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New technology can be used in the medical field to measure and solve health problems.

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With the advancement of technology, healthcare is getting more access to patient information to understand patient behaviors and improved care. The proliferation of wearables such as Fitbit to FDA approved medical devices shows that wearable tech is poised to disrupt the healthcare industry. Markets and Markets report shows that the global market for medical wearable devices will reach $12.1 billion by 2021, with the U.S. representing the largest market in the world.

Related How Mobile Monitoring Solutions are Improving Healthcare

How Wearables Can Benefit the Healthcare Industry?

A wearable device is often used for tracking a wearer's vital signs or health and fitness related data, location, etc. The healthcare space is going through a digital revolution with the invasion of technology. Medical wearables with artificial intelligence and big data are providing an added value to healthcare with a focus on diagnosis, treatment, patient monitoring and prevention. Wearable devices applied to healthcare offer multiple advantages to healthcare professionals as well as the patients:

Personalization. The doctor, with the help of a software can quickly create a program based on the needs of the patient

Early diagnosis. Precise medical parameters in the wearable devices allow early detection of symptoms

Remote patient monitoring. Healthcare professionals can monitor patients remotely and in real-time through the use of wearable devices

Adherence to medication. Wearable devices help patient to take medications on time and even inform medical professionals if the patient fails to adhere to medications

Information registry. The data are stored in real-time, allowing a more exhaustive analysis of the information. This results in a more complete and precise report on the patient's medical history, which can be shared with other medical specialists.

Optimum decision by the doctor. The doctor is able to compare and analyze data to make a sharper clinical decision to enhance the patient's quality of life.

Saving healthcare cost. Remote healthcare via wearable devices mean saving time and mobility, as it removes the need for the patient to be continuously transferred to the medical center.

Related How Digitization Can Be A Game Changer in Healthcare

The Future of Wearable Devices in Healthcare

Technology is continuously altering the medical industry and the future is no exception. Advancement in healthcare today is amazing compared to 100 years ago, and undoubtedly 100 years from now, the healthcare industry will become unrecognizable from what it looks today. Wearable devices with integration of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning will lead the way of future healthcare. Just like smartwatches, Continuous Glucose Monitoring devices, Smart bandages, Smart pills and remote patient monitoring - to name a few - will be common applications in the future healthcare industry.

Johanna Mischke ( Google+) is Editor-in-Chief at WT | Wearable Technologies - the pioneer and worldwide leading innovation and market development platform for technologies worn close to the body, on the body or even in the body. Besides being an expert for wearables and their broader ecosystem she is experienced in the startup world and international marketing.Johanna can be reached at j.mischke(at)wearable-technologies.com.

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The State of Wearable Technology in Healthcare: Current and Future

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With the advancement of technology, healthcare is getting more access to patient information to understand patient behaviors and improved care. The proliferation of wearables such as Fitbit to FDA approved medical devices shows that wearable tech is poised to disrupt the healthcare industry.

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Can't find what your group is looking for?

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Can't find what your group is looking for?

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Type in "How the Internet of Things are used in the medical field" in Google and search for more resources to help solve your problem.

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Hill-Rom's new smart bed will incorporate Early Sense's continuous monitoring system

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The technology was designed to help clinicians continuously monitor a patient's heart and respiratory rate.

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New technology can be used in the transportation industry. It can be used to make our cars and roadways safer by analyzing data.

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As the populations of global urban environments continue to rise, technological advancements in the methods for managing resources are of paramount importance.

Fortunately, our cities are getting smarter. Virtually everyone-from citizens to tech developers, merchants, and government agencies-agrees that innovating technology systems is a vital aspect of retaining a reasonable level of livability for urbanites throughout the world.

Transportation is one of the biggest challenges we face. More people equals more traffic congestion and additional pressure on our limited resources. As anyone who lives in a city will tell you, finding adequate parking can be incredibly frustrating. It can make people late for appointments and increase the chaos on our roads, with drivers circling the block searching for a spot.

Smart Parking IoT Applications

Imagine the following smart parking scenario: Sensors determine whether parking spaces are occupied or available. They send this data wirelessly in real time to a gateway, so a parking map is created and continuously updated. Drivers use their mobile phone or heads-up display to find an ideal spot without wasting any time looking in places with no availability. Those who monitor parking violations are seamlessly directed to vehicles parked illegitimately to be ticketed or removed.

Sounds a lot better than the previous situation, doesn't it?

This is just the beginning of the massive benefits that will be derived from a future of smart parking systems.

Do you like getting parking tickets? If you answered yes, you must have misread the question. I've never met a person who isn't annoyed by receiving a ticket for a parking violation. Even when your intentions are good, it can be difficult to get back to your spot to add time to the meter before it expires, especially when you had to park far from your destination.

Imagine receiving a notification on your smartphone that your parking time is almost expired with the option to extend it through your mobile device. This convenience can be taken further to involve store owners in the area, allowing them also to receive this notification and to choose to pay for a short extension on the person's behalf, with the driver getting a message that this happened. Wouldn't you consider visiting that store when you pick up your car, or even on another day, if this occurred? This concept could be a win-win, saving the driver from a parking ticket and allowing a merchant to either gain or retain customers, creating long-term loyalty in the process.

Although many people blame enforcement officers who are responsible for issuing parking citations when they receive a ticket, the reality is that a large percentage of violations go unnoticed due to the massive resources required to comprehensively monitor all parking spots simultaneously.

It's important to consider the fact that some parking violations are more severe than others. For example, imagine the problems that arise when someone illegitimately parks in a spot reserved for those with handicaps, an area intended for parents to pick up their children from school, or a bus stop.

With smart parking solutions in place, enforcement officers can be alerted about all violations immediately. They can be informed about the importance of each one in priority. This would allow them to clear serious disruptions quickly to avoid problems before moving on to less troublesome parking infringements.

Marketing Potential for Smart Parking Systems

As I mentioned earlier, smart parking systems open up a world of marketing potential for business owners. I offered the example of a merchant extending a driver's parking meter time as a method for gaining their business through goodwill.

Taking this general concept further, store owners could combine parking promotions with sales events, offer discounted or free parking at non-peak times of day to increase their overall business or many other innovative ideas. The possibilities are virtually endless, creating a new area of marketing for retailers to consider.

Last but certainly not least, the information generated by smart parking solutions will allow parking control agencies to maximize the value of available resources. By analyzing data to determine the most effective methods for shifting pricing, drivers will be drawn to park in spaces that may otherwise be vacant at a particular time.

Smart cities need smart parking, and urban citizens need somewhere to leave their car without having to walk an unreasonable distance to their destination. The future of smart parking systems will allow us all to make the most of available spots while vastly improving the efficiency of parking management for both drivers and the agencies that control this vital city resource.
Written by Igor Ilunin, Head of IoT at DataArt.

DataArt is a global technology consultancy that designs, develops, and supports unique software solutions. With its deep industry knowledge, DataArt's IoT team created DeviceHive, an open source IoT data platform with a wide range of device integration options. DataArt also provides commercial support services for DeviceHive.

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The Value of Smart Parking Systems | IoT For All

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As the populations of global urban environments continue to rise, technological advancements in the methods for managing resources are of paramount importance. Fortunately, our cities are getting smarter. Virtually everyone-from citizens to tech developers, merchants, and government agencies-agrees that innovating technology systems is a vital aspect of retaining a reasonable level of livability for urbanites ...

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How do self-driving cars work-and what do they mean for the future?

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Industries utilize new technologies to help manage their products more effectively.

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The agriculture industry grows food to supply the world.

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Connected Manufacturing: Becoming the factory of the future

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Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication enables vehicles to wirelessly exchange information about their speed, location, and heading. The technology behind V2V communication allows vehicles to broadcast and receive omni-directional messages (up to 10 times per second), creating a 360-degree "awareness" of other vehicles in proximity. Vehicles equipped with appropriate software (or safety applications) can use the messages from surrounding vehicles to determine potential crash threats as they develop. The technology can then employ visual, tactile, and audible alerts-or, a combination of these alerts-to warn drivers. These alerts allow drivers the ability to take action to avoid crashes.

These V2V communication messages have a range of more than 300 meters and can detect dangers obscured by traffic, terrain, or weather. V2V communication extends and enhances currently available crash avoidance systems that use radars and cameras to detect collision threats. This new technology doesn't just help drivers survive a crash-it helps them avoid the crash altogether.

Vehicles that could use V2V communication technology range from cars and trucks to buses and motorcycles. Even bicycles and pedestrians may one day leverage V2V communication technology to enhance their visibility to motorists. Additionally, vehicle information communicated does not identify the driver or vehicle, and technical controls are available to deter vehicle tracking and tampering with the system.

V2V communication technology can increase the performance of vehicle safety systems and help save lives. There were an estimated 6.8 million police-reported crashes in 2019, resulting in 36,096 fatalities and an estimated 2.7 million people injured. Connected vehicle technologies will provide drivers with the tools they need to anticipate potential crashes and significantly reduce the number of lives lost each year.

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Vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication enables vehicles to wirelessly exchange information about their speed, location, and heading. The technology behind V2V communication allows vehicles to broadcast and receive omni-directional messages (up to 10 times per second), creating a 360-degree "awareness" of other vehicles in proximity.

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With the growing adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT), connected devices have penetrated every aspect of our life , from health and fitness, home automation, automotive and logistics, to smart cities and industrial IoT.

Thus, it is only logical that IoT, connected devices, and automation would find its application in agriculture, and as such, tremendously improve nearly every facet of it. How could one still rely on horses and plows when self-driving cars and virtual reality are no longer a sci-fi fantasy but an everyday occurrence?

Farming has seen a number of technological transformations in the last decades, becoming more industrialized and technology-driven. By using various smart agriculture gadgets, farmers have gained better control over the process of raising livestock and growing crops, making it more predictable and improving its efficiency.
In this article, we will explore the IoT use cases in agriculture and examine their benefits. So, if you are considering investing into smart farming, or are planning to build an IoT solution for agriculture, dive right in.
What is smart agriculture? The definition and market size

There are many ways to refer to modern agriculture. For example, AgriTech refers to the application of technology in agriculture in general.

Smart agriculture, on the other hand, is mostly used to denote the application of IoT solutions in agriculture. The same applies to the smart farming definition.

Although smart agriculture IoT, as well as industrial IoT in general, aren't as popular as consumer connected devices; yet the market is still very dynamic. The adoption of IoT solutions for agriculture is constantly growing. Namely, BI Intelligence predicts that the number of agriculture IoT device installations will hit 75 million by 2020, growing 20% annually.

At the same time, the global smart agriculture market size is to triple by 2025, reaching $15.3 billion (compared to being slightly over $5 billion back in 2016).

Because the market is still developing, there is still ample opportunity for businesses willing to join in. Building IoT products for agriculture within the coming years can set you apart as an early adopter, and as such, help you pave the way to success.

But why should you consider building an IoT application for agriculture in the first place?

The Benefits of smart farming: How's IoT shaping agriculture

Technologies and IoT have the potential to transform agriculture in many aspects. Namely, there are 5 ways IoT can improve agriculture:

Data, tons of data, collected by smart agriculture sensors, e.g. weather conditions, soil quality, crop's growth progress or cattle's health. This data can be used to track the state of your business in general as well as staff performance, equipment efficiency, etc.

Better control over the internal processes and, as a result, lower production risks. The ability to foresee the output of your production allows you to plan for better product distribution. If you know exactly how much crops you are going to harvest, you can make sure your product won't lie around unsold.

Cost management and waste reduction thanks to the increased control over the production. Being able to see any anomalies in the crop growth or livestock health, you will be able to mitigate the risks of losing your yield.

Increased business efficiency through process automation. By using smart devices, you can automate multiple processes across your production cycle, e.g. irrigation, fertilizing, or pest control.

Enhanced product quality and volumes. Achieve better control over the production process and maintain higher standards of crop quality and growth capacity through automation.

As a result, all of these factors can eventually lead to higher revenue.

Now that we have outlined how IoT can be advantageously applied in the sphere of agriculture, let's take a look at how the listed benefits can find their application in real life.

IoT use cases in agriculture (with examples)
There are many types of IoT sensors for agriculture as well as IoT applications in agriculture in general:
Probably the most popular smart agriculture gadgets are weather stations, combining various smart farming sensors. Located across the field, they collect various data from the environment and send it to the cloud. The provided measurements can be used to map the climate conditions, choose the appropriate crops, and take the required measures to improve their capacity (i.e. precision farming).

In addition to sourcing environmental data, weather stations can automatically adjust the conditions to match the given parameters. Specifically, greenhouse automation systems use a similar principle.

is also an interesting product that uses smart agriculture sensors. It is a smart sprinklers controller that allows you to manage your irrigation and lighting systems remotely.

One more type of IoT product in agriculture and another element of precision farming are crop management devices. Just like weather stations, they should be placed in the field to collect data specific to crop farming; from temperature and precipitation to leaf water potential and overall crop health.

Just like crop monitoring, there are IoT agriculture sensors that can be attached to the animals on a farm to monitor their health and log performance. This works similarly to IoT devices for petcare .

A more complex approach to IoT products in agriculture can be represented by the so-called farm productivity management systems. They usually include a number of agriculture IoT devices and sensors, installed on the premises as well as a powerful dashboard with analytical capabilities and in-built accounting/reporting features.

In addition to the listed IoT agriculture use cases, some prominent opportunities include vehicle tracking (or even automation), storage management, logistics, etc.

4 Things to consider before developing your smart farming solution

As we can see, the use cases for IoT in agriculture are endless. There are many ways smart devices can help you increase your farm's performance and revenue. However, agriculture IoT apps development is no easy task. There are certain challenges you need to be aware of if you are considering investing into smart farming.
1.The hardware
To build an IoT solution for agriculture, you need to choose the sensors for your device (or create a custom one). Your choice will depend on the types of information you want to collect and the purpose of your solution in general. In any case, the quality of your sensors is crucial to the success of your product: it will depend on the accuracy of the collected data and its reliability.
2. The brain
Data analytics should be at the core of every smart agriculture solution. The collected data itself will be of little help if you cannot make sense of it. Thus, you need to have powerful data analytics capabilities and apply predictive algorithms and machine learning in order to obtain actionable insights based on the collected data.
3. The maintenance
Maintenance of your hardware is a challenge that is of primary importance for IoT products in agriculture, as the sensors are typically used in the field and can be easily damaged. Thus, you need to make sure your hardware is durable and easy to maintain. Otherwise you will need to replace your sensors more often than you would like.
4. The mobility
Smart farming applications should be tailored for use in the field. A business owner or farm manager should be able to access the information on site or remotely via a smartphone or desktop computer.

Plus, each connected device should be autonomous and have enough wireless range to communicate with the other devices and send data to the central server.
5. The infrastructure
To ensure that your smart farming application performs well (and to make sure it can handle the data load), you need a solid internal infrastructure.

Furthermore, your internal systems have to be secure. Failing to properly secure your system only increases the likeliness of someone breaking into it, stealing your data or even taking control of your autonomous tractors.

Grow your agriculture business with smart IoT solutions from Eastern Peak

According to the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) , the global population is expected to surpass 9 billion people by 2050. To produce enough food for the given population, agriculture production volumes have to increase by 50%.

As the resources for agricultural operations are limited (most of the lands suitable for farming are already in use), the only way to increase volume is to improve production efficiency. There is no doubt as to the extent with which smart farming can help tackle this challenge; in fact, it seems that it is not possible without it.

How to get started?

The product discovery phase is the best first step you can take to lay a solid foundation for the development of your app. It includes a functional specification, UX/UI design, and a visual prototype that will give you a clear vision of the end product. On average, this phase takes 4-6 weeks.
The product discovery phase can help you:

define a full scope of work and develop a roadmap for the project

set a realistic budget for your MVP and plan your resources

test the waters with your audience using a visual prototype

craft a convincing investment pitch

get to know your team

We at Eastern Peak have already helped many startups and Fortune 500 companies digitize and streamline their operations with the help of technologies. We provide end-to-end services building IoT solutions across a number of business domains, from hardware design to software development, testing, and integration. To receive professional consultation from our experts, get in touch with us via email or request a quote using our contact form. Read also:

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IoT in Agriculture: 5 Technology Use Cases for Smart Farming (and 4 Challenges to Consider)

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With the growing adoption of the Internet of Things (IoT), connected devices have penetrated every aspect of our life , from health and fitness, home automation, automotive and logistics, to smart cities and industrial IoT. Thus, it is only logical that IoT, connected devices, and automation would find its application in agriculture, and as such, tremendously improve nearly every facet of it.

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New technology can be used in the corporate business by helping business reduce cost by measuring air conditioning levels and using smart security cameras.

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IoT Security Cameras | Consumer Security Cameras

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Your home is one of the biggest investments you will ever make. Keeping it safe and secure is a top priority. Thanks to advances in smart home technology and home automation security products, you can now monitor your home's Internet of Things (IoT) security cameras no matter where you are.

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Heating and cooling eats up a big slice of any building's energy consumption pie. By adding sensors and automation to HVAC systems and AC units, homeowners can significantly reduce their energy needs and save money - while also keeping the house at an optimal temperature. Options include smart vents that add room-by-room control to central air installations, wireless sensors that add intelligence and automation to wall or window AC units, and connected solutions for evaporative coolers, rooftop units, and more.
The following Channel Guide will help you:

Find app reviews, and learn which products can work with your Android or iPhone or with an existing smart home system.

Filter down to your top choice based on pricing and device function - AC/heating, roof, crawl space, etc.

Determine which connectivity type you need for best coverage in your home (WiFi, Bluetooth or GSM cellular) and what kind of energy savings you can expect.

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Heating and cooling eats up a big slice of any building's energy consumption pie. By adding sensors and automation to HVAC systems and AC units, homeowners can significantly reduce their energy needs and save money - while also keeping the house at an optimal temperature.

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An illustration by Nvidia of its Co-Pilot system, showing how it will track a driver's facial gestures to detect drowsiness. Credit Credit Nvidia

It's something that many of us have experienced while driving, though we may not like to admit it.

It's called a microsleep, a brief state of drowsy unconsciousness that can happen even if your eyes remain open.

Drowsy driving kills. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, drowsy driving caused 824 deaths in 2015, the last year for which figures are available.

Several manufacturers, including Audi, Mercedes and Volvo, currently offer drowsiness detection systems that monitor a vehicle's movements, such as steering wheel angle, lane deviation, time driven and road conditions. When drowsiness is detected, drivers are typically warned with a sound and the appearance of a coffee cup icon.

But manufacturers and automobile suppliers are now working on advanced technological solutions that go beyond visions of coffee cups.

To find out if drowsiness can be detected even earlier, Plessey Semiconductors has developed sensors, to be placed in a seat, that monitor changes in heart rate.

Algorithms developed by the company indicate when breathing changes to patterns that are typical of someone who is sleeping, giving a warning before someone actually feels tired.

"We could see this in a vehicle in five years," said Keith Strickland, chief technology officer of the company, which is based in Plymouth, England.

Bosch, a German supplier of technology to many automotive companies, is developing a camera-based system that will monitor head and eye movements, as well as body posture, heart rate and body temperature.

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Driver Alert Control, standard in the Volvo XC90, detects and warns tired or inattentive drivers, and directs them to the nearest rest area. Credit Volvo Cars

When such a system is used in vehicles that allow for limited autonomous driving, the vehicle could take over once drowsiness is detected - either coming to an emergency stop or pulling itself off to the side of the road, said Kay Stepper, Bosch's head of driver assistance and automated driving.

In addition, sensors on the outside of the vehicle will monitor the state of traffic in which the fatigued driver is engaged. Once vehicles can communicate with each other - a capability expected in the next few years - other cars will be able to take appropriate maneuvers to avoid the drowsy driver.

In France, Valeo, another supplier of automotive technology, is developing an infrared camera system that will monitor children in the rear seat as well as the driver's shoulder, neck and head movements, looking for deviations from the norm.

Checking body temperature and even how the driver is dressed, the system will also be able to customize the interior temperature for each driver, said Guillaume Devauchelle, the company's innovation director.

Nvidia, chip supplier to Audi, Mercedes, Tesla and others, is developing the Co-Pilot, an artificial-intelligence tool that can learn the behaviors of individual drivers and determine when they are operating outside their norms.

The system will eventually learn a driver's standard posture, head position, eye-blink rate, facial expression and steering style, among other indexes. Based on a vehicle's capabilities, the driver will be warned or automatically driven to a safe spot when conditions warrant.

Until vehicles can drive themselves, it will be up to drivers to pull over once they feel drowsy. But drivers tend to make excuses, believing there is no danger because they are just a few minutes from home, or they are not really as tired as they may feel.

"The more tired you are, the less able you are to change your behavior," such as by pulling off the road for a short rest, said Mikael Ljung Aust, a technical specialist working on drowsiness mitigation technologies at Volvo's Safety Center in Gothenburg, Sweden.

To encourage drowsy drivers to take a break, Volvo, with a grant from the European Commission, is studying the effects of offering drivers free coffee once erratic steering wheel movements, lane departures and other signs detect that they are falling asleep, using the navigation system to direct them to the nearest coffee stop.

Mercedes's Attention Assist system. Credit Mercedes-Benz

Audi is faced with a unique problem because of its scheduled introduction next year of a car capable of driving up to 35 miles per hour without any driver intervention. When its Traffic Jam Pilot feature is engaged, the vehicle will need to determine if a driver is alert enough to take control after being a passive passenger for long periods.

Through its Driver Availability Detection system, sensors will scan the head and face to ensure that the eyes are open and the driver is alert before the car turns over the steering wheel.

Advanced drowsiness detection systems exist today. For example, Mercedes's Attention Assist monitors a driver's behavior for the first 20 minutes behind the wheel to get a baseline of behaviors. Then, the system checks those against as many as 90 indexes, such as steering wheel angle, lane deviation and external factors such as wind gusts and pothole avoidance.

The system can currently detect drowsiness with 80 percent accuracy, said Christoph von Hugo, head of active safety for Mercedes-Benz. If drowsiness is detected, the driver is alerted to the nearest rest stop.

For the past decade Volvo has offered its Driver Alert system. "To detect drowsiness, we study the car, not the driver," said Mr. Aust of Volvo, looking at differences in the ability of the car to stay in lane, and other factors.

The system detects drowsiness with 97 percent accuracy, Mr. Aust said.

While N.H.T.S.A. reported 824 deaths in 2015 because of drowsiness, that number is likely to be considerably higher, the agency said. Drowsy driving can only be self-reported and not measured like drunkenness. Also, drowsiness is not reported when it is a complication of other factors like excessive drinking.

"We're a nation of tired drivers. People talk about sleep deprivation as if it's a badge of honor," said Deborah Hersman, the head of the National Safety Council and the former chairwoman of the National Transportation Safety Board. "As a society we have to realize that drowsy driving is really dangerous."

Until fully autonomous vehicles are a reality, "drowsiness is something everyone needs to worry about," said Mark R. Rosekind, former head of N.H.T.S.A. and an expert on human fatigue. "Our tendency is to say we're wide-awake when in reality we can fall asleep in a second."

Still, the obvious solution for a driver who feels fatigued is to pull over and rest. According to Mr. Rosekind, studies with airline pilots show that those who took a nap for 26 minutes improved their performance by 34 percent and alertness by 54 percent, compared with those who did not.

Regardless of how good technology is at detecting drowsiness, fighting off sleep is futile. Because sleep is a biological need, the best solution for drivers is still a low-tech one: Pull over and take a nap.

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page B4 of the New York edition with the headline: Your Car May Soon Know When You're Too Sleepy to Drive. Order Reprints | Today's Paper | Subscribe

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Sleepy Behind the Wheel? Some Cars Can Tell

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Wheels It's something that many of us have experienced while driving, though we may not like to admit it. It's called a microsleep, a brief state of drowsy unconsciousness that can happen even if your eyes remain open. Drowsy driving kills.

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The transportation industry is associated with high maintenance costs, disasters, accidents, injuries and loss of life. Hundreds of thousands of people across the world are losing their lives to car accidents and road disasters every year. According to the National Safety Council, 38,300 people were killed and 4.4 million injured on U.S. roads alone in 2015.

The related costs - including medical expenses, wage and productivity losses and property damage - were estimated at $152 billion. And this doesn't account for general maintenance and repairs costs of the road and highway systems, which earmark billions of dollars of public funds every year - and are still underfunded.

Hopefully, this problem can be addressed by the Internet of Things and machine learning, two technologies that are taking the world by storm and will someday become an inherent part of every aspect of our lives.

With the right implementation of IoT technology, we can mitigate risks, prevent damage and reduce costs. The deployment of smart, connected sensors, combined with machine-learning-powered analytics tools, can enable us to gather information, make predictions and reach decisions that will make our roads safer.

Improving driver behavior and reducing accidents

The human element continues to be the main contributing factor to road fatalities. Reckless driving, distracted driving, DUI, speeding and other bad habits increase the likelihood of road accidents.

In every country, there are rules and regulations that enforce safe driving. But while rules are rather reactive in nature and force drivers to drive safely to avoid punishment, IoT can play a more proactive role in helping drivers adopt safe habits.

Telematics company Geotab is using IoT to help fleet management companies significantly reduce accidents. "Until autonomous vehicles are fully rolled out, we have to employ technology to help manage the human factor in driving," says Neil Cawse, the company's CEO. "Data collection is the first step. With telematics, you can know an infinite number of things about the vehicle and what the driver is doing."

Telematics and Onboard Diagnostics (OBD) are helping fleet management companies and insurance firms collect a wealth of information about vehicles and drivers, including measurable events such as speeding, seatbelt usage, sharp cornering or over-acceleration. This helps them in promoting and incentivizing safe driving by using a number of measures, such as scorecarding, which rates drivers based on their driving data.

"The second step is driver coaching - using the data to help the driver learn to drive safer," says Cawse. "In-vehicle driver feedback tools are an effective way to change driver behavior." Geotab users leverage vehicle-in-reverse detection, collision avoidance systems, mobile cameras and video and spoken word notifications to detect risks and receive live in-vehicle feedback and warnings. "Not only can it keep people safe, but it is a major benefit to companies looking to manage risk and control costs related to accidents," adds Cawse.

The true power of IoT in ensuring safe driving continues to be unleashed.

IoT and telematics are also reducing the overhead in ensuring compliance with regulations such as hours of service, which require drivers to record such details as when they start driving, when they stop and other important trip details. "This safety measure combats accidents due to lack of sleep," Cawse explains.

In the event of an accident, analysis of data collected through IoT technology will help reduce risks in the future. "Accident data collected by telematics could be used to identify the most dangerous intersections in our cities," says Cawse. "With that kind of information, municipalities and departments of transportation can put their dollars exactly where it's needed the most, and where it will make the greatest impact. Geotab collects over 900 million points of data each day. The potential for how this data could be used is limitless."

Preventing disasters

Providing timely maintenance for the network of bridges, roads and highways of a country is a challenging task, and often the mismanagement of transportation infrastructure leads to collapsed bridges, potholes in roads, unwanted congestion and fatalities.

The 2007 collapse of the I-35W Mississippi Bridge in Minneapolis, which cost the state millions of dollars in repairs and resulted in 13 casualties, is one of the starkest examples of the consequences of failing to address infrastructural problems in time. Presently, of the 607,000 bridges across the U.S., roughly 65,000 are classified as "structurally deficient" and 20,000 as "fracture critical," which takes years and billions of dollars to fix. This means the I-35W tragedy could happen any time, because, with limited public funding, it's hard to keep track and prioritize repairs and maintenance.

IoT can help remedy the situation. IoT sensors and smart cement (cement equipped with sensors) can monitor the structural status of roads and bridges under dynamic conditions and alert us about deficiencies before they turn into catastrophes.

Professor Jerry Lynch of the Center for Wireless Integrated MicroSensing and Systems (WIMS ²) has instrumented the New Carquinez Bridge with IoT sensors. Supported by the California Department of Transportation, the IoT ecosystem includes tri-axis accelerometers, strain gauges, wind velocity, temperature and potentiometer displacement sensors measured using a proprietary Narada circuit board. The data collected by the system is used to better understand the response of the bridge under such conditions as high wind loading and earthquakes, and to determine in real-time when the structure is at risk or in need of repairs.

The replacement of the I-35W Mississippi Bridge cost the state $234 million. Today, that sum can be used to instrument thousands of bridges and prevent tragedies in the future.

Detecting road conditions

Controlling traffic and keeping roads clear can help immensely in reducing accidents and incidents that occur because of poor road and weather conditions. Driving safety, in particular, is dependent on being able to monitor road surfaces and identify road hazards.

IoT road sensors can provide real-time data from roads to help divert the flow of traffic away from areas of hazard. French IoT startup HIKOB is exploring the possibilities in several French cities. "Road sensors are going to be one of the most crucial developments that will take place in the world of transportation with the introduction of the Internet of Things technology," says Ludovic Broquereau, VP of marketing and business development at HIKOB. "Road sensors can be easily embedded under the roads so that they can effectively measure the changes in temperature, traffic volume and humidity, among other weather and traffic constraints."

Maybe one day accidents will become a thing of the past.

The data collected by the sensors is gathered in servers, where it is analyzed to provide concerned authorities with real-time information about traffic and road conditions in the IoT-equipped regions. The gleaned insights can help in a number of scenarios, including optimizing the use of limited maintenance resources and equipment, as well as predicting and alerting about possible hazards and accidents that may take place because of poor road and weather conditions.

HIKOB is testing its solution in the city of Troyes, where it is using a host of smart sensors and IoT gateways to monitor traffic and weather conditions to assist in improving road safety.

The future of IoT in roads

IoT is already helping make our roads much safer. But this is just the beginning. The true power of IoT in ensuring safe driving continues to be unleashed as cars move toward becoming fully autonomous and start interacting with their environment and making decisions on their own. This could unlock new possibilities, such as preventing drivers from entering hazardous areas, assisting in avoiding collisions, selecting detours and avoiding traffic jams and many other scenarios where the power of IoT and machine learning combine to create new opportunities. We still have a long way to go, but maybe one day accidents will become a thing of the past.

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How IoT and machine learning can make our roads safer

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The transportation industry is associated with high maintenance costs, disasters, accidents, injuries and loss of life. Hundreds of thousands of people across the world are losing their lives to car accidents and road disasters every year. Hopefully, this problem can be addressed by the Internet of...

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New technology are sometimes created for ordinary people to use in their everyday lives. The technology listed below are devices to be used at home.

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Chris Monroe/CNET

Welcome to CNET's guide to the Google Home smart speaker and Google's growing lineup of smart home gadgets. Perhaps you're wondering if you need a smart speaker, a smart display, both or neither. Do you want one with Google Assistant or with Amazon's competitive voice assistant, ? Should you buy one now or wait for the new Google Nest Hub Max coming this summer?

Maybe you've already made your decision and bought one of Google's smart speakers or smart displays and now you want to know what you should do with it.

For more How To

I can help. Below, I'll familiarize with the basics of Google Home, then dive into everything you can do once you're up and running. I'll also look at the flaws of the system and what's next for Google's smart home.

If you're not sure whether you want a Google Home, an Amazon Echo or perhaps an Apple HomePod, I can help with that, too. CNET has created a guide to buying the right smart speaker for you, and here's a breakdown of the three main digital assistants built in to smart speakers -- Google Assistant, Amazon's and Apple's . If you just want to get caught up on the latest, here are the highlights from Google I/O 2019.

What is Google Home?

The smart speaker from the eponymous search giant was designed to compete with the popular Amazon Echo. The Google Home can play music, but it's primarily designed as a vehicle for Google Assistant -- Google's voice-activated virtual helper that's connected to the internet. The Google Assistant you access via the Home is the same as the one on recent Android phones such as the Google Pixel 3A.

The Google Home is always listening to its environment, but it won't record what you're saying or respond to your commands until you speak one of its preprogrammed wake words -- either "OK, Google" or "Hey, Google." Here's a list of commands you can give your Google Home.

All three speakers give you access to the same Google Assistant service. They differ in size, sound quality and price. You use the same Google Home app to set up all three, and they all respond to the same wake words and commands.

Read more: Which Google Home speaker should you buy? | The best Google Assistant and Google Home devices of 2019

You can also use Google Assistant through a variety of third-party smart speakers such as the portable TicHome Mini and the JBL Link series. The will work with Google Assistant later this year as well, though Sonos has been promising that update for awhile. Unless it's specifically stated otherwise, all of the Google Home features I discuss below work with any Google Assistant-enabled smart speaker. Pick your speaker, then check out our tips for getting started. Here are a few tricks specific to the original Google Home and a few tricks specific to the Google Home Max.

In addition to the voice commands, each Google Home speaker has a limited set of physical controls. You can change the volume, mute the microphone, and play or pause your music via a physical interface on the speaker. Check out the video below for details on these physical controls.

Where to buy a smart speaker

You can buy the original $100 Google Home, the $300 Google Home Max and the $50 Google Home Mini online via the Google Store. You'll also find Google's speakers at a number of electronics stores, including Best Buy and even hardware stores such as Lowe's. Third-party speakers like the $250 JBL Link 300 are also widely available at electronics stores. The prices of the Google Home and Google Home Max dropped after I/O, making the Max in particular more appealing at $300 instead of $400.

Making music

Once you get your Google Home set up, you may want to use it to listen to music. You can use a Google Home as an ordinary Bluetooth speaker and pull up the song you want to listen to on your phone. Better yet, use your voice to tell Google what song you want to hear. You can even search by lyrics if you don't remember the name, or tell it to start a playlist of a certain genre.

Google pulls songs from a variety of streaming services including Google Play Music, , and . In the Google Home app, you can pick one of those services as your default, and Google will search that service first when you ask for a song or a playlist. You can still access music from any of the other services by asking for it by name.

Google Assistant can even play music on your TV if it's Chromecast-enabled, and you can ask it to play your favorite TV show through a variety of streaming services such as Netflix and HBO Now. You can control Roku streamers and TVs with your voice as well, but can't launch Netflix on Roku devices. At I/O, LG announced several TVs with Google Assistant built in. You have to push a button on a remote to give a voice command, so the TV isn't always listening. Sony was the first to offer TVs with similar voice control functionality. Google Assistant will soon come built into Samsung TVs and Dish Hopper DVRs as well.

Ready to assist

Since it launched in November 2016, the Google Home has gotten a lot better as a personal assistant. Here's a look back at the smart speaker's eventful 2017 and the many new features it gained throughout the year. Here is Google Assistant's 2018 in review. Google also had a massive presence at the tech showcase called CES in Las Vegas in January. Here are all of the company's CES announcements.

Read more: The best Google Home commands for health, nutrition and fitness

With the Continued Conversation feature, you don't have to say the wake words every time you want to ask a question. The Google Home's microphone stays hot for up to 8 seconds so you can ask a follow-up question without saying, "Hey, Google" again. It'll shut off early if you say "Thank you," and if you don't want Google's mic to stay listening for longer than normal, you don't have to enable the feature.

As of Google I/O 2019, you can also skip the wake words when an alarm or timer is buzzing. Just say "stop" and you'll be able to silence your smart speaker. While your alarm is sounding, "stop" essentially functions as an additional wake word.

Thanks to frequent feature updates, you can now do quite a few things with your Google Home. Here's how to find the full list of its capabilities, including third-party skills.

Other highlights of the Google Home's resume include:

Broadcasting: Make an announcement to one Google Home and it will play on all connected smart speakers throughout your home. You can also reply to a broadcast with a simple voice command.

Recipe assistance: Your Google Home can help you cook with step-by-step instructions, skipping forward and back as needed.

: You can use your Google Home speaker to make a phone call. (Note: You can't use Google Assistant to make calls on third-party speakers for now.)

Multiple commands: You can issue two commands to your Google Home in sequence.

: Your Google Home can automatically lower the volume of its vocal responses and music streaming at certain times of the day.

: Your smart speaker can read aloud a number of stories from Disney and Nickelodeon. Better yet, you can read certain stories while your Google Home provides appropriate music and sound effects.

Multiple lists: You used to just be able to make shopping lists with your voice. Now you can create to-do lists, gift lists and more.

: Give a command such as "Good morning" or "I'm leaving" and you can customize your Google Home to respond in a variety of ways, including telling you about your commute, playing the news and controlling your compatible smart home devices.

Google Home in the smart home

Routines are getting more advanced, as you can now train your smart lights to come on gradually leading up to your scheduled wake you time. They will soon be integrated with apps like Google Clock, so your alarm can trigger your morning routine. Third parties will also be able to build specific functionality for routines, such as playing meditation music on your Google Home.

With customizable routines and now more than 30,000 compatible devices, the Google Home's gotten quite comfortable in the smart home. You can now sync a variety of devices with your Google-equipped smart speaker. Here's a guide to getting started with a Google-centric smart home.

Here's Google's list of compatible devices. It includes thermostats, smart lights, smart switches, smart locks, sprinklers, security systems, large appliances and even some cars. Google also expanded its list of compatible devices at I/O and made them easier to control with natural commands. Here's CNET's guide to Google's compatible smart home devices.

At I/O, Google rolled out a developer kit similar to what C by GE uses so more companies can enable setup in the Google Home app. This Local Home kit could also make your smart home faster. Instead of communicating with the cloud of every third-party device, the kit allows your smart speaker to store cached versions of certain commands. They can then process the command locally and communicate with the device directly over Bluetooth and Wi-Fi.

Touch controls and smart displays

After filling out the voice control options for the smart home, Google turned its attention to touch controls at the company's Made by Google event in October. The Google Home app was previously only useful during setup, but it's now a handy way to see and control all of your gadgets.

Shortcut buttons at the top let you perform common tasks such as turning off all of your lights with one tap. Scroll down and you'll see all of your gadgets organized by room. The app allows you to quickly access any connected gadget and control it in detail -- you can set the exact brightness or color of your smart bulb or change the temp or settings of your smart thermostat.

You can also use the app to reorganize and rename your gadgets and even add multiple accounts to your home so people you live with can also see the gadgets via the app on their phones. Or you can group your gadgets into different locations if you've set up smart gear in your office and your home.

In addition to offering a visual reference of your smart home and an alternative means of controlling your gadgets when you don't feel like talking, this new-look app will help you keep your devices organized in a way that makes sense to you.

While the app makes organizing your smart home easier, the smart displays offer a centralized place for your family to control your devices either with their voices or by touch.

The touchscreen also comes in handy when you're cooking and want to see the steps and ingredients spelled out on the screen. If you ask about the weather, you'll see a visual overview of the forecast for the week. Search for restaurants, and the screen will show pictures and hours of nearby places. It can even pull up a map and send directions to your phone. You can also use the screen to look at pictures or watch videos on YouTube.

You can make video calls on all current smart displays. But unlike the models from Lenovo, JBL and LG, the Google Home Hub doesn't have a camera, so the video call's recipient won't be able to see you. Google says it removed the camera so you'd feel more comfortable putting the Hub in any room of your house. The smart displays from Lenovo, JBL and LG all have physical shutters that slide over their cams.

The Nest Hub Max has a built-in Nest Cam, so it can detect motion when you're away and send you an alert. If you sign up for Nest's premium Nest Aware service, you can get alerts based on who the camera sees. You can also use the cam for video calls, and it can pan, tilt and zoom to keep you in frame. The cam can recognize gestures, so you can play or pause music by looking at the Hub Max and holding up your hand. Google also announced Face Match for the Hub Max, which is an optional feature that will allow the cam to recognize you and show you personalized notifications when you walk into the room.

The Google Home Hub costs $150 with a 7-inch screen, and you can buy it from the same retailers as the Google Home. The Hub Max will cost $230 and have a 10-inch screen when it launches this summer. The Lenovo Smart Display comes with a 10-inch screen for $250 or an 8-inch screen for $200. The JBL Link View costs $250 and the LG WK9 costs $300. Both have an 8-inch screen. The smart displays from Lenovo and JBL are also widely available at major electronics retailers. Head to LG's site to find retailers for the WK9 in your area.

Kitchenaid's display will have a 10-inch screen, is due out in the second half of 2019, and will cost between $200 and $300. Sony hasn't announced the details of its upcoming smart display yet.

Google Nest

All of Google's smart speakers, smart displays, Chromecast streamers and Wi-Fi products will now be grouped under a new brand called Google Nest. The Nest team and Google smart home team have worked together since last year, and at I/O they united under a single brand.

If you already own a Google Home or any of Google's other smart home products, this change isn't likely to drastically affect you. Look for more integrations with Nest products in the future, but your smart home setup shouldn't be affected.

If you have Nest products and a Nest account, Google will soon encourage you to merge it into a Google account and will shut down the Works with Nest program for third-party products. If you have a smart home setup centered around a Nest product, here's what you need to know.

Flies in the ointment

At CES, Google announced it was built into a billion devices. That's an impressive number, but it includes the many Android phones on the market and Amazon still accounts for roughly 73 percent of smart speaker sales.

In many smart home respects, Google is still chasing Amazon. The Google Home was meant to emulate the Amazon Echo. The Google Home Mini took notes from the . The Google Home Hub combined a smart speaker with a screen like the Amazon Echo Show before it. At CES, Google and Lenovo partnered to show off a trimmed down smart display meant for your bedside called the Lenovo Smart Clock. Even that has an Amazon precedent called the Amazon Echo Spot.

Google's launch of the Google Home Mini also ran into some trouble, as a user discovered a bug that caused the Mini to record constantly, instead of just after you said the wake words. Google patched the issue quickly, but it still raised the issues of privacy and trust around Google's always-listening assistant.

After launch, a hacker found potential vulnerabilities in the Google Home Hub's code that he was able to use to reset the device and change some notifications settings. Google responded quickly to this issue as well, but called the claims of a vulnerability inaccurate. The company noted that you'd need to be on the same Wi-Fi network to access the code in question.

More to come

Now that you're caught up on the current state of the Google Home, here's a quick glimpse at what happens next. Third-party devices with Google Assistant built in are becoming more common, such as alarm clocks and smoke detectors. I could see even more third-party Google Assistant devices soon, as Google opened Assistant to third-party developers in 2017 and recently made it possible to create custom commands. In fact, you can even build your own Google-equipped smart speaker with the company's speaker kit.

Google also debuted a fascinating feature called interpreter mode at CES. Interpreter mode uses a Google Assistant device as an intermediary between people speaking different languages. Smart displays will show and speak translated phrases on its screen.

Smart displays will also be able to show you customized recipes and podcast and event recommendations based on your search history. As Google ventures into all of these extra personal details, the company updated its smart home privacy policy as well.

For more than two years, the smart speaker landscape has been changing quickly. We'll keep this piece updated as it continues to shift. Fortunately, it's a safe time to invest in a smart speaker. Google, Amazon and Apple are all battling for supremacy of the market and rapidly rolling out new features, but the features get sent out as updates to existing devices, so you don't have to worry about your new assistant getting left behind -- at least, for now.

First published April 27, 2018 5 a.m. PT.
Update, May 8, 2019: Updated after Google I/O 2019.

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Everything you need to know about Google Home

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Welcome to CNET's guide to the Google Home smart speaker and Google's growing lineup of smart home gadgets. Perhaps you're wondering if you need a smart speaker, a smart display, both or neither. Do you want one with Google Assistant or with Amazon's competitive voice assistant, ?

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Everything you need to know about the Amazon Echo

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A helpful cheat sheet with everything the Alexa-powered speaker can do.

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