Astonishing Companies in Robotics 2019

www.insightssuccess.com
ASTONISHING
COMPANIES IN
ROBOTICS
2019
VOL 4
April-2019
ISSUE-6
Dr. Simon Haddadin
CEO & Co-founder
ROBOTICS FOR EVERYONE

EDITOR’S DESK
oday, we can observe that robotics is taking
Thuman lives to the next level. Everywhere in
our daily life, we find robots applications; it
includes automated doors, drones, automated parking
lots, different systems in the automobiles, kitchen
equipment, many cleaning and washing equipment,
different safety and control systems and many more.
All these things are making our life so simple,
luxurious, and safe.
Robots are popularly used in the manufacturing
industries to safeguard humans from hazardous
environments such as near-furnace high-temperature
works, chemical processes, nuclear radiations, and
many more. Robots can also be utilized in complex
repetitive tasks where humans experience fatigue; it
includes transporting, welding, painting, assembling,
inspecting, and many more. This use of robots in the
manufacturing will lead to improved quality and
productivity in addition to a healthy workforce.
Robotics: Simplifying and
Safeguarding the Human Life
When it comes to security surveillance and wars,
robots are playing a vital role. Different unmanned
vehicles such as drones, tiny ground vehicles, and
more are used in safeguarding national borders as well
as dealing with the war. These are providing every
tiny detail to military forces that helps them to take
correct required action against enemy whenever
needed.
The space industry is also mostly using robots to
perform different tasks in the deep space. That may be
in the movements of satellite/shuttle elements or
working of different observatory devices and vehicles.
Till now many robotic vehicles have sent on Moon as
well as Mars for research and evaluation purposes.

Robotic companies are growing very vastly with the increased use of robots for different applications. They are introducing
highly sophisticated robotic products with heavy research and innovation. With the utilization of technologies such as
Artificial Intelligence and IoT, robots are becoming smarter, faster, and safer. This makes robotics industry more valuable for
their extraordinary innovative benefits.
In this issue of “Astonishing Companies in Robotics 2019”, we have enlisted the companies whose efforts and innovations
are remarkably transforming the robotics industry. On the cover of this issue, we have, FRANKA EMIKA: Robotics for
Everyone. At Franka Emika, the team’s ultimate goal was to develop the first system of a completely new robot generation –
affordable, safe, intelligent, and an actively supporting tool for humans. It was initially designed as a factory assistant,
evolving into a service robot for supporting elderly and sick persons, and, finally, a helper in the user’s daily life.
Franka Emika’s vision is to create ‘robotics technology for everyone’, with a goal to overcome one of the biggest challenges
of modern society, relieving an entire generation of tedious, potentially dangerous, vastly time-consuming, and monotonous
labor. Franka Emika’s approach places the human and its needs in the center of development. The approach to excel in all
disciplines that may be tangent to robotics from mechatronic component development to high-level interaction is quite
unique.
Dr. Simon Haddadin is the CEO and Co-founder of Franka Emika. Simon is a 33 years old innovative entrepreneur who
earned his doctorate in safe physical human-robot interaction. Simon received the Deutsche Zukunftspreis by Federal
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in November 2017 and the Manager of the Year 2018 award from Markt&Technik. Also,
his efforts let Franka Emika become the only German Company to be highlighted on the cover of the iconic TIME
Magazine’s “Best Inventions 2018” edition. Besides that, he has more than 30 national and international publications in
journals and conference talks and a multitude of national and international patents.
In the listing we have, Blue Frog Robotics: Developing Amazing Emotional Robots with Passion, Consequential Robotics:
Providing Global Platform to Develop Next Generation Consumer and Commercial Robots, and FoldiMate: Making One of
the Most Hated Household Chores Easy.
In an interview with Insights Success Thomas Lichtenberger, the CEO of Festo Didactic Inc. introduces us to his
organization, which is one of the first automation companies to collaborate with U.S. high schools, colleges and universities
in order to better prepare students for emerging careers in technology and design engineering.
While going through our magazine don’t miss out the masterly written articles from our editors as well as valuable views of
some of the successful business leaders.
So let’s start the Reading!
Suhel Mashayak

ARTICLE
Future-Bots
Catching-up with
the Robotics for
Better Future
22 42
30
Digi Connection
Benefits of Blockchain
in the making of
Smarter Energy Grids
Consequential
Robotics
Providing Global Platform
to Develop Next Generation
Consumer and
Commercial Robots
20
Blue Frog Robotics
Developing Amazing
Emotional Robots
with Passion
36
FoldiMate
Making One of the
Most Hated Household
Chores Easy

Editor-in-Chief Pooja M. Bansal
Senior Editor
Managing Editor
Executive Editor
Contributing Editor
Visualiser
Anish Miller
Suhel Mashayak
Stella Andrew
Upama, Ryan, Abhishaj
David King
Art & Design Head Amol Kamble
Art & Design Assistant
Co-designer
Art & Picture Editor
Business Development Manager
Marketing Manager
Business Development Executive
Sales Executives
Savita Pandav
Paul Belin
Asha Bange
Mary D’souza
Sophie Smith
Jennifer Winget
Joseph, Dan, Vrushali
Technical Head Jacob Smile
Assistant Technical Head Pratiksha Patil
Technical Consultants Amar, David, Robert
Digital Marketing Manager
Assistant Digital Marketing Manager
SME-SMO Executives
Alina Sege
Prashant Chevale
Gemson, Uma
Research Analyst Eric Smith
Circulation Manager
Tanaji
sales@insightssuccess.com
April, 2019
Corporate Ofces
Insights Success Media Tech LLC
555 Metro Place North, Suite 100,
Dublin, OH 43017, United States
Phone - (614)-602-1754
Email: info@insightssuccess.com
For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.com
Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd.
Off. No. 513 & 510, 5th Flr., Rainbow Plaza, Shivar Chowk,
Pimple Saudagar, Pune, Maharashtra 411017
Phone - India: +91 7410079881/ 82/ 83/ 84/ 85
Email: info@insightssuccess.in
For Subscription: www.insightssuccess.in
Follow us on : www.facebook.com/insightssuccess/ www.twitter.com/insightssuccess
We are also available on :
RNI No.: MAHENG/2018/75953
Copyright © 2019 Insights Success Media and Technology Pvt. Ltd., All rights reserved. The content and images used in this magazine should not
be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without prior permission
from Insights Success. Reprint rights remain solely with Insights Success.

Dr. Simon Haddadin
CEO & Co-founder
IMAGE CREDIT
Ansgar Pudenz
Deutscher Zukunftspreis

ASTONISHING
COMPANIES IN
ROBOTICS
2019 COVER STORY
Robotics for Everyone
Designed,
Developed
and made in
Germany

tate-of-the-art robotics
Stechnology has essentially been
stagnating over the past decades.
It offers solutions that are remote to
humans, extremely expensive and nonflexible;
suitable only for precise
positioning (e.g. setting spot welds),
programmed to predefined paths (e.g.,
painting) and behind safety fences.
Technically speaking, advanced
industrial robots are positioning
machines far away from the idea of
what a robot can and cannot do. To
unleash the original purpose of robots,
along with safely supporting humans,
serving their needs and desires, and
relieving them from laborious and
possibly dangerous work, the
traditional concepts had to be
overthrown.
At Franka Emika, the team’s ultimate
goal was to develop the first system of
a completely new robot generation -
affordable, safe, intelligent, and an
actively supporting tool for humans. It
was initially designed as a factory
assistant, evolving into a service robot
for supporting elderly and sick persons,
and, finally, a helper in the user's daily
life.
Next Generation Robots for
Sophisticated Human Life
Franka Emika’s vision is to create
‘robotics technology for everyone’,
with a goal to overcome one of the
biggest challenges of modern society,
relieving an entire generation of
tedious, potentially dangerous, vastly
time-consuming, and monotonous
labor. Franka Emika’s approach places
the human and its needs in the center
of development. The approach to excel
in all disciplines that may be tangent to
robotics from mechatronic component
development to high-level interaction
is quite unique.
The company’s first industrial robotic
arm “Panda” has been designed to be
accessible for everybody; it is a
capable power tool, affordable also for
small businesses, operable within
minutes and made for human
interaction. The robot incorporates
various novel possibilities as a humanlike
sense of touch, complete Industry
4.0 capability, multimodal interaction,
and unprecedented flexibility and
performance, just to name a few. From
the series production plant in Bavaria,
Germany; Panda is already being
shipped worldwide to all types of users
and is currently the fastest selling robot
system in the world.
Although, Franka Emika targets for a
broad field of application, the
European SME market and the global
3C market (computers, communication
devices, and consumer electronics) as
some of the biggest yet hardly
automated markets in the world,
currently shape the focus. This again is
unusual, as most robot suppliers try to
incrementally improve automation,
whereas Franka Emika goes for
completely new fields.
About the Leader
Dr. Simon Haddadin is the CEO and
Co-founder of Franka Emika. Simon
is a 33 years old innovative
entrepreneur who earned his doctorate
in safe physical human-robot
interaction. Simon received the
Deutsche Zukunftspreis by Federal
President Frank-Walter Steinmeier in
November 2017 and the Manager of
the Year 2018 award from
Markt&Technik. Also, his efforts let
Franka Emika become the only
German Company to be highlighted on
the cover of the iconic TIME
Magazine’s “Best Inventions 2018”
edition. Besides that, he has more than
We develop
Robots that
Safeguard,
Support and
Serve Humans.
30 national and international
publications in journals and conference
talks and a multitude of national and
international patents.
Simon has an outstanding educational
and work experience background
including Military service with Air
Transport Squadron 62 in session
2005-06. In 2006, he did Mathematics
and physics studies at Leibniz
University Hanover, followed by

IMAGE CREDIT
Ansgar Pudenz
Deutscher Zukunftspreis
medical studies at the University of
Debrecen and completed a dissertation
to become a medical doctor with
excellence at the Institute of Pathology
and Neuropathology. From 2010 to
2013, he worked as a research scientist
at the German Aerospace Center
(DLR), Institute of Robotics and
Mechatronics, and later, from 2012 to
2016, he was a Ph.D. student at the
Technical University Munich (TUM),
Graduate School of Bioengineering.
The Inception Story and Challenges
As a research group ‘human-centered
robotics’ under the leadership of Prof.
Sami Haddadin one of the world’s
most renown scientists in robotics and
AI at DLR (German Aerospace
Center), Simon and the founding team
were able to engage in the most
advanced robotics research. One of the
topics was the development of the first
compliant space robot LBR III (lightweight
robot III), a project that began
by the end of 80's of the XX century.
After solving many of the fundamental
problems as a research team, in 2012
they decided to try it on their own. One
of the main drivers was that there was
no robotic system commercially
available that fulfilled even closely the
ambitions of the founding team.
Although, being a rather young group
of people, they were among the most
experienced ones in this new field of
technology.
“In my opinion, it is rather easy to
work on something you love and that
has a clear purpose. I don’t think there
is a list of toughest difficulties, but
rather challenges that can be solved
with patience and hard work,” asserts
Simon on how to tackle the difficulties
and challenges.

“I have learned that challenges are
opportunities and that is how we
should approach them. With
increasingly “smart machines” we are
able to overcome some of the biggest
challenges of our society as
demographic change, distribution of
wealth or planetary pollution.
However, we should always keep the
human in control, especially in realworld
AI which is robotics, and that is
what we stand for,” added Simon.
Extraordinary Robotics Solutions
for Supporting Human Beings
The main motto of Franka Emika is to
create ‘robotics for everyone.’ This
demands the system that should be
accessible – easy-to-use and affordable,
flexible – ready for various
applications as well as quickly
adaptable to new tasks, and scalable –
easy to be manufactured, allowing for
solution deployment on multiple robots
– whereas at the same time that system
should avoid humans from any
exposure to danger in addition to its
support and service. These concepts
could not be implemented with
existing robotic components, therefore
the Franka Emika team designed and
developed full stack robotics
technology including mechatronics,
control, low-level and high-level
software, manufacturing and many
more, setting a new benchmark. “We
firmly believe our team is composed of
the best robotics specialists in the
world. Their knowledge and
experience ensured a goal-oriented
development of the project with
phenomenal results”, says Simon
about his team.
Major Benefits for customers
The current user base of Franka Emika
is highly diverse including worldwide
researchers, service and health care
providers, as well as almost all
branches of industrial manufacturing.
Consequently, Panda had become the
fastest selling industrial robotic system
with around 2,000 robots shipped
within the first year. The possible user
group of robotic systems had become
multitudes bigger, as before users were
dependent on having in-house robotic
know-how. This is a similar trend, as
the company saw it in the IT market,
where it became a commodity once the
group of possible beneficiaries was
extensive enough. The results represent
unprecedented opportunities for added
value, as robot solutions can be
developed by start-ups, students or
hobbyists with almost no investment,
creating new commercial and noncommercial
applications. Above all,
small and medium-sized enterprises
can also benefit greatly from access to
such systems and even increase their
national and international
competitiveness.
Future Roadmap
In future, the company would like to
witness how its dream ‘robotics for
everyone’ becomes a reality where
robotic systems become an inseparable
part of human lives in all social
dimensions – from hospitals and
schools to factory plants and even the
less-charted Space.
Simon’s advice to the new entrants in
the Robotics sphere – “Real robotics is
hard. Don’t underestimate it and be
patient.”
Panda
has been
designed
uniquely
as a sensitive,
interconnected,
adaptive and
cost-efficient
robot.

IMAGE CREDIT
Ansgar Pudenz
Deutscher Zukunftspreis
Cutting-edge
German
engineering
accessible to
everyone

SUBSCRIBE
TODAY
Never Miss an Issue
Yes, I would like to subscribe to Insights Success Magazine.
Global Subscription
Name :
Address :
Date :
Telephone :
Email :
City : State : Zip :
Country :
Check should be drawn in favor of : INSIGHTS SUCCESS MEDIA TECH LLC
CORPORATE OFFICE
Insights Success Media Tech LLC
555 Metro Place North, Suite 100,
Dublin, OH 43017, United States
Phone - (614)-602-1754,(302)-319-9947
Email: info@insightssuccess.com
For Subscription : www.insightssuccess.com

Interview with Insights Success
In an interview with Insights Success Thomas
Lichtenberger, the CEO of Festo Didactic Inc.
introduces us to his organization, which is one of the
first automation companies to collaborate with U.S. high
schools, colleges and universities in order to better prepare
students for emerging careers in technology and design
engineering.
Festo provides industrial and education partners with the
support they need through post-secondary apprenticeship
programs, blended STEM curriculum, state-of-the-art
engineering systems and lab equipment that resemble real
Smart Factories, and through sponsored vocational
competitions and summer camps.
Below are the highlights of the interview between Thomas
and Insights Success:
What is your definition of Festo? And what was the
inspiration that led to the inception of the company?
Festo Didactic is a leading provider of technical education
equipment and training. Our educational solutions evolved
from a world-class automation and engineering division and
integrates the latest trends in each learning system it offers.
The innovative product range allows educators and trainers
to equip their classroom with the technology they need,
from individual workstations to complete Learning
Factories, as well as training and consulting, eLearning,
courseware solutions, and LMS integration.
We have built over 100 years of trust providing high quality
German engineering. Festo is a family-run company that
has grown to become a worldwide supplier in 176
countries, serving 300,000 customers across 35 industries,
including brand name partners and government institutions.
We leverage our expertise in the industrial sector to create
holistic learning environments and workforce development
training for middle school, high school and college
students.
Would you kindly elaborate on your company’s
innovative services, solutions and their benefits to your
customers?
For over 40 years, Festo Didactic has prepared students in
North America for in-demand jobs in a complex industrial
environment. We provide colleges and universities with topof-the-line
simulated Smart Factories to develop the
advanced manufacturing workforce of tomorrow. Ours was
one of the first automation companies to foster
collaboration with North American institutions for Industry
4.0 career readiness.
The Festo Didactic product and service portfolio offers
solutions for rapid learning and retention in the entire
spectrum of automation technologies: pneumatics,
electropneumatics, hydraulics, electrohydraulics,
electronics, electrical engineering, sensors, robotics, CNC
technology, PLC and fieldbus technology, manufacturing
technology, and process engineering as well as
mechatronics.
Festo Didactic products combine theoretical knowledge
with practical experience in automation and technology.
Intuitive and fast learning is achieved through practical
learning systems and learning factories, which makes the
technologies and processes used in industrial production,
immediately tangible and illustrate them in an
understandable way. People in training are able to use these
systems to gather the real, practical experience that they
need to work independently in industry, and quickly
contribute to a company’s productivity.
What is your take on the current landscape of the
Robotics and Automation industry, and what does their
potential hold, in the future?
Introducing advanced manufacturing and robotics programs
into schools at an earlier age is a crucial piece to solving the
STEM skills shortage. Teaching students to work alongside
robots and how to operate them won’t be limited to
industrial environments. It’s hard to imagine jobs in the
future that won't have an element of automation or IoT/IIoT
integration. Our current reality, and future reality, is a
highly digital world where the pace of change and frequent
market disruptions will require workers to be nimble and
learn how to adapt quickly to these changes.
W e at Festo, leverage our
expertise in the industrial sector
to create holistic learning
environments and workforce
development training for
middle school, high school
and college students
|April 2019| 17

What does Festo’s future roadmap include, in terms of expansion,
innovation and development?
The Festo Industry Certification Program (FICP), our new
comprehensive industry skills certification, is based on industry and
education partnerships to ensure students have the right set of skills to
be industry ready. FICP evolved from our global industrial automation
division and technical education experience over the past six decades.
The Mechatronics Apprenticeship Program was established by Festo
Didactic to address the workforce skills gap in Advanced
Manufacturing. MAP is designed to help individuals learn advanced
manufacturing skills from employer partners while they earn an
associate’s degree in mechatronics in partnership with Sinclair
Community College in Mason, Ohio. The program's mission is to help
employers develop skills that are missing in today's workforce by
combining theoretical education with hands-on and on-the-job training.
Bionics4Education is an innovative learning environment offering a
range of projects inspired by nature. This technology connects familiar,
nature-based activities with complex robotics and engineering in
project-based learning experiences that increase accessibility and
comprehension for student learners. This innovative learning model
allows students to gain important 21st century skills including
creativity, innovation, and problem solving. Teaching students to see
the world differently, Bionics4Education helps students draw upon and
synthesizes knowledge from different disciplines to develop a solution.
About the CEO
For over two decades, Thomas Lichtenberger has dedicated his career
to advancing the global automation industry. As the CEO of Festo
Didactic Inc., Thomas is responsible for all market and sales activities
in North America. A passionate advocate for career and technical
education, Thomas is committed to closing the STEM skills gap,
improving workforce development, and Industry 4.0 career readiness.
Prior to joining Festo, Thomas served as President and CEO for Festo
Canada, where he oversaw all business activities of the automation
market. He led the transformation into a profitable and successfully
focused company that became the market leader in Canada. Before he
moved to Canada in 2008, Thomas had several senior management
positions in Festo's headquarters in Germany.
Thomas holds an executive MBA from the Graduate School of
Business Administration in Zurich and a BS in Electrical Engineering
from the University of Applied Science in Karlsruhe, Germany.
18
|April 2019|

BLUE FROG
ROBOTICS
Developing Amazing
Emotional Robots with
Passion
Robotics is said to be the next
technological revolution. The
advances in robotics and AI
are happening rapidly and the demand
for consumer robotic solutions is
growing. We are moving towards a
world full of robots shifting from a
phase largely dominated by domestic
robots (e.g., vacuums, mops and
lawnmowers) into robots engaging
directly with humans in the form of
personal assistants or family
companions. Tomorrow, companion
robots will be part of our lives as the
smartphone is one of them today
although we would never have
imagined it at first. We can say that for
successful customer adoption,
“Emotional Artificial Intelligence” is
the key. By understanding this
technological shift Blue Frog
Robotics has introduced BUDDY
Robot and redefined the way we
interact with technologies by creating a
user-friendly, proactive and engaging
interface with an unbeatable charm.
Fundamentally, BUDDY is about a
new way of interacting with
technology, is a new entertainment
platform, security system and assistant
for all the family, able to grow and
learn with each member to enable
richer interactions, while enhancing the
quality of life at all age.
Blue Frog Robotics is a cutting-edge
French start-up and developer of
BUDDY, the first Emotional Robot for
the all family, with dedicated services
for B2B2C supported by emotional
interactions and autonomous
behaviors.
BUDDY generates
empathy and an
emotional
connection almost
instantaneously that
makes people feel
affection for him
BUDDY: The Emotional Robot
BUDDY is the emotional companion
that connects, protects, and interacts
with each member of the family.
BUDDY can secure, assist, connect
and entertain elders at home or in
senior housing. He is also the perfect
emotional robot to teach and play with
children especially those with special
needs. This ready to go market,
emotional platform, and robot solution
address also robot manufacturers,
distributors or licensees that need
robots with “smart” and emotional
capacities (behavior, adaptability,
proactivity, etc.).
The architect behind the Blue Frog
Robotics
Rodolphe Hasselvander is the CEO
and Founder of Blue Frog Robotics.
He is a pioneer engineer and
entrepreneur in industrial & personal
robotics. He has been working in
robotics for over 20 years, including
Artificial Intelligence, educational and
assistance robots, autonomous cars and
platforms, humanoid robots and other
kinds of robots for logistic, defense,
surgery & construction. He has been
leading the CRIIF, a well-known
French robotics lab and decided in
2014 to create to transfer these high
robotics technologies in accessible
robots like BUDDY for consumers.
Rodolphe had always the dream to
develop an emotional companion robot
to change the life of millions of people.
Challenge achieved as after 4 years of
R&D, we are ready for global B2B2C
deployment in 2019.
The Inception of Buddy Robot
Blue Frog Robotics team had the desire
to make robots that will help people to
20
|April 2019|

ASTONISHING
COMPANIES IN
ROBOTICS
2019
live a better life. After developing robots for nuclear,
healthcare and defense applications, the company believes
that the time for consumer robotics has come. At first, the
original idea of BUDDY was born out of the need to help
the elderly to live alone longer with the aim at answering a
challenging issue: overcoming loneliness and isolation of
people by erasing the complexity of technology. Therefore,
the company created an endearing and cute robot that
people want to bond with. When Blue Frog Robotics started
to introduce BUDDY to the public, he has been received so
warmly by many users. Therefore, the company decided
that their product had to match the current needs for daily
life at all age and developed it with three sacrosanct
principles: create empathy, make it accessible to the greatest
number and scalable/upgradeable.
Exclusive Offerings from Blue Frog Robotics
Blue Frog Robotics develops a disruptive product,
especially endearing, to have a significant impact on
business and society. It creates a simple, reliable, massmarket
product that can evolve easily and erase the
technology’s complexity in favor of useful services. As the
technology advances with giant strides, BUDDY is not
intended to be embedded in a sclerotic model. The robot
must, therefore, be able to integrate many applications.
Since BUDDY is built on a modular and flexible platform,
the global community of BUDDY hardware and software
developers can easily enrich the portfolio of applications
specifically targeted to professionals, including Eldercare,
Education and IoT industries.
Improving Continuously to Serve Distinctly
Blue Frog Robotics has already signed with some key
corporate partners to start full-scale tests with BUDDY.
Among them, the European leader in Ageing-Well,
KORIAN, who will start experimentation with elderly,
based on the unique capabilities of BUDDY to provide
permanent assistance for both health caregiver and senior
(safety/security, 24Hr monitoring service, alert generation,
social link, entertainment etc.).
The company also have other projects under development
within the Education field (Robot Avatar to help sick
children stay connected with schoolmates) and with a
Healthcare major player to develop a therapy robot for
special kids.
On hospitality services, Blue Frog worked with SNCF
(French railway company) to create and unique and original
travel experience on board where BUDDY animates the
iDTGV wagon bar and with SOMFY (world leader in door
and window automation for the home and building
Rodolphe Hasselvander
CEO & Founder
industry) to drive clients’ visit inside the brand-new
experience center at their headquarter.
Benefits for Customers
In order to deliver the most acceptable, usable and emphatic
robot, Blue Frog Robotics creates and develops a modular
endorsed EAIF (Emotional AI Framework) for their clients
to build innovative and differentiating solutions, services
and applications for enhanced customer experience
creation. By allowing robots to have meaningful
interactions with end-users, clients can create a more
personalized user experience and increase business value.
Future Roadmap of Blue Frog and Robots
At Blue Frog, whole team is passionate about bringing
personal robotics to the next level. Their goal is that
everyone to adopt his emotional companion robot. BUDDY
will be the first real emotion robot and other robots will
follow, maybe bigger and able to do more “concrete” as true
humanoid robots.“In ten or fifteen years, we will all have a
robot in our house. After all, in the early 1980s, the
personal computer was only a distant mirage,” asserts
Rodolphe.
|April 2019| 21

Catching-up
with the
ROBOTICS
for
Better
FUTURE
obots have always been
Rpictured as a man-made
advanced technological
creativity, which do and will favor the
human species for future. As robotics
is vibrantly globalized, soon it will be
mainstreamed in various fields and
sectors. Currently, there are numerous
enterprises worldwide which are
implementing robotics into industrial,
healthcare and commercial use.
Whereas, robotics have experienced a
lot of up’s and down’s during this
tenure, but with the time, it held a
stronghold in the digital world.
Whenever the discussion arises about
the applications of robotics, the
industrial sector has bespoken
benefits’. Robots have become more
affordable, smart and productive over
the years. The sectors like agriculture,
construction, warehousing and
logistics, and customer services. By
investing more in robots, an enterprise
22
|April 2019|

Future-Bots
will be solving certain problems more
accurately and efficiently. Meanwhile,
utilizing robots will help enterprises to
push their limits in order to fill up the
productivity voids.
With each slippage of time, the
technology is upgrading so does the
robotics. The advancements in robotics
field will be a boon to the enterprises in
order to increase growth and
productivity rate. There are certain
parameters that should be considered
while implementing robotics in the
enterprise, such as
Following up Parameters before
Reaching the Depth of Robotics
Modifying; as per the user’s need
Generally, robots used to require
advanced training in order to operate
comfortably. It’s not an issue for the
big enterprises as they acquire the
skilled people to deal with, where the
small enterprises are not so gifted with
loads of assets initially. But, with the
new advances in robotics technologies,
it has become easier for small ventures
to invest in robots for increasing the
productivity generating more revenue.
Just by giving wireless commands
from an IOT, demonstrating tasks to
the robots gets easier. Nowadays, there
are numerous varieties of robots to
carry out multitasks, thus as per the
user’s need, one can invest in robots
for the industrial purpose.
Easily Compatible
Unlike the big manufacturing robots in
huge industries, there are various
collaborative robots which are
specially designed to work alongside
and to assist human workers in a
variety of tasks. Earlier it was sort of
stressful for an enterprise to allot
specific man-power for certain task,
but by implementing co-bots such
issues are resolved. As the size and
shape of co-bots are getting more
compact, it may benefit the enterprises
in various terms.
Easy to Develop
Earlier robots were not able to program
easily due to the incompatibility
between the user interface and
hardware. But, now Robotic Operating
System (ROS) is dominating the
industry by providing solutions for
varied robots in order to perform the
task without lagging. It’s an opensource
framework which helps
developers to redirect the programming
in different ways. This open-source
framework is dominating the growth
towards the constructive direction.
Amplifying the Range of Applied
Robotics
st
The 21 century—is the era of
implementing new ideology and
technologies in various sectors. While
technological disruption has
collectively affected every possible
|April 2019| 23

sector, robotics is still unaffected. From past few years, the
technology, as well as its implementation, has increased
substantially. Have a look on such few areas for possible
applications.
Obliging Enterprises through Robotics
Cobot’s: Assisting Humans
Unlike big manufacturing robots, collaborative robots are
designed to work with employees in enterprises and
corporates. The design is smart enough to assist humans
and also, compact enough to handle. Generally, the small
and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) are slightly boon by
implementing co-bots in day to day life, as they are easily
adaptable, easy to process and most importantly it’s
affordable. According to some experts, there’s a possibility
of enormous growth in the business, if Co-bots are
implemented widely. The main motive of industrial robots
is to the prioritized safety of employees and workers, yet
the chances of accidents are always at high risk. Whereas,
co-bots works as a service robot; they come in various
shape and sizes easing the workability and reducing the
liability of employees. In order to get sanctioned as service
robots, any co-bot has to pass certain testing parameters by
robot manufacturing companies, factors such as easily
compatible with other devices and programs, safe in
use, easy to command, and processing at a faster
rate. Currently, co-bots are used for processes
like machine tending, packaging, and material
handling. In spite of industries, co-bots are
used in various sectors such as in farming,
hospitals, healthcare and facilities, and
labs. It does come under robot-as-aservice
format.
with personal robotics cloud which will help robots to take
and give information directly. Depending on the robot, it
can process various functions such as lifting, leveraging,
handle vision, object recognition and other, thus certain
robots acquire such skills and will provide information to
the cloud. Then, this information helps other robots to get
enlightened. In simple words to say, robots will teach other
robots for the better good of the enterprises. On the other
hand, as robots are getting more and more evolved, filtering
of essential information from rest will get much easier. This
will comfort both big and small enterprises to manage big
data more precisely.
With the emergence of advancement in robotics, they are on
the verge to touch skies already. If considering the above
possible factors, this evergreen era of robotics is less likely
to get saturated due to technological disruption. As the
technologies are growing faster, the enterprises must to
catch-up with them accordingly. It’s high time to implement
new technologies especially of the robotics as its utilization
is not only subjected to warehouses but also, towards the inhouse
enterprise work. Hopefully, there’s a possibility of
robot-oriented industries in the future.
Cloud Robotics
Imagine an enterprise with
robots that are totally independent
to the user commands, in other
words, no external programming
may require in order to process robots
for the various tasks. In accordance to
that, a User Interface to be exact might not
be needed in the future, as machine learning is
already on its verge to get explored. Currently, in
order to carry out certain tasks robots are been told to
what to do using the interface whereas, cloud robotics
directly twitch compatible code from the clouds which
are required for the tasks. To work alongside with
humans, robots must be deep learning the subjects
simultaneously able to point out problems and provide
solutions right away. Meanwhile, it will be a boon for the
enterprises if the employees will get to interact with robots
as a personified object rather than a machine. Soon, there
24
|April 2019|

Impact of
Blockchain
technology
in Logistics
industry
Raghu Bala
CEO
NetObjex Inc
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Raghu Bala CEO, NetObjex Inc is based
in Southern California. Raghu formerly
worked with Yahoo, Infospace, PwC,
and with 3 successful startup exits.
He is a Wharton MBA in Finance, MS
in Computer Science from RPI, Ex-
Columbia University Adjunct Lecturer,
published author and major
conferences including IoT Congress,
Google IO, and more. His Current focus
areas are Decentralized computing,
Distributed ledgers, IoT, and Cryptocurrencies
respectively.
26
|April 2019|

Expert’s Insights
The Logistics Industry is a key segment in several
world economies, including that of the United
States.
Using a study from AT Kearney, it accounted for about
7.5% of GDP in 2016. The Logistics industry is made up of
several subsegments including:
• Motor Carriers e.g. JB Hunt, Old Dominion
• Parcel Delivery e.g. Fed Ex, UPS
• Rail e.g. CSX, Norfolk Southern
• Container Shipping e.g. Maersk, Hapag-Lloyd
• Air Freight e.g. DHL, Martinair
• Pipeline companies e.g. Enbridge, Kinder Morgan
• Freight Forwarders e.g. Kuehne+Nagel, Sinotrans
• Third Party Logistics e.g. CH Robinson, XPO Logistics
• Warehousing Companies e.g. Ryder, Geodis
Many of the players in the above list bleed over into the
other segments and offer a broad product mix.
Technology has continued to be the catalyst for change in
the Logistics industry. New business models are being
constantly developed and driving the industry towards a
flexible, connected, optimized supply chain. Customer
expectations also continue to evolve with a greater need for
immediacy, convenience and personalization at the core.
AI, IoT, and Blockchain technologies have a major role to
play in this evolution.
Logistics, in general, involves a Chain of Custody where
goods change hands between multiple parties. For instance,
a Seller in China wishes to ship goods to a Buyer in the US.
It is very likely that in this scenario the goods e.g. a
Container will go through several intermediaries e.g.
trucking companies, shipping companies before reaching
the buyer.
At present, most of this journey is fairly opaque in that once
the goods leave the custody of the Sender, there is very little
insight as to its status until it arrives at the Buyer. When
single companies handle the entire shipment e.g. FedEx,
DHL etc then there is slightly more visibility through
mobile notifications and web based tracking via tracking
numbers. But when multiple carriers are involved, tracing
and tracking becomes exponentially more difficult and is
not being handled most effectively at present.
Enter Blockchain to the rescue. Blockchain is a form of
|April 2019| 27

Source: NetObjex Inc
Distributed Ledger technology may be just what the doctor ordered when it comes to improving the transparency in the
Logistics industry. Blockchain technology provides a transparent, tamper proof, and immutable ledger – three properties
which could help mitigate several of the inefficiencies in Logistics.
Before we examine Blockchain in detail, let us quickly list some of the common issues faced in Logistics:
• Inefficiency e.g. goods not arriving on time
• Loss e.g. goods perishing enroute due to improper handling
• Theft e.g. goods being stolen due to lack of security measures
• Counterfeiting e.g. goods being replaced with counterfeit goods
• Fraud e.g. document fraud where documents such as bill of lading are modified
With this context in mind, let us study how Blockchain can help in Logistics. First, blockchain technology is extremely
useful in ecosystems involving multiple players who work with one another but there may be trust issues. The Logistics
ecosystem easily qualifies in this regard. Second, most of what ails the ecosystem is a lack of accountability which is
brought about by the lack of transparency. For instance, in the chain of custody, if all the ecosystem participants have
their own information silos (either automated or otherwise), then there is a lack of a common set of truths or a common
system of record. This leads to inefficiency, errors, and even fraud. Third, compound this already maligned ecosystem by
saddling it customer requirements such as cold chain shipments where temperature has to be maintained within specific
thresholds e.g. pharmaceuticals or wine.
In all three cases, Blockchain is a perfect fit. First, it helps all ecosystem participants’ work off of the same data by
sharing data across trust boundaries breaking down the silos on information. Second, when coupled with IoT technology
for real time data acquisition, blockchain can be used for governance and accountability in Chain of Custody situations.
For instance, in a cold chain shipment, one can easily ascertain which party was responsible for a shipping container
while in transit when the temperature gauge reading went outside of the preset thresholds.
Blockchain promises to be a game changing technology and something that is a very good fit for the Logistics business
and all of its complexity.
28
|April 2019|

CONSEQUENTIAL
ROBOTICS
Providing
Global Platform to Develop
Next Generation Consumer and
Commercial Robots
Consequential Robotics [CqR]
delivers the best of
international design and
engineering to the development of next
generation consumer and commercial
robots. It aims to create new robot
platforms that are inclusively designed,
attractive, effective and helpful, with
the long-term aim to enhance the
quality of human life.
The emphasis is on emotional
engagement with technology and
understanding how people will use
robots in their lives at home, at work,
at schools, and in shared spaces.
Robots will be the eyes, ears and brains
of the intelligent house or the smart
office, designed to work safely and
unobtrusively; complementing and
assisting people not replacing them.
Working closely with international
academic and industrial collaborators,
CqR employs the latest artificial
intelligence, navigation, mechatronic,
human-machine interface and flexible
manufacturing technologies to create
robots that are likeable, reliable, and
easy to use.
Founder of Consequential Robotics
An engineer at heart, Sebastian
Conran has design in the blood,
focused on designing technologies to
make them more emotionally
engaging. He is passionate about
creating thoughtful & elegant products
that are satisfying to use. He believes
‘form follows fabrication’ and that one
must thoroughly understand how
things are to be made & experienced
before you put pencil to paper.
From working in his father’s industrial
design studio in the early 1970's to
founding the Consequential Robotics
in 2015, Sebastian’s life has been
focused on understanding how things
are made, sold, used and experienced.
We aim to create
new robot platforms
that are inclusively
designed, attractive,
effective and helpful,
with the long-term
aim to enhance the
quality of human life
As well as creating ingenious,
thoughtfully designed and satisfying
products. At present he is also visiting
Professor of Design & Innovation at
Bristol Robotics Lab and Designer in
Residence at the University of
Sheffield’s engineering faculty.
As the CEO of Consequential
Robotics and Sebastian Conran
Associates design studio, Sebastian
takes a hands-on, down-to-earth
approach to all his design &
development projects, sharing his
wealth experience on user needs and
manufacturing expertise with the
design team. His design team has
received much international acclaim
and many awards for design &
innovation as well as being granted
over fifty patents and design patents in
various fields.
“Robotics have fascinated me since
childhood, however the
dream/nightmare portrayed in many
movies has until now been fairly
illusory. But now with the advent more
highly developed AI technology and
sensors we are beginning to be able to
realize and develop useful consumer
facing robotics with true autonomy
rather than single purpose devices
used in manufacturing or washing
dishes,” asserts Sebastian.
MiRo-E: Next Generation Personal
Robot
In the future robots will share our
personal space; interact with us and
with each other to provide emotional
engagement, security and
entertainment; so it is essential that the
students of today learn coding for such
devices.
Miro-E is developed specifically for
such education to demonstrate &
develop human/robot and robot/robot
interaction, MiRo-E has a wideranging
suite of sensors. There are 11
degrees of freedom, which provides for
rich expressive communication and
30
|April 2019|

ASTONISHING
COMPANIES IN
ROBOTICS
2019
behavioral coding opportunities.
Now shipping in its 3rd generation the MiRo-E is a highly
specified, low-cost, flexible and fully programmable
autonomous AI robotic platform for students, researchers,
educators, developers and healthcare professionals. With six
biomimetic senses, over 30 sensors, an innovative braininspired
control system and a simulation software package.
(www.miro-e.com)
MiRo is based on the simple premise that animals have
qualities that are desirable in today’s social robots. They are
robust, adaptable and good at communicating their feelings.
Consequential Robotics approach is to build robots that
think and operate very much like animals; from their senses
and decision-making processes, all the way through to their
body forms and behaviors. MiRo particularly suited to
robot-human interaction and robot-robot team interaction.
MiRo-E was created by Consequential Robotics in
association with leading international universities and
educationalists. It was designed & developed in
collaboration with the acclaimed Sebastian Conran
Associates studio and leading universities, as a loveable
companion robot platform with big potential. MiRo-E is the
next generation of personal robots that will go beyond mere
toy-like gadgets, creating rewarding engagement for users.
Being friendly, familiar and animal-like rather than an
underperforming disappointing humanoid, people respond
to MiRo with a different set of expectations that are more
easily matched and exceeded by today’s nascent AI
technology. Interacting with MiRo is undoubtedly a fun
emotionally satisfying experience for all ages.
Benefits for Clients of Consequential Robotics
Understanding & learning AI coding is becoming an
important educational skill. MiRo-E provides unparalleled
interaction with students and their environment, providing
an opportunity to engage non-STEM minded students in the
Digital Curriculum and has been proven to change the way
learners view themselves in the context of STEM.
Sebastian Conran
CEO
and in various subjects to provide a well-balanced multilevel
learning experience. Example teaching modules help
guide educators to develop learning materials.
Future Strategies of Consequential Robotics
CqR is mainly focused on meeting the needs of the aging
population, by using AI robotics to help people in later life
look after themselves and remain able, independent and
happy as long as they possible, without being too much of a
burden on others.
MiRo-E’s engaging pet-like personality stands out from
other educational robots, stimulating the imaginations of all
students, not just of those already excited by technology.
They understand and learn how to code AI robotic
behaviors, implementing their creative ideas through the
highly specified flexible platform.
MiRo-E is an excellent classroom tool for all, including
SEN and student emotional care. It can be used from P-12
|April 2019| 31

HOW STARTUPS CAN CAPITALIZE
ON IOT'S NEW CO-ECONOMY
Internet of Things (IoT) is one of the key technologies in the Fourth Industrial Revolution which promises to
transform and disrupt our current business. It’s like a “do or die” thing. Even though Kevin Ashton have coined
the term “IoT” in 1999, it’s only four to 5 years ago that we see a sudden increase of renewed interest in IoT
due to multiple factors such as the price of hardware becoming cheaper, communications becoming more pervasive,
software development becoming more easier, Moore’s Law doubling the computing power and the impact of
Metcalf’s network effects.
We are also seeing a transformation in the business model. Initially, it’s all about technology-based, product-based
or service-based business model. However, with IoT, we can offer a new business model based on outcome. For
example, I will pay your solution if it can guarantee to reduce my electricity bill by 30% or pay me this amount if I
can guarantee you that your healthcare costs reduce by 50% this year.
The new business posed great challenge since it requires enough data or information to make a particular decision.
These data can come from various sources including the sensor data. Building an IoT solution requires many parties
to be involve since every part of the IoT value-chain requires specialization such as chipsets, devices, connectivity,
middleware, applications, data analytics and system integration.
Below are the main key factors how Startup can capitalize on IoT’s new co-economy:
1. Leverage their agility – Startup work faster than many bigger companies. They are more innovative and have
faster decision process. Successful Startup will be normally acquired by bigger companies to be part of their
whole ecosystem.
2. Specialist in their own areas – Startup is excellent in one or two things. They have the knowledge depth in
specific area. They can be a very good partner and to fill the gap required by a bigger project.
3. Capturing the immature market – IoT is still at an infancy stage but have great potential. With the use of cloud,
IoT services can be reach worldwide. A smart building or smart parking solution can have their IoT middleware
resides across the world.
4. Think big but start small – IoT have four maturity phases. In many IoT implementation journey, we can start
with as simple as monitoring and later towards control. As we include more sensors and actuators, we can
reach the phase of optimise and finally the ultimate phase of making the solution autonomous.
32
|April 2019|

CXO Standpoint
About the Author
Dr. Mazlan Abbas is the CEO
and Co-founder of
FAVORIOT, a Malaysian IoT
Start-up that focuses on
providing a peace of mind
solu on called RAQIB for the
pilgrims and their family
members during performing
their Hajj. Favoriot also offers
RAQIB to monitor the
elderly's health, safety, and
loca on. Both solu ons
above comprised of Smart
Wearables connected to
FAVORIOT IoT middleware.
The middleware is now being
used by more than 20
organiza ons to build their
own IoT solu ons.
Dr. Mazlan Abbas
CEO & Co-founder
5. IoT DNA – Startup should capitalize the journey of an individual organization’s digital transformation journey
from the beginning. Understanding their pain points and providing the IoT solution is similar to a doctor
prescribing medicines for their patient until they recover from their illness. Only the regular or the “house”
doctor know the patient well enough – thus, be their IoT DNA.
IoT has taken a long journey and now it has become an integral part of Fourth Industrial Revolution and beyond.
It will be very pervasive and will change the landscape of current business whether you like it or not. It is no
longer a monopoly economy due to multiple technologies and specific talents required. Startups have to take
quickly leverage and capitalize the opportunity now.
|April 2019| 33

FoldiMate
Making One of the Most
Hated Household Chores Easy
It’s safe to say that we’re already
living in the robotic era - you
can see Robotics in every aspect
of our daily lives and businesses. Not
only in manufacturing, where it has
become critical to the success of the
business, but we are also starting to
see Robots being used as bartenders,
chefs, bellboys, security guards,
hospital aids, military aids, teachers
and so much more.
At home, robotic products are still
less common than in business,
though we can’t ignore the robotic
vacuum cleaners and lawn mowers
that so many of us already own. But
this will definitely change as we look
into the future and especially thanks
to innovative, visionary robotics
company, FoldiMate.
FoldiMate will be the only viable
automated (robotic) solution to fold
clothes manually for millions of
homes and businesses around the
world. Industry players have been
trying for years to achieve what this
company has succeeded in doing
within only 2 years of R&D: With
FoldiMate it takes less than 5
minutes to easily fold an entire
laundry load into neatly folded piles.
FoldiMate is the first company to
develop a robotic laundry folder that
is around the size of an existing
household appliance, such as a small
fridge or a washer. FoldiMate folds
your laundry quickly; you can fold a
laundry load in less than 5 minutes. It
can fold shirts, blouses, pants and
even towels. It can fold clothing for
age 6 years up to XXL.
Take the
work OUT of
laundry
folding
Innovator of FoldiMate
Gal Rozov is the Founder and CEO
of FoldiMate. First and foremost, Gal
is a family man and is happily
married with 3 kids. He is also a
technology geek who believes in
solving problems with technology.
He is constantly searching for
gadgets and solutions to improve his
life or save time.
Gal worked in the hi-tech industry
for the past twenty years. He started
out as a software developer and
moved on to finish his bachelor's
degree in business management and
then assumed various leadership
positions which required both a
business and technology focus. It
was always important for him to see
the big picture and not just the
technical aspect. He is now enjoying
the fact that he is creating something
that will not only improve his own
quality of life but the lives of his
friends, colleagues and everyone else
in the world.
The Inspiration Behind the
Inception of FoldiMate
Nowadays it’s very challenging to
find quality time with your family, no
matter what type of work you do.
Everyone who works in the twentyfirst
century is challenged by time or
lack thereof. Gal has always felt that
he should share the burden of the
household chores, but he is the first
to admit that he isn’t that good at
chores and doesn’t particularly enjoy
them.
36
|April 2019|

ASTONISHING
COMPANIES IN
ROBOTICS
2019
One of his responsibilities is filling and emptying the
dishwasher. It was this particular chore that caused him
to think of an appliance that could fold the laundry. His
wife didn’t approve of his laundry folding standards, but
perhaps if there was a machine that could do the difficult
part of the folding he could help with this tiresome and
hefty chore too. If he could only feed the items into a
folder and it would do the difficult part - the folding, just
as the dishwasher does the cleaning.
Gal’s aim to help with additional household chores was
the original inspiration to develop a laundry folder, and
only a robotics device could possibly cope with folding
laundry. Until recently it would have been too expensive
to attempt to develop such a product, but with recent
robotic advancements, such as processing costs, supply
chains, assembly, communications and software updates,
it is now possible to build such a robot at a sufficiently
low cost that would make it affordable for consumers
and businesses.
Benefits for FoldiMate Users
There are a few huge benefits to using the FoldiMate.
Firstly, it saves time. Recently, during early pilots in the
USA, the FoldiMate team ran competitions between
FoldiMate and manual folding and they saw, time and
time again, that FoldiMate can fold at least twice as fast
as folding manually. Secondly, now everyone can fold
the laundry. Your kids will even fight over using it as it is
really simple to use and they discovered, during the
pilots, that the kids find it pretty cool too and actually
enjoyed folding. FoldiMate will make sure that your
closets are organized with neatly folded piles.
Gal Rozov
Founder & CEO
The Future-Ready Consumer-Oriented Approach
“It is a very challenging task for a robot to fold our
laundry. Developing a technology that can handle the
wide variety of items in our closet takes time to mature
and finalize. The FoldiMate can’t be compared to a
standard household appliance and even a robotic
vacuum cleaner for that matter. We have finally achieved
this major milestone and are now making sure our fans
love it as much as we do. All of these steps take time and
we still have the long and costly manufacturing process
ahead of us,” describes Gal about their future-ready
products and achievements.
|April 2019| 37

38
|April 2019|

Expert’s Opinion
Transforming
Data based
Solutions
Ondrej Tomas is the CEO of CleverAnalytics.com
CleverAnalytics is Location Intelligence and
Analysis platform driven by the business cases of
CEOs, COOs, Network, Sales and Marketing
executives. It excels in processing really large data
sets and combining internal and external data into
one data model.
|April 2019| 39

For quite a few years now Data is a new business mantra.
Data is strategic asset, data is a key to unlock real business
potential. Everything seems to dance around the data fire.
So why would there be any need for more data, more data
analytics, more tools?
Obviously the challenging part is turning the data into
information and turning the information into valuable
insights. I personally went through many iterations of this
value chain. I was on the vendor side providing data
warehouse technology and business intelligence tools as
well as being on the customer side, trying to find the right
tools, getting the IT environment together with the business
one, fighting for the data to give answers. It is not easy!
Especially when you have a very precise idea what you
want and what the outcome should look like. All that leads
to some frustration and complexity issues.
However, the world of technology changes fast and a lot of
frustrating tasks from the past are nowadays so easy to
resolve. Why is that?
I am observing a few key trends and elements for this
development. First and foremost, it is cloud computing
adoption, secondly, it is machine learning and artificial
intelligence principles and thirdly it is new large data
sources that bring the “material” that can be and should be
analyzed.
Cloud computing is the biggest democratization principle
found in last decades. Cloud computing scaled down and
brought up super advanced analytics to anyone, anywhere,
anytime. Just a few years back only the biggest and
wealthiest companies could afford to run large data centers
with huge racks and server farms running all that expensive
software tools from prime vendors. Today you can rent that
technology for just a few moments to run your job at a
fraction of a price and with the possibility to pay with your
credit card. Not only can you rent infrastructure you can
also rent software and you can choose from tens and
hundreds of tools. When you don’t like the tool, you just
stop the subscription and move to some more convenient
tool. This is a true revolution. You own all the possibilities
of this modern world with a single credit card in your
pocket! What a massive impact this has. For example, any
company in the world can decide NOT to have any IT! I
mean servers, hardware, IT people... You can just run on
cloud services. Without any back-office and in fact, you do
not even need a physical office or company cars!
Machine learning is closely connected with cloud
computing. Without cloud there would not be machine
learning in the form we know it today. Machine learning
works only when you have enough data for the machine to
feed. And that exactly is the role of cloud. That applies also
to ML software capabilities. Few years ago there was just
nothing except for some super expensive and proprietary
tools. Nowadays you do a few clicks on AWS (amazon web
services) and you run your first ML query! Needless to say
what amazing possibilities this brings to data turning into
information.
For our own technology (location intelligence platform) this
meant an interesting breakthrough. All of a sudden we
could provide our normal users with a simple analysis after
initial data load that showed basic behavioral patterns. Just
on one click. Amazing! Using computing power and know
how of people that we would not be able to buy in a
lifetime…
But machine learning brings more. It learns every minute,
every day some more, it learns more with more data.
Thanks to this we all got used to using Siri on our phones or
Alexa in our “smart” homes. All that being more capable
every day due to machine learning. What a life changing
technology!
My third topic was new large data sets as a raw material to
be analyzed. And there are so many! We have a rising star -
internet of things (IoT) together with Blockchain, internet
browsers related data, smartphones generated data, etc..
And sometimes you do not even need a new source of data.
Sometimes you just find a new use for the data already
existing. Such as for us utilizing the location based data.
There is a location element in more than 80% of all
business related data today. Almost everything can be
localized. Your phone calls, your card payments, your car
parking, your web browsing… All this represents large data
sets that wait for exploring. The fun part is that this is only
a start of a new trend. There will simply be more and more
data - i.e. more possibilities for turning them into a valuable
insights. Yet only 0,5% of all data is now being analyzed.
95,5% of all data are not being touched! It is like our
knowledge of oceans. Yes, we know a lot and we are
learning fast, yet we only know so little :-)
So, exciting times are ahead thanks to all this amazing
technology. And where politicians fail in their attempts to
pursue democracy, it is technology that brings democracy
into our lives as the most natural thing.
40
|April 2019|

Smarter
Energy Grids
42
|April 2019|

Digi Connection
Human beings have always looked up to nature and
made efforts to learn from its basic principles.
Sonars were inspired by dolphins, light bulbs by
fireflies, suction cups by octopus and robots itself to
replicate human beings. One such instance that has been
enthused by microorganisms is distributed ledger
technology (DLT), widely known as blockchain.
“The blockchain is an incorruptible digital ledger of
economic transactions that can be programmed to record
not just financial transactions but virtually everything of
value.”
-Don & Alex Tapscott.
It records transactions between two clients without any
third party authentication which is an efficient process when
it comes to stable data. Blockchain provides data
management without the threat of unauthorized access or
manipulations. It is proving to be a solution for frequent
problems in various fields. Blockchain technology has the
capability to disrupt approximately every industry ranging
from finance, to education to power.
Blockchain Technology in Smarter Grids
One of the areas in the energy industry where blockchain
technology can disrupt the market is smart grids. Lately,
blockchain has been well-thought-out as one of the
developing technologies that can be used for developing
decentralized grid topologies and revising the distributed
management of energy businesses. Blockchain database is
shared by all the nodes in the system. A node is an active
device which can be connected to internet and has an IP
address. Examples of devices include computers, tablets,
phones and even printers. The job of a node is to upkeep the
network by maintaining a copy of the blockchain and
process transactions.
Benefits of Blockchain in Smarter Grids
Blockchain can aid numerous utility industry requirements.
It can act as a foundation stone with the possibility of
disrupting the prevailing ecosystem. With the promotion for
e-vehicles and individuals shifting to electric cars, supply
and demand of energy needs to keep pace. Here blockchain
comes in the scenario with its peer-to-peer interconnectivity
and sharing. This balances the demand from several
foundations and makes the grid smarter by directing
sharing.
As there are small and compact smart grids, consumers with
the help of blockchain can simply trade energy with one
another thus saving time and earning a few dollars. In the
power industry, blockchain technology can ensure a 5D
Impact: decentralization, digitization, democratization,
distribution and deregulation.
Smart Meters
Smart meters are used to record electrical usage. These
meters enable us to monitor our electrical consumption
more precisely which will help consumers make better
energy choices. Through blockchain, clients can directly get
the amount spent which eradicates middleman thus saving
money. This creates a more resilient network for gadgets to
run on. Smart meters can also provide accurate data to the
provider without needing a direct link to the meter of
particular users.
With the help of blockchain, producers of smart grids do
not have to invest a humongous amount. Here the producers
get paid instantly, which leads to less capital expenditure.
Besides this, blockchain can play a serious role in adjusting
power flows through the amalgamation and optimization of
local grids measured by the public or consortium modes. It
can aid in the maintenance of permanent records by
servicers, giving a flawless view of a particular object or
part of infrastructure at any given time. This information
can be retrieved easily as the structure is built on a shared
platform, while retaining the authenticity of the record.
While the possible benefits of the Smart Grid are usually
discussed in terms of renewable energy goals, economics
and national security, it has the potential to help save
money by managing your electricity usage and choosing the
best times to purchase electricity. Consumers can save even
more by generating their power with the help of blockchain.
Lately, due to the speedy growth in the deployment of
DEPs the smart grid organization problems can no longer
be proficiently addressed using centralized approaches,
thus, the necessity for visionary decentralized
methodologies and architectures is widely recognized.
It is assessed that the blockchain technology will add
another $3.1 trillion by 2030. Lately, due to the speedy
growth in the deployment of DEPs the smart grid
organization problems can no longer be proficiently
addressed using centralized approaches, thus, the necessity
for visionary decentralized methodologies and architectures
is widely recognized.
Lastly, blockchain technology may eventually fast-track the
evolution to what the power industry calls a “distributed
world.” It is the sum of both small and large powergeneration
structures for communities, businesses and
home. To prosper in capitalizing the potential of distributed
generation and supervising less foreseeable and more
capricious renewable power sources, the trade's
infrastructure must first become more agile and less
centralized.
|April 2019| 43