But how did we get to the point where most of us know nothing about how our clothes are made? In short, when <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fast_fashion">fast fashion </a>began developing in the 1990s, companies felt immense pressure to lower consumer prices and brand costs. To achieve this goal, they moved their factories overseas, where labor was cheaper, and sourcing materials became more difficult. This created incredibly intricate supply chains that are now basically impossible to decipher.The good news is that blockchain technology can potentially change the fashion industry for the better by making it more sustainable. With blockchain, every time a garment changes hands – from supplier to manufacturer to retailer – that information is recorded securely and transparently.This would allow consumers to see exactly where their clothes come from and how they were made. It would also allow brands to track their products more effectively, which would help to reduce waste and ensure that garments are made in accordance with sustainable practices. In other words, blockchain could make accountability and sustainability fashionable.<h2>Blockchain + fashion = transparency</h2>Many people think of blockchain in terms of its banking and manufacturing applications, but it has many other potential uses. For example, "blockchain as a service" is proving successful in responsible sourcing and intelligent tracking in <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/blockchain-salmon-tracking.html">the food supply chain</a>. However, some industries still have yet to catch on, even though using blockchain could help them avoid costly preventable losses.Though the luxury retail business is not typically known for being tech-savvy, changing consumer demand forces luxury companies to reconsider their historical aversion to technology investments. If they dedicated funds to exploring blockchain technology, it would proactively respond to existing counterfeit problems, costing this industry approximately USD 3 trillion annually.Luxury retailers aren't the only ones hurt by this loss - bottom lines are taking a hit, as well as long-term brand perception and consumer trust."But hold on, how does it help the fashion industry be more transparent?"Transparency is one of the most critical issues in the fashion industry, as many garments are produced in developing countries with little oversight. Because of this, it can be difficult for consumers to tell if a garment was made ethically and sustainably. With blockchain, every step of the production process could be recorded and monitored, from sourcing the materials to manufacturing the garment to shipping it to the store. This would allow consumers to make informed choices about the clothing they purchase and help ensure that brands are held accountable for their supply chains.<blockquote>Engagement in sustainability has deepened during the COVID-19 crisis, with European consumers wanting fashion players to act responsibly and consider the social and environmental impacts of their businesses.&nbsp;- <a href="https://www.mckinsey.com/industries/retail/our-insights/survey-consumer-sentiment-on-sustainability-in-fashion">"Consumer sentiment on sustainability in fashion"</a>- McKinsey</blockquote>In addition, blockchain could also be used to track inventory and protect against counterfeiting. By tagging each item with a unique identifier, retailers could know precisely where an item is at all times and be confident that the item is genuine. This would not only save businesses money, but it would also protect consumers from inadvertently purchasing fake goods.<h2>Fashion brands on the move</h2>Authenticity and transparency are becoming increasingly important to luxury goods consumers, who are turning away from brands that don't offer these qualities. In response, some companies are beginning to experiment with blockchain.For example, in 2018, <a href="https://www.ibm.com/blogs/think/uk-en/burberry-supports-ibm-interns-to-develop-prototype-system-for-product-traceability/">Burberry partnered with IBM </a>to launch a blockchain platform that would track the provenance of its products. The goal was to give consumers confidence that they were buying genuine Burberry products and to help the company fight against counterfeiting. So far, the platform has been used to track the progress of more than 100,000 products.Other companies are also beginning to explore blockchain's potential. In 2020, a blockchain consortium called <a href="https://auraluxuryblockchain.com/">Aura</a> was launched. In addition to Louis Vuitton, some of its members are Prada, Richemont, OTB, and Cartier. It has now generated more than 15 million digital tokens that act as a link between luxury products and a data portal.These are just a few examples of how blockchain is being used in the fashion industry to create more transparency and accountability. As more companies begin to see the potential of this technology, we'll likely see even more brands added to this list.<h2>Challenges facing the implementation of blockchain in the fashion industry</h2>The advantages of blockchain for fashion are clear. But there are also some challenges that need to be addressed before this technology can be widely adopted.One of the biggest challenges is education. Many people in the fashion industry are still unfamiliar with blockchain and how it works. This lack of understanding can make it difficult to get buy-in from key decision-makers.A second concern hampering blockchain's proliferation in the fashion industry is that there are no set standards. Because blockchain is still a relatively new technology, there is no agreed-upon set of standards for how it should be used. This lack of standardization makes it difficult for different companies to interoperate and can lead to customer confusion and frustration.Another challenge is the high cost of implementing blockchain technology. While the long-term savings and benefits of using blockchain may be significant, the upfront costs can be prohibitive for many companies and significantly smaller businesses.Finally, another challenge facing blockchain in the fashion industry is scalability. As the fashion industry is a global one, any blockchain solution needs to be able to handle a large number of transactions from all over the world. This can be a difficult feat for blockchain technology, which is still in its early stages of development.<figure class="image image-style-align-center"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/onio/image/upload/v1666950567/onio-website/2022-10-08/onio_fashion_items_b71f361574.jpg"></figure><h2>Why ONiO.zero makes sense for the fashion industry</h2>The key is to combine the security of blockchain technology with the added safety of a physical (hardware) and digital seal. That's precisely what is attainable with ONiO.zero.ONiO.zero is a wireless and batteryless microcontroller that comes equipped with sensors for temperature and tampering; each chip has a UUID stored in non-fungible memory. This UUID becomes part of the transmission to the ledger, making it easy to validate with a list of current UUIDS. However, tech-savvy individuals could still replicate this solution - in order to avoid that problem, we took some extra steps. You can read more about what we did in our whitepaper:<div class="raw-html-embed"><a href="https://hubs.ly/Q01cHGn60" class="resource resource--black"> Download the Whitepaper <svg width="21" height="21" viewBox="0 0 21 21" fill="none" xmlns="http://www.w3.org/2000/svg" class="svg">
<path d="M10.1348 1.07703L19.5576 10.4999L10.1348 19.9228" stroke="#222021" stroke-width="2"></path>
</svg> </a></div>ONiO.zero also adds a nifty feature for the fashion industry. No batteries are involved - that means no battery hatches, a smaller electronic footprint, no battery replacements, or charging. You can simply just weave the technology right into your garment or embed it into a purse - totally invisible to the consumer and self-powered for years.ONiO.zero is a major step in the right direction for blockchain technology - offering a secure, scalable, and cost-effective solution. We believe that our technology has the potential to transform the fashion industry and help it reach new levels of sustainability and transparency. If you're interested in learning more about ONiO.zero, we encourage you to check out our website, whitepaper, or contact us directly!

medium_onio_blockchain_for_fashion.jpg

preload_onio_blockchain_for_fashion.jpg

small_onio_blockchain_for_fashion.jpg

thumbnail_onio_blockchain_for_fashion.jpg

xsmall_onio_blockchain_for_fashion.jpg

onio_blockchain_for_fashion.jpg

In the world of luxury fashion, brand names often carry more weight than the materials used in the garments themselves. But as consumers become savvier and more environmentally conscious, they are starting to demand transparency from the brands they buy from. Unfortunately, many luxury fashion brands have yet to adapt their business practices to meet this demand. They continue to rely on manual methods for tracking the supply chains of their products, which often leads to errors and omissions.

preload_onio_blockchain_for_fashion_t.jpg

small_onio_blockchain_for_fashion_t.jpg

thumbnail_onio_blockchain_for_fashion_t.jpg

xsmall_onio_blockchain_for_fashion_t.jpg

onio_blockchain_for_fashion_t.jpg

Blockchain for fashion - Making accountability and sustainability fashionable.

large_ONiO_TYD_Runar_Finanger.jpg

medium_ONiO_TYD_Runar_Finanger.jpg

small_ONiO_TYD_Runar_Finanger.jpg

thumbnail_ONiO_TYD_Runar_Finanger.jpg

ONiO_TYD_Runar_Finanger.jpg

Runar Finanger

i-in.svg

LinkedIn

large_onio_uwb_incars.jpg

medium_onio_uwb_incars.jpg

preload_onio_uwb_incars.jpg

small_onio_uwb_incars.jpg

thumbnail_onio_uwb_incars.jpg

xsmall_onio_uwb_incars.jpg

onio_uwb_incars.jpg

Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology is swiftly getting its space in smartphones and other gadgets. Apple has set the tone by including UWB in iPhones and AirTags, while other big players quickly followed, namely Samsung, Google and Xiaomi - all phasing in UWB-enabled devices. But, besides these trend-setters, UWB is making its way into many other industries. In a previous article, we looked at the virtues of UWB for indoor positioning and asset tracking. Here, we will provide a glimpse at how the automotive industry is leveraging UWB to make connected cars neater and more secure!

preload_onio_uwb_incars_t.jpg

small_onio_uwb_incars_t.jpg

thumbnail_onio_uwb_incars_t.jpg

xsmall_onio_uwb_incars_t.jpg

onio_uwb_incars_t.jpg

Ultra Wide Band technology in cars

large_Pedro-Guimaraes.jpg

medium_Pedro-Guimaraes.jpg

preload_Pedro-Guimaraes.jpg

small_Pedro-Guimaraes.jpg

thumbnail_Pedro-Guimaraes.jpg

xsmall_Pedro-Guimaraes.jpg

Pedro-Guimaraes.jpg

Senior Project and Innovation Manager

Pedro Guimarães

<h2>The Internet of Things in 2022</h2>None of us are strangers by this point to the tremendous power that IoT holds in being able to transform our everyday lives. Most of us are familiar with consumer-oriented IoT technology such as smartwatches, smart ACs, fitness trackers, and the like.&nbsp;Be it in our <a href="https://builtin.com/internet-things/iot-in-vehicles">cars</a> or our <a href="https://www.onio.com/article/smart-clothing-fad-or-future.html">clothing</a>, sensors now rule the world in which we live. Tiny, wireless IoT sensors are now being designed into all manner of everyday products - what’s more?&nbsp; Billions of dollars in <a href="https://www.avendus.com/india/avendus-eye/internet-of-things-iot-is-the-internet-of-tomorrow">investment capital</a> are flowing into the sector as more and more large businesses try to get in on the action.&nbsp;<h2>Smarter Technologies</h2>IoT enables a huge amount of innovation that would not have been possible otherwise. The modern technological milieu - what with big data, neural webs, machine learning, 5G, and energy harvesting sensors - has made for some seriously rapid acceleration and innovation.&nbsp;In just the last ten years, we’ve come up with some pretty robust and scalable IoT-based solutions that have dramatically transformed entire industries.&nbsp;For instance, today, we take it for granted that pretty much everything in our homes - all our appliances, devices, etc. - should be able to interface with the internet freely - that’s the Internet of Things, in a nutshell.&nbsp;&nbsp;<h2>Medical Devices of The Future</h2>The global IoMT (Internet of medical things) market is expected to see some seriously explosive <a href="https://www.alliedmarketresearch.com/iot-healthcare-market#:~:text=The%20global%20internet%20of%20things,13.20%25%20from%202020%20to%202027.">growth</a>. The market cap of healthcare-oriented IoT products is expected to top $400 Billion in the next 3 years!We thought it might be interesting to take a look at some of the coolest wireless sensor-based medical devices out there -&nbsp;We spoke about the stethoscope at the start - let’s take a look at how modern tech has given this eminently recognisable medical instrument a modern twist.<h2>Meet the smart stethoscope</h2>Medical devices are being forced to contend with the upgrade cycle - just like the rest of them.&nbsp;The first modern stethoscope was the brainchild of a 19th-century French doctor by the name of Rene Laennec - he used rolled-up sheets of paper to amplify his patients’ chest and breathing sounds. Soon afterward, he managed to put together a more sophisticated version of the same design using wood instead of paper.&nbsp;Modern-day stethoscopes may have come quite a way from the time of Lennaec - however, the essential design has more or less remained the same for a long time now.&nbsp;This is changing. Big time.&nbsp;But before that - isn’t it very curious that no significant quantum-leap has occurred in medical auscultation devices in so long - why is that?&nbsp; Well, one reason is probably that physicians of today are longer as skilled or well-trained in the art of auscultation - modern-day doctors have come to take imaging modalities like CT scans, MRI scans, etc for granted. Additionally, they also have a slew of other modern diagnostic tools like echocardiography. Understandably, this means that there isn’t a compelling incentive to master the arduous skill of auscultating patients with a stethoscope.&nbsp;This was highlighted in a 1997 study that showed that an embarrassingly large percentage of US physicians and medical students could not identify more than 10 distinct auscultation signs indicative of common heart-related conditions.&nbsp;Young doctors of today have a lot on their plates - what with the endless amount of time they need to spend updating their electronic patient records - this is robbing today’s young medical practitioners of the incredible learning opportunities that come with spending lots of time near their patients.&nbsp;Anyway, getting back on track. Engineers at Johns Hopkins University have decided that the stethoscope is getting a makeover, whether it likes it or not.&nbsp;They have come up with a device that uses digital sensing technology and another nifty modern-day tech to aid in clinical diagnosis. A stethoscope that, augmented by AI, can help young physicians make sure that they are coming up with the right answers to the demands being posed by their ward calls.This “smart stethoscope” is today being used across the world, especially in resource-poor practice settings - notably in South Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. Practicing medicine in low-resource settings can be incredibly difficult - misdiagnoses happen much more often than in centers that are better equipped.&nbsp;But it is exactly in these centers that the stethoscope is vital - often, expensive diagnostic tools are simply not available - and the doctor is placed in a position where diagnoses are often made with only a stethoscope for assistance.&nbsp;The Johns Hopkins smart stethoscope has a bunch of really cool features - For one - it comes fitted with a microphone and an onboard IoT microcontroller. The IoT sensor allows the stethoscope to interface with the internet in real-time. This means that in addition to functional features such as sound augmentation, ambient noise cancellation, and adaptive signal analysis, this IoT-powered smart stethoscope also comes with some powerful AI analytics.&nbsp;There are other electronic stethoscopes in the market - let’s call them “pre-IoT-era electronic stethoscopes” - these have sound-amplification technology too - they can help with ambient noise cancellation and sound amplification - but when you add an IoT chip to the mix, now you have a device that truly represents a quantum leap in terms of innovation and functionality.The JHU engineers who created the smart stethoscope, Dr.Elhiali and Dr.West are really excited about the fact that their innovation can potentially solve a number of key problems.<blockquote>As our smart stethoscope has a programmable platform, we’re now working to develop additional apps that would make it a multipurpose tool, useful for many diseases and scenarios,” the developers explain. “We think it could be useful in diagnosing heart failure and various gut disorders, and we’re collaborating with cardiologists and gastroenterologists to collect training data and design algorithms.&nbsp;- Dr.Elhiali and Dr.West, JHU Engineers</blockquote>This seems to be a recurrent theme of sorts for IoT devices - whether they are medical devices or not. IoT devices today are keen to make use of the power of open-source in order to truly deliver the end-user a bespoke and multi-functional product.&nbsp;The Hopkins’ smart stethoscope is now widely being tested in the field - in various locations around the world such as the United States, Malawi, Peru, and Bangladesh.&nbsp;<h2>Smart Bandages</h2>A team of <a href="https://www.asianhhm.com/technotrends/tufts-university-researchers-develop-smart-bandages">engineers</a> from Tufts University has come up with bandages that can do way more than just act as a physical barrier.&nbsp;This prototype bandage boasts a number of futuristic capabilities such as being able to measure pH and temperature using batteryless sensors - in order to aid the process of wound healing.&nbsp;Non-healing ulcers and wounds can be major detriments to quality of life.&nbsp; Millions of people around the world today are struggling with long-standing wounds - An increasingly sedentary lifestyle means that we are more susceptible than ever to diseases like diabetes, which among a host of other problems, causes delayed wound healing.&nbsp;Non-healing wounds and ulcers represent a major cost for healthcare systems worldwide - it is estimated that non-healing chronic wounds cost the US healthcare system about $28 billion <a href="https://now.tufts.edu/2018/07/06/smart-bandages-designed-monitor-and-tailor-treatment-chronic-wounds">annually</a>.Bandages have traditionally been a very passive form of treatment - now, with this IoT-based innovation, the Tuft team set out to change that very fact - their initial idea was to create a bandage that would do more than just wait for the body to heal itself - i.e it would play an active role in augmenting or supporting the healing process.&nbsp;“We’ve been able to take a new approach to bandages because of the emergence of flexible electronics,” said Sameer Sonkusale, Ph.D. professor of electrical and computer engineering at Tufts University’s School of Engineering and corresponding co-author for the study. “In fact, flexible electronics have made many wearable medical devices possible, but bandages have changed little since the beginnings of medicine. We are simply applying modern technology to an ancient art in the hopes of improving outcomes for an intractable problem.”Dr.Sameer Sonkusale is not the first person to credit their invention to the emergence of reliable, low-cost flexible microelectronics - Most of the innovations that we are witnessing today across various fields are being made possible by flexible, batteryless IoT microelectronics.&nbsp;Wounds heal through many complex processes that are very precisely coordinated by the body. The rate at which a wound heals depends on a number of factors - firstly, there is the pH of the wound - normally, wounds heal best at a pH of 5.8-6.5 whereas non-healing ulcers typically show a pH reading over well over this range. Temperature is another factor that the team chose to focus on - the rationale being that being able to measure the temperature of a wound in real-time can provide useful data about the amount of inflammation the injury is causing.&nbsp;The smart bandages created by the team come with both pH and temperature sensors - meanwhile, Sonkusale has already begun work on another parallel project where the bandages will also be able to measure levels of oxygenation, in addition to pH and temperature. These sensors form the data-gathering arm of the device.&nbsp;Just like we saw with the stethoscope, these smart bandages are equipped with a modern microprocessor that can crunch the data gathered by the wireless sensors and can release pre-determined quantities of a certain antibiotic drug, when it sees that the factors being tracked are not in a range conducive for healing.&nbsp;<blockquote>The smart bandage we created, with pH and temperature sensors and antibiotic drug delivery, is really a prototype for a wide range of possibilities. One can imagine embedding other sensing components, drugs, and growth factors that treat different conditions in response to different healing markers.- Dr.Sameer Sonkusale</blockquote>This is yet another example of how the massive potential of batteryless IoT sensors is being used to design solutions that are downright futuristic.<h2>Asthma management in the age of IoT</h2>Smart inhalers have emerged as another well-recognized example of how modern-day wireless sensors are altering the landscape of medical devices.&nbsp;The CDC claims that about 30-70% of all diagnosed Asthma patients in America have problems staying on top of their treatment strategies. Non-compliance is a major issue that plagues healthcare systems worldwide - the costs are simply too huge to ignore.&nbsp;It is against this background that devices like smart asthma inhalers make sense - they make it easy for the patient to keep track of their inhaler use and make sure that they are given all the assistance possible to make sure that they take the right dose of the right medication, every time they need to.&nbsp;Smart inhalers typically use wireless sensors to detect use - it records this usage in the backend. The user can then access this information through a mobile app in order to stay up-to-date on their regimens. Some devices even allow users to check their ambient air quality in real-time, issuing timely warnings in case of potentially harmful situations.&nbsp;Most importantly, these inhalers alert users when they leave their inhalers behind - the biggest reason why people don’t comply with their asthma prescriptions. When a user leaves his inhaler behind, the smart inhaler sends a notification to his phone alerting him.&nbsp;These smart inhalers are able to collect enormous amounts of fine, granular data on the duration of asthma attacks, possible triggers, and causes - information that can go a long way towards helping practitioners make the best possible treatment decisions.&nbsp;Similarly, there has been a lot of buzz in the healthcare industry about “smart pill boxes” that can employ the same basic framework of wireless sensor integration in order to help elderly and other at-risk patient groups with prescription compliance.&nbsp;<h2>Driving useability and functionality</h2>All this was merely to try and convey an idea of how much innovation is happening in the healthcare space right now, thanks to wireless sensor technology.&nbsp;These were examples of a few innovative solutions that are gathering traction recently - however, the true scope of IoT technology in this field is immense.&nbsp;Only time will tell which of these innovations will truly stand the test of time and which ones end up being celebrated fads.

medium_onio_future_medical_devices.jpg

preload_onio_future_medical_devices.jpg

small_onio_future_medical_devices.jpg

thumbnail_onio_future_medical_devices.jpg

xsmall_onio_future_medical_devices.jpg

onio_future_medical_devices.jpg

When we step into the doctor’s office - there are a few things we go in expecting to see. We expect to see a stethoscope - for sure, a thermometer of some kind or another - Maybe a BP measuring device? A bunch of dressing and suturing materials? These instruments have, for better or worse, been unchanged in their functionality and design for the longest time. 

In this article, we thought we’d explore some of the ways in which IoT technology and batteryless sensors are being used in traditional healthcare devices. 

preload_onio_future_medical_devices_t.jpg

small_onio_future_medical_devices_t.jpg

thumbnail_onio_future_medical_devices_t.jpg

xsmall_onio_future_medical_devices_t.jpg

onio_future_medical_devices_t.jpg

Here’s how wireless sensors are making healthcare devices smarter

large_Abishek.jpg

medium_Abishek.jpg

small_Abishek.jpg

thumbnail_Abishek.jpg

Abishek.jpg

Senior Content Manager

Abishek Swaminathen

Disruption has been one of the most notable business buzzwords of this decade - that’s probably because the term does a good job of appropriately characterising the waves that pulsed through the global economy in the wake of the technological revolution.&nbsp;The early years of the previous decade saw the almighty corporation bow down to the plucky upstart, the lean, agile startup. For what it’s worth, that’s some properly legitimate disruption - the stratospheric rise of lean, well-funded, tech-oriented startups will come to define our era, in all likelihood.&nbsp;With internet access becoming more and more of a commodity that we all are coming to take for granted, the startup model is likely to grow and continue merrily, causing disruption in its wake.&nbsp;Today, the arsenal of technological possibilities that each one of these companies has at their disposal is simply otherworldly.&nbsp; Disruption 1.0, if you will, represented the triumph of the savvy, modern startups that just proved to be more competitive than the lumbering and unwieldy giants that massive corporations had become - being unable to innovate, build and deliver products as fast as their lean counterparts.&nbsp;Over the last few years, though, some of the most feared corporate players of our world have reclaimed lost ground to some extent - most of them directly owning sizable slices of successful startups, having thrown themselves frantically into identifying and funding the best ones. For just a tiny blink in time, it seemed as though Goliath had found a way to keep David at bay.&nbsp;This was not to last.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/onio/image/upload/v1661848912/onio-website/2022-08-07/onio_ai_future_002_e40d97923b.jpg"><figcaption>AI-generated image “AI + IoT - A Force for Disruption.”</figcaption></figure><h2>The IoT revolution</h2>It is safe to say that the IoT revolution has well and truly swept through the entire edifice of modern human civilisation.&nbsp;There doesn’t seem to be a single industry or sector that hasn’t been unrecognisably transformed thanks to the emergence of the Internet of Things.&nbsp;The proposition that IoT technology makes has always been an irresistible one for businesses - more insights, more precision, more efficiency but lesser costs. What’s important is that, in most cases involving robust IoT infrastructure, this promise has been delivered upon.&nbsp;Why has the Internet of Things had such a transformative effect on our lives? The answer is, very simply, data. IoT makes it possible for any operation to find ways to optimise at an exponential rate by collecting enormous amounts of data. And boy, has IoT come good in this regard - the data-collection equipment that the market has on offer today is frankly ludicrous - wireless sensors - sometimes even batteryless,self-powered sensors - capable of enormous feats of data collection, are being offered at unimaginably low costs.&nbsp;With 5G emerging as a reliable wireless internet standard, the role of IoT in modern business has taken on further importance. With this kind of a base, it was almost inevitable that IoT-based technologies and solutions would find the kind of acceptance and adoption that they did.&nbsp;<h2>IoT and AI - unstoppable together</h2>The previous decade saw the emergence of two incredibly powerful technologies that each seemed poised to cause some large-scale disruption in the world of business and technology. Together though, they represented something unimaginably capable - the technologies we’re talking about are - IoT and AI, of course!As we have seen several times in the past, IoT technology has been a blessing to us primarily because it allows us to split open nearly all aspects of the physical world into nearly endless streams of usable information. It has allowed us to digitise the physical reality around us, as it were, converting predefined slices of our world into 0s and 1s.&nbsp;Now, AI helps us make sense of these huge troves of data that we gather using IoT sensors. AI is an indispensable part of this couplet - making for the analytics arm of the system - allowing for meaningful insights to be gleaned from the mined data.&nbsp;In the early years, these technologies grew independently of one another. In the modern playing field of today, though, they work in tandem as one unstoppable agent of disruption. The phenomenal rise of cloud computing doesn’t hurt this combination either - these three technologies together are changing the way we do business.&nbsp;Before we see how they work together and why they are so powerful in tandem, let’s take a deeper look at AI.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/onio/image/upload/v1661848846/onio-website/2022-08-06/onio_ai_future_001_9770d42273.jpg"><figcaption>AI-generated Image “AI &amp; IoT - a force for disruption”</figcaption></figure><h2>Artificial Intelligence decoded</h2>The term artificial intelligence is by no means esoteric or unheard of - thanks to scores of sci-fi works that have tickled the imagination of many a generation, the idea doesn’t really need introduction.&nbsp;The idea with AI is simple - machines - i.e computers - can process orders of magnitude more data than we can - and what’s more is that they can do it in a fraction of a second, most likely. So, why not deploy this immense information processing power to pertinent problems and find novel solutions?In a very stripped-down sense, this is the fundamental principle behind AI. To put it more technically, artificial intelligence refers to a class of technological applications that are designed to process incredibly large amounts of information, interpret said information, unpack the information along certain pre-decided lines, and in doing so, be able to make smart real-world decisions - most importantly, artificial intelligence technologies are meant to do all this without any direct human involvement.&nbsp;With the widespread proliferation of reliable and inexpensive wireless sensors, data collection was never going to be a problem - with artificial intelligence, we are actually able to make use of this data in a practical and relevant way.&nbsp;Artificial intelligence can cut through vast swathes of random data-points and deliver coherent, actionable insights, making it possible for us to impose almost impossible standards of efficiency and productivity on all manner of processes.&nbsp;In essence, this is why AI and IoT are proving to be so important for each other.&nbsp;There are three main types of artificial intelligence in use today -&nbsp;<h3>1. Rule-based artificial intelligence</h3>Also known as simple AI, this category refers to those technologies that have strictly codified heuristics or rules that allow it to connect events to certain complementary actions. These heuristics are obviously programmed into the technology, so it might be the case that your average Joe might not identify it as a form of artificial intelligence.&nbsp;However, this is the most simple form of AI, and we can see several examples of this kind of AI being used around us.&nbsp;<h3>2. Machine Learning (ML)</h3>Machine learning is a type of artificial intelligence where the software is able to learn novel patterns of behaviour rather than having denied rules, to begin with - The learning can vary from the really simple to the impossibly complex. Machine learning programs can monitor a system, tabulate large amounts of data pertaining to the conditions on which the system is contingent and use this data to identify unique connections between events and responses. It builds on this understanding cumulatively, getting more and more effective in its ability to predict outcomes and make decisions concerning the system.&nbsp;These systems can identify a potential action to have desirable effects on the system, given certain conditions - and then repeat those responses when those conditions recur.&nbsp;In a nutshell, machine learning systems are what we usually think of when we try to conceive of AI.&nbsp;<h3>3. Neural networks&nbsp;</h3>Also known as inference engines, artificial neural networks represent the cumulative pinnacle of a number of allied research fields - Designed to operate almost exactly like a sophisticated nervous system, these systems are able to make inferences about the prevailing conditions within a system at a given moment in time, and make decisions accordingly.&nbsp;If you are thinking about your favourite AI-based image analysis application or writing assistant, it's probably based on neural networks. Most types of complex processing and analytics make use of neural networks these days.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/onio/image/upload/v1661849377/onio-website/2022-08-06/onio_ai_future_003_36d2c50539.jpg"><figcaption>AI-generated image “AI + IoT - A Force for Disruption.”</figcaption></figure><h2>Harnessing IoT and AI together</h2>Against the backdrop that was drawn in the preceding sections, it should be rather easy to appreciate why there is so much excitement about IoT and AI being deployed together in exciting new ways.&nbsp;The question that IoT developers, users, and insiders are contending with is not “do we use IoT and AI together?” but “how can we better use these technologies together?”So, in this section, we’ll take a look at some of the most popular use cases and applications.&nbsp;In the previous section, we’d seen how any system that uses software to generate responses to real-world situations constitutes at least a basic form of artificial intelligence - so, the how question, in the real world, is often answered by the nature and size of the IoT network in question.&nbsp;Depending on the complexity and sophistication of the IoT network in question, AI can be integrated in very simple or rather intricate ways -For instance, say the system is equipped with rule-based AI, it would be good for operations that involve a standing instruction for an action in response to a trigger - a trigger switch is involved and it goes something like this - “if trigger-switch is activated, turn on A”. Further down the road, as this kind of a simple system evolves into more complexity, it can handle instructions like “If trigger-switch is activated, and it’s humid outside, then turn on A”.&nbsp;In this case, the AI is also having to contend with state recognition in addition to trigger switch signal recognition. Programmers might use these kinds of AIs in situations where the number of states to be recognised is few in number and the complexity involved is very little.&nbsp;In most use cases, these kinds of systems make for incredible savings and efficiency. Let’s take a look at an example use-case -&nbsp;Imagine you are the owner of a factory to which goods are delivered on a daily basis at varying times - using a very simple rule-based AI would allow you to hook it up so that whenever a delivery driver shows up in his truck, the system would use the trigger switch of his lorry pulling up at the gate to respond with the action of opening the date - even this rudimentary system, it’s fairly obvious to see, would make for some incredible savings in terms of the cost of operation.&nbsp;Now, imagine the extent to which you stand to benefit if the system could do more than just respond to a switch-actuated command - what if the system, in addition to just identifying when a delivery vehicle has pulled up and opening the gate for him - can actually predict, when the driver is going to arrive - or maybe say, respond usefully across various other parameters? What if say, we want the AI to also turn on the light if it knows that the driver has pulled up at night?When more complex variables need to be processed or accounted for, we’re looking at using something like an inference-engine AI or ML.&nbsp;In our case, a machine learning system could monitor the arrival of several delivery vehicles to the location and over time, accumulate enough information and patterns to be able to predict when the driver is going to need light, and the system is then able to actuate that command - i.e. in addition to opening the gates as in our first example, the AI, in this case, is also able to turn on a light.&nbsp;Similarly, multiple layers of complexity can be programmed into an AI system. The more an AI system is able to learn by itself, the more of an advantage it confers to the owner.<figure class="image"><img src="https://res.cloudinary.com/onio/image/upload/v1661849441/onio-website/2022-08-07/onio_ai_future_004_910ae26075.jpg"><figcaption>AI-generated image “AI + IoT - A Force for Disruption.”</figcaption></figure><h2>The Age of AIoT</h2>We’re heading towards a place where IoT and Ai will no longer be distinct entities - our ability to harness data has grown exponentially - In a way, any modern IoT system, worthy of the name, is not going to be good for very much if it requires a human being to make sense of the collected data - that is simply not a feasible option considering the sheer volume of data even simple IoT systems play with these days.&nbsp;What adds to the inevitability of this merger is that our IoT sensors are getting so much better, year on year.&nbsp;The overall quality and functionality of our IoT sensors are growing by the day - and they are also getting more efficient. Thanks to the emergency of energy harvesting technologies like RF energy harvesting and Triboelectric energy harvesting, it looks like the wireless sensor space is going to look dramatically different in the next few years.So, to break it down, we’re going to have sensors that are faster, cheaper, and more energy efficient - not to mention that we’re going to have a lot of them! The amount of data gathered from even the simplest of setups is going to be too much for any number of people to analyse for insights or to plan timely interventions.&nbsp;Just handling the data collected by a network of IoT sensors needs a dedicated solution - AI fulfills this role. Back in the day, the data collected by a system of sensors would be displayed on a monitor to a human operator who would then have to contend with the data dn use it to make real-world decisions. This is simply not possible with the level of complexity we are dealing with today - there’s way too much data and often, decisions have to be made in a fraction of a second. Too many of these split-second reactions are involved in the working of any modern IoT system - this is why we’re witnessing the fusing together of AI and IoT.&nbsp;Without the tremendous power of AI, we will simply not be able to leverage the power of our data capturing assets (DCAs).&nbsp;<h2>The second disruption</h2>Much like the first wave of disruption that well and truly ushered in the dawn of the information age, this second wave of disruption will also leave a lasting impact on the face of global business.&nbsp;In the first wave of disruption that we initially looked at, businesses were forced to adapt from the outside, so to speak - with this AI+IoT powered round, the forces of disruption will remodel businesses from within.The artificial internet of things or AIoT as its being called, will incentivise businesses to embrace big data and AI analytics like nobody’s business. The more relevant data a company has, the more it stands to gain. Period.&nbsp;<h2>Evolution to Revolution</h2>The future of our civilisation is being built right in front of our eyes. We are living in an era of culmination - the incredibly feats of technology we’re seeing around us represent the apotheosis several hundred years of inquiry and innovation.Simple technologies giving way to more and more complex ones. Breakthrough technologies changing environments and thus, making way for more innovation and s on. The cycle of relentless technological evolution is very much a spectacle to behold. And it seems reasonably certain to assume that the evolution of today’s cutting-edge technology is going to leave the world a very different place than it is today.&nbsp;

medium_onio_ai_iot_fusion.jpg

preload_onio_ai_iot_fusion.jpg

small_onio_ai_iot_fusion.jpg

thumbnail_onio_ai_iot_fusion.jpg

xsmall_onio_ai_iot_fusion.jpg

onio_ai_iot_fusion.jpg

A lot of us are familiar with IoT and AI. These are by far the most influential and powerful technologies of our time. But what if they are made to work together? When IoT and AI come together, they make for one indomitable team - wide-scale disruption then becomes an eventuality. In this post, we take a look at what makes AI and IoT so powerful and disruptive together.


preload_onio_ai_iot_fusion_t.jpg

thumbnail_onio_ai_iot_fusion_t.jpg

xsmall_onio_ai_iot_fusion_t.jpg

onio_ai_iot_fusion_t.jpg

AI + IoT - A Force for Disruption

ONiO is an IoT company specializing in crafting self-powered microcontrollers that run on nanowatts harvested from their surroundings.

Footer - sub menu 2

Footer - sub menu

Policy

ONiO is a fabless IoT company specialising in batteryless microcontrollers that run on energy harvesting. We are deeply committed to crafting viable clean-energy solutions for IoT devices, breaking them free from the battery. ONiO.zero can use virtually any RF, thermal, solar, piezo signal as a power source. 

ONiO

large_ONiO_DEV_Product_RS_V009_R4_V004 (1).png

medium_ONiO_DEV_Product_RS_V009_R4_V004 (1).png

small_ONiO_DEV_Product_RS_V009_R4_V004 (1).png

thumbnail_ONiO_DEV_Product_RS_V009_R4_V004 (1).png

ONiO_DEV_Product_RS_V009_R4_V004 (1).png

i-fb.svg

Facebook

i-tw.svg

Twitter

i-ins.svg

i-ytb.svg

Youtube

logo.svg

Products

onio_remote_control_showcase_t.mp4

medium_onio_power_of_zero_energy_harvesting.jpg

preload_onio_power_of_zero_energy_harvesting.jpg

small_onio_power_of_zero_energy_harvesting.jpg

thumbnail_onio_power_of_zero_energy_harvesting.jpg

xsmall_onio_power_of_zero_energy_harvesting.jpg

onio_power_of_zero_energy_harvesting.jpg

onio_the_power_of_zero_3.mp4

About

Articles 

Investors

Careers

 The power of Zero is undeniable The people behind ONiO Kjetil Meisal Vemund Bakken Runar Finanger Ronan Barzic Related Pages Products Articles The Big Picture The Team [object Object] We envisioned an IoT future with zero batteries. So, we created ONiO.zero — An MCU that operates 100% on energy from its surroundings — zero coincells, zero batteries, zero supercaps, zero lithium and zero toxic waste! 

Zero batteries — But still, a ton of power!
  CEO CTO CMO Director IC Design

ONiO is the company behind ONiO.zero - a batteryless and wireless microcontroller. ONiO’s team is home to some of the brightest engineering minds in the Semiconductor world and so much more.

About ONiO

Powered byONiO.zero Batteryless Remote Control Related Pages Love a good read? Tuck right in. Technology Redefined Learn more Related Pages Products News Articles    Informative and backed by solid research - welcome to our growing archive of articles!

Informative articles about energy harvesting and IoT technology -  backed by solid research - welcome to our growing archive of articles!

ONiO articles

OSLO, NORWAY, Aug 25, 2021 - ONiO, a fabless IoT company that brings self-powered, batteryless solutions to the market, has secured a $2.3 million equity investment agreement with MP Pensjon (TINE Pension Fund) and the European Innovation Council (EIC) Fund, as part of its EIC Accelerator program. This financing round will enable ONiO to further accelerate the rollout of ONiO.zero - the world’s first general purpose wireless microcontroller WMCU capable of true batteryless operation.Kjetil Meisal, CEO at ONiO, adds, &nbsp;“We are grateful for the support from the EIC Fund and our current investors. The support has helped mitigate the risks of undertaking broader and more ambitious development efforts. Besides the evident financial support, ONiO is honoured to be selected as one of the most innovative companies in Europe. This is for sure a seal of excellence for the company, partners and investors.”&nbsp;ONiO.zero is a tiny wireless microcontroller that is designed to replace the battery in the devices that surround us. ONiO.zero is one small step into the promising world of self-powered sensing - And we hope, a frontrunner among many giant leaps towards a sustainable and green future.&nbsp;Martin Bruncko, member of the EIC Fund Investment Committee, said: “We are glad the EIC Fund is backing ONiO which is bringing highly promising, self-powered, battery-free sensor solutions to the IoT market. The potential market opportunity here is massive and ONiO is well placed to take advantage of it”.&nbsp;For more information, visit: <a href="https://www.onio.com">www.onio.com</a> Photos for media, visit: <a href="https://www.onio.com/news">www.onio.com/news</a><h3> About ONiO</h3>Based in Oslo, Norway, ONiO® is a fabless IoT company specializing in batteryless microcontrollers that run on ambient energy. We are deeply committed to crafting viable clean-energy solutions for IoT devices, breaking them free from the battery. ONiO.zero is our line of batteryless general-purpose microcontrollers. ONiO.zero can use virtually any RF, thermal, solar, piezo signal as a power source. Our aim is to unshackle one IoT device at a time from the battery, en route to a 100% battery-free IoT future. Our product offers manufacturers a more minimalist, user-friendly, economical, and environmentally sustainable power solution for IoT devices.&nbsp;<h3> About the EIC-fund</h3>Established in June 2020, the European Innovation Council Fund (EIC Fund) is a breakthrough initiative of the European Commission to make direct equity and quasi-equity investments (between €500.000 and €15 million) in European high impact and deep tech start-ups and scale-ups. With a long-term perspective, the EIC Fund invests in companies from any sector, across all EU member states as well as in associated countries.The EIC Fund aims to fill a critical financing gap and its main purpose is to support companies in the development and commercialization of disruptive technologies. This is achieved by crowding-in market players, and further sharing risk by building a large network of capital providers and strategic partners suitable for co-investments and follow-on funding.The Fund pays particular attention to the empowerment and support of female founders as well as the ambition to reduce the innovation divide among EU countries.To learn more about the EIC, visit<a href=" https://eic.ec.europa.eu/index_en"> https://eic.ec.europa.eu/index_en.</a>

thumbnail_onio_press_release_thumb.jpg

onio_press_release_thumb.jpg

ONiO Raises $2.3M in its latest funding round.

Remote Control Energy sources Right as rain, safe as houses A Zero-compromise user experience Ultra-low power requirement All the frills and thrills - IR diode support Future proof flexibility Pulse density modulation interface (PDM) Capacitive touch Button key scanner Accelerometer Technology Redefined Want to talk? Introduction Visit the ONiO.zero page Energy Harvesting Reliability User Interfaces Contact us for more information The remote as we know it is a dinosaur - ancient technology! Today, with energy harvesting, the pain of charging and replacing batteries is history! Our surroundings are rife with potentially usable energy that we can harness and store. Energy from WiFI AP, mobile phones and other dedicated terrestrial RF energy sources supplies enough power for the remote to operate. At the heart of our smart remote solution is ONiO.zero - a batteryless wonderchip that runs on ambient energy! The best part, fewer batteries are thrown away in landfills. What's more - super-tiny photovoltaic cells could be used in tandem to make sure you never run out - Given typical light conditions, you could power your remote for eternity - no replacements, no nothing! RF fields between 650MHz and 2.4GHz.Any source between 350mV and 4V that produce 5-10μA). E.g. PV/Solar, thermal and motion.  ONiO.zero implements a low power PDM interface for interfacing low power microphones. The supported sampling speeds are 300kHz to 12MHz with support for fractional bitrate. The capacitive touch engine does not require any internal oscillator to run and is fully self-clocked. This means that it’s extremely low power and can asynchronously wake the rest of the system up. True wake on touch! Supports 8 rows and 8 columns making for a total of 64 buttons. Runs on an ultra low-power oscillator. Any keypress wakes up the CPU. FIFO (First in First out) of last 8 key presses. A low power SPI and two-wire interface are implemented for efficient interfacing with an accelerometer. The data from the accelerometer can be classified by ONiO.zero into gestures. Drained batteries and interruptions are best left in the past! With just a little ingenuity, we can design batteryless solutions that, well, just make more sense! Energy has to be present when the remote is in use. By utilising both RF and PV cell harvesting the remote will constantly be charging - even when its stuck between your sofa cushions. We took a novel new approach to low-power. We designed for nano-watt operation - not milli- or microwatts from day one. This has resulted in a framework that allows applications using a battery today - remove them tomorrow. We have to acknowledge that most remote controls today still utilise infrared communication. That's why we added a dedicated hardware module for carrier generation and modulation of IR diodes. A modern remote control is meant to be user-friendly and flexible. ONiO.zero supports multiple user interfaces - so you’re never caught off guard - whatever your device or need, we’ve got you covered.

A real smart remote solution runs on ONiO.zero - a batteryless wonderchip that feeds on ambient energy! Best part, no more annoying broken battery lids!

ONiO - Smart Remote

ONiO.zero Get started with ONiO.zero Want to talk? Why we made ONiO.zero Benefits Energy Harvesting Key Features Want to talk? Environmental Benefits ONiO.zero A miniaturised green powerplant One Chip Many Benefits Small Chip. Smaller BOM. Zero battery. Zero maintenance. IoT Unshackled Ambient Energy More with batteryless MCU Radio Peripherals Memory Energy source Operation conditions Material Savings (Kilo Tons) The planet says Thank you! Scarce Supply Unsustainable ONiO.zero is a tiny wireless microcontroller that is designed to replace the battery in the devices around you. ONiO.zero is one small step into the promising world of self-powered sensing, heralding a greener future. Think of it this way - ONiO.zero is a micro-powerplant that sits unobtrusively in your device, powering it for life! Not only do you get better performance, more flexibility and substantial usability gains - It’s also way easier on your pocket. Instead of playing with pennies - we turned to the dollar. We integrated radio, mcu, memories and PMIC in a single package.  Slashes number of service requests. Essentially, zero maintenance required. Now that’s something your customer wants to hear. IoT liberated from the battery. There’s just no telling how far IoT can go when you break the chains of the battery. Grafted on a 4mm² piece of silicon, you have electrical circuitry to accumulate even the smallest amounts of energy. This nano sized power house enables you to execute programs, connect to external sensors, and communicate wirelessly. A goldmine waiting to be tapped. ONiO.zero is a milestone in utilising renewable energy to power microelectronics -  a future where RF, solar and thermoelectric energy is harnessed and put to work for us! Based on expected number of IoT devices in 2035 Batteries are bad for the planet - period. There’s no two ways about it.They destroy habitats, pollute our waters and decimate the health of entire communities!Energy harvesting and self-powered sensing have got to be the way forward for the Internet of Things. RISC-V 16/32-bit architecture (RV32EMC). High code density with compressed instructions. 1.8V 24MHz, 1.0V 6MHz, 0.8V 1MHz. 450-800mV Asynchronous operation from ROM/RAM. Crystal-less BTLE transmitter. Programmable output power (-40 to 0dBm). PA supports operation down to 850mV - 0dBm.  Industry Standard I2C, SPI and UART. Asynchronous AES module for encryption/hash generation. GPIO with asynchronous interrupt/wake up. Programmable current source. Biasing external sensors. 1KB of mask ROM (stdlib, math etc). 2KB RAM. 8/16/32KB ULP Flash. 100k Writes. Read supported down to 850mV. Internal RF Rectifier:
Multi frequency 800/900/1800/ 1900/2400MHz bands (ISM and GSM) supported. 
Internal Power Factory:
Voltaic cells down to 400mV (DC) Solar, piezoelectric and thermal (1V8 to 3.6V) Operating voltage: 450mv - 1.8V. Operating frequency: Asynchronous to 24MHz. Operating temperature: -40 to 85°C (Industrial grade). ESD protection HBM > 2kV; latchup > 100mA. Demand for Cobalt will outstrip supply by the year 2030 - Cobalt is an essential component in the batteries that power our modern day consumer electronics. A move to energy harvesting will reduce our dependence on non-renewable minerals such as LIthium, Cobalt, Manganese etc. There’s a massive humanitarian cost to every single battery that we use and throw - Lithium and Cobalt mining leave thousands of children sick for life and devastates entire communities in South America and Africa. Progress simply can’t be this loopsided and cruel. 

ONiO.zero is a tiny wireless microcontroller that is designed to replace the battery in the devices around you. ONiO.zero is one small step into the promising world of self-powered sensing, heralding a greener future. 

ONiO.zero - batteryless MCU

Products

Technology Redefined

Watch:
The Power of Zero

Stay up to date:

Products

Technology Redefined

Watch:
The Power of Zero

Stay up to date:

45 results for 'batteryless'

Popular Searches

Products

Products

Technology Redefined

Watch: The Power of Zero

Stay up to date:

45 results for 'batteryless'

Popular Searches

Products

Watch:
The Power of Zero