Daily Management Review

IBM invests $ 200 million in the Internet of Things


10/06/2016


IBM invests more than $ 200 million in opening of a new global headquarters for a business unit called Watson Internet of Things (IoT) in Munich. Watson IoT develops new IoT solutions for blockchain and security technologies.



Dennis van Zuijlekom
Dennis van Zuijlekom
In addition, IBM named a number of customers and partners that would obtain tangible results after introduction and use of technology Watson IoT. The technology helps to receive information from a variety of sensors embedded in machinery, vehicles, drones and their individual elements, such as bearings or sensors installed in hospitals.

Currently, more than 6 thousand IBM customers use Watson IoT solutions. Their number has increased by half over the past eight months. The Munich headquartered will be the first cognitive IoT "call laboratory". Customers and business partners can work together with teams of researchers, engineers, developers and IBM business consultants in Munich. Here are a few recent examples of companies and organizations that have already implemented Watson IoT.

Schaeffler, a German industrial giant, and one of the global suppliers of automotive and industrial equipment. The company plans to analyze large massive of information received from millions of sensors and devices in the production process. These insights help the company become more flexible, react quickly, and optimize technical characteristics of equipment.

Aerialtronics, a Dutch company, is a designer and manufacturer of industrial unmanned aerial vehicles. Recently, it introduced first commercial drones with cognitive computing capabilities thanks to Watson IoT on the IBM Cloud platform. Aerialtronics drones will be used for monitoring urban roads, observation of wind generators and oil platforms, and to audit condition of cell phone towers. The drones equipped with high-resolution cameras and Watson Visual Recognition sensors will provide an instant all-round visibility with interpretation of what they saw.

Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, located in Philadelphia, PA. (USA), in collaboration with IBM is working on cognitive wards. Watson IoT, in particular, will allow patients to voice commands to control light and curtains in the room, or receive background information about the hospital and doctors.

Smart sensors is one of the most popular and actively developing segments of IoT market. Mobile Experts analytics team believes that 48 million smart sensors are installed housing and communal services in every year. The most common technologies include FSK, and Wi-Fi. Also, the measuring devices use cellular networks. Governments around the world are now investing heavily in development of smart sensors and "smart electricity networks."

For example, the British government set a goal to install 53 million smart sensors by 2020 year. Also, officials from the European Union are determined to ensure that 80% of households are equipped innovative devices for measuring electricity and natural gas. In Asia, the technology developed largely thanks to China. According to Navigant Research company, there will be about 850 million measuring devices in four years in the world. The organization’s report lists leading countries in the development of the IoT-tech – those are China, the US and Japan.

source: engadget.com