Bosch is helping
to build the internet of things and services one tiny sensor at a time. In
future, many objects will report their status over the net, and this makes a
rage of new functions and business models possible. At the Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Bosch will be presenting its tiny building blocks for
connected living, along with possible applications. Known as MEMS
(micro-electro-mechanical systems) sensors, they are no more than a few
millimeters in size but hold enormous potential. They contain microscopic
structures that are capable of measuring acceleration, air pressure, sound,
temperature, or the earth's magnetic field. Fitted with a miniature battery and
a tiny radio interface, these MEMS sensors can for instance send their readings
over the internet to a user's smartphone. In theory, they allow any object in
everyday use to connect to the internet so it can report on its status at any
time on request – an ability that holds out plenty of promise for future
applications.
Bosch sensors enable
smartphones to feel
MEMS sensors have long been the sensory organs for many of
the mobile devices that are presented in their thousands at the world's biggest
consumer electronics show. Bosch sensors enable modern electronic devices such as
smartphones to “feel” and “hear” – so a smartphone “knows” how it is being held
and whether it needs to rotate the image on its display. Meanwhile tiny MEMS
microphones can record sounds and speech. The sensors are also applied in
notebooks, tablets, smart watches, games consoles, or sports watches. Freight
forwarding companies also stand to benefit, since such sensors will allow parts
in storage in the warehouse to announce their number and location over the
internet. Meanwhile, acceleration sensors affixed to delicate machinery will be
able to confirm at any time that there has been no exposure to vibrations
during transportation. What is more, if a crate fitted with such a sensor falls
to the ground, the sensor can send out a warning email to a company
headquarters anywhere in the world thanks to the internet.
“It's simply a
question of when”
“The question now is not whether the real and virtual worlds
will merge thanks to sensors such as these. It's simply a question of when,”
says Dr. Volkmar Denner, chairman of the board of management of Robert Bosch
GmbH. “Sensors, batteries, and transmitters can now be combined in a single
unit that is so small, energy-efficient, and inexpensive that they can be put
to work in their billions. At the same time, mobile data and radio networks are
accessible from almost everywhere. This means the foundations are already in
place for the internet of things and services.”
Bosch supplies sensors for a wide range of applications in
the automotive and consumer electronics industries. Bosch has been at the
forefront of MEMS technology since it first emerged, and today it generates
more sales in this market than any other supplier. Since the start of
production in 1995, the company has manufactured well in excess of three billion
MEMS sensors. In 2012, some 600 million sensors emerged from its
state-of-the-art wafer fab in Reutlingen – or 2.4 million each working day. Now
every second smartphone worldwide uses Bosch sensors.
“These networked sensors make it possible to recognize and
interact with the surroundings. A whole range of new solutions will emerge,
offering more comfort, safety, and energy efficiency – and saving users' time
and money,” says Dr. Dirk Hoheisel, who sits on the Bosch board of management.
“As of today, there's no limit to the new applications, functions, and business
models that our sensors will allow. We see huge potential here.”
Connected to the
world
MEMS sensors were originally developed for use in cars, for
instance in skid detection for the ESP® electronic stability program. Today
each modern vehicle is home to up to 50 of MEMS sensors. They support
significant safety and comfort functions such as “Adaptive Cruise Control”
(ACC) or softer gear changing of automatic gearboxes. All these sensors have
turned cars into suppliers of data for what is known as the automotive cloud,
which is already providing drivers with valuable additional information in
various situations and connecting them ever more closely to the world in real
time.
Security and comfort
anywhere, anytime
At the CES, Bosch will be presenting how sensors are a key
enabler of the Internet of Things and Services. A network of wireless sensors
will constantly gather and report information about the immediate environment.
Users can learn which doors are open or closed, how loud it is, and how the
temperature, air pressure, and humidity at various points around the booth
changed over the course of the day. An automatic vacuum cleaner featuring MEMS
sensors and an integrated WiFi module continuously reports its position. Thanks
to these combined sensors, the Bosch booth will showcase how devices connected
to each other via sensors continuously exchange and provide useful information.
Bosch recently announced that it will work together with ABB, Cisco and LG on
an open standard to support a software platform for the smart home of the
future.
In-vehicle
infotainment, electric vehicle charging, and more
In addition to MEMS sensors, Bosch will demonstrate
technologies enabling the connected vehicle, including next-generation
telediagnostics, electric vehicle charging, in-vehicle infotainment and driver
assistance systems. Bosch is sponsoring the “Driverless Car” experience at CES
2014, where the milestones toward driverless mobility will be explored and
demonstrate technologies such as automatic park assist, predictive emergency
braking and “mySPIN” smartphone integration in a designated area outside the
fair. The company will also illustrate several areas of competence, including
eBikes to inverters for energy storage, start-stop vehicles to HD video
surveillance and intrusion control to net-zero enabling thermotechnology.
Bosch booth at the
2014 CES
Las Vegas Convention
and World Trade Center (LVCC),
South Hall 1, Stand
20812
Bosch events at the
2014 CES
Press conference with Bosch board of management member
Dr. Werner Struth: Monday, January 6, 2014, 8 a.m. (Las
Vegas local time),
Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino, Level 3 - Banyan Ballrooms
A-D,
3950 Las Vegas Blvd. South
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