North Star Systems is a hardware and software developer in Saskatchewan, Canada that manufactures Tattle Systems, a tool that supports business operations. Tattle Systems capabilities take technology to the next level. Real-time remote location, level, and data reporting define Tattle Systems. In our North Stars Systems Technology Tuesday series we will be exploring the business, culture, and impact of the technology industry. In our latest article, North Star Systems shares our thoughts on the big statement that IoT can do anything!
What’s your Big Idea? “lloT can do anything.” Umm… could you be a bit more specific?
One of the biggest challenges when explaining the potential of the Industrial Internet of Things (lloT) is the applications are so varied and vast that it’s hard to put your finger on it. But for innovators, imagining solutions no one else has thought of yet – well, it’s just what they do. North Star System R&D consultancy services provide the technology platforms, expertise, and security to shepherd ideas from “eureka moment,” to prototype, to production, to market.
Let’s start with the basics. Put simply, IloT (and its non-industrial cousin, IoT) simply means computing devices connected by and transferring data over a network. Heat and motion sensors; appliances, light switches, fluid level and temperature sensors; desktop, tablet, and smartphone computers are all, or can be, IloT devices. But then it gets complicated. There are tens, even thousands of sensors available, plus the computers themselves. They all work together to augment human capacity. They help us do things faster and more efficiently and even do things we couldn’t otherwise do. How do you begin to build something that is little more than an idea? You start with foundation technologies and the expertise to go to develop your idea. It’s what we do.
Say you run a vehicle maintenance business. You work with fleet operators that run trucks delivering numerous commodities from dry goods to food, fuel, and fertilizer. Your on-site technicians and mechanics often have to carry many more replacement parts or tools than needed, just in case. Plus, your staff, as good as they are, will be less familiar with some repairs than others. What if the fleet trucks could be outfitted with sensors and computing units that could diagnose a problem so a mechanic knows roughly what they need before they leave the shop? What if instructions for an unfamiliar repair procedure could be displayed to the technician on-site as a heads-up display using smart glasses? Science fiction, or real-life possibility?
This is where North Star Systems begins. We start with a few “go/no go” questions: has it been done before? If yes, can we do it significantly better? If no, are there any obvious reasons why it won’t work? What are the main development challenges? Once your idea is validated, we get to work. What do the existing systems look like and what needs to be done to integrate them with your new idea? Will off-the-shelf sensors work, can we adapt North Star Systems technology, or do we need to design something entirely new? What on-board computing will these sensors need? What firmware (built-10 programming on computer chips) will be needed? All this must be linked to the most important component in lloT system: the human operator. This means designing user interfaces that are easy to learn and easy to use.
Finally, R&D means creating valuable new intellectual property (IP). To protect this investment, North Star Systems runs secure cloud-based servers, both during development and to protect IloT systems that are in full commercial operation. IoT is being developed to track employees in mines and industrial sites to keep them safe. It’s running robots to help warehouse staff work more efficiently. It s heading out to fields and roads as self-driving tractors, vehicles and drones. Its applications are truly limited only by imagination.
“IoT can do anything.” We agree.
So, What’s your big idea?
READ MORE TECHNOLOGY TUESDAY ARTICLES HERE – https://www.tattle.systems/category/technology-tuesday/
North Star Systems leads in the creation of innovative technology, including the Industrial Internet of Things. We pride ourselves on outstanding service and our TATTLE Products provide solutions to streamline the operations of your business.
If you would like to know more about how North Star Tattle Systems can help you reach out to our team today!