INDUSTRY News
The humble smart meter undergoes a quantum computing transformation
Honeywell is integrating quantum- computing-hardened encryption keys into smart utility meters – and it is the first company to do so in the effort to protect end-user data from advanced cybersecurity threats.
The enhanced-security utility meters set a new benchmark in protecting against data breaches and ensuring uninterrupted operation of gas, water and electricity for residential as well as commercial users. They use Quantinuum’s Quantum Origin technology for greater reliability, reinforcing trust in the utilities sectors that are undergoing digitilisation. “By integrating Quantinuum’s quantum-computing-hardened encryption technology into our smart meters, we’re advancing data security for our customers and shaping the dialogue on how the utility industries should approach cybersecurity in the
quantum era,” said Hamed Heyhat, President of Smart Energy and Thermal Solutions at Honeywell. “This integration underscores the necessity for continuous innovation to stay ahead of the evolving threat landscape. It is a level of protection that is imperative in our increasingly digital and interconnected world.”
Quantinuum’s Quantum Origin offers an advantage over traditional solutions by generating keys through quantum- computing-enhanced randomness, making them truly unpredictable, which significantly enhances data security for the end user.
“Robust cybersecurity requires a multifaceted approach, taking advantage of the latest technologies,” said Tony Uttley, President and COO of Quantinuum. “Our work with Honeywell demonstrates the importance of using the power of today’s quantum
[Image: Arthur Lambillotte for Unsplash]
computers to create a more resilient cyber infrastructure to better protect customers.”
Honeywell’s Smart Energy and Thermal Solution products with Quantum Origin are now available to customers in North America and Europe.
Cameras to combat AI-generated fakes
PreAct Technology, the Oregon-based developer of near-fi eld fl ash LiDAR, states that future cameras will be able to distinguish between real scenes and AI-generated deep fakes.
The digital age has started to blur the lines between reality and fi ction, making it challenging to discern fact from fabrication. With the advent of deep fakes and advanced CGI, the fi delity of visuals is repeatedly being questioned. Nowhere is this more evident than in computer vision, which will be pervasive in most industries. However, the very technology
responsible for these concerns will also be the solution, says PreAct. For example, computer vision will easily diff erentiate between AI-generated and real faces, since micro-expressions and minute facial movements that are inherently human can’t be entirely mimicked by AI. Also, AI-generated visuals often leave behind patterns at the pixel level that can be indicative of their artifi cial nature. Every digital image or video comes with metadata about when, where and how it was captured, and by verifying the integrity of this metadata, future cameras can validate the authenticity of the content.
6 October 2023 | Automation
technology and depth sensing can also help.
Blockchain is a decentralised ledger system renowned for its tamper-proof design. Once data is added to the Blockchain, it becomes immutable, meaning it can’t be altered without the network’s consensus. By combining depth sensing with Blockchain, timestamps can be created in real time that inherently distinguish genuine footage from forged content.
[Image: Markus Winkler for Unsplash]
Cameras can also be linked to Blockchain or similar decentralised databases to verify the source of the content, ensuring its legitimacy. The intersection between Blockchain
On the other hand, depth sensing is a technology used to measure the distance between sensor and objects, adding an extra layer of information to an image or video. Unlike conventional 2D images, depth maps provide a 3D spatial understanding of the scene, giving the captured moment a unique signature, hence making it challenging for AI to generate depth data akin to the real world. PreAct is now building a system that fuses sensor data with camera technology. Such a system is expected to have profound implications, especially in industries that heavily rely on the authenticity of visuals, such as automotive, security and law enforcement.
automationmagazine.co.uk
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