Vision and Challenges for Realising the Internet of Things

Table 4.2-1: Application Case Features in relation to addressed capabilities.
Addressed Capabilities
Self-Aware
Product
Delivery by
Prod. Char.
Proactive
Tendering
Health Book
Event-based operation X X X X X
Self-localisation X X X X X
Satellite communication X X
Sensor integration X X X
Self-diagnosis X X X
Detection/analysis of events X X X
Tracking encountered devices X X X
Context based access rights X X X X
Netw. Dev. based user interface X X
Call-back access X X
Network knowledge retrieval X X
CEIP
Programme
The application cases and the capabilities to be supported by envisaged results of the Cute-
Loop project, served as reference to elaborate the CuteLoop concept [CuteLoop09], outlining
underlying technological components as further presented in the following sections.
4 The CuteLoop Framework
The CuteLoop research analysed the envisaged technological challenges when aiming at provision
of envisaged capabilities as presented above. The following section 4.1 tries to provide an
overview of some of the most important challenges from a networked devices perspective.
Section 4.2 is further detailing envisaged technology related results (CuteLoop framework)
that are realised in the project.
4.1 Technological Challenges Addressed
The project identified technology related challenges that need to be specifically overcome
when aiming at the realisation of Networked Devices Enabled Intelligence. These were especially
grouped according to the following aspects:
Decoupling: Commonly applied synchronous approaches for information exchange are
hardly applicable in settings of ad-hoc interaction and dynamic open groups of partly unknown
actors. Technical mechanisms need to provide features for decoupled interaction in
terms of time and location.
Heterogeneity: IT solutions and especially mobile networked devices (innovation cycles
of 1-2 years) are very heterogeneous in open and loosely coupled business relationships.
Different operating systems are in place and hardware related functionalities vary especially
in terms of connectivity, I/O-channels, performance, human operator related interfaces and
system governance.
Distribution and decentralisation: Business relationships of independent actors in
dynamic networks are based on a distributed processing and decentralised management of
data. Within such infrastructures the client and server roles cannot be easily defined, while
this need to be mixed with an architectural approach of peer-to-peer networks.
Connectivity: The use of various mobile networked devices for interaction leads to a high
dependency of communication but due to the lack of a ubiquitous, scalable and affordable
network for all potential “things”, unavailability and intermittent connectivity is not the exception
but the rule. Applications therefore need to change their communication approach
of a “staying connected” to a “connect and transmit if possible” approach.
Scalability and Costs: Typically, when forwarding fresh food products transported in
uniquely identified returnable packaging, 5.000 to 20.000 RFID tags (i.e. one truck) need
to be read regularly,. This need to be realised in human operator’s speed. The used installation
reads UHF passive tags, while the writing of tags cannot be realised due to time constraints.
Usage of active tags is currently beyond scope, especially due to hardware costs
and maintenance as well as with respect to the related dilemma of communication capabilities
versus47 battery capacities.
47 There would be a need to deploy different communication strategies due to the ambience and related workflow
step which returnable packaging is located. To save energy an RFID tag would need to represent an active,
semi-active or even semi-passive mode of operation to represent (a) hubs for communication management, (b)
quiet tags only listening for events, (c) sleeping tags only able to be woken up for further operation.
CERP-IoT – Cluster of European Research Projects on the Internet of Things
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