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thethings.iO at September 2015

With the arrival of September, holidays end for most of us. And with its end, our team comes again with their batteries fully charged. Charged to accomplish new goals, attend more IoT congresses, events and conventions and work harder than ever to respond any of your requests, suggestions at thethings.iO.

So what’s this September bringing to us?

The first week of September thethings.iO will be in Berlin. First, our CEO will speak at the IoTCon in Berlin. Our CEO, Marc Pous, will speak at 2 sessions about CoAP and IoT platforms the 2nd of September.

Connected things at IFA Berlin

Connected things at IFA Berlin

The 4th of September, we will attend the IFA’s event in Berlin, which will gather lots of technological, M2M and IoT companies from around the world in just one place. Some of the most important of them are Intel, EPSON, Yamaha or SONY, among others.

The next event will take place in our city: Barcelona. It is the IoT Solutions World Congress that will last from 16th to 18th September. At this event, thethings.iO will have a booth where you will be able to see our technology and IoT prototypes working in real-time. This event will be more than a simple congress, so it offers networking opportunities with companies such Intel, Microsoft, Vodafone or IBM, among others, as well as some different Marketplace options. If you are in the city, do not hesitate to visit our stand in the IoT Solutions World Congress!

Introducing you to thethings.iO

We are an IoT cloud platform for companies that decide to build new cool things that can be connected to improve our lives. If you want to know more about us, you can create an account by clicking here, sign up to receive our monthly newsletter or follow us on Twitter! Stay tuned and be the first in knowing the latest news of the IoT world and thethings.iO.

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Welcome to children’s IoT world

children IoT world

Imagine sitting in your kitchen trying to find something on your iPad. For some reason you just can’t imagine where you have left whatever you are looking for, all of a sudden your 6-year-old child to your left makes a hand movement and the item starts beeping so you can find it.

To the technologically savvy, making new technology work is as easy as riding a bike but from an outside point of view it is mind-blowing the differences we have seen transpire.

The Internet of Things will change the way children understand, not only the technological world, but also how the whole world will understand. Stop looking for your kid inside that big Supermarket. All you will need is your smartphone and in a second you will know exactly the position of the little guy. The hide and seek game will end as soon as you want.

Tracking children, anywhere, anytime

In the IoT world, most children’s watches have become trackers as well, which makes it the best sold wearables for kids. Hidden within something as simple as a watch, and giving no hints to the unknown eye, the parents are able to feel calm and secure knowing when their kids try and runoff. The hereO GPS watch is equipped with WiFi, a built-in SIM card and built-in USB connector that allows parents to keep track of their children’s location at any time in real-time, just by using the hereO family app. The hereO is able to fit on any kid’s wrist. Designed to support even the heaviest of play (including water games). It notifies parents when the battery is low by sending a message to their smartphone.

hereO

hereO

 

What about if you want to know more about how your kid is doing and not just his location? Are they safe? Then you should consider purchasing a wearable with even more functions! For example, a FiLip. More than a GPS watch, FiLip can make and receive calls rom five different numbers that can be preprogrammed. If the child is ever in distress, he/she simply needs to hold down one button for four seconds and an emergency call is dispatched. FiLip uses a blend of GPS, GSM and WiFi for the location function, so it allows parents to know where their children are even if they are outside. Parents can see their child’s location on a map at any time. You can also choose SafeZones (virtual radius around a location), so when the child has entered or left a SafeZone, a notification is sent to his/her parents.

Otherwise, we find wearables like Trax, which works similar to FiLip but adopting another aspect. Trax is a GPS-Tracker with which you can create as many Safe Zones as you want, allowing you to know exactly where your kid is at any time. Its opportunities go from Augmented Reality to Speed Alerts, going through Geo-fences (Safe Zones), Proximity fence, History view, Scheduling and Multiple Devices & Sharing’ options. All fitted in a small square device.

SAFE Family wearables has designed Paxie, a tracking band for children. It is similar to HereO and FiLip, but looks like a bracelet, it tracks your kid’s movements and location… and more! It also monitors in real time the ambient temperature, daily activity, heart rate, etc. All with a cool and interchangeable design to fit to any kid’s style.

Paxie by SAFE Family

Paxie by SAFE Family

Healthy children

Safety is as important as health is. That’s why the IoT devices have delved into this world as well. Kinsa Smart Thermometer, is a new concept of thermometer that sends data to your smartphone. It is very easy to use (kids can also use it by themselves). You just need to put the Kinsa in your mouth and your smartphone will do the rest. Which symptoms do you have? Kinsa helps you to discover what is happening to you in real-time. This can be useful to track your illness progression and then, to keep a record for you and your doctor.

Kinsa Smart Thermometer

Kinsa Smart Thermometer

On the other hand, Fever Smart is a disposable patch that monitors body temperature and transmits data in real-time to your smartphone. You are able to receive alerts when the patient’s temperature begins to rise or actually reaches unsafe levels. It is normally used by parents to control their kids temperature, but it has other uses. It can be used to take care of patients in a post-operative situation, or to track an Ebola outbreak!

The Role of thethings.iO

At thethings.iO, we connect devices or wearables such as the ones we have mentioned in this post to the Internet. We are a Cloud solution for companies that decide to build new cool things that can be connected to improve our lives. If you want to know more about us, you can create an account by clicking here, sign up to receive our monthly newsletter or follow us on Twitter! Stay tuned and be the first in knowing the latest news of the IoT world and thethings.iO.

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To All First-Time Mothers: Your Troubles Solved by IoT

IoT for babies

To all desperate first-time mothers, the Internet of Things is going to save your lives, or at least, it will try to. Say goodbye to all the crying without knowing what is actually happening. In the very near future, to take care of a baby will be, maybe, one of the easiest things of your life. Do you want to know how? Know the latests IoT wearables and devices in this post!

Track Your Baby’s Vitals

Fitbit was for sports, Fitbark for dogs and Revolar for women. Which is the wearable for babies then? Lately, lots of companies have seen a space in which they can develop their businesses for the house’s youngest. The baby world has been an attractive field to get into since it not only helps couples in their first years of being parents, but also because it has a lot to offer. From the simplest toys to baby buggies, bottles or carriages, couples (and also singles) need to buy it when they decide to expand the family.

It is 2AM and the baby is up, crying, we do not know why, or we did not know why? Mimo is a baby monitor tracker that sends all the information about your baby’s vitals to your smartphone. It takes the shape of a turtle, which is what sends the information about your baby’s breathing, body position, sleep activity and skin temperature. All that data generated is streamed to the cloud to let you know real-time insights about your baby on your smartphone. Mimo makes the understanding between parents and babies easier.

Similar to Mimo, we find other companies such as Sensible Baby, which also monitors the baby’s position, temperature, and movement on your smartphone while he/she is sleeping.

And what about Teddy The Guardian? The typical Teddy Bear crosses the line and becomes smarter. Just by touching or holding its paw, which holds sensors, enables parents to measure their child’s vitals and see it using the app. Your child’s first best friend will be more than a mere toy, it will be an IoT device to also play with.

Teddy the Guardian

Teddy the Guardian

Owlet describes itself as an Smart Sock that monitors your baby’s vitals. Owlet alerts parents if their baby’s heart rate and oxygen levels are outside the norm. Alerts are sent to a primary alarm (with a green and red light sensor) and your smartphone too, allowing you to know everything about your baby in real-time.

Owlet

Owlet

On the band side, we find products such as Sproutling, which will fit around your baby’s ankle. It includes a sensor that measures heart rate, skin temperature, motion and position, and sends all the information to your smartphone.

While these devices track a lot of variables, there are some that can be used just for one specifically. TempTraq is described as the first and only 24-hour intelligent thermometer that senses, records, and sends alerts of your children’s temperature to your smartphone. It is a patch, so it is both soft and flexible, which will make your baby feel more comfortable. Parents can receive information from more than just one child, as the app makes it possible to track information for multiple children.

And what about filming your baby? The webcam located strategically to spy on the babysitter will be left behind with the arrival of devices such as Withings Home, which places a 135º camera inside to record both night and day events. When you are not at home, you are able to see what happens to your baby, but also in your house too. It includes infrared LEDs to guarantee a high quality night vision, as well as noise (for example when the baby is crying out loud) and motion sensors. The device also tracks indoor air pollution to make sure your family lives in a well-being environment. To sum up, Withings Home is not only used for babies, but for all the members of the family.

Do not miss any event with Onni Smart Care Baby Monitor. In this case, it designed specially to film the baby and be able to watch how is he/she is in real-time. Onni places a camera, infrared, microphone, speaker, night light and temperature sensor. Parents are alerted when the baby wakes up, if there’s any loud noise in the child’s room, or if the room temperature is too hot or too cold, the advice is sent directly to their smartphones. By using Onni, parents can also keep track of the child’s growth, turning this device into a must have in the baby things collection.

Eat Well, Grow Well

It is said that we are what we eat, so you should start since you are a baby. That is the reasoning of most parents in the world. Milk Nanny is a connected baby’s milk maker. The app tells you when the machine is ready to operate and also statistics about the milk (quantity of water, temperature…).

Milk Nanny

Milk Nanny

As if we have the Hapi Fork (a tracker fork), here comes the Baby Glgl for babies. This is a baby’s bottle that allow parents know when the baby is eating correctly thanks to some sensors that places inside.

More IoT Things To Think About

We have talked about several baby trackers, of all shapes and sizes, and also about the eating devices you should have in your house if you are planning to have a baby. But, what about the daily and simple things such as pacifiers or diapers? Both things, are also a must have when you have a baby. Luckily, the IoT companies have designed some connected options of these objects.

Pacif-i, from Blue Maestro, is a pacifier that monitors a baby’s temperature and transmits the data to his/her parents smartphone or tablet. It is composed of a temperature sensor inside its silicon teat and a proximity sensor that allows parents to monitor its location. It is really useful to record the medication that is administered to the baby, so it is easier to share the data with medical professionals.

On the other side, we have the Smart Diapers, which started a crowdfunding campaign in Kick-Starter and that pretended to monitor the baby’s health. It would be used to detect urinary tract infection, prolonged dehydration and developing kidney problems.

To calm down a baby would have never been as easy as it will be with mamaRoo, from 4moms, a rocker to keep your baby calmed. You can choose the way you want it to move: up and down, from left to the right… The movement will be controlled by the app. But there is even more! Parents will be able to add music to their baby experience with the mamaRoo.

mamaRoo

mamaRoo

The Role of thethings.iO

At thethings.iO, we connect devices or wearables such as the ones we have mentioned in this post to the Internet. We are a Cloud solution for companies that decide to build new cool things that can be connected to improve our lives. If you want to know more about us, you can create an account by clicking here, sign up to receive our monthly newsletter or follow us on Twitter! Stay tuned and be the first in knowing the latest news of the IoT world and thethings.iO.

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Future Internet of Things

About 20 years ago, the World Wide Web revolutionized the whole world. Now, it is Internet of Things turn. As we have said and repeated here in this same blog, IoT is going to change the way we understand life forever, becoming the next big technological revolution.

Nowadays, there isn’t anyone without a smartphone in their hands. The smartphone you are probably using to read this post is going to improve its services, apps, functionality… absolutely everything. So let’s focus on IoT capabilities. You will turn your lights on, and also modulate them using the smartphone. And what do you think about the boxing gloves that actually measure your strength?

But this is not just for consumers or users, it is about companies too. All the Data generated remains on the Cloud (generated by companies such as thethings.iO). That Data, as Marc Pous (thethings.iO CEO) says in the video, will be able to be used to improve our lives. Consumers’ role will change: they will become proactive consumers, creating and using their own Data.

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Internet of Loving Things

Internet of Loving Things

It seemed impossible to understand “love” in multiple ways, but like everything around us, love is ever changing and evolving with the other revolutions. No one believed in the possibility of a long distance relationship, but with the evolution in technology and the new forms of communication that have came with it, long distance relationships have become common place today. People no longer need to be in the same room to be able to express their affection to one another.

There are lots of new ways to keep in touch with the people we love, even when she/he is on the other side of the world. Texting, skyping… the possibilities become infinite, and it will be something even bigger when the Internet of Things introduces itself in the love sphere. Actually, the Internet of Things already has made an impact in how we can show our emotions to one another.
Feel the Internet of Things
It is time to go to sleep and the only thing that you want is a kiss from your significant other, but they are on the other side of the planet away on business. You can try and imagine the feeling you remember but what about the actual feeling? Would that make it better?

In one of our earlier posts about Tactile Internet we talked about the opportunity to be able to feel sensations using the Internet. We are soon realizing that everything imaginable will be possible in the near future. Feeling, emotions and even sensations will be able to be sent via the internet to the ones we love. Just a few days ago, Facebook’s CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, said that “One day, I believe we’ll be able to send full rich thoughts to each other directly using technology. You’ll just be able to think of something and your friends will immediately be able to experience it too if you’d like. This would be the ultimate communication technology”.

Do you not remember the Kissing Machine from The Big Bang Theory’s show a couple of years ago? Check the clip out below:

Love without limits thanks to IoT

In 2013, it was something funny and often laughed at. Now in 2015, it is more that that, hugs, kisses, and touch are possible even when your significant other is around the globe.

The main idea of Pillow Talk was to allow long distance couples to feel closer to one another when not together. Each person has a wristband they wear to bed at night while also placing a speaker inside their pillowcase. The wristband picks up your real-time heartbeat and transmits it to the others pillow so that the heartbeat of your partner can be felt by the other even when apart.

While being interviewed by StuConnect, the founder of project Pillow Talk said, “In today’s digital world, it’s easier than ever to maintain a relationship across long distances, but existing methods of communication such as email or facebook are very two-dimensional, often screen-based, and don’t capture one of the fundamental aspects of being in a relationship with someone: the other person’s presence”.

BOND was born with this same principle. This product proposed the idea of being able to transmit tactile touch. Each person has a bracelet or a pendant, and when someone touches it, it transmits a vibration to the other person’s device no matter where they are at that moment.

The role of thethings.iO in here

At thethings.iO we connect devices or wearables such as the ones we have mentioned in this post to the Internet. We are a Cloud solution for companies that decide to build new cool things that can be connected to improve our lives. If you want to know more about us, you can create an account by clicking here, sign up to receive our monthly newsletter or follow us on Twitter! Stay tuned and be the first in knowing the latest news of the IoT world and thethings.iO.

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Living in a Woman’s IoT World

Living in a Woman’s IoT World

As a song says, this is a man’s world, but it wouldn’t be nothing without women. Well, the world is changing and is becoming a woman’s world as well. It is changing in the social and technological field, therefore it is not strange to see the new IoT wearables designed specially for women.

Jewelry Meets Internet of Things

The Apple Watch broke borders recently, as Fitbit did some months ago. Now, it is the turn of more esthetic devices and the jewelry business has seen a huge opportunity to use the IoT technology to sell a unique product. It is not just about the beauty. It is about the functionality and new possibilities to do “something else.”

If some years ago we could not see jewelry as more than an accessory, nowadays they are able to do whatever. From notifying you of a call on your smartphone using a vibration, to advising the police of emergencies.

Lots of new functionalities may seem like fiction, but they are actually real. The past Fashions Weeks, specifically the one located in New York, showed the whole world some new wearables for women, most of them appearing as a bracelet style. The main idea of the companies is to create a kind of technology that could not be noticed by others. And they have achieved it!

Internet of Things Turns into Fashion

Ringly is, apparently, a normal ring, but what it has inside makes it a unique piece of technology. It houses an accelerometer, Bluetooth LE, tiny LEDs and a motor inside its precious gem. This ring is connected to a smartphone that alerts wearers about incoming texts or calls via vibration and flashing lights. Looking at its sophisticated and accurate design, you would never believe it is an IoT device.

Ringly - wearables for women

Ringly – wearables for women

The noise has been created in the bracelet design area. Lots of companies (mature ones and new), have proposed designs for new possibilities of IoT bracelets. MEMI’s idea uses wireless technology to communicate with the wearer’s iPhone. It can vibrate for important calls (you can also select callers), text messages and calendar alerts. Easily usable, MEMI fits all its technology (LEDs, sensors, etc) into a fashion bracelet that will not remain indifferent to anyone.

Memi - wearables for women

Memi – wearables for women

Otherwise, MICA’s proposal was to see what happens when beauty meets intelligence. My Intelligent Communication Accessory, better known as MICA, is a bracelet with a touchscreen display, designed by Opening Ceremony and engineered by Intel, which allows you to easily access the notifications from your VIP contacts (messages, calendar alerts…).

Safe IoT-Fashion Devices

A bracelet, ring or necklace that incorporates technology inside should provide more than just a vibration when you are called or texted. Certainly, we want the technology to make us feel safer at anyplace and anytime. Fashion has met safety and IoT at the same time to create wearables that are unstoppable.

By having UVA and UVB sensors, JUNE by Netatmo measures precisely the wearer’s sun exposure. An app computes the data and gives you, in real time, the UV index in order to know when you should apply SPF or the level you should use, for example.

June by Netatmo

June by Netatmo

Speaking of safety, (maybe you were thinking about more dangerous situations than the sunburn ones), Revolar was created from the idea of a magic button in which you press when you are in danger. So, this is exactly how it works. When you find yourself in a dangerous situation, you press the button, which is hidden under your clothes, and an Emergency Alert message with your location information (updated every 3 minutes) is sent to a person on your emergency contact list.

Revolar - wearables for women

Revolar – wearables for women

Similar to Revolar, Cuff is a jewellry collection (not just a little device that can be hidden) that allow women to be connected everytime, everywhere. The way it works is simple: you just press a button when you are in danger and automatically it is sent a notification to somebody else. That one, receives an alert on his/her smartphone to make the process to call the police faster.

Why do we post this? As you should know, thethings.iO is an Internet of Things Start-up. So, imagining and creating a cool device is your job, while ours is to connect it to the Internet. We can connect all those bracelets, rings, necklaces… fast and easy.
If you want to know more about the IoT world and thethings.iO stay tuned!

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IKEA joins the IoT revolution

IKEA joins the IoT Revolution

IKEA joins the IoT Revolution

Internet of Things is now a reality, and lots of companies have to face it. Companies from many different fields (as we have seen: housing, decor, gardening…) have to improve their offers in order to survive in the new technological era. That’s why the famous Swedish company IKEA has decided to adapt things into the IoT’s world and also create new connected things to make our lives easier.

IKEA’s idea is to make a more sustainable life at home, so that is the reason why in the next decade the brand is going to create and develop new connected things, such as the whole kitchen. In a collaboration with IDEO, a global design company, and design students from Lund University (Sweden) and Eindhoven University of Technology (Netherland), IKEA has created the named Concept Kitchen, which was shown at the Milan Design Week.

Read more →

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How IoT will change our gardens

How IoT will change our gardens

How IoT will change our gardens

In this blog, we have had a quick look at different ways that Internet of Things is going to change our lives soon, like houses, cities, workplaces and even animals! As you see, Internet of Things is going to change absolutely everything, and your garden could not be less. In this post, we are going to know new connected garden equipment that will help you improve it.

It is commonly said that most people do not have many time to take care of their garden. Then, you need to ask yourself if you prefer to have a poor garden, or better hire a gardener who will care of it for you.

Firstly, you need to know that, as well as there are thermostats that can help you control your house temperature or humidity, there is also the garden version. Edyn Garden Sensor is an IoT device that tracks environmental conditions, such as light, humidity, temperature… and then recommends you which plants will thrive or the optimal time for planting, among others. You can see all the information just by using its app. Isn’t it easy?

Edyn Garden Sensor

Edyn Garden Sensor

Other IoT devices can also help you save lot of water, for example RainMachine, which is synchronized with NOAA (National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and other international weather data sources, that sends information to the app about temperature, humidity, wind speed, solar radiation, amount of precipitation… This device also calculates daily evapotranspiration losses and, at the same time, auto-adjusts the watering duration depending on the needs of the plant. The main purpose of RainMachine is protect and nourish your garden to perfection.

Koubachi offers a new point of view in tracking and controlling your plants. It offers a plant sensor (there are the indoor and outdoor options) and measures vital plant parameters, like light level (sunlight or artificial), soil temperature, humidity… With it, your own plant will tell you when you should to water it or if you need to change its position. In your app you will have an inventory of your plants.

Koubachi Plant Sensor

Koubachi Plant Sensor

For all those that have tried to have a little vegetables’ garden at home, Click & Grow is the option they were looking for. Their first internet-connected device was Smartpot, a connected pot that allows you to watch how your plants grow. As they describe themselves, the process is simple: “plug it in, add a little water and let it take care everything else”. By using an innovative NASA-inspired technology, they make plants grow faster, but still 100% naturally, without pesticides, insecticides… Can you believe it?

Even the brand Parrot has been interested in the connected devices, specially with a garden product, so similar to Koubachi. It is called Flower Power, and measures the needs of your plants and sends it to your phone. Available indoor and outdoor, it controls fertility, humidity, temperature and light. When it detects a need, it advises you automatically, so you will know in real time when to water your plants, add fertilizer…

Even if you are a garden-lover or a garden-forgetful person, IoT is going to change the way you look at your garden for sure! Now, any excuse is going to be accepted.
thethings.iO connects all those devices to the Internet, as most of you know. Actually, some months ago we connected a Koubachi Plant Sensor here at thethings.iO’s office! If you want to know more about IoT world and thethings.iO stay tunned!

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