The connected devices also known as Internet of Things (IoT) has changed everything, everywhere. And at record speed. Today, the IoT is incredibly present in our daily reality. The IoT is the reason why we find dozens of flavors of cookies and soft drinks in any supermarket, thanks to the fact that the production lines driven by software can change a process quickly. And this is the reason why everyone, from the owner of a house to a building operator, can carefully monitor energy use. The benefits are incalculable.
The connected equipment can alert farmers when to adjust their irrigation systems remotely depending on the wind and the weather conditions that are being given in real-time, allowing them to save on water and the energy of the irrigation pumps. They can also improve the efficiency of industrial robots.
They are examples of what we see today in IoT. But what is to come is even more exciting. This is where Artificial Intelligence comes in. The AI is taking the IoT to the next level. This jump is especially important as we face three megatrends – urbanization, industrialization, and digitalization – that demand that we all do more with less, including energy.
At AppStudio, we are taking advantage of the Big Bang of the first days of the IoT (that is, Big Data), other transformative technologies such as sensors and mobility, and its great present: artificial intelligence (AI).
The fundamental reality is that we are entering a cycle of transformation in almost all industries thanks to AI and extended connectivity. Soon, your car will also be connected and will be able to inform you when you have to take it to the mechanic for a maintenance check. We may even see self-repairing machines and equipment in factories and data centers with digital services.
Connected devices and AI concepts are more real today than they have been at any time in the past. However, for companies to be aware of the full potential of IoT, they need to combine it with Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies that advance rapidly, which allows “intelligent machines” to simulate intelligent behavior and make decisions with full knowledge of cause and with minimal or no human intervention.
The volume of data collected by IoT devices is overwhelming. And the amount does nothing but grow exponentially every day. The most recent estimate is that 30 million devices will be connected to the Internet by 2020 (IHS, March 2016). Therefore, it is imperative that we find a way to convert data into tangible value. AI is the solution.
In short, the big data feeds the AI, which gives all these data meaning through automatic learning (as in predictive maintenance), augmented reality (data in context) and “deep learning” (technology that it mimics the brain’s ability to learn). Collecting data is an issue, but organizing, analyzing and making sense of this data is completely different. That is why it is essential to develop a faster and more accurate AI, to accompany the huge volume of data that is being collected as the IoT begins to penetrate almost all aspects of our lives.
At AppStudio, we promote AI technologies to transform data into practical knowledge. Our core software enabled with IoT is our “vehicle” to do so. We have joined the management of energy, automation, connectivity, and software so that our customers can compete in the current digital economy with an IoT architecture.
Knowing that the data comes from any device imaginable, from any manufacturer and supplier, we have made our development an interoperable system. It collects the data of our products and systems, but also of the products of others, to create knowledge. In turn, users can make effective decisions based on the business.
Automation, and innovation to a new level
The intersection between the AI and the IoT takes innovation to another level:
- Open new frontiers to explore business sectors and disruptive income models
- Reinvent the interactions between man and machine
- Create systems that learn from the data they process
From data to business decision
Buildings are more connected than ever, and collecting your data is easier than ever, but simply having more and more data does not solve any need most of the time. The best way to turn that digital data into valuable data is with the AI. There is no traditional way of doing it, no model. Only IA deep learning technologies will allow us to improve, transforming current static approaches to more dynamic ones in real-time.
Customer Support
AI can help support clients proactively. So far with an electrical panel, for example, if a problem is detected or predicted, someone has to go to operate the machine to fix it. With the AI applications, the technician can connect with our technical support team in front of the machine. Next, customer support automatically correlates current system data with data history of other cases resolved in similar applications. This is the intersection between structured data in real-time and unstructured data in our customer service database. It is fundamentally reinventing the customer experience.
Training and safety
Virtual reality (VR) training applications can close the gap with the retirement of experienced workers in capital-intensive industries. The RV is powered by the new generation of experts in computer science and videogames, which represents the new qualified workforce. It also raises the bar for multimedia training. More importantly, the VR is a powerful training tool. Improves the management of the response in critical situations for security that are impossible to replicate in real life.
Visual macro data
It will allow computers to gain a deeper knowledge of images on the screen with new AI applications that understand the context of images.
Connected and remote operations
With intelligent and connected warehouse operations, workers will no longer have to wander around the warehouse picking up products from the shelves to complete an order. Instead, the shelves will move through the corridors guided by small robotic platforms that deliver the right inventory in the right place, avoiding collisions along the way. Filling an order is faster, safer and more effective.
Preventive and predictive maintenance
Save millions of companies before a breakdown or leak by predicting and preventing places and the time when these situations could take place.
AI in the global market
More than half a century ago the mathematician John McCarthy defined Artificial Intelligence. Since then, hundreds of researchers have devoted their careers to making machines think. Its expansion beyond the borders of computer science and robotics is, however, recent. More and more companies are investing in AI solutions, but their adoption is still low.
According to Gartner, one of the world’s leading research and advisory company, about 6,000 million dollars in Artificial Intelligence solutions will be invested in the next year. In 2021 it is expected to be 29,000 million. However, only one in five companies that were aware of the potential of the AI has opted for this technology in the last year, according to a McKinsey report.
And what are these potentialities? What do those who have bet on thinking machines have to say to help them in their business? Citing a final report, Turning AI into concrete value: the successful implementers, published by NYT, these are the three great advantages that have been pointed out by more than 70% of the companies that have implemented Artificial Intelligence in their processes.
- Access to new information, innovative points of view and better data analysis
- Development of a more creative organization
- Improvement in internal and external decision making
