Smart cities and IIoT

In this article we will talk about smart citites asd IIoT ( Industrial Internet of Things) if you want to know about smart cities and IIoT then this article gonna help you alot.

Smart Cities 

In general, a smart city is a city that uses technology to provide services and solve city problems. A smart city does things like improve transportation and accessibility, improve social services, promote sustainability, and give its citizens a voice. 

The main goals of a smart city are to improve: 

Public Transportation 

IT-connectivity 

Water Management 

Power Supply 

Sanitation 

Waste management 

Urban mobility 

E-governance 

Citizen participation 

How a smart city works ?

Smart cities use a combination of the internet of things (IoT) devices, software solutions, user interfaces (UI) and communication networks. However, they rely first and foremost on the IoT. Smart cities utilize their web of connected IoT devices and other technologies to achieve their goals of improving the quality of life and achieving economic growth. 

Successful smart cities follow four steps: 

1. Collection - Smart sensors throughout the city gather data in real time.

2. Analysis - Data collected by the smart sensors is assessed in order to draw meaningful insights. 

3. Communication - The insights that have been found in the analysis phase are communicated with decision makers through strong communication networks. 

4. Action - Cities use the insights pulled from the data to create solutions, optimize operations and asset management and improve the quality of life for residents. 

Cities uses tool to collect data in real time about all kinds of things, including traffic, air and water quality, and solar radiation. With this information, the government can act immediately to solve nearly any problem.

Smart City technologies: 

 Application programming interfaces (APIs) 

 Artificial intelligence (AI) 

 Cloud computing 

 Dashboards 

 Machine learning (ML) 

 Machine to machine (M2M) 

 Mesh network Top Examples of Smart Cities 

 New York City, New York 

 Singapore 

 Barcelona, Spain 

 Tokyo, Japan 

 London, England

 Dubai, United Arab Emirates

 Hong Kong, China 

IIoT (Industrial Internet of Things) 

The industrial internet of things (IIoT) refers to the extension and use of the internet of things (IoT) in industrial sectors and applications. With a strong focus on machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, big data, and machine learning, the IIoT enables industries and enterprises to have better efficiency and reliability in their operations. The IIoT encompasses industrial applications, including robotics, medical devices, and software-defined production processes. 

How does Industrial IoT works? 

Industrial IoT is a system includes smart sensors, machines, tools, software platforms, cloud servers and applications. Smart sensors are deployed at every stages of manufacturing floor for specific applications. These sensor networks continuously send data to the IoT gateway (act as a hub between IoT devices and cloud) which receive and transmit the data to the cloud application server for processing and analysis

Applications of Industrial Internet of Things 

1. Industrial Automation: Automation of machines and tools enables companies to operate in an efficient way and improves accuracy, efficiency; reduces errors, easy to control and remotely accessible via applications. Machines can operate at harsh environments than humans; automation of machines and tools reduces man power requirements for specific tasks. 

2. Smart Robotics: Many companies are developing intelligent robotics system for IoT-enabled factories. Smart robotics ensures smooth handling of tools and materials in the manufacturing line with precise accuracy and efficiency. Robots can be programmed to perform complex tasks with high end embedded sensors for real-time analysis. These robotics networks are connected to a secure cloud for monitoring and controlling. Engineering team can access and analyze this data to take quick actions for product improvements or preventing an unexpected failure due to machine fault. 

3. Predictive Maintenance: Modern industrial machines equipped with smart sensors continuously monitoring the status of each major components and it can detect any critical issues before the system is completely down. Smart sensors will trigger maintenance warning to the centralized system and the alert messages will be delivered to responsible persons/groups. 

4. Integration of Smart Tools / Wearables: Integration of smart sensors to tools and machines enables the workforce to perform the task with improved accuracy and efficiency. Specially designed wearables and smart glass helps employees to reduce error and improve safety at the working environments. Smart wearables can trigger instant warning messages to employees during emergency situations like gas leak or fire. Wearables can monitor health condition of individuals continuously and feedback if not fit for particular task. 

5. Smart Logistics Management: Retail giants like Amazon using drones to deliver goods to their customers. Advanced technologies like drones offer better efficiency; accessibility, speed and it require less manpower. Airline is another major industry, which uses IoT for its daily operations at the production and predictivemaintenance of airplanes in service. Smart sensors continuously monitor airplane’s machineries, the data is collected real-time and send to the airplane manufacturer. Maintenance of any part of an airplane will be triggered, concerned team will be informed and maintenance will be carried out once the plane is landed without any delay. 

6. Smart Package Management: Package management using IoT technology gives lot of convenience and efficiency for manufacturing units. Smart sensors can monitor each stages of packing and update status in real-time manner. Embedded sensors can detect vibrations, atmospheric conditions like temperature and humidity etc… and feedback if something goes wrong during transit or storage. 

7. Enhanced Quality and Security: Introduction of IoT technology in to manufacturing offers enhanced product quality. Continuous monitoring and analysis of each stages ensure better quality by improving process steps for optimum quality. 

8. Power Management: IoT can offer better solutions for power management in industries. Specific sensors can detect environment and trigger to turn on/off control of lights, air conditioners, humidity controls, liquid flow etc… for efficient power management. 

Key Benefits/Advantages of IIoT 

 Increased efficiency 

 Cost savings 

 Time savings 

 Enhanced industrial safety 

 Improved and intelligent connectivity between devices or machines 

 Improved accuracy 

 Product and process optimization  Predictive maintenance and analysis 

 Remote accessibility and monitoring 

 Enhanced security 

 Scalability of network 

 Reduced down time for machines and process 

 Power saving