailer is providing Hi-Tech options, the

consumers spend more time in the store/site and also they spend
N

more. Thus, AR proves to be a game changer for the retail industry.

Figure 7.30 shows AR in store:

Figure 7.30: AR in Store

Source: https://blogs.sap.com

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It is found that when we use augmented reality in retail, the percent-

ages of shoppers go on increasing, as shown in Figure 7.31:

THE IMPACT OF
AUGMENTED
REALITY
ON RETAIL

40% 61% 71%

would be willing to of shoppers of shoppers would
pay more for a product prefer to shop shop at a retailer
if they could at stores that offer more often
experience it through augmented reality, if they offered
augmented reality over ones that don’t augmented reality

S
www.retailperceptions.com
IM Figure 7.31: AR in Store
Source: https://blogs.sap.com

7.4.11  VIDEO GAMES

The video game industry is quickly adopting the augmented reality

technology in their games. AR becomes very interesting when used in
M

video games.

The video game industry uses AR to create life-like games and give
us the most amazing gaming experience. They provide us a feeling of
being present right there in the game and performing the actions.
N

Figure 7.32 shows AR in video games:

Figure 7.32: AR in Video Games

Source: https://ksr-ugc.imgix.net

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For example, there is a company known by the name ‘Total Immer-

sion’. It makes video games software that applies AR to the baseball
cards. What you have to do is simply download its software and then
hold up the baseball card of yours in front of a webcam.

The software identifies the card and also the player on it. It then dis-
plays the corresponding video onto your screen. You can move the
card in your hand (it should be in the webcam’s view) and yes-the 3D
picture on your screen would perform the necessary actions such as
throwing the baseball at the target.

There is a video game known as ‘Pac-Man’. In this game, the users/

players in the real life can chase one another. The goggles worn by the
users let them feel and look like the video game characters.

Consider another game – ‘Scavenger Hunt’. This game makes use of

S
virtual objects. You can use your smart phone to put tokens around the
city and then the other participants of the game will use their smart
phones or the AR glasses to find these tokens or the invisible objects.
IM
self assessment Questions

5. AR helps archeologists in preserving the facts at the

archaeological site. (True/False)
6. Name the platform for augmented reality which now enable
the customers to view a building that does not exist physically.
M

7. Many companies are now utilising the augmented reality in

their product advertising and marketing. (True/False)
8. With the help of AR, _____ objects and models can be created
that would be more clear and interactive for learning purposes.
N

9. Which of the following is/are the benefits of AR in education?

a. Interactive lessons
b. Higher retention
c. Portable learning materials
d. All of these
10. In Military field, BMS stands for
a. Battle Managing Systems
b. Battle Management Sources
c. Battlefield Management Systems
d. None of these
11. The full form of CAD is __________.
12. The video game industry uses AR to create life-like games and
give us the most amazing gaming experience. (True/False)

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Activity

Prepare a report on how augment reality is helping tourism indus-

try by providing suitable statistics.

7.5 AR 3D VIEWERS AND BROWSERS

3D viewers and browsers are tools that are powerful enough to display
augmented reality apps. They enable their users to fly or go through
the full AR model which they have created for AR apps. They also give
their users full control over the ‘Flight Path’ the users have taken, in
order to view the intended features the users wish to see or examine.

Augmented reality 3D viewers enable us to put ‘life-size’ 3D models in

our environment. It can be done by making use of trackers or without

S
it. Trackers are just simple images that can be attached to 3D models
in the augmented reality.

Augmented reality browsers display the contextual information along

IM
with the object on the screen of a camera. For example, when we point
your smart phone to a particular object say ‘building’, it would display
the contextual information such as the history, the estimated value,
etc. of the building in real time along with the building itself. Figure
7.33 shows AR 3D viewers and browsers:
M
N

Figure 7.33: AR 3D Viewer & Browsers

Source: http://www.augment.com

Without making an extensive use of 3D models, the augmented real-

ity would not become a reality. For example, suppose we want to see
something relevant / virtual on top of an image by tracking it, then we
require a 3D model. This 3D model has the capability to display the
augmented information in the virtual 3D world that is supposed to

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exist over the real world that can be seen through the camera of our
device. You can see the things happening by using the 3D viewers and
browsers.

One of the many specialties of the augmented reality 3D viewers and

browsers is that they need to be truly real time. Everything should
and must be calculated at the present moment. They need to be in-
teractive and respond in real time to our actions. 3D enables us to
have interaction with the ‘virtual three dimensional objects’ over the
‘real three dimensional world’. With this capability, when an image is
brought in front of a ‘camera’, we can see a ‘3D model’ over that image
in real time on the screen.

Figure 7.34 shows AR 3D viewer:

S
IM
M

Figure 7.34: AR 3D Viewer

N

Source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com

Because of the compelling applications across various sectors, the

augmented reality 3D viewers and browsers are becoming very attrac-
tive and popular. They make use of the geolocation points and provide
the user a better perception and more informed view of the objects
and the surroundings. For example, it can display the hotel names
along with the rates, customers’ feedbacks.

An augmented reality browser can also show us the location of nearest

restaurants/hotels along with the menus, special offers and wait times
if any in real time. At that instance of time, if any special discounts or
promotional offers and coupons are being provided by the respective
restaurants, would also be displayed on the users’ screen.

Augmented reality would probably be used more on smartphones and

mobile gadgets as it is very easy and convenient to carry them any-
where and anytime. So, keeping an eye on this trend, most of the aug-
mented reality 3D viewers and browsers are now being developed for

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these smartphones and mobile gadgets. Some well-known and very

popular AR browsers are ‘Wikitude’, ‘Layar’ and ‘Junaio’.

Figure 7.35 shows AR 3D viewer and browser:

S
Figure 7.35: AR 3D Viewer and Browser
IM Source: http://www.augment.com

self assessment Questions

13. We require _______ viewers to see the AR effect.

14. Wikitude is one of the popular AR browsers. (True/False)
M

Activity

Search and enlist the benefits of 3D viewers and browsers. Also,

discuss them in your class.
N

7.6 AUGMENTED REALITY SDKs

Augmented reality Software Development Kits (SDKs) provide a soft-
ware development platform for developing AR applications. There are
two kinds / categories of applications that can be built for the aug-
mented reality environment. These apps can be:
‰‰ Marker/Image based
‰‰ GPS based

Accordingly, there are different augmented reality SDKs available for

making the particular apps. Some of the well-known examples of the
SDKs in the marker/image based category are as follows:
‰‰ AR toolkit
‰‰ SLAR toolkit
‰‰ FLAR toolkit
‰‰ AR-media plug-in for Google SketchUp

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‰‰ NyAR toolkit
‰‰ HandyAR
‰‰ Unifeye mobile
‰‰ Total immersion - D’Fusion Studio

Some of the examples of the SDKs in the GPS based category are as
follows:
‰‰ Wikitude
‰‰ Layar
‰‰ Junaio
‰‰ BeyondAR

These categories of SDKs are not that rigid. In most cases, the dif-
ference is blurring and the SDKs have the capability to support the

S
development of both kinds of AR apps. Figure 7.36 shows architecture
of Wikitude SDK:
IM
Your Your Your Your
App App App App

Unity3D
M

Cordova Titanium Xamarin

Your Your
Unity
App Plugin App Cordova Titanium Xamarin
Plugin Module Component
Native API JavaScript API
3D Custom CV
Augmen­
Rendering LBS plugin
tations
N

Custom
Plugins API Camera
plugin
2D On-De­
OpenGL E52 3D Reco & 2D Cloud Plugin
C++ Layer Rendering Tracking vice reco & Reco Manager
Tracking

ARMv7 ARMv8 OpenCL

Optimiza­ GPU Optimi­
Camera IMU NEON Opti­ zations
mizations tions MetalAPI
Hardware Abstraction Hardware Optimization

Figure 7.36: Architecture of Wikitude SDK

Source: http://www.wikitude.com

In the marker/image-based applications, an image or a marker in the

real world is overlaid with the relevant information or content. This is
done by identifying an image or a marker in the real world and then
calculating some parameters like its orientation, position etc. to aug-
ment the reality.

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In the GPS based applications, we make use of the GPS tool available
in the smart phone. GPS is a Global Positioning System. The applica-
tion uses the location of your phone to find out the ‘landmark’ or some
other ‘Point of Interest’.

Once it is known, the user can obtain additional information about the
point or location or get the required directions to reach to that point.
The user can learn many and real time things about various places
and points of interests by simply using their smart phones.

self assessment Questions

15. There are two kinds of AR apps. (Yes/No)

16. SDK stands for Software _______Kit.

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Activity

Discuss the best augmented reality SDK for AR development for

IM
iOS and Android in 2017.

7.7 AUGMENT DESKTOP

An augmented desktop revolutionises the process of editing, upload-
ing as well as previewing the augmented reality ‘Three-Dimensional
Models’. It provides the tools and the needed effects to bring life to the
M

augmented reality models. It simplifies the configuration and preview

of the models being built for the augmented reality applications.

The Augment desktop provides the needed preview accuracy. It may

N

happen that when you build a 3D model and upload it to the cloud,
it may not look the same as it was looking in the 3D modeling soft-
ware. Tweaking the model and re uploading it several times would be
a painful and tiring task. The augment desk has many features like:
‰‰ Preview accuracy
‰‰ Material configurations
‰‰ Animation triggers

The augment desktop provides easy and very efficient capabilities to

preview, adjust and configure the models before uploading. It would
make the task simpler and free us for our core work.

It gives us various options to configure and try multiple materials as

well as textures for the same model / object. Your intended consumer
may have a look at the product by trying different fabrics and colors
and get a feel of the final product.

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With the help of click events, you can trigger the animations on the 3D
models. The Augment desktop provides a node based visual system
for editing the animations such that they would play as the viewer or
the consumer interacts with them when trying them using the Aug-
ment app.

Thus, it can be seen that the Augment desktop is very flexible and
proves to be a very useful desktop for editing, uploading, configuring
and previewing your 3D models that are built for the augmented real-
ity applications. Figure 7.37 shows an augment desktop:

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Figure 7.37: Augment Desktop

Source: http://www.augment.com

Figure 7.38 shows a chair preview in an augment desktop:

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Figure 7.38: A Chair Preview in an Augment Desktop

Source: http://www.augment.com

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self assessment Questions

17. Augment desktop brings life to the augmented reality models.

(Yes/No)
18. Which of the following is/are the features of an augment desk?
a. Preview accuracy
b. Material configurations
c. Animation triggers
d. All of these

Activity

S
Search about the augment’s new desktop software and prepare a
report.
IM
7.8 PRIVACY CONCERNS
Augmented reality definitely enhances our interaction and also the
perception of the physical world. But at the same time, it poses certain
risks which can not and must not be ignored. Privacy is a major con-
cern in the world of augmented reality.
M

For making use of this technology, we expose many of our personal

and social points which may become a threat for us by stealing or com-
promising our privacy and thereby making us vulnerable to external
threats/hacks. In some cases, these may become very serious and may
N

damage our personal as well as social life.

As we use augmented reality devices and services, it collects our per-

sonal data like our interactions, activities, personal space and geolo-
cation data, etc. It continuously collects and monitors this information
and may use for advertising or may be sold to third parties or for some
other purposes. All this captured data is treated as a ‘business asset’
and would be used and manipulated for the profitability and the asso-
ciated concerns of the business.

Our actions and activities in the virtual and augmented world may be
translated and modified for use in the effects and actions of the real
physical world and it may prove to be very dangerous and harmful
for not just we but also to all our contacts, relations and may be to the
society as a whole.

The key considerations for such systems should be the transparency

and clarity of the various policies with regard to the use and manipu-
lation of the collected user data. There should be a shared control on
the data.

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Figure 7.39 shows AR and privacy issues:

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Figure 7.39: AR & Privacy Issues
Source: http://www.augment.com
IM
If we are fully aware of the policies, situations, context and the prob-
able consequences, then we may be able to post and share our text,
photos, audios and videos as well as geolocation data on a public plat-
form without any confusion or ambiguity about its usage by the owner
of the device, service or the platform as a whole and also how it would
be stored, distributed, processed and handled in the future.
M

If the augmented reality devices and the services which we are using
get compromised or hacked by a third party or get affected by a mal-
ware, we may be completely denied the access to the services and the
devices or get trapped into the hands of wrong people. So, if rely com-
N

pletely on these devices, then it will create a havoc and will affect us
dearly. Figure 7.40 shows the statistics related to AR privacy concerns:

Figure 7.40: Statistics related to AR Privacy Concerns

Source: http://www.augment.com

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Though, certain data protection and privacy clauses are available,

they may not be sufficient or strong enough to protect our privacy
as most of the augmented reality applications and devices ask for the
permissions to have access to our personal data, contacts, storage,
camera and network connections, etc. before we can make use of their
services and the devices.

So, we must be aware and very concerned about our privacy and
should be very cautious while making use of these technologies as it
may bring harm to our personal life as well as our relations and social
life.

self assessment Questions

19. Data collected from augmented reality devices and services is

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considered as ______.
20. The augmented reality devices and the services cannot be
hacked or get affected by a malware. (True/False)
IM
Activity

Prepare a report on augmented reality and its impact on the Inter-

net, security, and privacy.
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7.9 AR FOR ENTERPRISE

AR will have a greater impact on the enterprises. It is already being
N

seen in the form of Google Glasses, Microsoft HoloLences, Snapchat

Spectacles, and Pokemon Go, etc. In the enterprises, augmented real-
ity will have a strong future.

By using AR based applications, the enterprises can derive significant

‘Productivity Benefits’. As per one of the surveys in 2016-17, about
67% of the enterprises are planning to adopt AR in their enterprises.
Due to its business oriented kind of applications, AR has a very strong
potential to succeed and grow in the enterprise.

There are many AR apps that are mainly focused on the enterprises
and are already making a difference in the enterprises functionality.
There are various sectors and domains across a chain of enterprises
such as design, manufacturing, marketing, e-commerce, retail, educa-
tion, tourism, and medical, etc. where AR is promising multifold ad-
vantages.

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Figure 7.41 shows the AR device used by an enterprise worker for

maintenance work:

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Figure 7.41: Using AR in Enterprise
Source: https://2jk8gt1ovpwlbudjg2t51c0n-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/up-
loads/2016/09/Vuzix_M100_02_mechanic-1200x794.jpg

In a retailing enterprise, the warehouse and returns cost can be re-

duced drastically by using the shopping focused, more practical AR
apps. This would definitely result in millions and billions of saving for
such enterprises. The consumers can try products in their home in
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real dimensions, color and style and can place an order accordingly
without worrying whether the product will fit / suit in their homes.

This is one of the biggest advantages AR has to offer to the enter-

N

prise. It would definitely reduce products’ returns resulting in huge

cost savings for the enterprises and greater customer satisfaction. One
of the successful uses of AR in advertising is made by the enterprise
‘Snap Inc.’ This enterprise has an ‘AR AD Patents’.

This is with respect to the ‘Image Recognition’ and the ‘Contextual Ad

placement’ mechanism. To generate a more consistent revenue from
marketing, it had designed and developed an AR based ‘Automated
Ad Platform’. The ads that are shown on top of the real world are aug-
mented reality based ads.

In a design and construction industry, we can have an entire apart-

ment designed in augmented reality. To have a disrupting success of
AR in enterprises, educating the masses at a vast level is required.
It will involve letting the people know about the technology, how it
works, what can be done with it and why one should go for it. Once it
starts happening, the augmented reality will get a momentum in the
enterprise at a very large scale.

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In education, training and retail enterprises, a ‘3D Computer Model’

can be superimposed onto a ‘Real World Object’ and that also in real
time by using augmented reality.

In the enterprises, AR can be used to create user friendly product

manuals and visualisations, interactive catalogues, and step by step
instructions and guidelines for staff as well as consumer training etc.

self assessment Questions

21. Due to its ____________kind of applications, AR has a very

strong potential to succeed and grow in the enterprise.
22. Catalogues can be made interactive with the use of AR. (True/
False)

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Activity

Search and discuss about the key elements of an enterprise AR sys-

IM
tem.

7.10 SUMMARY
‰‰ For augmented reality to be functional, it requires a more innova-
M

tive combination of hardware and software technologies.

‰‰ The hardware required for augmented reality should allow us to
track the measure as well as map the surrounding environments.
‰‰ The software should capture the incoming data, make sense of it
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by doing the required processing and superimpose it onto the real

world.
‰‰ B2B2C integrates Business to Business (B2B) and Business to
Consumer (B2C) for making transaction of an entire product or
service.
‰‰ Archaeology is the study of human activity in the past by recover-
ing and analysing the material culture.
‰‰ With the use of augmented reality, the physical visit to the sites
can be avoided in order to prevent any losses and damage to the
archaeological site due to human presence.
‰‰ The platforms for augmented reality now make the customers en-
able to have a ‘Walking-Tour’ of a building that does not exist phys-
ically.
‰‰ Augmented reality not only empowers the customers for making
better decisions but also helps the brands to build a better credi-
bility along the whole process.
‰‰ Remote medical assistance had become more accurate and wide-
spread using AR.

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‰‰ In order to deal with the new, more challenging and demanding

tasks, the military has started using AR in its various operations.
‰‰ A navigation system that is based on augmented reality integrates
an AR display and removes any need for a navigation map.
‰‰ Augmented reality would not only improve but also transform the
retail industry.
‰‰ The video game industry is quickly adopting the augmented reali-
ty technology in their games.
‰‰ 3D viewers and browsers are tools that are powerful enough to
display augmented reality apps.

key words

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‰‰ Archaeology: It is the study of human activity in the past that is
done by recovering and analysing the material culture.
‰‰ CAD: It refers to computer aided design software which makes
IM
use of augmented reality in the product design.
‰‰ Head up Display (HUD): It refers to a device worn on the head
that has a small display in front of eyes.
‰‰ 3D modeling software: It refers to software that builds, config-
ures and tests the 3D model.
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‰‰ 3D objects: It refers to objects that more clear and interactive

for learning purposes.

7.11 DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS

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1. Describe the minimum HW and SW technology requirements

for AR.
2. Describe the various business models in AR.
3. Explain the applications of AR in the field of archaeology,
architecture, commerce, education and healthcare.
4. Discuss the concept of AR 3D viewers.
5. Describe browsers for AR with suitable examples.
6. Describe any two augmented reality SDKs.
7. Describe the concept of an augment desktop.
8. Discuss any two privacy concerns.
9. Discuss the use of AR for an enterprise.
10. Enlist the uses of AR in navigation, industrial design, tourism,
retail and video games.

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7.12 ANSWERS and HINTS

ANSWERS FOR SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

Topic Q. No. Answers

HW and SW Technology 1. Head Mounted Display
Requirements for AR
2. Yes
Business Models in AR 3. c. Business to business
to consumer
4. Yes
AR Applications in Different Fields 5. True
6. Walking-Tour

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7. True
8. 3D
9. d. All of these
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10. c. Battlefield Manage-
ment Systems
11. Computer Aided design
12. True
AR 3D Viewers and Browsers 13. 3D
14. True
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Augmented Reality SDKs 15. Yes

16. Development
Augment Desktop 17. Yes
18. d.  All of these
N

Privacy Concerns 19. business asset

20. True
AR for Enterprise 21. business oriented
22. True

HINTS FOR DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS

1. For augmented reality to be functional, it requires a more
innovative combination of hardware and software technologies.
Refer to Section 7.2 HW and SW Technology Requirements for
AR.
2. There are mostly two business models that are in practice in
the world of technology which are Business to Business (B2B)
and Business to Consumer (B2C). Refer to Section 7.3 Business
Models in AR.
3. Archaeology is the study of human activity in the past by
recovering and analysing the material culture. Refer to Section
7.4 AR Applications in Different Fields.

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4. Augmented reality 3D viewers enable us to put ‘life-size’ 3D

models in our environment. Refer to Section 7.5 AR 3D Viewers
and Browsers.
5. Augmented reality browsers enrich your camera with the display
of contextual information along with the object. Refer to Section
7.5 AR 3D Viewers and Browsers.
6. The Augmented reality SDK’s are ARToolkit and SLARtoolkit.
Refer to Section 7.6 Augmented Reality SDKs.
7. The Augment Desktop revolutionalises the way we edit, upload
and preview the ‘3D Models’ meant for the ‘Augmented Reality’.
It simplifies the configuration and preview of the models being
built for the Augmented Reality applications. Refer to Section
7.7 Augment Desktop.

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8. Augmented reality definitely enhances our interaction and also
the perception of the physical world. But at the same time, it
poses certain risks which cannot and must not be ignored.
Privacy is a major concern in the world of augmented reality.
IM
Refer to Section 7.8 Privacy Concerns.
9. AR will have a greater impact on the enterprises. By using
AR-based applications, enterprises can derive significant
‘Productivity Benefits’. Refer to Section 7.9 AR for Enterprise.
10. A navigation system that is based on augmented reality integrates
M

an AR display and removes any need for a navigation map. Refer

to Section 7.4 AR Applications in Different Fields.

7.13 SUGGESTED READINGS & REFERENCES

N

SUGGESTED READINGS
‰‰ Kipper, G., & Rampolla, J. (2013). Augmented Reality: An Emerging
Technologies Guide to Ar. Waltham (MA): Syngress.
‰‰ Schmalstieg, D., & Höllerer, T. (2016). Augmented Reality: Princi-
ples and Practice. Boston: Addison-Wesley.

E-REFERENCES
‰‰ How Augmented Reality Works. (n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2017,
from http://www.augment.com/how-augmented-reality-works/
‰‰ Augmented reality. (2017, May 18). Retrieved May 22, 2017, from
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Augmented_reality
‰‰ What is augmented reality (AR)? - Definition from WhatIs.com.
(n.d.). Retrieved May 22, 2017, from http://whatis.techtarget.com/
definition/augmented-reality-AR

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 C h a
8 p t e r

VIRTUAL REALITY

CONTENTS

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8.1 Introduction
8.2 Evolution of Virtual Reality
Self Assessment Questions
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Activity
8.3 Applications of Virtual Reality
8.3.1 Education and Training
8.3.2 Fine Arts
8.3.3 Engineering
8.3.4 Therapy
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8.3.5 Theme Parks

8.3.6 Retail
8.3.7 Marketing
8.3.8 Fitness
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8.3.9 Media
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
8.4 Achieving Virtual Reality
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
8.5 Features of Virtual Reality Systems
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
8.6 Virtual Reality Devices
8.6.1 Google Cardboard
8.6.2 Samsung Gear
8.6.3 Oculus Rift
8.6.4 HTC Vive
8.6.5 Sony PlayStation
8.6.6 Google Daydream View
8.6.7 Microsoft HoloLens

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CONTENTS

8.6.8 Fove 0
8.6.9 Razer OSVR HDK 2
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
8.7 Companies Working in the Virtual Reality Sector
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
8.8 Challenges Faced with Virtual Reality
Self Assessment Questions
Activity
8.9 Summary
8.10 Descriptive Questions

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8.11 Answers and Hints
8.12 Suggested Readings & References
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Introductory Caselet
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UNIMERSIV – VIRTUAL REALITY EDUCATIONAL PLATFORM

Students are always attracted to learn something in an exciting

manner, like watching or experiencing something, which is op-
posed to reading or being lectured. Virtual reality provides a new
technology to make learning of anything more interesting and
giving fun to students, as it has the ability to create interesting
experience that is not possible in real life. This kind of learning
highly motivates students to learn more effectively.

According the Cone of Learning created by Edgard Dale, an

American educationist, “the human brain tends to remember 10%
of what it reads, 20% of what it hear but 90% of what it does or
simulate”. Virtual reality just does the same. It creates a virtual

S
model of the study and let the learner immerse in the study. The
user can actually see, hear and feel concepts and models. The
learner can visualise the things in front of his eyes and can also
virtually touch it, feel it, experiment with it. Thus, by actually do-
IM
ing and observing things, he can remember more and also for a
longer duration.

Now, schools are also moving to adopt the virtual reality

technology in their education system to improve the digital con-
fidence of students, which books and classrooms alone cannot
achieve. Virtual reality provides game-based educational expe-
M

rience, which helps students to learn new ways of solving prob-

lems and learning new skills in various subject matters. Generally,
when teenagers begin to learn technical matters in fields such as
engineering or mechanics, they would not be able to get valuable
N

hands-on experience in the subject matter until they actually do

jobs. However, virtual reality enables teachers to give virtual real-
ity tools to their students in an extraordinary environment with-
out worrying about their safety. In short, we can say virtual reality
provides a new avenue that is full of opportunities for the educa-
tion sector.

Unimersiv is a VR learning platform that helps students of all ages

to learn faster. It offers several courses on different types of sub-
jects, including business, languages, history, etc. Some examples
of Unimersiv offering courses are as follows:
‰‰ The American Revolution
‰‰ How to Deal with Stress
‰‰ Introduction to Italian
‰‰ Social Media Marketing

Recently they have launched a virtual reality app to publish new

educational content every month. The mission statement of Un-

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imersiv is “to help students of all ages learn faster through virtual
reality.” Unimersiv’s virtual reality app includes two options of
content:
‰‰ Virtual Reality Courses
‰‰ Virtual Reality Educational Experiences

The ‘VR courses’ part improves the experience of learning by rep-

licating the classroom like environment whereas ‘VR Educational
Experiences’ part consists of 3D models that are fully immersive.

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learning objectives

After studying this chapter, you will be able to:

>> Explain the concept of virtual reality
>> Discuss the evolution of virtual reality
>> List various applications of virtual reality
>> Discuss how to achieve virtual reality
>> State various features of virtual reality systems
>> Describe various virtual reality devices
>> Discuss the companies working in the virtual reality sector
>> Explain challenges faced with virtual reality

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8.1 INTRODUCTION
In the previous chapter, you have studied the concept of augmented
IM
reality (AR), hardware and software technology requirements for AR,
different business models available in AR, and the use of AR applica-
tions in different fields.

The term ‘Virtual Reality’ is used to describe a 3D computer generat-

ed virtual environment that appears to be real to its users. A user can
explore and interact with that environment. The virtual environment
M

changes as per the users’ movement in their surroundings. Users are

supposed to be a part of this virtual world and can manipulate/change
the objects in the virtual world as well take a series of actions so as to
have an immersive experience.
N

In this chapter, you will study the concept and evolution of virtual re-
ality. Next, the chapter explains different applications of virtual reali-
ty, how to achieve virtual reality and the features of virtual reality sys-
tems. Then, you will study about the features of various virtual reality
devices, such as Google cardboard, Samsung Gear VR, and Oculus
Rift. Towards the end, you will study how companies are working in
the virtual reality sector, and different challenges faced when using
virtual reality.

8.2 EVOLUTION OF VIRTUAL REALITY

Basically, by the term ‘virtual reality’, we mean ‘near reality’. Jaron
Lanier coined the term Virtual Reality in 1987. The major applications
of virtual reality systems are in the entertainment and video games
industries but there are also other potential applications of virtual re-
ality such as:
‰‰ Education and training
‰‰ Engineering

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‰‰ Medicine

‰‰ Architecture

‰‰ Sport

‰‰ Fine arts
‰‰ Entertainment

‰‰ Retail

‰‰ Media

‰‰ Marketing

The concept of virtual reality has been traced back to 1940s and ear-
lier. A view master can be considered as an early days’ virtual reality.
Most probably we all might have seen it in our childhood. A cinema-

S
tographer, ‘Morton Heilig’, in the mid-1950s thought of a theatre like
experience that would stimulate all the senses of the audience and let
them enter more effectively into the stories. It was called ‘Sensorama’.
IM
In 1960, Heilig designed a single user console that included a stereo-
scopic display, stereo speakers, odour emitters, fans and a moving
chair. He also designed a head- mounted television display, which
meant to allow its users to watch television in 3D.

In 1961, the engineers of ‘Philco Corporation’ developed the first

head-mounted display and called it ‘Headsight’. It had a video screen
M

and a tracking system which was connected to a closed circuit camera

system. It was meant for dangerous situations for remotely observing
the real environment.

Bell Laboratories also had a similar Head Mounted Display (HMD)

N

that was supposed to be used by helicopter pilots. They connected

these headsets to infrared cameras. The cameras were attached to
the helicopter’s bottom. It helped the pilots to have a clear view even
when flying in the dark. In 1965, Ivan Sutherland, a computer scien-
tist envisioned a display known as the “Ultimate Display.” Using it, a
person could see into a virtual world that would seem to be real as the
physical world. In 1966, he developed an HMD that could be connect-
ed to a computer system. The graphics required for the display was
provided by the computer system. As the HMD was too heavy, Suther-
land used a suspension system to hold it.

self assessment Questions

1. HMD stands for

a. Heavy Mounted Display b.  High Mounted Display
c. Head Mounted Display d.  None of these
2. In 1966, Ivan Sutherland developed the first HMD that could
be connected to a computer system. (True/False)

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Activity

Using the Internet, create a presentation on the evolution of virtual

reality.

8.3 APPLICATIONS OF VIRTUAL REALITY

People are always unsure of the applications of virtual reality. They
generally link virtual reality only with one of its applications i.e. gam-
ing. However, virtual reality is applicable in many areas ranging from
academic research to engineering, design, business, arts and enter-
tainment. Actually, virtual reality produces data that is further used to
develop new models, training methods, communication and interac-
tion. Let us discuss in detail some areas of application of virtual reality

S
in the next sections.

8.3.1 EDUCATION AND TRAINING

IM
In the education sector, virtual reality creates a 3D environment
wherein students can easily interact with their teachers or trainers.
Virtual reality can present complex concepts in an easy and accessible
way, which students can find interesting and enjoyable too. Figure 8.1
shows the application of virtual reality in a classroom:
M
N

Figure 8.1: Virtual Reality in Education

Source: https://image.slidesharecdn.com

8.3.2  FINE ARTS

David Em was the first artist, who created a virtual world in the 1970s.
He used mainframes at Information International, Inc., Jet Propulsion
Laboratory, and California Institute of Technology for this purpose.
Now, the new generation of artists are more interested in producing
virtual reality artworks for displaying them in their art galleries, or

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making them freely accessible online. Virtual reality enhances the art-
ist’s toolbox. The imagination, vision and skill of the artist definitely
expand in many ways by making the use of virtual reality.

Virtual reality has taken fine arts to a newer level of interest, learning,
communication and expression. With the help of virtual reality, artists
can create interactive art that allows a spectator to become part of the
artwork. On the other hand, spectators can now experience art in a
more realistic and immersive way. Apart from this, opportunities and
avenues offered by virtual reality to the field of fine arts are boundless.
An artist could combine traditional art with the virtual world in order
to give a different and memorable experience to the viewers.

8.3.3 ENGINEERING

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In engineering, virtual reality can be used for more effective and pro-
ductive design, manufacturing and other engineering processes. Var-
ious 3D modelling virtual reality tools and preview and visualisation
techniques can be used across various phases and processes of engi-
IM
neering. Figure 8.2 shows virtual reality in creating the 3D model in
engineering:
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N

Figure 8.2: Virtual Reality in Engineering

Source: https://image.slidesharecdn.com

Virtual reality can be used to view engineering designs in 3D and

explore them thoroughly so that errors, if any, can be detected at an
early stage. It would help in identifying and mitigating probable risks
before building the final product, which results in cost savings.

Virtual reality can help in creating detailed and in-depth product

models that allow engineers to perform a complete analysis and test-
ing of the product in a virtual environment before actually producing
the product.

In engineering, virtual reality can be used in almost all the phases

starting from product conceptualisation, design planning and imple-

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mentation. It helps in the early detection of structural weaknesses, de-

sign flaws, product faults and other engineering issues before sending
it for final production.

8.3.4 THERAPY

Virtual reality in physical or occupational therapy proves to be a boon

for medical practitioners. Before actually prescribing any therapy
to patients, practitioners can test the results of therapy by using the
virtual reality technology. Apart from this, virtual reality can also be
used for providing training to patients about the therapy. The sug-
gested exercises can be shown to patients in virtual environment so
that they can have a better understanding of the steps/activities to be
performed during the exercises.

S
Virtual reality helps practitioners to understand the patients’ re-
sponse and emotions clearly to certain therapies and treatments. This
helps practitioners to decide the best suitable therapy for a particular
patient without using any invasive methods. Thus, the therapy can
IM
be customised as per the individual patient’s response to the virtual
therapy.

Figure 8.3 shows the application of virtual reality in providing training

to patients on therapy:
M
N

Figure 8.3: Virtual Reality in Physiotherapy

Source: http://img.medicalexpo.com

Patients can better remember and understand the sequence of steps

during exercises by visualising it through virtual reality. In addition,
virtual reality can be effectively used for the treatment of psychologi-
cal conditions.

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Figure 8.4 shows the use of virtual reality in virtual therapy:

S
Figure 8.4: Virtual Reality in Therapy
IM
Source: http://img.medicalexpo.com

8.3.5 THEME PARKS

Virtual reality in theme parks has taken the entertainment and fun
experience of visitors to a newer level. It can create scenes, spaces
M

and models that seem to be nearly impossible or are difficult to build

in real life. It can create supernatural characters in the virtual world
that cannot be easily created in the real world.

Figure 8.5 shows the application of virtual reality in a theme park:

N

Figure 8.5: Virtual Reality in a Theme Park

Source: http://static.dnaindia.com

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Virtual reality creates a big attraction for the visitors. Theme parks
can change the digital experience of the visitors every now and then.
The theme park developers are not required to change the physical
infrastructure. They have to only change the 3D virtual environment
for the whole experience to change. It lets visitors have a feel of being
in a different world altogether.

Universal Orlando is a popular theme park resort in Orlando, Florida,

US which is based on the concept of virtual reality. There is a new
attraction for its visitors called the ‘Halloween Horror Nights’. Apart
from its usual ‘Haunted Houses’, it provides ‘Supernatural’, a virtu-
al environment, to its visitors which lets the visitors have a different
experience.

Walt Disney is also exploring various possibilities of virtual reality

in its theme parks. Virtual reality is proving to be a cheap alterna-

S
tive to add new features and attractions to theme parks or extend the
functionalities of the existing attractions without building any struc-
ture, erecting high towers, building theme sets or using seats that are
IM
hydraulic powered. Another benefit of virtual reality is that by simply
changing the content/software, the whole experience of visitors can
be enhanced or changed completely. Figure 8.6 shows virtual reality
sea world:
M
N

Figure 8.6: A Virtual Sea World

Source: https://www.digitalbodies.net

8.3.6 RETAIL

Retail design, plans and strategies can be tested virtually and then
applied in physical stores. Moreover, virtual reality helps in creating
product stories in a 3D environment in order to communicate the
features, functions and benefits of the product to customers, which

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aim to provide a different shopping experience to the customers.

Figure 8.7 shows the impact of virtual reality on shopping behaviour:

Impact That Consumeers Say Virtual Reality Will Have

On Their Shopping Behavior (US, 2015)
I don’t believe that virutal reality would impact my
shopping experience 37%

I would be open to purchasing more online if

given a more realistic feel of a product remotely 35%

I would be less likely to visit a physical retail store 22%

I would be unlikely to try it 19%

S
Figure 8.7: Impact of Virtual Reality on Shopping Behaviour
Source: http://static5.businessinsider.com
IM
The introduction of virtual reality in retail has transformed the way
of advertising, communication and product demonstration of retail
chains. Figure 8.8 shows the impact of virtual reality on retail:

impact of virtual reality on retail

M

33% 24% 17% 23% 45%

N

Of consumers Of consumers Are less likely to Returns reduced Don’t believe

are more likely to prefer to shop visit a physical with the help of VR can impact
shop in VR online store virtual reality purchases

Figure 8.8: Impact of Virtual Reality on Retail

Source: https://static.thinkmobiles.com

As smartphone configurations are continuing to enhance, virtual

reality experience on the phone is becoming more realistic and
immersive. High-tech smartphones are becoming more common and
can be accessed anywhere and anytime. So, most retailers prefer to
develop mobile-based VR apps.

By using the virtual reality technology, retailers can allow their cus-
tomers to try out various combinations of the product’s colour, texture

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and fabrics to see which one suits them the best. In this way, retailers
can build strong and long-lasting relationships with their customers.
It would not only help retailers to attract new customers but also re-
tain the existing ones.

8.3.7 MARKETING

Virtual reality has a potential to change the way marketing is done.

It is not an exaggeration to say that the future of marketing is virtual
reality. Virtual reality can help companies to gain an edge over their
competitors by providing:
‰‰ enhanced content
‰‰ better product demonstration
‰‰ immersive storytelling

S
Virtual reality in marketing could convey the message more effective-
ly. It has the potential to emotionally connect with customers, which
results in value addition in the brand. Figure 8.9 shows the statistics
IM
of virtual reality and marketing:
M

81%  
of people who try VR would tell their friends about it

73%  
of Gen Z says they’re interested in VR
N

66%  
of consumers want VR shopping

53%  
of adults would buy from a brand that uses VR over a brand that doesn’t

30%
of b2B companies on Forbes 2000 will use VR marketing in 2017

Figure 8.9: Statistics of Virtual Reality and Marketing

Source: https://www.webpagefx.com

British Columbia, Marriot, Thomas Cook, Mercedes, GE, Xfinity &

Nascar, Expedia, Oreo and Lipton are some brands that are using the
virtual reality technology in their marketing strategies.

8.3.8 FITNESS

Virtual reality can also be used in measuring and analysing the perfor-
mance of various fitness-related activities and designing fitness equip-

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ment, accessories and clothes. Apart from this, virtual reality can be
used to provide fitness training wherein a trainee can perform in a
virtual world. It helps in improving the confidence level of the trainee
and removing any kind of fear related to fitness exercises and activi-
ties. Figure 8.10 shows the application of virtual reality device during
exercise:

S
IM
Figure 8.10: Application of Virtual Reality during Exercise
Source: https://static4.wareable.com

Certain steps in fitness and performance can be fine-tuned using the

virtual reality technology. The 3D virtual environment could also be
M

used to suggest some changes in the training/schedule/techniques in

order to achieve the desired results.

8.3.9 MEDIA
N

Virtual reality finds its application in the media in various ways and
forms. This may include social media platforms, music and films,
books, visual communication, TV and radio. Some movies in which
virtual reality technology is applied are:
‰‰ The Matrix
‰‰ The Lawnmower Man
‰‰ Tron (1982)
‰‰ eXistenZ

Some TV shows in which virtual reality technology is used are:

‰‰ Red Dwarf
‰‰ Doctor Who
‰‰ Star Trek

Apart from this, there are some very good examples of books and
music where a virtual environment is used.

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self assessment Questions

3. Virtual reality in education helps in quick learning. (True/

False)
4. ________ was the first artist, who created virtual worlds in the
1970s.
5. Virtual reality could be used across all phases of engineering.
(True/False)
6. _________ is a form of art that allows a spectator to become
part of the artwork.
7. Virtual reality could be used to eliminate any kind of fear
related with any exercise. (True/False)
8. Virtual reality has taken ___________ to a newer level of

S
interest, learning, communication and expression.
9. In marketing, we cannot have a better storytelling with virtual
reality. (True/False)
IM
10. _________ are adopting virtual reality to give an immersive
experience of a totally new virtual world to their visitors.
(True/False)
11. Media is also one of the biggest beneficiaries of virtual reality.
(True/False)
M

Activity

Using various sources, find information on how virtual reality can

N

be used for treating psychological conditions.

8.4 ACHIEVING VIRTUAL REALITY

Virtual reality can be achieved by having the right combination of
hardware, software and relevant content. It synchronises visualisation
with sensors to achieve something that we call as a ‘sense of presence’.
Here, the user feels as if he/she is actually present in that virtual en-
vironment. The following are some prerequisites for achieving a true
virtual reality experience:
‰‰ High visual quality
‰‰ High sound quality
‰‰ Highly intuitive interactions
‰‰ High pixel quantity and quality
‰‰ Spherical view
‰‰ Stereoscopic display

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‰‰ Minimum latency
‰‰ Natural user interfaces
‰‰ Precise motion tracking
‰‰ High quality audio

In order to have an immersive experience into the virtual world, pow-

erful hardware is required which can process a large amount of data
in real time. There are various devices developed for virtual reality,
such as head mounted displays (HMD), headsets, special gloves, and
omni-directional treadmills, etc. They stimulate the senses of users in
order to give an ‘illusion of reality’.

The virtual reality technology takes the human physiology into con-
sideration in order to provide the real-world immersive experience

S
using virtual reality devices. These devices create a 3D environment
that appears to be realistic and without any boundaries that are usual-
ly associated with computer screens or TVs. So, whenever a direction
of viewing is changed, the screen which is mounted on the face of a
IM
user follows the movement of the direction of head.

Generally, video is sent via a High Definition Multimedia Interface

(HDMI) cable from the computer or console to the virtual reality head-
set. In case of mobile-based headsets, it is already on the smartphone
that can be slotted into the headset. A VR headset generally uses ei-
ther two feeds sent to one display or two LCD displays, one per eye.
M

Lenses in the headset are placed between the eyes of a user and the
pixels. These lenses focus on the picture and reshape it for each of the
eyes and also create a stereoscopic three-dimensional image.
N

By increasing the field of view using lenses, a virtual reality headset

increases the immersion. It is nothing but a view that shows how wide
a picture can be. Most of the headsets use 100/110-degree field of view
to do the trick. To avoid stuttering of images, a minimum of 60 frames
per second frame rate is needed. Most headsets use 90 to 120 frames
per second. Headsets also make use of head tracking, eye tracking and
motion tracking technology in order to adjust the display.

Headphones are also used to increase the feeling of immersion. Most

VR apps and game developers make use of the 3D audio to give the
wearer a feeling that the sound is supposed to be coming from behind.

self assessment Questions

12. HDMI stands for High _______ Multimedia __________.

13. Latency must be minimum in virtual reality systems. (True/
False)

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Activity

Search and discuss about immersive virtual reality with your

friends.

FEATURES OF VIRTUAL REALITY

8.5
SYSTEMS
Virtual reality systems present a virtual world that appears real to its
viewers. There are a variety of virtual reality systems; however, they
all have a same characteristic of enabling a person to view comput-
er-generated 3D images. These images appear to be ‘life-sized’ to a
person. Figure 8.11 shows the features of a virtual reality headset sys-
tem:

S
Head support cusion
comfortable head cushioning
IPD adjustment for support
adjust the inter pupilary
distance to match your face
type and get sharp hd vision
IM Adjustable head band
for the best fit possible

Soft foam leather Large quality lenses

cushioning reduces eye fatigue/
covers your face lag and gives the most
perfectly and lets you immersive experience
wear the device for
longer periods

inbuilt adjustable
M

headphones
adjust the volume
while watching mov-
ies and games.

Figure 8.11: Features of a Virtual Reality Headset System

N

Source: https://www.digifloor.com

These images are context-aware and change as per the change in the
user’s movement in the surrounding environment that corresponds to
the change in his/her field of vision.

The goal is to have a seamless mix of the user’s head and eye move-
ment and the corresponding appropriate response. This makes it sure
that the presented virtual environment appears to be realistic and en-
joyable. There should be real time coordination between the user’s
actions and the corresponding virtual system responses. There should
not be any noticeable delay in the response; otherwise, the user’s ex-
perience would be disrupted and the virtual environment created by
the virtual reality system would not appear to be realistic to its users.
If there is any latency in the response, the virtual reality system would
not be truly interactive with the user.

The other feature of a virtual reality system is that it employs a lot of

complex and powerful host technologies in order to deliver a near re-
al-world experience to its users.

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In a nutshell, the following are some features of virtual reality systems:

‰‰ Real Time
‰‰ Interactive
‰‰ Entertaining
‰‰ Complex
‰‰ Powerful
‰‰ Lowest latency
‰‰ Costly

Exhibit

Virtual Reality Modeling Language (vrml)

S
Virtual Reality Modeling Language (VRML) is a language used to
represent three dimensional or 3D sequences of images, so that the
user interaction can take place. A user can interact with the im-
age sequences by performing different actions on image sequenc-
IM
es such as by moving, rotating or viewing them. In other words,
VRML is used to create 3D illusions of objects. For example, you
can interact with image sequences of rooms of a house and interact
it in such a way that you experience as you are walking in a house
in real space. You can view the VRML file by using a VRML viewer
or browser which might be available as plug-in for your current
M

web browser.

self assessment Questions

14. Virtual reality systems present a _____ world that appears real
N

to its viewers.
15. Interactivity is one of the main features of virtual reality
systems. (True/False)

Activity

Create a presentation on the features of various virtual reality sys-

tems used commonly these days.

8.6 VIRTUAL REALITY DEVICES

A virtual reality device is used to provide virtual or realistic environ-
ment to its wearer. As mentioned earlier, virtual reality devices are
widely used in almost all the fields such as education and gaming.
Due to several benefits, virtual reality devices are growing large num-
bers. Some devices need a powerful PC whereas some work even with
smartphones. Some are purely virtual reality devices and some are
mixed reality devices.

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Figure 8.12 shows various virtual reality devices:

Consumer-level VR and AR hardware landscape

S
Figure 8.12: Various Virtual Reality Devices
Source: https://image.slidesharecdn.com
IM
8.6.1  GOOGLE CARDBOARD

Google cardboard, created by Google, is a virtual reality platform that

is used with a head mount attached to a smartphone. This low cost
platform is created with the intention to arouse people’s interest in
development and use of VR applications. It offers a good starting
M

point to experience virtual reality. Google cardboard is entirely made

of grooved paper, as shown in Figure 8.13:
N

Figure 8.13: Google Cardboard

Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_Cardboard#/media/File:Google-Cardboard.jpg

8.6.2  SAMSUNG GEAR

Samsung Gear provides an exciting virtual reality experience to its

users while watching movies, playing games, etc. There is no need
to plug the headset into a PC or a gaming console. It works only with
Samsung Galaxy Note 4 series of smart phones. It can be bought for

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just $199 (price may vary). It is considered to be an entry level virtual

reality device. Figure 8.14 shows Samsung Gear:

S
Figure 8.14: Samsung Gear
Source: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com
IM
8.6.3  OCULUS RIFT

Oculus Rift is a virtual reality device which has advanced display tech-
nology integrated with its precise and low-latency constellation track-
ing system. It gives users a sense of presence that he/she is actually
there. It has an external tracking camera so the user can move along
M

the length of the cable. It can be used only with a PC. There is no mo-
bile version available. Figure 8.15 shows Oculus Rift:
N

Figure 8.15: Oculus Rift

Source: http://www.vrheadsets3d.com

8.6.4 HTC VIVE

HTC and Valve Corporation developed a virtual reality headset known

as HTC VIVE. It is considered to be a competitor to the Oculus Rift.
This headset is developed using the room-scale technology which can
transform a room into 3D space using sensors. It is also to be used with

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a PC. There is no mobile version available. It is developed in partner-

ship with Valve technology. It has a sensing capability of room scale.
Figure 8.16 shows HTC Vive:

S
Figure 8.16: HTC Vive
Source: http://www.roadtovr.com
IM
8.6.5  SONY PLAYSTATION

Sony PlayStation is a virtual headset that is compatible with popular

home video game console PlayStation 4 (PS4). The PlayStation virtual
reality system is capable of displaying a picture simultaneously with
both PlayStation virtual reality headset and a television. The television
M

can be either mirroring the picture shown on the headset, or showing

a mutually exclusive picture for competitive or supportive gameplay.
It seems to be gaining popularity due to its compatibility with PS4 and
because of its low price. It costs $399 (price may vary). You must have
a PS4 to experience it. Figure 8.17 shows Sony PlayStation:
N

Figure 8.17: Sony PlayStation

Source: http://www.roadtovr.com

8.6.6  GOOGLE DAYDREAM VIEW

Google Daydream View is a first virtual reality headset that allows us-
ers to set up virtual reality cinema and play games in a highly interac-

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tive manner. According to Google, it is nearly 30% lighter than virtual

reality headsets that are available in the mobile segment. At present,
it is compatible with only a few smartphones. It is priced at $79 (price
may vary). Figure 8.18 shows Google Daydream View:

S
Figure 8.18: Google Daydream View
IM Source: http://www.businessinsider.in

8.6.7  MICROSOFT HOLOLENS

Microsoft HoloLens is also a kind of virtual reality device that brings

together people, places, and objects from real world and digital worlds.
It is developed by the well-known IT giant Microsoft. It does not re-
M

quire a PC to experience virtual reality. It is available only in the de-

veloper edition. No retail version is out there. It is a bit heavy device
that uses its own holographic processing unit. Figure 8.19 shows Mic-
rosoft HoloLens:
N

Figure 8.19: Microsoft HoloLens

Source: https://compass-ssl.surface.com

8.6.8  FOVE 0

Fove 0 is a virtual reality device having a distinctive feature of ‘Inter-

active Eye-Tracking’. This makes it different from other virtual reality
devices. It knows exactly what the user is looking at. Thus, it offers

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more realism. It is lightweight, yet offers better efficiency. It aims to

explore a medical condition with the movement or behaviour of eye.
Figure 8.20 shows FOVE 0:

S
Figure 8.20 : FOVE 0
IM
Source: https://www.vrbound.com

8.6.9 RAZER OSVR HDK 2

OSVR stands for Open Source Virtual Reality Hacker Developer Kit.
The aim of the OSVR project is to add the capability to headsets and
M

game controllers such that they can be used with any games irre-
spective of vendors of the headsets and controllers. The OSVR has
two components which are open source hardware and open source
software. The hardware comprises a virtual reality device known as
Hacker Development Kit or HDK which costs around $199. It can be
N

used with a PC as well as a mobile phone. You can also add controllers
to it. It is targeted more towards hackers and developers. Figure 8.21
shows Razor OSVR:

Figure 8.21: Razor OSVR

Source: https://www.vrbound.com

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self assessment Questions

16. Google cardboard is the basic virtual reality device. (True/

False)
17. In PS4 device developed by SONY, PS stands for ________.
18. Oculus _______ and HTC ______ cannot be used with mobile.

Activity

Prepare a report on the benefits and limitations of virtual reality

devices.

S
COMPANIES WORKING IN THE VIRTUAL
8.7
REALITY SECTOR
There are many companies working in the virtual reality field catering
IM
to the different verticals. Some are into gaming, some provide virtual
reality headsets, some provide virtual reality software development
kits, some create 3D models, some are into virtual visualisation, etc.
The following are some major companies working in the virtual reality
field:
‰‰ Oculus: This company is considered to be a leader in the field of
M

virtual reality. It has been acquired by Facebook. Oculus has top

game developers on its board. Its popular product is Oculus Rift.
‰‰ Google: This company makes virtual reality headsets made of card-
board, known as ‘Google Cardboard’. It has been designed spe-
N

cifically for making virtual reality apps meant for Android smart-
phones. At present, its emphasis is on games. Google encourages
developers to develop and sell virtual reality apps in Google Play.
It does not develop virtual reality software like Oculus.
‰‰ WorldViz: This company specialises in making 3D immersive and
interactive simulation as well as visualisation solutions. These are
targeted mainly for government institutions, universities and busi-
nesses. The software made by WorldViz lets its customers build 3D
models that can be used for architecture and product visualisation,
safety training, etc. The software made by Bricks & Goggles helps
transform designs from some 3D modelling and CAD software into
a 3D virtual reality environment. These can then be viewed in a
life-like ‘3D Image’ making use of any of the available virtual real-
ity headsets.
‰‰ Marxent labs: This company develops software meant for man-
ufacturers and retailers. The software allows users to create 3D
designs and showrooms for live demonstration of their products.
Customers can see and feel the demo product before its develop-
ment.

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‰‰ Unity technologies: This company provides a platform for devel-

oping virtual reality games. It is a leader in 3D game technology.
‰‰ Microsoft: This company develops a virtual reality headset known
as ‘HoloLens’. It has developed a ‘Holographic Processing Unit’
(HPU) on its own. It integrates and processes data from sensors
and also does spatial mapping, voice and speech recognition, ges-
ture recognition, etc.
‰‰ Magic leap: This company is into the making of a Head-Mounted
Virtual Retinal Display. It is somewhat different from other virtual
reality vendors. It places ‘3D Objects’ in the person’s field of view
of the physical world.
‰‰ Vuzix: This company makes virtual reality devices that are used
to give 3D immersion in videogames. M100 and M300 are its two
popular virtual reality devices.

S
‰‰ CastAR: This company makes software that allows projecting a
‘3D Holographic Image’ onto the user’s view. It thus places a virtu-
al layer on top of the physical world.
IM
‰‰ Sixence: This company makes a headset which is accompanied
with ‘Hand-Held Controllers’ and with a ‘Central Base Station’ in
order to have an ‘Electromagnetic Field’ in a radius of around 8
feet. It offers immersive game play by detecting hand-held sen-
sors’ movement.
‰‰ Retinad analytics: This company provides a ‘heatmap’ of users
M

behaviours to companies regarding their browsing, navigation and

purchasing behaviour on e-commerce websites. This enables com-
panies to have a ‘3D visualisation’ of user’s behaviour and statis-
tics. It helps virtual reality advertisers to monitor, track and anal-
N

yse data and customise their ad strategies accordingly.

‰‰ Mechdyne: This company specialises in simulation and modelling,
Big Data visualisation and collaboration. In order to project a vir-
tual reality environment on the walls of a ‘Room-Sized Cube’, it
makes use of ‘CAVE’ which is Cave Automatic Virtual Environ-
ment.
‰‰ Virtually live: This company creates a stadium and player images
in virtual reality environment. It allows you to be in the stadium.
It recreates the actual scene and allows you to walk through the
stadium. You can even invite your friends to sit together. It is just
like a real life game.
‰‰ Vega: This company gives an immersive shopping experience to
its online users. It offers solutions designed especially for home
décor and furniture companies. These companies can scan their
products and convert those products into 3D models. The custom-
ers of these companies can scale models to fit in a virtual room and
can see how it will look when they place it in an actual room.

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‰‰ Vertalis: This company develops software that creates virtual vi-

sualisation and 3D displays of very large data and CAD designs. It
lets ship designers to have a walk-through of the ship before build-
ing it. It also offers design reviews, in-depth rehearsal of training
activities, validation of maintenance tasks and verification of the
manufacturing and assembly processes.
‰‰ AMD: This company creates a headset which is spatially aware
and combines virtual reality with the augmented reality. It also
makes graphics cards that are high-powered and specifically de-
signed for virtual reality content developers and creators. The
company also provides ‘LiquidVR SDK’ for developing different
virtual reality apps.
‰‰ HTC: There is a virtual reality product from HTC known as ‘HTC
Vive’. It is a headset with two hand-held devices and some sensors

S
that are placed around the whole room so that your movements
can be tracked. In partnership with the company ‘Valve’, HTC cre-
ates games that can be scaled to whole room.
IM
‰‰ Samsung: It has a virtual reality product known by the name
‘Samsung Gear’. It works with the latest Samsung phones. When
you slide a Samsung phone into the holder of the headset, it acts as
a computer device. At present, there are only gaming apps avail-
able on it.
‰‰ Nvidia: There is a virtual reality product from Nvidia known as
M

‘VRWorks’. It is a developer suite for building a variety of virtual

reality apps. It helps developers to create an imagery of high res-
olution and lower latency. It provides quicker image adjustments
as per the user’s head movement and the imaging itself is more
realistic.
N

self assessment Questions

19. There is a virtual reality product from Nvidia known as

‘VRWorks’. (True/False)
20. HPU stands for _________ Processing Unit.

Activity

Search and find out some more companies working in the virtual
reality sector other than thosediscussed in the chapter.

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CHALLENGES FACED WITH Virtual

8.8
Reality
There are various challenges that need to be addressed in the field of
virtual reality. Some of the major problems are highlighted below:
‰‰ High Cost
‰‰ Out of reach technology
‰‰ Computer dependency
‰‰ Bandwidth intensive
‰‰ Latency

‰‰ Scarce/custom content

S
‰‰ Big virtual reality headsets
‰‰ Health concerns
‰‰ Compatibility
IM
‰‰ Security

Virtual reality is yet to achieve its full potential. It requires more pow-
erful computing resources. The overall concept of virtual reality is
more promising and it is also true that the expectations of custom-
ers are more demanding. Virtual reality requires just the right mix of
M

hardware, software and the content in order to get a smooth virtual re-
ality experience. There is still more time for virtual reality to become
a mainstream technology.

There are many things in virtual reality that need to be done simul-
N

taneously. While running extreme graphics using a virtual reality de-

vice, it is also required to process data from the user’s head and body
movement, 3D audio adjustments to the user movement, processing
controller inputs, etc.

To do all these activities in real time smoothly, it requires a powerful

computer with a high configuration of the latest hardware and the
accompanying software. The following are some areas where virtual
reality can have improvements:
‰‰ Visuals

‰‰ Haptics

‰‰ Audio

‰‰ Tracking

‰‰ Interactivity

‰‰ Noise cancellation
‰‰ Content

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‰‰ Social presence
‰‰ User experience
‰‰ Heavy device
‰‰ Power source
‰‰ Health concerns
‰‰ Legal issues
‰‰ Consumer awareness

self assessment Questions

21. Virtual reality requires just the right mix of hardware, software
and _______ in order to get a smooth virtual reality experience.

S
22. Legal issues are one of the major challenges for virtual reality.
(True/False)
IM
Activity

Prepare a report on the limitations and challenges that can be faced

by a user while using VR devices.
M

8.9 SUMMARY
‰‰ The term ‘virtual reality’ is used to describe a 3D computer gener-
ated virtual environment that appears to be real to its users.
‰‰ Virtual reality is used in many areas, which range from academic
N

research to engineering, design, business, arts and entertainment.

‰‰ Virtual reality can present complex concepts in an easy and acces-
sible way, which students can find interesting and enjoyable too.
‰‰ In engineering, virtual reality can be used for effective and more
productive design, manufacturing and other engineering processes.
‰‰ Virtual reality is proving to be a cheap alternative to add new fea-
tures and attractions to theme parks or extend functionalities of
existing attractions.
‰‰ Virtual reality can be used for measuring and analysing the perfor-
mance of various fitness related activities.
‰‰ Virtual reality is achieved by having the right combination of hard-
ware, software and the relevant content.
‰‰ There should be real time coordination between the user’s actions
and the corresponding VR system responses.
‰‰ Google cardboard is a virtual reality platform created by Google
that is used with a head mount attached to a smartphone.

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key words

‰‰ Haptics: It adds touch and control to a digital device.

‰‰ Immersion: It is a term used to describe the deep mental in-
volvement of a person.
‰‰ Latency: A delay in response is called latency.
‰‰ Mixed reality: it is the merging of real world with the virtual
world.
‰‰ Virtual reality:It is a term used to describe the technology that
superimposes or overlays the digital image onto the real world.

8.10 DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS

S
1. Explain the concept of virtual reality and evolution of VR.
2. Describe various applications of virtual reality in education and
training, fine arts, engineering and therapy.
IM
3. How can virtual reality be used in theme parks?
4. Explain how virtual reality is achieved.
5. List various features of virtual reality systems.
6. Describe any two virtual reality devices.
M

7. Explain the functions of the Google cardboard virtual reality

device.
8. Write a short note on two companies working in the virtual reality
sector.
N

9. What are the challenges faced with virtual reality?

10. Describe the applications of virtual reality in theme parks, retail,
marketing, fitness and media.

8.11 ANSWERS AND HINTS

ANSWERS FOR SELF ASSESSMENT QUESTIONS

Topic Q. No. Answers

Evolution of Virtual Reality 1. Head Mounted Display

2. True

Applications of Virtual Reality 3. True

4. David Em

5. True

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Topic Q. No. Answers

6. Interactive art

7. True

8. Fine arts

9. False

10. Theme parks

11. True

Achieving Virtual Reality 12. Definition, Interface

13. True

S
Features of Virtual Reality Sys- 14. Virtual
tems
15. True
IM
Virtual Reality Devices 16. True

17. PlayStation

18. Rift, Vive

Companies Working in the Virtu- 19. True

M

al Reality Sector
20. Holographic

Challenges Faced with Virtual 21. content

Reality
N

22. True

HINTS FOR DESCRIPTIVE QUESTIONS

1. The term ‘Virtual Reality’ is used to describe a 3D computer
generated virtual environment that appears to be real to its
users. Refer to Section 8.2 Evolution of Virtual Reality.
2. One of the benefits of virtual reality in education and training is
that the students can interact with their teachers, trainers, etc. in
a 3D environment. Refer to Section 8.3 Applications of Virtual
Reality.
3. Virtual reality can be used in theme parks to take the
entertainment and fun experience to the next level and beyond.
Refer to Section 8.3 Applications of Virtual Reality.
4. Virtual reality is achieved by having the right combination of
hardware, software and the relevant content. Refer to Section
8.4 Achieving Virtual Reality.

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5. There are many features of virtual reality systems. All offer the
immersive real life like experience to its users. Virtual reality
systems present a virtual world that appears real to its viewers.
Refer to Section 8.5 Features of Virtual Reality Systems.
6. Oculus Rift is VR device used with a PC and Samsung Gear VR is
used with a mobile. Refer to Section 8.6 Virtual Reality Devices.
7. It offers a good starting point to experience VR. It is very
inexpensive and it takes VR to the mass level. Refer to Section
8.6 Virtual Reality Devices.
8. Facebook/Oculus and HTC are among the various companies
working in the VR space. Refer to Section 8.7 Companies
Working in the Virtual Reality Sector.
9. Big virtual reality headsets, high cost, security and legal issues

S
etc. are some of the challenges faced with VR. Refer to Section
8.8 Challenges Faced with Virtual Reality.
10. Retail designs, plans and strategies can be tested virtually
IM
and then could be applied in physical stores. Refer to Section
8.3 Applications of Virtual Reality.

8.12 SUGGESTED READINGS & REFERENCES

SUGGESTED READINGS
M

‰‰ Jerald, J. (2016). The VR Book: Human-Centered Design for Virtual

Reality. New York: Association for Computing Machinery.
‰‰ Parisi, T. (2016). Learning Virtual Reality: Developing Immer-
sive Experiences and Applications for Desktop, Web, and Mobile.
N

Beijing: OReilly.

E-REFERENCES
‰‰ Immersion (virtual reality). (2017, April 14). Retrieved May 22,
2017, from HYPERLINK “https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Immer-
sion_(virtual_reality)#Immersive_virtual_reality” https://en.wiki-
pedia.org/wiki/Immersion_(virtual_reality)#Immersive_virtual_
reality
‰‰ G. (2016, January 04). Virtual reality devices to rule CES
2016 | Gadgets Now. Retrieved May 22, 2017, from HYPER-
LINK “http://www.gadgetsnow.com/computing/Virtual-re-
ality- devices-to -rule -CES -2016/articleshow/50438736.cms”
http://www.gadgetsnow.com/computing/Virtual-reality-devic-
es-to-rule-CES-2016/articleshow/50438736.cms
‰‰ Virtualreality headset. (2017, April 30). Retrieved May 22, 2017,
from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Virtual_reality_headset

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N
M
IM
S
 C h a
9 p t e r

CASE STUDIES

S
CONTENTS

Case Study 1 “Dental Insurance Redefined” – A New Connected Approach

Towards Dental Insurance by Beam Dental
IM
Case Study 2 “Connected Care Test Bed” – An IoT Based Healthcare Initiative by
Infosys and Massachusetts General Hospital
Case Study 3 ‘IoT Middleware’ – An Iot based Gateway to Connect Different
Industrial Sensors and Devices by Litmus Automation
Case Study 4 DDoS Attack on DYN
Case Study 5 A Smart City Initiative by Dubai, the Capital of
M

United Arab Emirates

Case Study 6 ‘SALU’ – A Smart Fitness Tracker
Case Study 7 ‘Pokemon Go’ – An Augmented Reality Video Game
Case Study 8 ‘VRET’ – Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy
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Case Study 9 ‘Smart Home’ – A Home Automation Study based on IoT

Case Study 10 ‘OnFarm Systems’ – Driving Simple Farming to a New Decision
Farming based on IoT
Case Study 11 ‘HCS’ – An IoT based Human Condition Safety Startup
Case Study 12 ‘ESMI’ – An IoT based Electricity Supply Monitoring Initiative

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“DENTAL INSURANCE REDEFINED” – A NEW

CONNECTED APPROACH TOWARDS DENTAL
INSURANCE BY BEAM DENTAL

This Case Study discusses the dental insurance strategy adopted by

Beam Dental through a connected toothbrush. It is with respect to
Chapter 1 of the book.

Source: https://beam.dental

S
This company is a start-up, founded in 2012 by Alex Curry and
Alex Xavier Frommeyer. It is headquartered in Columbus, Ohio,
United States. Alex Frommeyer, Co-founder and CEO, Beam
IM
Dental says that we all have teeth. Then also more than one-third
of Americans, as far as the dental health coverage is concerned,
do not have it.
How the company entered into the dental health insurance, let’s
see in the words of Alex Frommeyer– “About four years ago, my
colleagues and I started an R&D service business, where we had the
M

chance to work on all kinds of medical devices. Around that time,

we received a contract from a dental manufacturing company that
opened our eyes to the dental industry. We discovered that while
there were plenty of start-ups out there helping build and evolve
healthcare, almost nobody was doing the same for the dental industry.
N

So we decided to go after this corner of the healthcare market.”

There is a report by NPR, USA. As per this report, “A good dentist
is hard to find in rural America. A study by the Federal Reserve
found that a quarter of Americans went without dental care they
needed in 2014 because they couldn’t afford it.”

Source: www.npr.org By Michelle Kondrich for NPR

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 Case study 1: “DENTAL INSURANCE REDEFINED” - A NEW CONNECTED
APPROACH TOWARDS DENTAL INSURANCE BY BEAM DENTAL  219

Case study 1
n o t e s

There is another report. A 2015 report by the Pew Charitable

Trusts found that “people in rural areas are poorer and less likely
to have dental insurance than their urban counterparts. They’re
also less likely to have fluoridated water, and more likely to live in
an area where dentists are in short supply. Those dentists that are
there probably don’t take Medicaid, government health insurance
for the poor”.
The founders of Beam Dental saw a tremendous opportunity in
this segment. This is how the company started. This company
completely changed the way dental insurance policies are
designed. They help in getting the insurance cost go down at the
same time the dental health of an individual goes up.
The company was successful in achieving this because of its

S
Smart Toothbrush. This is a use case that shows how a company
can leverage IoT to redefine the way businesses are done. Just
by connecting the toothbrush to the Internet, they were able to
identify the brushing habits of individuals and accordingly charge
IM
the insurance premium. All this is bringing the dental healthcare
industry into a new connected future.
M
N

Source: https://beam.dental

This is how it works. They created their own smart toothbrush

called – “beamâ brush”. Along with the toothbrush, they also
have their own brush replacement heads, toothpaste and floss.
Everyone who gets enrolled into their Beam Perks program, they
provide them their smart toothbrush, toothpaste and floss. The
smart toothbrush collects user’s behavioural data and sends it to
a mobile app via Bluetooth.
This data helps the company to build a better and clearer picture
of probable future claims. It helps them to adjust policy premiums
based on the user’s brushing behaviour. A connected toothbrush
gives them an added advantage to properly identify the insurer
and also lets them decide how to design the best suitable policy
for their customers. Every three months, they resupply brush
heads, toothpaste, and floss to the customer’s doorstep. This gives
them a competitive edge over their competitors.

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Source: https://beam.dental

Accordingly they have devised different plans. These are as shown

below:

S
IM
M

Source: https://beam.dental

They do not tell people to only brush their teeth; they are
encouraging their members/customers to practice good dental
care by providing the best dental health and insurance over time.
N

questions

1. Discuss the effectiveness of “Dental Insurance Strategy”

adopted by the Beam Dental Company.
(Hint: Lots of companies were addressing the health
sector. But no one was touching the dental sector. The
company founders found that there is a tremendous
opportunity in that sector. So they came up with a new
idea of connected toothbrush.)
2. Discuss the technology used by the Beam Dental to give
value addition to customers.
(Hint: The technology used by the company was connected
toothbrush. They designed a smart toothbrush that
was sending the customer behaviour data such as their
brushing patterns, the no. of times they are brushing, the
amount of time they are spending on brushing etc. to a
mobile app.)

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Case study 2: “CONNECTED CARE TEST BED” – AN IOT BASED HEALTHCARE INITIATIVE
BY INFOSYS AND MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL  221

Case study 2
n o t e s

“CONNECTED CARE TEST BED” – AN IOT BASED

HEALTHCARE INITIATIVE BY INFOSYS AND
MASSACHUSETTS GENERAL HOSPITAL

This Case Study explains IoT trends and characteristics in the

healthcare sector. It is with respect to Chapter 2 of this book.
Infosys along with Massachusetts General Hospital launched the
Connected Care Test Bed to overcome challenges faced by the
healthcare industry.
Massachusetts General Hospital is the largest teaching hospital
located in Boston, Massachusetts. This hospital is of Harvard
Medical School and a biomedical research facility.

S
IM
Source: http://www.massgeneral.org/assets/images/brand-canvas/HomePage-Panel-1.jpg

Infosys Limited is an Indian Multinational Company head-

M

quartered in Bengaluru, India. It provides information technology,

business consulting and outsourcing services. Infosys is a member
of IIC.
There was a challenge laid down by the ‘Industrial Internet
N

Consortium’ (IIC). As the life span of the world’s population has

extended, the burden on healthcare systems has increased. It is
found that out of the total older adults, up to 80% have chronic
diseases (at least 1) and which requires continuous monitoring
and treatment.
It is very unfortunate that today medical errors that can be
prevented are very common in hospitals. Considering the US
scenario, the statistics show that in the U.S. alone, there are
around 2,00,000 to 4,00,000 deaths in hospitals per year due
to medical errors that could have been prevented. Moreover,
the present hospital environment has become too complicated.
Efficient retrieval and sharing of the patient health information
have also become a challenge.
By observing the above scenario, Infosys and Massachusetts
General Hospital decided to provide a tool that will:
‰‰ Reduce patient readmissions and improve patient health.

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‰‰ Enable patients to receive personalised medical care while

staying at home.
‰‰ Help to improve the patients’ follow up of treatment routines.
Provide a better access to health-related information to all the
concerned i.e. the patient, their family and their caretakers.
‰‰ Provide an open ecosystem around IoT.Make Remote Patient
Monitoring and Clinical Data to be accessible via a single man-
agement system and an analytics platform.
‰‰ Track assets and manage it.
With advancement in technology and its increased accessibility
and the recent implementation of IoT-based solutions, now the
health care professionals can do remote patient monitoring and
can provide better health care at affordable cost and within time.

S
IM
M

Source: https://image.slidesharecdn.com/ihesuisse2014talkscher-140410123832-phpa
pp01/95/keys-to-building-a-successful-mobile-health-strategy-26-638.jpg
N

Thus, more lives can be saved by providing timely medication

and avoidance of preventable medical errors. So we can say that
IoT has potential to transform the way healthcare analysis is done
and given a better quality of life.

questions

1. Discuss the scenario of taking the Connected Care Test

Bed initiative.
(Hint: There was a challenge laid down by the ‘Industrial
Internet Consortium’ (IIC). It is found that out of the total
older adults, up to 80% have at least 1 chronic disease and
which requires continuous monitoring and treatment.)
2. Discuss the benefits to be achieved by Connected Care
Test Bed.
(Hint: Reduced patient readmissions, improved patient
health, better access to the health related information,
etc.)

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 Case study 3: ‘IoT MIDDLEWARE’ – AN IoT BASED GATEWAY TO CONNECT DIFFERENT
INDUSTRIAL SENSORS AND DEVICES BY LITMUS AUTOMATION  223

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‘IoT MIDDLEWARE’ – AN IoT BASED GATEWAY TO

CONNECT DIFFERENT INDUSTRIAL SENSORS AND
DEVICES BY LITMUS AUTOMATION

This Case Study shows the use of IoT in building a middleware

platform to connect different industrial sensors, devices and
equipment. It is with respect to Chapter 3 of this book.
Litmus Automation officially established in January 2014,
headquartered in San Jose, California, US. It is a Business to
Business (B2B) IoT platform company. It deals in middleware
IoT platform. After six months of their launch, they signed a
deal with a company named ‘Nissan’. Later on another company
named ‘Renault’ became its customer. Nissan and Renault both
are French automaker companies.

S
Litmus Automation also has a partnership with Intel, Dell, HPE,
HMS and SalesForce. Last year, Litmus got $1.5 million from
backers in the US and Canada in angel funding. There were three
IM
cofounders: John Younes, Vatsal Shah and Sacha Sawaya. The
company got an award as one of the top 20 leading IoT service
providers. It also received ‘Connected Transportation Award’ in
2016 from IoT Evolution.
About 25 different industrial protocols are included in the
company’s IoT platform. This enables the platform to have
M

communication with equipment from different manufacturers

such as Rockwell, Siemens, Schneider, etc. Let’s see a brief
history behind the formation of Litmus Automation. John Younes,
who is the COO and one of the co-founders of the company, first
N

understood the potential of the Internet of Things while he was

doing his International Master’s Program. The program was
having stints in France, China and at Purdue University in the
US. While having a conversation with one of his classmates Mr.
Vatsal Shah, he came to know about difficulties Shah had faced
when he was working on a project in 2011.
It was a connectivity project on pipelines in the oil and gas sector
in India. From a monitoring perspective, connecting the pipelines
was a good and perfect idea. But the difficulties Mr. Shah
faced were to get all different sensors, hardware and devices to
communicate. He observed that there were not any standardised
approaches for connecting the various industrial devices.
The idea of having different sensors and devices get connected
and communicated became the seed for the foundation of Litmus
Automation. The company offers an IoT platform for connecting
and collecting data of different industrial devices. The company
created a gateway with different drivers to have communication
among various protocols and systems. Further, the data that will

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be generated from these different devices and sensors would have

various formats and structures. The data needs to be standardised
before processing and analysis.
The company has two technology products named:
‰‰ Loop

‰‰ LoopEdge

S
IM
Source: http://cdn.betakit.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/10/Sacha_Investor-Email_Back-
ground-Diagram_Compact_102416-02-1050x700.png

Litmus Automation provides the required middleware for

easing the task of connecting and communicating with different
M

industrial devices, sensors and equipment forming a meaningful

and useful IoT system.
N

Source: http://www.litmusautomation.com/file/2016/12/Edge-
Social_Generic_0111216-01.png

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INDUSTRIAL SENSORS AND DEVICES BY LITMUS AUTOMATION  225

Case study 3
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questions

1. How does Litmus Automation make it possible to connect

different industrial sensors and devices?
(Hint: Litmus Automation provides an IoT middleware
which consists of a gateway that has about 25 drivers for
connecting different protocols and standards.)
2. What was the reason behind the foundation of Litmus
Automation?
(Hint: The founders of the company observed that there
were no standardised approaches for connectivity and
communication among different industrial devices,
sensors and equipment while working on one of the

S
connectivity projects on pipelines in the oil and gas sector
in India. From this, they got an idea to start an IoT based
automation company.)
IM
M
N

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DDoS ATTACK ON DYN

This Case Study shows the use of IoT-based devices to attack an

Internet service provider company DYN taking its services down
for some time. It is with respect to Chapter 4 of this book.

Source: http://dyn.com

Dyn Inc. is an Internet performance management and a

Domain Name Service (DNS) company. It is headquartered in

S
Manchester, New Hampshire, US. Its product offerings include
cloud-based products for controlling, monitoring and optimising
online infrastructure and email. Dyn Inc. was founded by Tom
IM
Daly, Jeremy Hitchcock, Chris Reinhardt and Tim Wilde in 2001
and now it has been acquired by Oracle Corporation on January
31, 2017. The company now operates as an ‘Infrastructure-as-a-
Service’ and Global Business Unit for Oracle.
A global network that powers the company’s solution makes
around 40 billion decisions regarding traffic optimisation on
M

a daily basis. It has more than 3,500 customers including big

enterprises like Twitter, Netflix, CNBC, LinkedIn and Reddit.

server.dyndns.org
N

webcam.dyndns.org router.dyndns.org

computer.dyndns.org securitycamera.dyndns.org

Source: http://dyn.com

October 21, 2016 was the dark day for Dyn. It was this day that the
attackers launched a DDoS attack on Dyn servers. DDoS stands

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n o t e s

for Distributed Denial of Service. As the name itself implies, this

attack prevents access to a service.
The services of major sites including Twitter, Netflix, CNBC,
LinkedIn, Reddit and many other companies in the US and
Europe were severely affected. The attack sustained for almost
a day. According to experts, it was the largest attack of its kind
in the cyber-attacks’ history. The attackers used a weapon/tool
called ‘Mirai Botnet’.
Mirai Botnet uses a large number of machines/devices to send an
enormous amount of traffic towards the victim/target machine. It
keeps on bombarding traffic towards the server until it crashes or
gets down or becomes very slow due to sudden heavy traffic.
This Mirai Botnet was different from other botnets. The other

S
botnets typically use computers (called as zombies) as a weapon
to attack, whereas in the Dyn case, the attackers used IoT devices
as a weapon to attack.
IM
Attacker
Controller
M

Zombies
Victim

Source: http://www.valuewalk.com
N

These devices were DVR players, digital cameras, etc. According

to the reports, the strength of the attack was 1.2 Tbps involving
around 1,00,000 malicious endpoints.

Source: http://blog.trendmicro.com

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There are severe consequences of such types of attacks. Some of

these can be as enlisted below:
‰‰ Brand damage
‰‰ Revenue loss
‰‰ Loss of confidence of customers
‰‰ Personnel cost
‰‰ Other loses
The attacks like DDoS can be targeted to any company of any size.
So, all companies thinking of IoT deployment must take security
very seriously and from the start and at each stage / level.

S
questions

1. Why should one be worried of DDoS attacks?

IM
(Hint: It is because the DDoS attack causes services
to be halted. No other activities like site access, sales,
maintenance, communication, email can be performed
due to the unavailability of services. So, it incurs a loss of
lots of money for the company and other losses like brand
damage, revenue loss, loss of confidence of customer etc.
also occur)
M

2. How can the threat of an attack be reduced?

(Hint: The threat of an attack can be reduced by taking
corrective steps in time. You should be more aware about
the system operation. If there is a sudden deviation in its
N

operation, it should be taken seriously and rectified on

time.)

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 Case study 5: A SMART CITY INITIATIVE BY DUBAI, THE CAPITAL OF UNITED
ARAB EMIRATES  229

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A SMART CITY INITIATIVE BY DUBAI, THE CAPITAL

OF UNITED ARAB EMIRATES

This Case Study showing the smart city initiative by the city ‘Dubai’,
the largest City of United Arab Emirates. It is with respect to Chapter
5 of this book.

S
Source: http://smartliving.life
IM
Dubai is well-known for its ultramodern architecture, luxurious
shopping malls, hotels, beautiful beaches, prosperous and
flourishing business community, intriguing deserts and nightlife.
It is located in the ‘South-West’ corner of the ‘Arabian Gulf’ and on
the ‘Eastern-Coast’ of the ‘Arabian Peninsula’.
Dubai is not just another ‘Connected City’ or the city having the
M

‘Most Data’. Its approach and focus have always been on the
Citizens’ Happiness. The announcement regarding the launch
of ‘Smart Dubai’ project was made in the year 2013. According
to the Director General of the ‘Smart Dubai’ project, Aisha Butti
bin Bishr, their vision is to make Dubai the Happiest City on the
N

earth. Peoples’ Happiness is their end goal.

Source: http://blogs.cisco.com) (Image Source http://www.metering.com

Dubai has partnered with ITU – the International

Telecommunication Union and it has become the first city to

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try the ITU KPI- Key Performance Indicators. These are the
indicators that are used for smart sustainable cities. Dubai has
also launched the ‘Happiness Meters’ to measure the response of
citizens to the newly launched solutions and services. It helps to
know their satisfaction levels and understand the future needs.
The major areas considered for the implementation of smart city
initiatives and services are People, Economy, Living, Mobility,
Governance and the Environment.
As per the United Nations (UN) observation, there is no city that
had included Smart Initiatives across all the dimensions. The
Global Chairman of PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Bob Moritz
has also praised Dubai for the ‘Global Leadership’ it has taken in
the initiation of ‘Truly Smart City Drives’.

S
Following are the major stakeholders in the Dubai smart city
project:
‰‰ Dubai Municipality (DM)
IM
‰‰ Dubai Health Authority (DHA)
‰‰ Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)
‰‰ Dubai Police (DP)
‰‰ Department of Economic Development (DED)
M

‰‰ Dubai Smart Government (DSG)

‰‰ The Executive Council (TEC)
‰‰ Dubai Electricity and Water Authority (DEWA)
N

‰‰ Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).

Source: http://www.smartdubai.ae

Dubai has integrated various ICT and IoT technologies into its
architecture. All these smart initiatives are transforming the
city’s services, networks, products, schemes and infrastructure
into a more effective, intelligent, collaborative and an efficient
ecosystem.

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 Case study 5: A SMART CITY INITIATIVE BY DUBAI, THE CAPITAL OF UNITED
ARAB EMIRATES  231

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The various initiatives that have been taken under Smart Dubai
Project are as follows:
‰‰ Happiness Meter
‰‰ Smart Dubai Index
‰‰ Smart District Guidelines
‰‰ Smart Dubai Platform
‰‰ Dubai Data
‰‰ Dubai Blockchain

questions

S
1. What are various initiatives taken under the ‘Dubai Smart
City’ Project?
(Hint: Various initiatives that have been taken under the
IM
‘Dubai Smart City’ Project are Happiness Meter, Smart
Dubai Index, Smart District Guidelines, Smart Dubai
Platform, Dubai Data and Dubai Blockchain.)
2. Who are the different stakeholders in the ‘Dubai Smart
City’ Project?
(Hint: Different stakeholders in the Dubai smart city
M

project are Dubai Municipality (DM), Dubai Health

Authority (DHA), Roads and Transport Authority (RTA),
Dubai Police (DP), Department of Economic, etc.)
N

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‘SALU’ – A SMART FITNESS TRACKER

This Case Study explains the features of a smart fitness tracker

Salu Pulse that helps in tracking fitness levels and health concerns.
It is with respect to Chapter 6 of this book.

S
Source: http://www.salu.ca

Salu an Alberta-based company that was founded by two medical

IM
students in 2014. It is headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta. It’s
a health and wellness start-up. The founders wanted to have an
improvement in the ‘Medical Technology’ which is available to
one and all. It has transformed the wearable industry from just
fitness to a health and wellness. It is committed to build innovative
and transformative health tracking wearable and the companion
monitoring applications.
M

The company has designed and developed a blood pressure

monitor which is compact as well as wearable and also does not
need the pressure cuff. It is considered to be the world’s first of its
kind. It is branded with the name ‘Salu Pulse+’. It is designed as a
N

‘Smart Strap’ for the ‘Apple Watch’ and is also available as a band
which can be worn on wrist.

Source: http://www.salu.ca

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n o t e s

Salu Pulse+ provides the users of the Apple Watch with

their overall health data and insight. It will also provide with
corresponding recommendations regarding their health and well-
being. It is developed by a team of young software and design
engineers and medical doctors at Salu. It measures vital signs
such as blood pressure, oxygen saturation, heart rate and activity
levels. It makes use of the Pulsewave Analysis to give details about
the user’s health.
9 out of 10 Americans in their whole lifespan will be affected by a
‘High Blood Pressure’ or ‘Hypertension’ as per the study in 2002
by JAMA. It is also a risk factor for the ‘Heart Disease’ which is
one of the major causes of deaths.
According to another study in 2011 by the ‘University of North

S
Carolina’, 1 in 5 adults aged between 24 and 32 have been found
having ‘Hypertension’. JAMA, in their 2008 study found that
factors like sleep, stress, diet and exercise are the cause for 35-65
% of hypertension.
IM
M
N

Source: http://www.salu.ca

If we do not take proper care control of blood pressure, it can lead

to various health concerns, such as stroke, heart failure, kidney
diseases, dementia, eye problems, etc. Controlling the blood
pressure will definitely help to decrease/eliminate the chances of
health problems. At present such devices are not approved as a
medical device by the FDA or Health Canada. It is not going to
replace medical solutions and doctor’s visits but definitely help
the users to track their vital signs on a daily basis and reduce
hospital visits and overall medical expenses.

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The ‘Salu Pulse+’ also comes with the accompanying mobile

app to track health data and make it available for analysis at the
finger tip. It analyses patterns and trends of the health data and
can display it in a Timeline Style in order to understand change
in readings over a certain period of time. It can also predict the
user’s condition of health and wellness in the nearby future. As
and when needed, this data can be shared or sent to doctors, care
givers, fitness trainers and to all the concerned persons.

questions

1. Why was Salu established?

(Hint: The founders of Salu wanted to have an
improvement in the ‘Medical Technology’ which is

S
available to one and all.)
2. Explain the features of Salu Pulse+ in detail.
IM
(Hint: Blood pressure monitor, heart rate monitor, activity
level tracker, etc.)
M
N

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 Case study 7: ‘POKEMON GO’ – AN AUGMENTED REALITY VIDEO GAME  235

Case study 7
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‘POKEMON GO’ – AN AUGMENTED REALITY VIDEO GAME

This Case Study explains the use of augmented reality in video

games. It is with respect to Chapter 7 of this book.

S
Source: http://dscience.co

The augmented reality video game ‘Pokemon Go’ is designed and

IM
developed by ‘Niantic Labs’. It is headquartered in San Francisco,
California. From 2000 to 2015, Google was its parent company.
It became an independent company in 2016. ‘Niantic Labs’ was
founded by ‘John Hanke’ in 2010 as a startup at Google. On July
5, 2016, Niantic Labs released an augmented reality video game
‘Pokemon Go’.
M

The game was an overnight success and had millions of players

hunting for Pokemons on the street. The catching of Pokemons
is based on GPS. It was a free to download the game. It made
money by letting players purchase items in the game. It was
the most successful and downloaded mobile app of 2016. It had
N

over 500 million downloads. Very soon, it became globally talked

phenomenon and recieved huge success. The game was developed
in association with another company ‘Nintendo’. Nintendo is also
a co-owner having around 32% stake in the company.
‘Pokemon Go’ became the fastest game that made revenues in
excess of $500 million. It became the greatest success story of the
use of augmented reality in video games. It opened various new
avenues and opportunities for advertisers as well as marketing
agencies to craft a new strategy for their products and services.
It also made game developers to think seriously of implementing
augmented reality in their video games and gave them the idea
of the kind of implications augmented reality would have on the
players and overall revenues. According to one of the estimates,
every day there were more than one billion video game players.
It was a very huge opportunity for companies to advertise and
showcase their products and services to specially targeted
consumers.

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You can use your location/ shop/ floor as a Pokestops or Pokegyms.

Pokestops are the places where the players fill up their Pokeballs.
Pokeballs are used to catch Pokemons. Pokegyms are the places
where the Pokemon trainers battle with one another. The
Pokemon Go uses the camera, GPS and other resources of your
smart phone to recreate the real life scenes on to your phone. It
makes use of the camera of the smart phone to put the Pokemon
in that scene. The game uses augmented reality to superimpose
the images of the Pokemons onto the real life scenes.
Augmented reality seems to be the future of the gaming industry,
marketing and advertising industry and a lot of other domains
as well. There is a lot to be learned from the case of augmented
reality video game ‘Pokemon Go’. Be it the potential of augmented
reality or new strategies, avenues and opportunities for marketing

S
and advertising.

questions
IM
1. What is the reason behind Pokemon Go’s overnight
success?
(Hint: Pokemon Go was a new experience for players with
the augmented reality to catch characters in the game.)
2. What is the use of augmented reality in ‘Pokemon Go’?
M

(Hint: Augmented reality is used to superimpose the

images of the Pokemons/characters in the video game
onto real life scenes.)
N

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 Case study 8: ‘VRET’ – VIRTUAL REALITY EXPOSURE THERAPY  237

Case study 8
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‘VRET’ – VIRTUAL REALITY EXPOSURE THERAPY

This Case Study discusses the use of Virtual Reality Exposure

Therapy (VRET) for treating psychological disorders. It is with
respect to Chapter 8 of this book.
The patient under consideration was from USA Marine. He was
a male aged 29 years. For around seven months, he had been
deployed to the country ‘Iraq’. When he returned to his home
country US, he was found to be suffering from Post-Traumatic
Stress Disorder (PTSD). A period of around six months had been
already passed before he could be diagnosed for PTSD.
It was only when he attempted suicide, he had been hospitalised.
He was then diagnosed with PTSD. He was not allowed to join

S
his unit. He was then given Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy
(VRET). Under this technology, the soldier had to navigate through
digitally created environments and perform specially designed
tasks. The application of the technology can range from a simple
IM
PC and keyboard setup, to a modern virtual reality headset.
The soldier was exposed to a different variety of settings. He was
given the therapy under different environments such as Iraqi city,
desert, etc.
He was also exposed to different attacks in the battlefield. His
M

seating position was also changed to that of a passenger. The

content of full city scenario was presented to him during the
treatment involving Virtual Reality Exposure Therapy.
Because of the use of VRET, a rapid improvement was seen in
N

the patient’s condition. He had no longer attempted any suicidal

steps thereafter. He had been improving dramatically.
In various simulation sessions, normal behaviour was observed.
The readings of the vital parameters were also observed to be in
the usual range. Before VRET was applied to the patient, various
medical scores were as follows:

Particulars Score
BAI 28
PHQ-9 16
PCL-M 62

After the Therapy, these scores were as follows:

Particulars Score
BAI 22
PHQ-9 5
PCL-M 37

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The improvements in these scores indicated that his treatment

was successful and he was allowed to join back his unit. Thus,
the use of VRET was successful in the treatment of PTSD. VRET
helped the soldier to regain his position on duty and proved to be
a very helpful and effective therapy.

questions

1. What does the application of VRET require?

(Hint: The application of VRET can range from a simple
PC and keyboard setup, to a modern virtual reality
headset)
2. How VRET is helpful in therapy?

S
(Hint: VRET involves the creation of real-life scenarios
in the virtual environment for effective therapy. It lets
the patient experience the fearful scenario in a controlled
IMenvironment and assists the patient to come out of that
situation and behave as a normal human being.)
M
N

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 Case study 9: ‘SMART HOME’– A HOME AUTOMATION STUDY BASED ON IoT  239

Case study 9
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‘SMART HOME’– A HOME AUTOMATION STUDY

BASED ON IoT

This Case Study shows the use of IoT based devices and solutions for
Home Automation. It is with respect to Chapter 3 of the book.
IoT can be used for home automation. Various activities like
making fans and lights on/off, controlling room temperature, door
lock, entertainment devices and appliances can be controlled
remotely via voice or an app. There are some other things like
floor heating, hot water control, controlling tea/coffee vending
machine, oven, fridge, TV, air conditioner, ventilation, motion
sensing, alarm systems, dimming the lights when nobody in
the room, changing the room lighting and ambience based on
mood, door and window curtains, heating and cooling, energy

S
consumption, etc. can be efficiently managed and controlled with
the help of IoT based solutions.
It may result in a lot of time and cost savings, convenience,
IM
comfort, safety, improved overall efficiency, remote monitoring
and control and above all home security.
Some of the components / equipment where IoT used are shown
in the following figure.
M
N

Source: http://www.vesternet.com

Let’s consider the case of John Lawrence’s home automation.

He wanted to have home automation for comfort, safety, energy
efficiency and security. He selected ‘Z-Wave’ system for home
automation from ‘Vesternet’.

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Source: http://www.vesternet.com

He has chosen the central system called ‘Z-Wave Fibaro Home

Center 2 System’. He is using an ‘IR Blaster’ to manage a TV
through his mobile. ‘Fibaro Universal Dimmer’ to control

S
overhead lights. ‘TKB Dimmer Sockets’ to control fans and lamps.
This socket can plug into his existing outlets on a wall. All these
can be managed using a timer or remotely.
IM
The garden sprinkler is controlled using a ‘TKB On/Off Socket’.
A water valve is connected to this socket via an adapter of 12 volt.
The central Fibaro system also knows whether you are present in
home or not. When you arrive at home, you will be greeted with
a welcome note on your phone or may be via speaker installed
in your home. John is also having motion detector and camera
M

installed in his home.

N

Source: http://www.vesternet.com

Source: http://www.vesternet.com

In the kitchen, to control the lights under the cabinet and on the
ceiling, there is a module called ‘Fibaro Universal Dimmer’. In
addition to this, depending on the existing light/brightness in the
room, the lights on the ceiling can be turned on using ‘Aeon Labs

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Multisensor’. The other information such as temperature, motion

and humidity is also shared by the Multisensor with the Fibaro so
that the home’s heating and cooling can be managed better.
In the hall and landing there are ‘Megaman LED Lamp GU10
lights’. The Fibaro Universal Dimmer controls these lights along
with the Multisensor. The lights are activated or deactivated if
someone enters in a room or goes away. These LED Lamps help
him to cut the energy bill by consuming less electricity (up to
80%). Even at night, if someone leaves the bedroom, the lights
come on to 5% automatically. It reduces the pain of bright light.

S
IM
Source: http://www.vesternet.com

In bedroom also, lights are set such that they gently go on fading
up to 50% in the morning from 6 to 6:30 am to help him wake up
gently.
M

Now consider the case of bathroom, John is also not required to

remember to turn on/off the shower or the exhaust fan as this
is also taken care by the system by detecting light and humidity
levels.
N

Thus, by making the decision to automate his home by using

IoT based smart products; John reaped various benefits such as
comfort, safety, convenience, security and ease of control. He also
need not worry to turn on / off the home appliances when away
from home or on vacation as all this is taken care by the system
to automatically turn off appliances when not in use or required.

questions

1. What are the advantages of Home Automation?

(Hint: ease of control, comfort, safety, convenience,
security, remote monitoring and control, energy efficiency,
cost savings etc.)
2. How is it beneficial for the garden?
(Hint: We can have automated water sprinkling
mechanism which can sprinkle water on to the garden as
and when needed by monitoring the temperature and soil
water content).

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Case study 10
n o t e s

‘ONFARM SYSTEMS’– DRIVING SIMPLE FARMING TO

A NEW DECISION FARMING BASED ON IoT

This case Study explains the use of IoT based solutions for Smart
Agriculture. It is with respect to Chapter 3 of the book.

S
IM Source: https://www.linkit.nl

OnFarm Systems was founded in 2011 by Lance Donny. It is

headquartered in Fresno, CA, US. Its goal was simple – connecting
and managing machine-to-machine devices with the settings
related with agriculture.
M
N

Source: www.onfarm.com

The use of technology in agriculture is to yield maximum

production of crops, vegetables and other related products while
efficiently managing the available resources and the already
limited or constrained budget. So, it is required that there
should be precise knowledge of various farming variables and
environmental readings. It requires three important factors to be
optimised namely cost, production and risk avoidance.
IoT gives farmers an ability to understand these factors on a very
fine grained level and let them manage the existing resources
very effectively in order to yield maximum possible production at
a reduced cost.
Moister content in soil, weather conditions, etc. play an important
role in crop production. Since old age, farmers are using their
own instincts for making farm related decisions. But these were
ad-hoc and experience based decisions. The chances of success
were not confirmed.

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 Case study 10: ‘ONFARM SYSTEMS’– DRIVING SIMPLE FARMING TO
A NEW DECISION FARMING BASED ON IoT  243

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Source: www.t3.gstatic.com Source: www.t0.gstatic.com

But now in the age of IoT, we can precisely measure and calculate
farm related parameters and make more accurate predictions.
This result in increased crop production, reduced cost, effective
resource utilisation and reduction in risk factor.
The founder of ‘OnFarm Systems’, Lance Donny very early

S
understood this. He envisioned that the Internet and cloud
based services can be utilised very effectively for capturing farm
related data, storing it in a database and performing analysis on
IM
the captured data. The data obtained from farm sensors can be
combined with the weather data in order to make better and more
informed decisions.
M
N

Source: www.t2.gstatic.com

Also based on the analysis, recommendations and alerts can be

given to the concerned persons/devices. Based on these alerts and
recommendations, many activities like water sprinkling, fertiliser
usage, pest control, etc. can be performed automatically and time
to time.
Thus, automation of the whole agricultural chain can be done
by using IoT based solutions and services to effectively manage
overall farm-related activities resulting in maximum product
yield with minimised risk and at a reduced cost.
It also helps in water conservation as only the required amount
of water and at the required area and time can be provided
resulting in overall effective water consumption. It also results
in environmental protection by making effective utilisation of
available resources.

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Source: https://www.imgtec.com

S
IoT provides entirely new features and capabilities to farm related
services, businesses and helps to transform traditional way of
doing agriculture into a decision based smart agriculture.
IM
questions

1. How does IoT benefit in smart agriculture?

(Hint: IoT helps us to precisely measure and calculate
farm-related parameters and make more accurate
M

predictions.)
2. What are the three important factors in farming that
needs to be optimised?
(Hint: Cost, production and risk avoidance)
N

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 Case study 11: ‘HCS’ – AN IoT BASED HUMAN CONDITION SAFETY STARTUP  245

Case study 11
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‘HCS’ – AN IoT BASED HUMAN CONDITION SAFETY STARTUP

This Case Study explains the use of IoT in making human safety
wearables. This case study is related to Chapter 6.
Human Condition Safety (HCS) startup was founded in 2014. It
is headquartered in New York, US. It uses IoT to make Human
Safety Wearables. These IoT based safety wearables are used
at construction and other accident-prone sites for the safety of
humans. These wearables are like smart vest, smart hat, etc.
Smart vest can detect the wearer’s back-side bending. Smart hat
can detect when the wearer encounters any fall. Some wearables
can observe spine alignment when the wearer picks up any load.
These wearables are enabled with Bluetooth and have got various

S
sensors. The company’s wearable technology aims to have safer
work sites. It wants to reduce onsite accidents, injuries, deaths and
any other calamities to human life. It would in turn save human
lives and large expenditures on the medication of preventable
IM
accidents and injuries as well as insurance.
These IoT based wearables from HCS let managers and onsite
workers prevent any unwanted accident or injury before any
unpleasant event happens. Human Condition Safety makes tools
for preventing accidents/injuries at high risk job sites. It makes
use of IoT based wearable devices, cloud computing, artificial
M

intelligence and machine learning, analytics, etc. in order to have a

range of products that will be used in various accident-prone sites
and industries such as construction, oil and gas, manufacturing,
etc.
N

Recently, HCS has also developed a product based on virtual

reality that is useful for on-the-job training regarding health and
safety. The virtual reality product is named as ‘SafeScan’. The
construction site workers can be trained for heavy and risky tasks
using virtual reality headsets. All this can be done in the safety
and comfort of a room.
For example, workers can do the practice/exercise of unloading
materials from the vehicle/truck/crane, etc. in a virtual
environment. The other thing is that the practice can be repeated
again and again until workers get trained and skilled to do tasks.
Doing the practice of heavy/risky tasks is completely safe as it is
done totally in a safe virtual environment. It thus eliminates or
reduces the chances of accidents and injuries.
The data gathered from usage and training can be combined
with geographic data and then analysed for future alerts and
recommendations. Thus, it can be used very effectively to prevent
accidents and injuries before any unpleasant event occurs.

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questions

1. What is HCS?
(Hint: HCS is a ‘Human Condition Safety’ startup. It uses
IoT to make human safety wearable.)
2. What is the role of IoT in HCS equipment?
(Hint: HCS makes IoT based safety wearables that are
used at various accident-prone sites such as construction,
oil and gas etc. These wearables are enabled with
Bluetooth and have got various sensors.)

S
IM
M
N

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 Case study 12: ‘ESMI’ – AN IoT BASED ELECTRICITY SUPPLY MONITORING INITIATIVE  247

Case study 12
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‘ESMI’ – AN IoT BASED ELECTRICITY SUPPLY

MONITORING INITIATIVE

This Case Study explains the use of IoT for Electricity Supply
Monitoring Initiative. It is with respect to Chapter 3 of the book.
Prayas is a not for profit organisation headquartered in Pune,
Maharashtra, India. It is registered as ‘Scientific and Industrial
Research Organisation’ with the ‘Government of India’ under the
Ministry of Science and Technology’s Department of Scientific
and Industrial Research.
It has various initiatives across a variety of sectors such as energy,
health, and learning, etc. It promotes and protects the public
interest. Its particular focus is on those sections of the society who

S
are underprivileged and disadvantaged.
The ‘Prayas Energy Group’ takes care and works on policy issues
related to energy sectors. It undertakes various activities like
IM
research and involvement in policy as well as regulatory domains.
It also conducts training, support and consciousness activities for
the different groups of civil society.
In India, especially, the consumers of electricity receive electricity
supply of poor quality. There is frequent load shedding, low levels
of voltage, interruptions etc. ESMI aims to monitor this and in turn
M

hope to improve it in association with the concerned agencies.

The Electricity Supply and Monitoring Initiative aims to give
feedback which is evidence based with regard to the quality of
the electricity supply. This feedback is shared among various
N

stakeholders related to the electricity domain such as distribution

companies, concerned government departments, policy and
regulatory bodies, consumer forums, etc.
For this, they have IoT enabled ‘Electricity Supply Monitors’
(ESM) across various locations such as commercial setups, farms,
household etc. It is a kind of ‘plug-in’ device that combines a
‘data logger’ with the ‘voltage recorder’. These can be installed at
various locations as mentioned above.
To make all this happen, they have used an IoT platform called
‘DatOnis’ from the company ‘Altizon’. It records the voltage at a
particular moment, at a particular site and transmits that data to
the server which is remotely located at a centralised location. This
data can be analysed and used for various scrutiny purposes. The
electricity supply, interruptions and quality can be observed and
compared with the promised one.
Through this ‘Electricity Supply and Monitoring Initiative’,
different civil society groups are advised to make use of this

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data and thereby make the concerned electricity stakeholders

accountable for their work, promises, expenditure, etc.
Prayas hopes that it would help in improving the overall quality
and fairness of electricity supply and distribution. One of the
special mentions about ESMI is that in 2013, it has been chosen
to be the finalist of the ‘Google Impact Challenge’ in India. It is
given to those Non-Government Organisations that make use of
the technology to have a profound Social Impact.

questions

1. What is ESMI?
(Hint: ESMI stands for Electricity Supply and Monitoring

S
Initiative. It aims to give feedback which is evidence based
with regard to the quality of the electricity supply.)
2. How is IoT useful in ESMI?
IM
(Hint: ESMI uses IoT enabled ‘Electricity Supply
Monitors’ across various locations such as commercial
setups, farms, and household etc.)
M
N

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