2009 Horizon Report Economic Development Edition

Four to Five Years: Smart Objects

Time-to-Adoption Horizon: Four to Five Years

Smart objects provide a link between physical objects and information about those objects or their surroundings. Smart objects are supported by a variety of underlying technologies and have been in use in the consumer world for some time, especially in their simpler forms such as QR codes and RFID tags. More sophisticated smart objects rely on microprocessors and sensors that are becoming smaller and cheaper, enabling their use in a wider range of physical objects. Networks of smart objects communicate information about the environment, people, goods, and services that facilitates resource management in a number of industries, including shipping and delivery services, medicine, food services, and transportation.

Overview

A smart object is a physical thing that is connected to electronic information or capable of making contact with other objects because it contains supporting technology that, minimally, includes an identifier. The supporting technology can be nothing more than an attached or embedded tag like a barcode, a quick response (QR) code, or an RFID tag; or it can be as complex as a microcomputer built into the object. Increasingly tiny and flexible sensors can be designed into everyday objects like pens or key fobs.

Smart objects that employ attached tags have been in common use for a long time; although they are not themselves new, we are seeing emerging applications that enable consumers to interact with and manage such objects in new ways at home. Using a webcam to scan the barcode on a book, video or CD, consumers can automatically add new purchases to a personal inventory using software that looks up the title based on the ISBN. Posters advertising upcoming concerts sometimes include QR codes that lead to detailed information on the web about the performers — an interested passerby need only take a quick photo using a mobile device, and the information is there at his or her fingertips.

More complex types of smart objects hold greater promise for changing the way we interact with the physical world. Those that can sense and communicate with other smart objects and report their own history and status can be used to collect marketing information, to monitor medical patients remotely, or to keep an eye on conditions in a home or office building that affect energy usage. It is already possible to monitor home power consumption remotely with Tweet-a-Watt, or to receive a report on road conditions from a smart tire. Smart labels in clothing and other products allow consumers to verify the authenticity of their purchases as well as to engage with the brand in online spaces.

A key factor in the realization of widespread adoption and use of smart objects will be the standard for assigning unique identifiers. In order to distinguish your smart mop or tire or appliance from your neighbor’s, an enormous number of unique identifiers is required. Likewise, in order for software tools to be able to access and work with the IDs of smart objects you own, the system for assigning those numbers must be understood and adhered to by the producers of both the objects and the tools. Organizations such as the Internet Protocol for Smart Objects Alliance (IPSO) are promoting one particular standard, Internet protocol (IP), as the one to be used for tracking smart objects. Some fifty companies, including Cisco, Intel, Sun, and others, have joined IPSO since its inception in January 2009.

IPSO is also working toward the general implementation of the next version of Internet protocol, IP version 6 (IPv6). The Internet today is supported by IPv4, and although the organization recognizes that interoperability with IPv4 is important, IPSO takes the position that additional features of IPv6 such as increased address space and address auto-configuration present a strong case for its adoption.

Relevant Applications for Small to Medium Businesses

One opportunity for business development around smart objects lies in the development of integrated smart systems that communicate with the environment — and with other smart systems — to assist in the day-to-day activities of living, research and education, work, and play. From the most basic smart objects that simply communicate something about themselves, such as smart packaging that “knows” where it is going and what it contains, all the way up to products with embedded technology that can communicate with one another, networks of smart objects have the potential to make a wide range of information readily, and remotely, available.

Energy management systems, environmental sensor networks, and medical devices already make use of smart object technology for remote monitoring. Utility companies in California, including Southern California Edison (SCE), San Diego Gas and Electric (SDG&E), and Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E) have begun to explore smart metering to measure and control utility consumption. Wireless sensor networks measure bridge stability after earthquakes and monitor floods and wildfires. In the field of medicine, cardio monitors and other smart technologies take measurements and report vital statistics to remote medical professionals.

Smart objects can provide information that helps workers perform more efficiently. Smart packaging, used to indicate whether products have been exposed to unsafe conditions during transit, enables personnel at supermarkets to quickly assess whether perishable shipments are safe for sale by checking a temperature sensor on the outside of the box. The Swedish company Cypak (http://wwwcypak.com) produces smart packaging for medical products, including a special tamper-evident seal for sensitive pharmaceuticals that also monitors environmental conditions such as heat and humidity during transportation and storage so that medical personnel and consumers know that the products are in good shape upon arrival. SafeTScribe’s smart ink (http://www.safetscribe.com) performs a similar function, changing color if exposed to temperature extremes.

Consumer products are also beginning to appear that make use of smart object technology for home use and hobbies. Schlage’s keyless lock system, LiNK (http://link.schlage.com), enables homeowners to remotely monitor when kids arrive home, change thermostat settings, turn lamps on and off, and more. SafePlug electrical outlets (http://www.safeplugs.com), designed for home or business use, read safety information embedded in tagged device plugs and turn off the power to outlets when they are unused or when a fire hazard is detected.

Tikitag (http://www.tikitag.com) and Violet’s Mir:ror (http://www.violet.net) include attractive, relatively inexpensive kits for creating smart objects at home using stick-on tags, USB tag readers, and easy-to-use interfaces for programming certain functions on a home computer that happen when the tag is scanned. Such systems are used to keep track of personal collections, to play certain music when an object is scanned, or to create simple controls for launching programs, such as starting a child’s favorite computer game when a certain toy is placed on the scanner. No particular technical expertise is required to use these kits, making smart object technology approachable and accessible at the consumer level.

A sampling of applications of smart objects across industries includes the following:

• Agriculture and Food Safety. TraceTracker, developed in Norway, is a system for tracking every aspect of food production, from the feed given to dairy and meat animals to individual components in processed and packaged foods. TraceTracker is being implemented widely in China as part of a government-mandated program to improve food safety and accountability for food producers.
• Hospitality. Using smart technology, China’s Hangzhou Dragon Hotel has teamed with IBM to create a high-tech, luxury experience. Among the services offered: each hotel room will automatically adjust to provide media in a guest’s national language; preferences for temperature, brightness, and humidity will be pre-arranged to mimic an at-home environment; and guests will be able to check themselves in at self-service kiosks.
• Viticulture. A number of Napa Valley vineyards use smart technology on their labels to assure consumers of authenticity. Prooftag, Kodak Traceless, and Certilogo are among the companies offering products to eliminate risk of counterfeit bottles being put into circulation.

Smart Objects in Practice

The following links provide examples of smart objects in business settings.

Active Tire Pressure and Temperature Monitoring
http://www.smartire.com
Smart Tire’s wireless monitoring system alerts users of problems regarding a tire’s integrity before it becomes dangerous.

Certilogo
http://www.certilogo.com/company/business-solutions?cl=en
Using radio-frequency identification tags (RFIDs) and barcodes, Certilogo provides several services to merchants, including fraud protection and in-the-moment market trends.

Engineer Creates ‘Smart’ Bandage to Test Cholesterol
http://www.sciencecentric.com/news/article.php?q=08051501
(Science Centric, 15 May 2008.) A smart bandage replaces the need for a needle. The adhesive bandage reads a person’s biochemistry through the skin, so those fearful of needles needn’t avoid important medical tests.

First Wi-Fi Pacemaker in US Gives Patient Freedom
http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE5790AK20090810
(Ben Gruber, Reuters, 10 August 2009.) A wireless pacemaker that collects data and communicates over the Internet will immediately alert a patient and her doctor of an abnormal cardiac event.

HarvestMark
http://www.harvestmark.com
HarvestMark is a system that allows growers, shippers, sellers, and consumers to trace produce. By entering a code from the product’s label on the HarvestMark website, the tracker can learn about the variety of crop, location of harvest, food safety information, path in transit, and more.

Siftables: Making the Digital Physical
http://www.siftables.com
Siftables are smart objects with a digital display that can sense location, orientation, and proximity to other Siftables. Like children’s blocks, Siftables can be moved and stacked; but they can also be juxtaposed in different patterns to spell, create music, solve math problems, and communicate with one another.

For Further Reading

The following articles and resources are recommended for those who wish to learn more about smart objects.

EPoSS Strategic Research Agenda 2009
http://www.smart-systems-integration.org/public/news-events/news/eposs-strategic-research-agenda-2009-published
(EPoSS, 10 March 2009.) This comprehensive report from the European Technology Platform on Smart Systems describes the use of smart objects in a variety of industries, including automotive, healthcare, aerospace, and more.

Food Safety at the Crossroads
http://www.foodengineeringmag.com/Articles/Article_Rotation/BNP_GUID_9-5-2006_A_10000000000000539226
(Wayne Labs, FoodEngineering, 1 March 2009.) Smart labels expedite the ability to recall tainted foods. This article describes the process and illustrates it with case studies.

IP for Smart Objects
http://www.sics.se/~adam/dunkels08ipso.pdf
(Adam Dunkels, JP Vasseur, for IPSO Alliance, September 2008.) According to the authors, Internet Protocol (IP), already a prevalent form of technological communication, is poised to lead the way in making the “Internet of things” a reality. Interconnectivity of electronic devices via IP is discussed.

MPedigree’s Rx for Counterfeit Drugs
http://www.businessweek.com/globalbiz/content/dec2008/gb2008123_027994.htm?chan=globalbiz_special+report+--+tech+pioneers+of+2009_special+report+-+tech+pioneers+of+2009
(Jennifer L. Schenker, BusinessWeek, 3 December 2008.) To counteract the sale of counterfeit prescription drugs, mPedigree offers a built-in security system which lets consumers check online the authenticity of their medication.

Power Smart Grid
http://www.lbxjournal.com/node/260011
(Jay Stinson, LBx Journal, 20 July 2009.) In environmentally progressive states (like California), using a smart grid to monitor and curb energy output not only makes sound financial sense, it helps businesses comply with the law. This article describes the smart grid and how it saves money for the business owner.

Product Managers & Marketers: What the Internet of Things Means For You
http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/product_managers_marketers_internet_of_things.php
(Richard MacManus, ReadWriteWeb, 11 August 2009.) Smart objects and the ubiquitous nature of the Internet hold myriad possibilities for targeted consumer marketing and customer satisfaction. This article offers several examples of how the “Internet of things” will benefit businesses.

Delicious: Smart Objects
http://delicious.com/tag/hz09biz+smartobject
Follow this link to find additional resources tagged for this topic and this edition of the Horizon Report. To add to this list, simply tag resources with “hz09biz” and “smartobject” when you save them to Delicious.