Connected Car, Wearable Things and IoT: Hot Topics at CES 2014

The 2014 Consumer Electronics Show surprised everyone again, not so much for the smartphones and the classic highlights of the event held in Las Vegas, but rather for the presentation of the connected cars, wearable technology and devices that, thanks to M2M technology and the Internet of Things (IoT), are becoming increasingly smarter.

As an early step towards the so-called ‘connected car’, announcements during the CES centred on the integration of passengers’ digital life into the automobile, harnessing the smartphone’s features without having to either touch or look at it. “The focus was mainly placed on the so-called ‘Infotainment’: music, movies and other services and applications geared to enhance the driver’s and passengers’ experience,” says Rafael Cabrera, M2M Global Business Development Manager at Telefónica.

The ‘connected car’ is becoming a differentiating factor among automotive manufacturers. Yet not only Ford, Toyota, General Motors or Mercedes Benz were in the spotlight this time, but also technology companies such as Google that, together with Audi, GM, Honda and Hyundai, have formed the Open Automotive Alliance, with the aim of bringing the Android platform to cars.

Other companies, such as the Chinese firm Huawei, showed some aftermarket M2M solutions that can be integrated as modules into standard cars. However, in the near future M2M technology is expected to be fully integrated to vehicles from the very assembly line.

Thanks to M2M technology the truly ‘connected’ cars will be able to interconnect with the road and react intelligently to the information provided by the various devices and infrastructures.

Wearable devices had a massive presence at the CES, ranging from augmented reality glasses, smart T-shirts, sport bras… all the way to socks. Everything carries the word “smart” thanks to sensors and Wi-Fi connections, NFC and Bluetooth. However, they still depend on the connectivity of the user’s mobile phone. Health and fitness wearables played the leading role.

Where IoT and M2M technology displayed their greatest potential though was in the developments relating to Home Automation and the Smart Home: surveillance modules, cameras, climatization, etc. “Connected appliances are already a reality,” says Rafael Cabrera. “Today connectivity is normally provided by Wi-Fi, which gives users a good idea about the existing potentialities.”

However, this kind of devices still depends on the household being connected and requires certain technical configurations. “The trend is that this will evolve and change towards a connectivity provided by mobile networks by an embedded SIM card, that is, M2M technology as such”, states Cabrera. “M2M technology will offer increased functionalities and reliability and a better quality of service.”

10 key challenges of the Connected Car

The Connected Car Industry Report takes a deep look into an ever-growing industry that alongside the vast opportunities it offers will have to face a series of challenges. As seen in the report, these can be summed up in the following 10 points.
There is a disconnect between mobile and automotive industry lifecycles
Automotive OEM manufacturers work on 5 year cycles as opposed to the constant operating system upgrades and new applications we have at our disposal. The difference in lifecycles between both industries is starting to be tackled by some manufacturers through taking a modular approach to the technologies they have deployed in their vehicles.
Automotive OEMS fully prepared for connectivity regulation
Vehicle manufactures are already prepared to comply with regulation mandatories such as the e-Call, although to what extent and when these requirements will be implemented remains unknown.
Built-in vs brought-in connectivity
The Connected Car industry is still divided between dedicated connections or smartphone tethering. The pros and cons of built-in vs brought-in connectivity or a combination of both are still fueling a debate about how to connect the car.
Collaborative business models must be developed between operators and OEMs
Mobile operators are key to supporting automotive OEMs with connectivity solutions. However, objectives between the two vary creating challenges such as overcoming the permanent roaming prohibition in some countries.
Connected car will cause an upheaval in the traditional dealership model
It is of upmost importance to continue working on the relationship between automotive manufacturers and dealers to ultimately benefit the customer.
Connected car will lead to new types of ownership model being developed
Car sharing is just one example of the many forms of mobility and car ownership models that the connected lifestyle and Connected Car will bring.
Autonomous vehicles are not on the immediate agenda for most OEMs
Semi-autonomous vehicles are certainly on the horizon, but autonomous vehicles based on autonomous driving technologies or vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure solutions are still on the long-term roadmap.
Payment models for how consumers pay for connected car services are still not yet developed
Connected Car services entail added costs which automotive OEMs will need to justify to the customer who is used to a one-off payment when purchasing a car.
Manufacturers remain cautious towards the open app ecosystem
Due to security and reliability issues, innovation in Connected Cars will be more restricted in comparison with the smartphone app market.
A connected lifestyle is a given
The report stresses that the Connected Car is no longer an option but a necessity which meets customers’ expectations of continuous connectivity.
read more: M2M Solutions

Chile faces challenges for mining, Four-Faith provides M2M solutions

Around one third of the copper in the world comes from Chile, according to the International Copper Study Group. This means more than 10% of its GDP and 47% of its exports. Moreover, thanks to the copper, Chile’s economy is growing by nearly 6% annually with impressive low inflation and unemployment rates. The economic landscape is looking bright for Chile but its mining sector faces some challenges.

The country has a strong dependency on China. As the world’s first manufacturer, China buys 40% of the total production of copper for hundreds of applications (wiring, electronics, architecture, etc) so Chilean exports and the price of the metal depends mostly on its demand.  Another challenge  -also related with exportation- is the competitiveness of other countries for the production such as USA and even China itself.

As copper resources are not infinite, the mining sector in Chile should focus on increasing its efficiency and profitability to strengthen its leadership and overcome this competitiveness. Machine-To-Machine technologies can approach these issues in several ways.Every mine requires several big haul trucks to carry tens of tons of ore. Their location and loads must be meticulously controlled.Fleet management technologies, with the flow of data provided by M2M sensors in trucks, can carry out this duty with great efficiency.

Furthermore, mining installations and machinery can improve its processes thanks to the Managed connectivity solutions. It increases productivity and reduces costs thanks to the automation, Real Time management and optimization that M2M sensors and data provides.

However, it is not all about production and control of machines. Mining workers are exposed to some dangers inherent to their activity. Chile is very conscious of these risks because, unfortunately, it suffered infamous accidents in the past. In this sense, human safety must be key for mining companies. M2M can help to improve safety with adapted e-health solutions: workers can wear M2M sensors that immediately send alerts if its body movement is not detected or something else goes wrong, speeding up emergency assistance. This is especially useful for lone workers at huge mines who at times can find themselves to be several kilometers away from their most close colleagues.

Competitiveness for the mining sector is becoming stronger but Chile has all the elements to face the challenges. M2M solutions are and will be among these elements.