TECH TALK
DOD for key R&D funding. Apparently U.S. investors are drawn more to higher returns in sectors that have more growth than aerospace. Let’s touch on three sets of key technology (electronics,
software and communications) developments and compare this to similar efforts in aerospace/aviation.
THE ‘INTERNET OF THINGS’ IS FINALLY EMERGING According to Wikipedia, “the Internet of Things (IoT) is the interconnection of uniquely identifiable embedded computing devices within the existing Internet infrastructure. Typically, IoT is expected to offer advanced connectivity of devices, systems and services that goes beyond machine-to-machine communications and covers a variety of protocols, domains and applications. The interconnection of these embedded devices (including smart objects) is expected to usher in automation in nearly all fields.”
Basically, the idea is that any product or device that can
be reached via any type of communications medium will be. This concept emerged back in 1999 and has only slowly started to become reality. While it can be argued the original vision of the IoT has
not yet been achieved, the same argument can be applied to any nebulous vision for emerging products in any industry. Let’s concentrate on the positives and see how the technology world’s IoT compares to the FAA’s NextGen. (It’s not a fair fight, but such is life.) The NextGen effort formally launched in 2003 and is
arguably partially rolled out with required infrastructure (GPS satellites, various communications and management systems, etc.) with which ADS-B-equipped aircraft will need to interface. Airlines and operators are lobbying the FAA to extend the looming 2020 deadline to upgrade aircraft with needed avionics. As of the time of writing this article, this has not happened yet (and the FAA is holding fast to this date despite industry protests). In comparison, if we can lump together all efforts
by the electronics and software industries to create an interconnected ecosystem where disparate devices speak to one another, the IoT has gone slightly further than the FAA (and it has a ~3+ year head start). We now have a number of smart roads that have all types of monitoring and control available in metropolitan areas (with much more to come), numerous types of industrial applications where sensors are being deployed. This deployment is throughout not only manufacturing processes (thus increasing quality and decreasing waste) but also in maximizing supply chains linked around the world with just-in-time inventory controls and ordering (to name a few laudable advancements) and a burgeoning medical monitoring environment where patients can be tracked remotely (saving time, cost and wasted resources). Companies can
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do more and track key processes and resources with less staff than ever due to tracking, monitoring, sensory and automated decisions systems, namely the IoT. As new advances continue to roll out with smarter sensors and processors, with better wireless communications and power management, this will further drive adoption of the IoT. While a safety-first system such as NextGen does not
compare to the use of consumer electronics for use in most homes, it does have strong ties to industrial processes, traffic management and medical monitoring. In some ways NextGen is further along due to its single purpose use case, so it can have a singular set of standards and central control by the FAA. However, the IoT is a mass of competing standards with thousands of use cases in nearly every aspect of human endeavor, and basically is emulating the Internet on a wireless scale with more devices supported, many of them with minimal computing capability. This make is more challenging to develop IoT solutions in general, not to mention in recovering costs related to product development as the state-of-the-art changes quickly. In fact, NextGen is already obsolete before it reaches
its formal rollout. It is a static solution that cannot easily accommodate new technology advancements. This might doom it to an early end, whereas the IoT will thrive due to constant change. Aviation cannot handle much change at any one time for reasons centered upon safety, but it needs to find a way to incorporate newer technologies at a faster rate. Perhaps the FAA can find a way to track and identify interesting IoT developments for incorporation into NextGen-related elements. One can only hope.
WIRELESS ELECTRICITY — LOOK, MA, NO MORE WIRES
The first consumer wireless products launched were mostly power-mats for smartphones and these had some success. Now we have a wide swath of applications across multiple industries experimenting with this technology due to recent advances. This is mostly due to private industry efforts and research institutions such as MIT and WiTricity, its spinoff that is spearheading this movement. We have come a long way from Nikola Tesla trying to build towers to transmit power wirelessly back in the beginning of the 20th century. We are finally on the verge of an evolutionary change in
how power is provided to electronic systems. Due to highly resonant wireless power transfer technology, we can now use automatic wireless charging for future hybrid, all-electric passenger and commercial vehicles in any location that has this type of charging solution installed. (Examples include home garages, parking garages, fleet depots, shopping centers or gas/charging stations.) Toyota has already announced that in 2016 it will offer wireless charging on its next-gen (no relation to the FAA) Prius Plug In, and other manufacturers will announce similar capabilities shortly. This technology
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