Our research lab
Thanks to our Research Laboratory, we collaborate with public and private Institutions, Universities, European Institutions and Research Bodies and participate in Regional, National and European research calls also in Consortia and ATIs. Members of the National Smart Communities Cluster, we participate in the Innovation Poles of Piedmont (ICT, CLEVER), on innovative technologies with medium-term market spin-offs. We offer the CCIAA “Mentor PID” service for the implementation of the “National Industry 4.0 Plan” and support Enterprises in advanced industrial research projects in software and Internet of Things (IoT).
Internet of things (Internet of Things , IoT ) is a set of physical objects connected to the Internet and exchanging data. The concept of IoT can significantly improve many areas of our lives and help us create a more convenient, smart and secure world. Examples of the Internet of Things range from wearables such as smartwatches to smart homes that can, for example, control and automatically change the amount of lighting and heating. Also a prime example is the so-called smart factory concept, which monitors industrial equipment and looks for problem areas, and then rearranges itself so as to prevent breakdowns. The Internet of Things plays an important role in the process of digital transformation in companies. By 2030, the number of connected devices is projected to grow to around 24 billion with annual revenues of up to $1.5 trillion.
IoT technology stack into four technology levels and consider them separately.
Devices are the objects that actually make up the “things” ( Things ) in the Internet of Things. They act as an interface between the real and digital worlds and take on different sizes, shapes and levels of technological sophistication depending on the task they perform within a particular IoT deployment . Whether it’s microphones the size of a pinhead or a massive machine, almost any material object can be turned into a connected device by adding the necessary elements (sensors or actuators along with the appropriate software).
The communication layer includes both physical connectivity solutions (cellular, satellite, LAN) and specific protocols used in various IoT environments ( ZigBee , Thread , Z-Wave, MQTT, LwM2M). Choosing the right communication solution is one of the vital parts of building every IoT system. The technology chosen will determine not only how data is sent and received from the cloud, but how it communicates with third-party devices.
Along with the fact that IoT systems carry significant business value, intelligent objects also become vulnerable to cybercrime, which can result in data leakage, including confidential information. Although the field of work with the issue of security remains huge, there are now solutions that allow you to deploy IoT more reliably. For example, to address the issue of outdated device software, there are effective automatic update strategies available.
Thanks to SOTA (Software Over the Air) “update over the air” and FOTA ( Firmware Over the Air) – “firmware over the air”, the software of connected devices and settings can be updated via wireless communication.
This is what makes connected devices smart. The software is responsible for communicating with the cloud, data collection, device integration, and real-time data analysis. It also provides opportunities for data visualization and interaction with the IoT system .
Devices are able to “sense” what is happening around and report it to the user through a specific communication channel. An IoT platform is a place where all this data is collected, analyzed and transmitted to the user in a convenient form. Platforms can be installed locally or in the cloud. The choice of platform depends on the requirements of a particular IoT project and many factors: architecture and technology stack, reliability, settings, protocols used, hardware independence, security, efficiency, cost.
Below you can consider in more detail the components of the three levels of IoT : end devices (things), networks, clouds.
IoT is applicable across industries for a variety of purposes: tracking consumer behavior in real time, improving the quality of machines and systems, finding innovative ways of working within digital transformation, and much more.
Retail
Examples of retail IoT applications include many use cases for smart devices to improve the experience in stores. In particular, the various IoT applications here mean that smartphone capabilities (based on Beacon technology ) facilitate communication between retailers and customers, and the most requested products and services appear in front of customers in the right place. In addition, smart retail opens up opportunities for IoT applications in terms of accurate advertising, supply chain cycle improvement, and actual analysis of demand patterns. Also, IoT applications already include applications for NFC payments and smart shopping. And of course, RFID tags for merchandise tagging, which provide instant and accurate collection of information that helps to continuously track the movement of goods, simplify the inventory process and generally reduce the number of errors, cannot be ignored.
Production
Thanks to IoT, production can get an overall picture of the production processes and the state of the product at all stages – from the supply of raw materials to the shipment of the finished product.
Using sensors installed on factory equipment and in warehouses, big data analysis and predictive modeling ( predictive modeling ) can prevent many errors leading to downtime and losses, maximize productivity, reduce warranty costs, and generally improve the quality of customer service.
Healthcare
With the help of IoMT technology (The Internet of Medical Things , the Internet of Medical Things), streams of small data are collected in real time from medical network and other wearable devices that track various physiological moments associated with the health of patients – movements, sleep dynamics, heart rate, allergic reactions and more. The data collected helps doctors make accurate diagnoses, build a treatment plan, improve patient safety, simplify care for them, and enable continuous monitoring of the condition of seriously ill patients.
Energy
Here, with the help of IoT, the design of electrical networks is changing the rules of consumption, automatically collecting data and providing instant analysis of the circulation of electricity. As a result, both customers and suppliers have a better understanding of how to optimize resource utilization.