Air Pollution Linked to Dementia

Air pollution may be linked to an increased risk of developing dementia, research in London has suggested.

A study shows a link between the condition and exposure to nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and toxic air particles.

Patients living within the M25 in areas with the highest NO2 levels were 40% more likely to develop dementia than those in areas with lowest levels, researchers said.

Alzheimer’s Research UK said the results should be treated with caution.

The study, published in journal BMJ Open, used anonymous patient health records from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink to collect data from 75 general practices within the M25.

Source: BBC News : https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-45572821

The Next Version of the Bluetooth® Core Specification has been adopted!

2 years of work with contributions from 47 working group members representing 22 member companies. That’s what it took to create the latest version of the Bluetooth Core Specification—Bluetooth 5, which was officially adopted on 6 December 2016.

With up to 4x the range, 2x the speed and 8x the broadcasting message capacity, the enhancements of Bluetooth 5 focus on increasing functionality for the Internet of Things (IoT). The improvements to advertising extensions allow more efficient use of broadcasting channels on the increasingly crowded 2.4 Ghz band, enabling richer connectionless solutions. For mobile phone developers creating the next generation of devices, the update to slot availability masks can detect and prevent interference on neighboring bands to improve coexistence and interoperability in a global environment. On top of all this, building products with Bluetooth 5 will support even better interoperability, as the team has incorporated over 440 performance fixes and enhancements.

“Bluetooth is revolutionizing how people experience the IoT. Bluetooth 5 continues to drive this revolution by delivering reliable IoT connections and mobilizing the adoption of beacons, which in turn will decrease connection barriers and enable a seamless IoT experience. This means whole-home and building coverage, as well as new use cases for outdoor, industrial, and commercials applications will be a reality. With the launch of Bluetooth 5, we continue to evolve to meet the needs of IoT developers and consumers while staying true to what Bluetooth is at its core; the global wireless standard, secure, connectivity.” Mark Powell, executive director, Bluetooth SIG.

Bluetooth 5 will transform the way people experience the IoT, making it more relevant, beneficial, and effortless. We can’t wait to see what you’ll create for the future of the IoT.

Learn more about Bluetooth 5

Consumer Awareness and Preference of Bluetooth® Technology at All-Time High

Bluetooth ready to deliver on consumer interest for IoT and beyond

A recent survey conducted by Lux Insights, Inc. puts consumer awareness of Bluetooth wireless technology at 92 percent globally, with 62 percent of respondents reporting a purchasing preference for Bluetooth enabled products, noting Bluetooth is reliable, easy to use, and makes life easier. The proliferation and success of Bluetooth captured the imagination of the consumer, leading to increased demand for unique wireless applications, most notably home automation, location-based services, personal monitoring and tracking, and remote access control. Industry analyst ABI Research projects that over three billion Bluetooth enabled products will ship this year alone.

“Bluetooth delivers a connection that just works for consumers globally, whether they are listening to music or tracking their steps. This has led to a shift in expectations of what connectivity can be,” said Errett Kroeter, vice president of marketing for the Bluetooth SIG. “Consumers are looking to experience that same convenience and connectivity in all aspects of their lives and we are consciously building the technology to deliver these effortless connections.”

Demand for IoT connectivity is focused in areas where consumers need additional control and insight. Respondents reported the highest interest in location awareness applications (solutions that aid first responders in emergency situations or aid navigation in public spaces and buildings), home automation (controlling lighting, locks, temperature from inside and outside of the home), and personal monitoring (securing monitoring and sending sensitive health and wellness data).

Kroeter added, “The Bluetooth technology roadmap specifically addresses consumer interest in new applications for wireless technology. Better still, many of the applications they are most interested in are available today. Bluetooth enabled beacons currently allow for city navigation in multiple locations; Bluetooth hubs can sync connected home devices and give users control through an internet gateway; Bluetooth moved the sports and fitness market from niche to mainstream in less than two years. All of these exemplify our vision of creating an unthinkably connected world that makes life simpler and establishing an IoT that is accessible to everyone.”

Additional key findings:

On average, consumers now own almost four Bluetooth enabled products (increased from 2.7 in 2012)
Bluetooth awareness has increased six percent since 2012 (92 percent in 2016, 87 percent in 2012)
Bluetooth usage has increased 32 percent since 2012 (78 percent in 2016, 59 percent in 2012)
Nearly two thirds of consumers prefer Bluetooth in their new technology purchases

Regional breakdown of survey findings will be covered athttp://blog.bluetooth.com. For additional information on Bluetooth technology, visit www.bluetooth.com.

Airscan – Improving Road Traffic Congestion

Traffic Congestion to most people means, a motionless slow moving line of vehicles leading to driver frustration and in some cases road rage.

Congestion has many negative social, environmental and economic impacts and its one of the many challenges facing Traffic Engineers. Understanding the future demand for road travel and congestion is therefore a key requirement in being able to tackle it.

Airscan by Iknaia, is a new unique sensor monitoring solution that enables Traffic Engineers to analyse traffic queues and congestion in an efficient way and present live journey times to drivers.

Airscan monitors the Bluetooth and Wi-Fi ids in anonymous vehicles and provides real-time information about changes in traffic flows. With Airscan installed Traffic Engineers can quickly analyse the data and identify congested areas. This will help make judgements to divert traffic to other routes and plan future roads infrastructure.

Airscan data can be presented to signs and phones to keep drivers fully informed of the impact of any incidents or diversion routes.

Julia McNally, Founder of Iknaia says “The Airscan system is able to identify, in real time, incidents that impact on journey time reliability, and what’s more it is portable and easy to install. Using the online self-service dashboard you can control all your units in one place and view real-time reporting. Data can also be exported and fully integrated into existing monitoring applications.”

Data collected by each Airscan unit is pushed to the cloud using 3G/4G connectivity and presented in real-time to an online dashboard optimised for PC, tablets and all mobile devices. Activity reports can be viewed, and push notifications can be set up to alert key management personnel and ensure they are made aware of incidents as they occur.

Airscan is compatible with multiple third party products including variable message signs and it is also fully integrated into the Iknaia Intelligent Tracking solution to enable location monitoring of the workforce and assets.

For more information www.iknaia.co.uk/airscan

Next Iteration Bluetooth set to quadruple the wireless range and double the speed

Bluetooth’s prime-time may well now be imminent, with the Internet of Things and the happy marriage of smart devices in smart homes set to sidle into people’s lives incrementally, connected gadget by connected gadget.

Bluetooth is one of those smart, helpful technologies that has been around for years, patiently waiting for its time to shine. A bit of wireless communication here, some short-wave connections there, it’s been a reliable and promising technology since the late 1990s.

Whilst at CES 2016, held during the first week of January in Las Vegas, E&T attended the Discover Blue event, organised by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG). The Bluetooth SIG is the body that oversees the development of Bluetooth standards and the licensing of the Bluetooth technologies and trademarks to manufacturers. Discover Blue was the SIG’s official pre-CES event, showcasing the latest products and innovations from its member companies and developers.

The cavalcade of Bluetooth-connected products on display covered pretty much every aspect of modern human existence, such as healthcare, body awareness, medication, self-improvement, entertainment, nutrition, sports, fashion and home security. The technology is turning up everywhere, in ever-more intriguing ways – as The Big Bang Theory’s Sheldon Cooper says in a 2009 episode of the TV sitcom, “Everything is better with Bluetooth”.

Stepping up to meet the challenge and demands of its wireless standard becoming a star player in an increasingly connected world, the Bluetooth SIG recently laid out its road map for 2016. Addressing some of the key concerns about Bluetooth, the intention with the next iteration of the technology is to quadruple the wireless range and double the speed. Sounds like a fine plan.

See full E&T interview with Mark Powell, Executive Director of Bluetooth SIG here

Iknaia Launches Airscan with Colas

One of Highways England’s key objectives is to provide road users with information that is relevant to their journeys. Smart motorways are an obvious example and now, thanks to pioneering work from leading transport infrastructure specialist Colas Limited, information on travel times through roadworks is also available in real time. This means drivers are better informed, improving their experience and thereby reducing the risk to road workers of hazardous driving.

Automatic number plate recognition (ANPR) can often be utilised to track the progress of vehicles, but with diversion routes that may vary in location and route on a nightly basis, its use is not always practical nor cost effective. Colas has worked with wireless systems technology experts Iknaia to develop a system that allows the real time active management of diversion routes without recourse to ANPR technology.

Airscan is a new system developed jointly by Colas and Iknaia which uses anonymous Wi-Fi and Bluetooth signals transmitted by visible devices in passing vehicles. Data is collected by sensors and relayed to variable messaging signs (VMS) which then advise road users in advance of potential delays and allow for strategic checks by maintenance teams. As part of the system, Traffic Management (TM) teams are also issued with Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) tags that can be used to monitor the location of teams by checking in staff as they pass sensors on their route.

Ryan Wood, Colas Technical Manager, is key contact for the project and has been responsible for its initial trial at Highways England’s M3 smart motorway upgrade, for main contractor Balfour Beatty. “We are committed to delivering innovation on our highways projects and, through our work with Iknaia, we believe that Airscan is a solution that will not only benefit road users through real-time updates on traffic, but will also assist in improving the safety of our road workers.”

This approach to active management of diversion routes will continue to operate on the M3 smart motorway project and will be rolled out across other Highways England schemes to complement Intelligent Transport Systems strategies across the UK.

Sensors Increase Live Births & Farm Profitability

It’s refreshing to see how beacons and sensors are evolving in market sectors that are mostly invisible to the general public, but have far-reaching impact on specialized industries. And one such application that we love here at Beacon Blog is the creation of Moocall.

Moocall noninvasively hooks onto the tail of a pregnant cow (unlike more invasive cow birthing monitors) and sends a text message to the farmer when the cow’s about an hour away from giving birth. It was designed to free farmers from keeping vigil over pregnant cows and to help increase live births and farm profitability. The device, which the company says can be shared among 50 to 60 cows, uses 3-D motion sensors, algorithms, and an embedded roaming M2M SIM card that claims it can pick up even weak network signals.

After losing a heifer and her calf back in 2010, Niall Austin, one of the founders of Moocall, came up with the idea of using sensors to monitor births and alert farmers when cows are in labor.

“The heifer was calving outdoors, unfortunately the calf died, and the heifer was paralysed and ended up being put down. There was no system available that would work outdoors as well as indoors. It was a very big loss to us.”

Having realised this was a common problem, Niall researched to see if a solution could be worked out. And thus, Moocall was born. Getting the product to market has taken 3 years and a significant capital investment.

Moocall was launched commercially in January 2015 and since then thousands of units have been sold and the general reaction from customers has been phenomenal. We reckon this fantastic gadget will have far-reaching impact on farmers of the world.

For further information visit : Moocall

Bluetooth Buses in Bucharest Will Guide the Blind

Five hundred buses in Romania’s capital, Bucharest, will soon receive Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) beacons. The beacons will serve to guide blind passengers on and off buses, without the need for any assistance. So far, forty of the BLE beacons have been installed already, with the rest expected to be in place by the end of August.

How does the system work?

A visually impaired user would set up the app on his or her phone before leaving home. The phone application would then allow the user to follow whichever bus lines he or she needs to complete the trip. Each bus in this system has a unique ID in the form of an iBeacon, which alerts the phone of the visually impaired person as to the fact that the bus is arriving. The alert is sent when the iBeacon-equipped bus is 50-60 meters away from the station. Once the bus actually arrives, it will also be informed by iBeacon of the fact that there’s a blind passenger in the station. The bus will begin to beep repeatedly so as to inform the app user of its location even if there’s multiple buses in the station at the time. The beeping stops once the passenger has boarded.

BLE system will simplify travel for tens of thousands of blind in Romania.

Now, thanks to the system, tens of thousands of blind people will be able to easily access any area of Bucharest. They will be able to board, leave, and also transfer buses with ease, since the mobile app will help users find connecting buses easily. By the start of September, the whole Bluetooth system will be up and running, and available for free to anyone in Bucharest.

Who came up with and funded this program?

The program is the result of a project known as Smart Public Transport (SPT). It was organized by Onyx Beacon, provider of the bluetooth beacon technology, RATB (Bucharest’s public transportation agency), and visually impaired project coordinator Tandem Association. The SPT is one of eight projects that received funding by aVodafone Romania Foundation called “Mobile for Good.” The Mobile for Good program is meant to promote the use of mobile technology for social causes.

Onset’s Bluetooth Smart Data Logger Protects the Magna Carta

Onset, a world leader in data loggers for building performance monitoring, today announced that the HOBO MX1101, the company’s first data logger that measures and transmits temperature and relative humidity data wirelessly to mobile devices via Bluetooth Smart technology, is helping to protect a copy of the Magna Carta.

Originally issued by England’s King John in June 1215 to prevent civil war between the king and his barons, the Magna Carta is a world-famous symbol of justice, fairness, and human rights. Having inspired and encouraged movements for freedom and constitutional government for hundreds of years, the four remaining copies have been awarded ‘Memory of the World’ status by the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The best-surviving copy of the Magna Carta, currently on exhibition in Britain’s Salisbury Cathedral to commemorate the document’s 800-year anniversary, is stored in a glass display case along with an Onset HOBO MX1101 Bluetooth Temperature/Relative Humidity data logger.

“Preserving the text is of paramount importance,” said Emily Naish, Archivist at Salisbury Cathedral. “Excessive humidity can cause parchment to buckle as it tries to revert to its natural shape. The parchment can expand while the ink remains static, causing ink to lift from the text. As the room in which the Magna Carta is displayed has large glass windows, it is prone to these kinds of damaging fluctuations in humidity.”

Because the display case is sealed and protected by alarm systems, there was no way to constantly monitor temperature and humidity without going through the time-consuming and complicated process of switching off the alarms and accessing the case.

To address this issue, the Cathedral’s exhibition team installed the HOBO MX1101 data logger, purchased through Onset’s UK distributor, Tempcon Instrumentation Limited. The self-contained wireless data logger, which works with Onset’s free HOBOmobile™ app for logger setup and data management, enables staff to use a smart phone or tablet to access the environmental data at any time from a distance up to 100 feet, without having to open the display case – making the HOBO MX1101 the perfect choice for use in the restricted-access conditions of the Cathedral.

“The HOBO MX1101 is an ideal solution for us to protect such an important historical artifact as the Magna Carta,” said Naish. “It’s great that I can check the current conditions at a glance, and have the ability to access historical data without interfering with the exhibit.”

To learn more about the HOBO MX1101 Temperature/ Relative Humidity data logger, visithttp://www.onsetcomp.com/mx.

Indoor Positioning System (IPS)

Locate Your Staff Indoors or Underground using existing Two-Way Radios

GPS technology has made outdoor positioning highly successful, but due to the signal attenuation caused by the construction materials of buildings and the lack of mobile signals underground, indoor positioning systems cannot rely on GPS technology.

Iknaia has developed an Indoor Positioning System (IPS) that will help you locate your staff using Bluetooth technology embedded into two-way radios and other Bluetooth enabled devices. These devices can be tracked using their Bluetooth ID, to give real-time location information on the whereabouts of your staff, anytime, anywhere.

Julia McNally, Founder of Iknaia explains, “Using Iknaia Beacons we can track and monitor workers and assets as they move around a construction site, tunnel or mine, but we can now add registered devices to our platform using their ‘always discoverable’ Bluetooth option. Clients who have already invested in two-way radios and other devices to communicate to their workers, need not invest in further tracking Beacons.”

Iknaia uses Bluetooth Smart or (Bluetooth 4.0) technology to continuously scan for any Bluetooth enabled device that repeatedly broadcasts its presence to nearby Bluetooth Detectors. The server then calculates the position and reports its whereabouts in real-time onto a web management console.

McNally continues, “This is a flexible and standardised technology allowing the ability to add any Bluetooth enabled device to be ‘discovered’. So Smartphones, Tablets, Laptops, Two-Way Radios and DECT phones can be configured to work with our platform. Using Bluetooth wireless connectivity also won’t affect or interfere with any radio or mobile network performance”.

The benefits and opportunities provided by using Iknaia IPS are extensive, inexpensive and ever expanding.

You can contact the team at Iknaia for a free demonstration by emailing them at info@iknaia.co.uk