There’s an article in theguardian.com that reads like a
science fiction book or the plot from a Bond movie:
“Google has struck a deal with the healthcare company
Johnson & Johnson to develop surgical robots that use artificial
intelligence. Google’s life sciences division will work with Johnson &
Johnson’s medical device company, Ethicon, to create a robotics-assisted
surgical platform to help doctors in the operating theatre.”
The article then ends with: “Google’s life sciences team is
also developing systems that can detect cancer and heart attacks using nano
particles, and has worked on smart contact lenses that contain sensors capable
of monitoring the signs of diabetes – technology that was licensed by the Swiss
drug firm Novartis in July 2014 to develop into a practical medical
application.” The link to this article
is here: http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/mar/27/google-johnson-and-johnson-artificial-intelligence-surgical-robots
There is more, this time from Japan, also from theguardian.com:
“Meet Robear, an experimental nursing-care robot developed by the RIKEN-SRK
Collaboration Center for Human-Interactive Robot Research and Sumitomo Riko
Company. Unveiled this month, the robot is designed to lift patients out of
beds and into wheelchairs, as well as helping those who need assistance to
stand up. Robear weighs in at 140kg, and is the successor to heavier robots
RIBA and RIBA-II. ‘We really hope that this robot will lead to advances in
nursing care, relieving the burden on caregivers today,’ said Toshiharu Mukai,
leader of the project’s robot sensor systems research team. ‘We intend to
continue with research toward more practical robots capable of providing
powerful yet gentle care to elderly people.’
That’s an increasingly urgent challenge in Japan, where the
elderly population is growing fast. According to Riken, robots like Robear can
play an important role in taking the strain off nurses and caregivers, who may
be having to lift patients 40 or more times a day, risking lower-back pain in
the process.” The article is here:
As we continue to differentiate the IoT from the Io (Mission-Critical)T I have the sense that greater demands for integrity and robustness will be forthcoming. After all, there’s a whole lot of difference between missing a nut or bolt on a production line assembling household furniture, for instance, to missing a screw while performing a back surgery. Should software updates be transmitted, as we so often see happening on our PCs, would the dreaded blue-screen of death take on more ominous overtones?
I have to believe that as this trend toward automation and AI intrudes into our very lives, NonStop systems will likely find a whole new market segment opening up. This may not be as fashionable as interacting with the latest smartphone or tablet, but really, we are talking about things way more important than fashion.
In the world of all things connected, communicating with
each other and sending tons of information to their creators as well as to
places where the data gets analyzed and understood, if you let it, there will
be a caring robot to help you as you age. I wonder, will you be less alone? OK,
as I said, I am not ready for this, not yet…
I am not the only one!
I came across a fascinating article: http://www.rustreport.com.au/issues/latestissue/oz-research-reveals-the-competitive-advantage-of-iot/
“A new Australian report into the application of the
Internet of Things has highlighted the significant cost, revenue and
productivity benefits for adopting companies, but also revealed an high level
of business indifference to the technology. The research was conducted by
analyst firm Telsyte on behalf of Microsoft.
Entitled ‘Cut through: How the Internet of Things is
sharpening Australia’s competitive edge’, the report shows that two-thirds of organizations
that have deployed and measured Internet of Things (IoT) solutions have
achieved 28 per cent cost reductions in their day-to-day operations.
Despite those impressive returns, the report reveals there
is a long way to go before the competitive advantage of Internet of Things
(IoT) is fully harnessed by Australian businesses with just 26 per cent of the
300-plus Australian organizations surveyed indicating they have deployed
Internet of Things solutions, and nearly half (48 per cent) have no immediate
plans to deploy.”
Yes, half of the Australian companies surveyed are not ready
for this, yet!
Telsyte recommends 5 steps toward implementing the Internet
of Things, and I found the last one timely: “Prepare for real time data: The
Internet of Things will generate real-time data — not just large volumes of
data — across a range of business processes. Real-time data is about immediacy,
and brings with it the potential for fundamental disruption. When possible,
Telsyte recommends processes be modelled around the availability of real-time
data to build long-term competitive advantage.” No surprises here for the
NonStop community, as this is exactly what WebAction was saying all along!
Check out WedAction
Ensures IoT Is Never Too Late
So, as half of the Australian companies and I, the “new
Australian”, are not quite ready for IoT yet, it is reassuring to see that at
least one NonStop partner is leading this inevitable move toward taking
advantage of the IoT and all the technologies that utilize it.
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