Category: Fall 2017 – Week 5 (Week of 10/16)

Smart Blood Sugar Monitor Can Save Diabetics While they Sleep.

rycnbeansLeave a comment

Ch2217 is my uni

IOT Diabetic Lifesaver.png

  • Health
  • This sensor reads a person’s blood sugar while they sleep and alerts first responders in the event that they slip into a coma.
  • The stakeholders are diabetics and their loved ones. Also Physicians caring for diabetics.
  • I would market this directly to physicians, but I would also target health insurance companies to get market saturation.

 

Comment: My comment is directed at the smart water sensor article where a sensor can alert a homeowner or manager to the presence of a water leak in the structure. I think it would be extra helpful if this technology could be connected to a water valve that could shut the water off to the apartment or building in the event of a leak. Great article!

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Beta.ray – Spherical Collector That Combines Photovoltaic and Thermal Power

phc2120Leave a comment

beta-ray-generator

Problem:

  • Solar panels are generally fixed and their optimal collection is limited due to collection angle.
  • Cloudy days traditional solar panels are inefficient in collecting sunlight
  • Solar panels take up a large amount of space.

Solution:

  • Most solar panels are fixed direction, the beta.ray can rotate according to the sun direction, maintaining optimal collection angle – the small sphere, 75% smaller than a panel that collects the same amount of energy.
  • Cloudy days the beta.ray can improve efficiency by 50% due to concentration of sunlight.
  • The beta.ray is small and can be placed on any flat surface.
  • The spherical shape of the solar collector, together with an integrated solar tracking system, cover far smaller surface area than solar panels of equal efficiency, and allow a collection of energy, even if the light is very low
  • The transparent crystal lens that works as a concentrator of incoming light, Rawlemon’s design promises as much as 95% more energy conversion

Article: http://www.alternative-energy-news.info/spherical-sun-power-generator/

Stakeholder:

  • Rawlemon (company)
  • Home owner
  • Building owner
  • Energy companies
  • Green energy policy advocates

Deployment steps:

  • Certification in EU / US / Asia
  • Supply chain (manufacturing partners)
  • Retail distribution (commercial / retail)

Comments:

(1): https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/35950343/posts/1633388162

Machine learning has a big potential in the supply chain and distribution of food products in developing countries. Beyond just creating healither foods, the technology can be merged with weather data to improve distribution of non-perishable foods.

 

(2): https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/35950343/posts/1633349788

Beyond plastic bags the Avani Eco can use the technology to create pellets for packaging products.

(3): https://wordpress.com/read/feeds/35950343/posts/1633333032

The technology can be use in rural areas / pacific islands to provide electricity and food.

The Internet Could Heat Your Home

hayleymoleLeave a comment

Problem: the need for connectivity and bigger servers is increasing, but they are hugely energy intensive.

Solution: Give the produced heat a purpose, to create energy savings somewhere else and prevent energy wastage.

  • Data centers require a large number of fans and cold water to keep them cool. The fans are really loud, and the heat produced is usually wasted.
  • Stockhold Data Parks runs in partnership with the city’s government, Fortum Värme (heating and cooling agency) to try to optimize the use of this heat.
  • Cold water feeds through pipes to the data centre, where it is heating through the data centre’s cooling process, and then runs back to Fortum’s plants where it is used for heating.
  • Stockholm Data Parks expects to generate enough heat to warm 2,500 residential apartments by 2018, but the long term goal is to meet 10% of the entire heating need of Stockholm by 2035.

Article: Link

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Stakeholders: 

  • Possible commercial customers (shopping malls etc)
  • Residential buildings – 10 MW of energy is needed to heat 20,000 modern residential apartments, whereas an average Facebook data centre uses 120 MW.
  • Companies with data centers
  • City governments and local utility providers

Deployment steps: 

  • List and contact stakeholders (listed above)
  • Model partnerships between heat producers and consumers which are geographically efficient.
  • Value the cost incentive – will it save money overall with the new infrastructure investment?

Comment on CyberRain:

This technology could have the potential to be expanded to cities that make use of rainwater for other uses, or monitor city-wide water management during unpredictable rainfall seasons and drought conditions. It could also be incorporated into water payment systems to create incentives for water savings on irrigation.

CyberRain

cg3052Leave a comment

Sustainability problem: water management

CyberRain is a smart home sprinkler system.

1.It checks your location’s weather conditions, regularly and wirelessly sending updated sprinkling times to the customer’s CyberRain controller.

2.Works with all standard automatic sprinkler systems, connects to existing valve wires.

3.Allows the customer to set up their own water-wise sprinkling schedule based on their landscape.

Stakeholders: Home owners

Deployment: Raise awareness on the importance of using water wisely, demonstrate water and money that can be saved by adopting this technology, integrate into households by creating incentives through a partnership with water utility companies.

http://www.cyber-rain.com/how-smart-irrigation-systems-work.html

Comment on “Not a plastic bag”: https://makeasmartcity.com/2017/10/19/not-a-plastic-bag/comment-page-1/#comment-1254

Lab-grown meat: fantasy or reality?

agathetech1 Comment

memphis meats.jpgSustainability problem:

Global livestock farming generates 7.1  gigatons of CO2 annually, which represents 15% of human induced GHG emissions.

To top it off, our global population is fast increasing (10 billion by 2050), and so is our meat consumption (+ 4.5% by 2024).

At this rate, it is evident that our GHG emissions from livestock farming are only going to increase at accelerating speed.

Technology:

Lab-grown meat. There are studies showing that lab grown meat’s carbon footprint is less intensive than slaughtered meat’s.

Currently, fetal serum is taken from unborn calves to grow muscle tissue. The current technology produces about a pound of meat for $9,000.

Stakeholders:

  • alternative meat producers
  • investors
  • livestock farms meat producers
  • slaughterhouses
  • consumers
  • government

Development/Implementation:

  • Improve technology to reduce the cost of production
  • Launch consumer product
  • Elaborate communications campaign and educational programs
  • Partner with food suppliers and retailers

Sources:

http://www.memphismeats.com

https://www.wsj.com/articles/startup-to-serve-up-chicken-strips-cultivated-from-cells-in-lab-1489570202

https://gizmodo.com/behind-the-hype-of-lab-grown-meat-1797383294

http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2095311914608911

Additional thoughts:

This technology could revolutionize the way we consume and feed ourselves. Currently though, the only proved advantage is related to animal welfare. Although there are some studies showing a lower associated GHG footprint than with traditional meat, more research needs to be done. Finally, product cost remains astronomical and scaling strategy unknown.

Comment on post ‘Not a Plastic Bag’: This is a very promising technology. I would say that part of the current problem associated with alternative plastic bags is the lack of clarity to the consumer. Are they actually more sustainable? If so, which ones are best amongst the many options? This is a case where consumers need to be better informed in order to actually put pressure on retailers to adopt such technologies and create systemic change.

Comercial Carbon Capture

etg2132columbiaeduLeave a comment

9_climeworks_iceland_dac_plant_founder_jan_wurzbacher_left_and_christoph_gebald_right_credit_climeworks_-_zev_starr-tambor1) Sustainability Problem:

CO2 gas in the atmosphere is a major contributor to global warming. While many governments,organizations, scientists, individuals, etc. are working on ways to reduce emissions from our everyday actives to prevent more CO2 from entering our atmosphere , some companies are not looking into ways to reduce the amount of CO2 already in the atmosphere through carbon capture.

2) Technology:

  • How-technology-workS_V17webready.jpgEach Climeworks system is a 7-foot tall machine resembling a large fan that sucks up 50 tons of CO2 annually out of the atmosphere by using a chemical process to absorb the gas and bind it to filter materials in the system
  • The materials can then be stored or used for another purpose, such as fertilizer, which is used by a greenhouse near the company’s first plant
  • Climeworks is different from other carbon storage systems because its plants have a much smaller footprint and use less water than competitors

3) Stakeholders:

  • Competitors (other carbon capture companies)
  • Government
  • Organizations looking to offset their emissions

4) Deployment/Implementation

  • Increase pilot tests to determine feasibility of plants in different environments: “According to a Climeworks spokesperson, the main goal of the pilot is to gauge how the technology performs in the harsh winter conditions of northeast Iceland and to understand how the systems handle other air impurities, such as sulphur compounds.”
  • Decrease costs in order to scale up and take advantage of their first mover advantage – they are the first carbon capture company to reach the commercially viable stage
  • Partner with corporations to create new uses for the concentrated CO2 byproducts

Resources:

https://www.greenbiz.com/article/testbed-iceland-sucks-carbon-dioxide-out-air

http://www.climeworks.com

 

Comment on Not a Plastic Bag

Is this product fully bio-degradable in landfills? As the article mentions there are issues with bio-based plastics being fully bio-degradable and non-toxic. While this is a big step in the right direction it might not fully solve the problem.

Machine learning for vegan food

mc4294suma1 Comment
  1. Meat and animal products are an important source of protein with a relevant nutritional value. Nonetheless, the environmental impact in terms of land use, water consumption and CO2 emissions have become of significant importance, also due to the continuous increasing consumption. By 2050 world meat production is projected to double, most of which is expected in developing countries. [1]

According to the Food and Agriculture Organization, the livestock sector generates more greenhouse gas emissions [Co2e] than transport, by 18%. [2]

It is also a major source of land and water degradation. Livestock’s requires vast tracts of land and a significant demand for feed crops, both contribute to biodiversity loss. Moreover, it’s among the most damaging sectors water resources, not only because of its water consumption, but also contributing to water pollution, eutrophication and the degeneration of coral reefs, due to the manure of livestock.

  1. Machine learning is a subset of AI, that generates algorithms that can learn from data and make predictions on it.  In other words make machines learn from experience, experience coming in form of data and the more the data, the more it learns. Machine learning can be useful for making data-driven predictions or decisions.

To create healthier food, companies like Hamptons Creek are automating the extraction and analysis of plant proteins. This includes examining their molecular features and functional performance such as gelling, foaming, and emulsifying properties. Ultimately, the goal is to feed this research to an AI an through machine-learning algorithms identify the most-promising proteins for use in the creation of vegan food that tastes similar to animal products (mayonnaise, muffins, spreads, and other foods). Finally, we are applying generative design to food production. [3]

According to Lee Chae, Hampton Creek’s head of research and development,  Hampton Creek applies deep machine learning to plant biological data to meet its objective of creating healthier food. [4]

  1. This is not really a new technology rather than a new technology application. To deploy this application, more enterprises in the food industry should be making research in this field, or applying the outcomes. More importantly, I personally don’t think that every enterprise should be conducting the same research rather than to have an open database with the results,  would be a great way to expand the adoption of this knowledge.  Furthermore, this new application raises the question of what other industries could be impacted by machine learning, through generative design? Let’s take for example the polymer industry, imagine to feed the AI data about the plant properties to replace plastics.

 

  1. Since deep learning and machine learning can be applied to several databases, to make predictions as well as generative design, many industries could benefit from this technology. In my opinion is a private sector driven technology, especially due to its large upfront capital investment.  The first step to deploy it is to have a reliable database, this can be either from a primary or a secondary source, depending on the application.

Although it does require a group of people specialized in artificial intelligence, the results could be applied to the industry with no further disruption, this reduces the barriers to technology adoption.

Solar Powered Emergency Lights for Campus Safety

wlb2114Leave a comment

1) Sustainability Problem: Safety

Purdue University has taken an environmentally friendly approach to safety by making the “blue light” Emergency Telephone System (ETS) in the Waldron Street area of campus powered by the sun. Before the installation of this technology, the call boxes in the Waldron area were not illuminated. Most call boxes on campus draw power from neighboring buildings owned by the University. However, this was not an option along Waldron Street because the surrounding buildings are privately owned. This solar powered approach has been able to enhance the safety on campus while also utilizing alternative energy supply.

2) Summary

  • Tom Barbour, the Electronic Technician for Operations and Maintenance at Purdue University, believed it was important to find a way to equip all call boxes on campus with functional safety lights.
  • After trying a variety of methods to make the lights in the Walden area functional, solar power was determined to be a viable alternative.
  • Installing solar powered blue lights on the ETS phones in the Walden area is an effective emergency solution that helps to raise the level of safety on campus.
  • Solar powered blue lights are also cost effective, as the local police department previously saved energy costs by installing energy efficient lighting in the police dispatch center.

3) Stakeholders

  • Students
  • Faculty
  • Community Members
  • Facilities Management
  • Local Police
  • University Administrators

4) Deployment

  1. Identify ETS phones that are not currently illuminated, or otherwise costly to illuminate, on campus.
  2. Install solar panels on the under-illuminated ETS phones.
  3. Provide enhanced campus safety by providing illuminated spaces where emergency calls can be made while also reducing energy costs.

Reference:

Solar-powered emergency light provides sustainable safety. Purdue Today. Purdue University. September 26, 2011. Web Accessed October 19, 2017. http://www.purdue.edu/newsroom/purduetoday/general/2011/110926_GW-energy.html

GOVTECH enables Singapore Government to better serve its citizens.

bolorerdenetmr1 Comment

1) Sustainability Problem: In today’s fast moving and resource-constrained world cities are facing challenges becoming smarter and be more efficient. Singapore Government is aiming for to become a first Smart Nation by 2020 which means people are empowered by technology to lead meaningful and fulfilled lives.

2) Technology Summary: The new Government Technology Agency (GovTech) was created to advance engineering support to smart nation developments and restore old e-government services. GovTech has lined up several new projects – including a digital vault of citizens data for the auto-filling of banking forms and an autonomous wheelchair prototype – to drive digital transformation in the public sector.

-Lined up several new projects – a digital vault of citizens’ personal data for the auto-filling of banking forms and an autonomous wheelchair prototype – to drive digital transformation in the public sector. Identified following five key domains that will have a significant impact on the citizen and society, and in which digital technology can have a needle moving impact:

 

– Focus on six key areas: application development, data science, government infrastructure, geospatial technology, cybersecurity and smart sensors.

 

Source: Irene Tham, “GovTech launched to lead digital transformation in public sector”, The Straits Times OCT 7, 2016

Tags: #smartcity, #smartnation #technology #data #tarnsport #envirnoment #healthcare #publicsectorservices

3) Key Stakeholders :

  1. Government Technology Agency of Singapore
  2. Public Sectors
  3. Private sectors
  4. People

4) Steps Deploying Technology:

Public-Private People’s Partnership is the key to successful deployment of the
– Educate citizens and visitors to use data (Technological literacy)
– Build a community and infrastructure
– Constant update and improvement

Other Sources:

1. Smart Nation Singapore

2. GOVTECH Singapore 

3. Government Technology Agency of Singapore, Oct 6, 2016, Youtube 

4. Computer World “Smart Cities”, Dec 12, 2016

 

Not a Plastic Bag

sharonavnon6 Comments

170116100658-iamnotplastic-bag-exlarge-169

  1. Sustainability Problem: Waste

Single use plastic bags are among the greatest contributors to land and water pollution. They are normally used for just minutes, but take can take up to 1,000 years to decompose, polluting land, air and water, and killing wildlife in the process.

  1. http://www.cnn.com/2017/01/16/world/cassava-plastic/index.html
  • Avani Eco, an Indonesia based company, has created a 100% plant based, non-toxic and biodegradable material that can replace plastic bags.
  • The material is made primarily from the cassava root, a very common and inexpensive vegetable in Indonesia.
  • The material is harmless to animals and humans if ingested, and breaks down in months.
  • The bio-based plastic bags still cost about twice as much as conventional plastic bags.
  1. Stakeholders for this technology include municipal governments/sanitation departments, large retail stores and supermarkets (who are increasingly facing plastic bag bans), as well as environmental advocacy groups and non-profit organizations dedicated to waste and pollution reduction.
  2. The first steps for deploying this technology on a large scale:
  • Invest in R&D to help reduce the cost of the bio-based plastic bags, making them more competitive with traditional plastic bags.
  • Ban the use of single use plastic bags in local municipalities
  • Partner with a large national retailer (such as Walmart, Target, or Wholefoods to gain widespread recognition and prove market viability.
  1. Comment on post “Smart Transportation & Smart Waste Management” by sn2754:

While I think technology is a great idea for optimizing waste management, there would be a huge hurdle to implement this in NYC, as commercial waste (from stores, offices, restaurants, etc.) is not managed by the city. Each business has a contract with a private waste hauling company, which causes garbage routes to be extremely inefficient and redundant. In order to implement a “smarter” waste management system as described in the post, legislation would first have to change the status quo in commercial waste contracts.