Security is a top priority for the education sector, particularly physical security that ensures the safety of people and facilities throughout large campuses. In many university environments, safety officers rely on devices, including surveillance cameras for real-time video streaming and incident recording.
Universities often deploy thousands of Internet of Things (IoT) physical security devices across dozens of buildings and outdoor spaces. However, they struggle to keep these devices operational, secure and online 24-7-365. This is because they lack a way to automate the management of these devices under one platform. Without full visibility into a campus' IoT device fleet, it's virtually impossible to handle the operational management of each device, at scale. How can campus security ensure the safety of its people and facilities with a lack of basic information like whether a camera is down or needs maintenance?
Ultimately, campuses need a solution that can shine a spotlight on all operational maintenance and cybersecurity gaps, across the entire device fleet. This campus-wide visibility and control is key to maintaining device operations and ensuring they fulfill their critical security role. In short, educational institutions frequently face a number of challenges that impact their physical security posture. Here are three questions every campus security team can ask themselves to ensure the operational efficiency of IoT devices:
Are all my devices fully operational? Shockingly, nearly two-thirds of organizations lack visibility into their IoT environment. Without this basic information, how can a security team efficiently maintain, update and secure devices? Spoiler alert: they can't. This means devices could be out of date and not working properly; or worse, they might be completely down and off the network—and campus security wouldn't even know it. It's no stretch to say this greatly weakens a campus' security posture.
Are all my devices compliant and secure? Campuses often deploy different types of devices—even within a certain category like security cameras. Devices can come from different manufacturers with different software and requirements. Staying on top of the latest compliance standards is a huge administrative burden, but it's a must. With the adequate level of visibility, every device should at least be clear of any known vulnerabilities.
Password rotation is also critical to staying compliant. Password rotation is either not performed at all, or in the best case is done manually—but not at scale given obvious resource constraints. It's quite common to find that past breaches were caused by poor password rotation. Last, but not least, the ongoing maintenance of firmware upgrades is a challenge for organizations. Same as password rotation, firmware upgrades are largely done manually, which is costly, time-consuming and error-prone. The result is organizations rarely upgrade firmware—even those with vulnerabilities—leaving their devices exposed to potential cyber-attacks and operational failures.
Continue reading: https://www.rfidjournal.com/tackling-iot-operations-and-device-security-at-large-university-campuses

THE CURRENT WAVE of artificial intelligence can be traced back to 2012, and an academic contest that measured how well algorithms could recognize objects in photographs.
That year, researchers found that feeding thousands of images into an algorithm inspired loosely by the way neurons in a brain respond to input produced a huge leap in accuracy. The breakthrough sparked an explosion in academic research and commercial activity that is transforming some companies and industries.
Now a new trick, which involves training the same kind of AI algorithm to turn 2D images into a rich 3D view of a scene, is sparking excitement in the worlds of both computer graphics and AI. The technique has the potential to shake up video games, virtual reality, robotics, and autonomous driving. Some experts believe it might even help machines perceive and reason about the world in a more intelligent—or at least humanlike—way.
“It is ultra-hot, there is a huge buzz,” says Ken Goldberg, a roboticist at the University of California, Berkeley, who is using the technology to improve the ability of AI-enhanced robots to grasp unfamiliar shapes. Goldberg says the technology has “hundreds of applications,” in fields ranging from entertainment to architecture.
Continue reading: https://www.wired.com/story/new-way-ai-see-3d/

Czech company Dronetag is launching its first product Mini, and it is the lightest, smallest & most affordable device that can truly scale up and coordinate any drone operation.
Many promises were made by drone advocates; drone deliveries, drone light shows, drone fleets, even drones as the new means of transport… But the drone-crowded airspace turned out to be quite dangerous and its coordination tricky, and so far, the futuristic promise has stayed unfulfilled.
Thanks to one Czech startup, we are one giant leap closer to seeing some of that happening. We aren’t jumping on flying Ubers just yet. Still, painless Unmanned Traffic Management is finally possible thanks to Dronetag Mini – a device ensuring the UAVs and their flight plans are visible to airspace authorities and other pilots. Dronetag just launched its Mini product and instantly became the smallest, lightest, most affordable drone Remote ID device on the market – escorted by the longest battery life up to 14 hours.
Remote ID – why and for whom
The Remote ID is a digital transmission of the drone operator number and drone’s and pilot’s position. Due to the growing number of UAVs, there is a globally increasing demand for these Remote ID systems. New regulations are being approved on every continent, with the EU and USA leading the way and the rest of the market following their trajectory.
“Dronetag Mini is the only device on the market that offers both Direct (Broadcast) and Network Remote ID – which means it is not only ready for the current requirements, but it is “future-proof” for the upcoming needs,” says Dronetag’s founder & CEO Lucas Brchl.
Continue reading: https://www.suasnews.com/2022/02/startup-dronetag-launched-the-smallest-and-most-affordable-remote-id-device-for-all-drones/

When drones began to be used more widely by the public, initially the aviation industry’s assessment classed them as a threat, posing a risk to aircraft and potentially infrastructure and passengers as well. In reaction, airports focused on attempts to detect, protect, and defend against them. This feeling was fuelled by increasing cases of drones straying into protected airspace and culminated in a surge in drone-defence activities for airports following the Gatwick drone incident in December 2018.
However, in the three years since, the value that drones can offer has been increasingly recognised by the industry. Drones are now used by businesses to deliver small items to customers, by emergency services in life-saving scenarios to search for injured people in remote locations, and by airports to inspect buildings.
In 2021, ANSL carried out its own drone flight trials at Gatwick Airport (LGW). It used its integrated Drone Operations on Airports concept to prove the feasibility of structural inspections, thermal inspections to identify sources of heat leaks on airport facilities, and lighting inspections, to name just a few.
Today, the drone industry continues to grow at an increasingly fast pace; in January 2021, there were 1,782,479 drones registered in the U.S. alone. It is therefore inevitable that they will remain a part of our future and our airspace. With this in mind, airports and other key stakeholders are turning their attention away from prevention to focus on safe integration into the airfield and beyond.
Whilst on-airport operations of drones require integration from an airport traffic and infrastructure perspective, inevitably any drone flying on, and above, airports would be utilising the associated airspace as well. Potential future use-cases, such as transport of spare parts, delivery of priority items and the deployment of cargo drones and air taxis, quickly lead to the challenge of on- and off-airport transition.
At this point, the focus shifts and the wider challenge of airspace integration becomes more pressing. In comparison to airports which generally are well known, comprehensively surveyed and tightly controlled spaces, the wider airspace introduces the challenge of the unknown.
When considering the integration of drones into airspace, it is the uncontrolled airspace, the remote areas and the less occupied parts that may require the most attention. How can drones be integrated into rescue helicopter traffic that is responding to ad-hoc requirements in remote locations not covered by today’s surveillance solutions? How can drones safely co-exist with general aviation operating at their leisure with no flight plan without posing a risk or leading to constraint? These are the questions that need answering and, together with concepts for the integration into high-intensity environments such as airports, will provide a solid concept for scalable, safe, and efficient integration of drones into the future of air travel.
Continue reading: https://www.internationalairportreview.com/article/173958/integrating-drones-into-airspace/

Artificial intelligence is a vast and complicated field. AI can range from simple algorithmic functions to neural capabilities that might someday even simulate consciousness, and yet we often take it for granted in our daily lives. AI and machine learning processes now power many of our financial technology (fintech) services and connect investors with a broader range of quick solutions. 
For personal finance, AI works wonders. It can change the way you plan and budget for the future by automating the tedious elements, monitoring the issues, and improving the outcomes that comprise personal finance. 
Here are some of the most promising applications of AI in personal finance. 
Automating the tedious
Whenever AI comes up, the topic of automation isn’t far behind. This is because AI by its nature creates automation potential. AI is typically defined as software that performs a function previously thought of as requiring a level of human-like intelligence. As you might imagine, this definition encompasses a broad range of applications. However, it’s automation that triggers the biggest reaction from the public — and for good reason. 
Continue reading: https://bdtechtalks.com/2022/02/06/artificial-intelligence-personal-finance/

The use of AI in digital transformation has significantly impacted almost every industry. Business leaders use AI and machine learning to optimize operations, improve customer experience and reduce costs.
Alongside advancement in AI, the emergence of edge computing has been instrumental in allowing companies to have their data analyzed and processed at the Edge itself. Edge is a distributed computing model that brings computation, data storage, and power closer to an event's point of action or occurrence.
Edge computing has become a critical component of the Industrial Internet, underpinning the development of smart cities and smart factories. Edge computing supports smart cities with sensors on traffic lights and other public utilities that can directly interact with smartphones through apps. It also supports smart factories, where machinery has sensors that give real-time information about machinery performance and conditions. With such increasing complexity of tasks to be handled at the edge devices, the ability to deploy AI on the Edge has spawned and burgeoned over the recent years.
Previously, machine learning and deep learning models could not be trained and deployed in edge devices. However, with the influx of higher computation, the capacity to handle different AI-optimized workloads on such edge devices has exploded widely in recent years. This has also allowed for a greater degree of privacy and security and the opportunity to have data processed in real-time.
Devices can be small. Examples include smart thermostats, smart doorbells, home cameras or cameras on automobiles, and augmented reality or virtual reality glasses. Devices can also be large, such as industrial robots, cars, smart buildings, and oil platforms. These Edge AI devices capable of running an optimized AI on their system include self-driving vehicles, autonomous bots, AI-driven vacuum cleaners to drones, and smartphones to surveillance cameras. Hence, with of power of Edge and AI, devices and machines can interpret, learn, and make decisions instantaneously.
Since the data doesn't have to fetch the model output from the cloud, the data collection, preprocessing, and analysis can occur in near real-time. Hence, when AI models are deployed on Edge relative to the cloud, we enable such Edge AI devices to speed up decision-making, reduce latency manifolds, make data processing more secure, and provide a better and optimized user experience overall.
Edge computing built on AI is expected to impact many industries significantly. IDC (International Data Corporation) estimates that we will see the number of intelligent edge devices in the market grow to 150 billion by 2025. While some edge computing is being applied today, it is poised for explosive growth in the future. With the continued growth of the IoT, Gartner predicts that 75% of enterprise-generated data will be created and processed outside the traditional data center or cloud by 2025. The global edge computing market, valued at USD3.5 billion in 2019, could reach USD43.4 billion by 2027. This indicates that the AI computation on such devices will be burgeoning at an exponential pace enabling users to interact with processed data at the source in a secure and optimized fashion.
Continue reading: https://www.cdotrends.com/story/16179/ai-edge-enabling-digital-transformation

Today’s technological advancements have simplified our lives to the point where everything from email responses to social media postings can now be completely automated with the help of a scheduling software that leverages artificial intelligence.
Had the Covid-19 pandemic hit in the 1990s, businesses and people’s lives would have been more adversely affected, while the economic damage would have been astronomical.
However, today’s innovative technologies have offset much of the pandemic’s damage to our economy. Over the past two years, for instance, I have led remote teams and initiated and executed multiple projects often without physically meeting my clients.
But even with all of these technological advances, one thing that AI will not be able to replace is our creativity; the compilation of our complex emotions, thoughts and aspirations.
AI has the ability to process information that is already out there. While it is good at replicating repetitive or predictive tasks, creativity is deeply rooted in the human experience and out of reach for AI.
Continue reading: https://www.thenationalnews.com/business/comment/2022/02/07/why-artificial-intelligence-will-never-replace-creativity/

For the better part of a decade, the buzz within the Unmanned Aircraft Systems (“UAS”) industry has centered on when the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) would put in place a regulatory environment that would allow for widespread complex operations, inclusive of flights over people and beyond visual line of sight (“BVLOS”) operations. In 2021, we saw a major step forward, when on January 15th, the FAA published its long awaited Remote Identification of Unmanned Aircraft Final Rule (“Remote ID Rule”). There are significant public safety and security concerns associated with more complex UAS operations, and in particular operations over individuals and BVLOS operations. The Remote ID Rule is intended to address those concerns by establishing what the FAA describes as a “digital license plate” for drones.
In short, the Remote ID Rule requires drones operating in the National Airspace System to have the capability to transmit identification and location information. There are three ways that UAS pilots will be able to meet the identification requirements of the Remote ID Rule:

1. Operate a Standard Remote ID Drone that broadcasts identification and location information about the drone and its control station. A Standard Remote ID Drone is one that is produced with built in remote ID broadcast capability in accordance with the Remote ID Rule’s requirements.
2. Operate a standard UAS that has been retrofitted with a remote ID broadcast module attached.
3. Operate without remote ID equipment at a FAA-recognized identification area sponsored by a community-based organization or educational institution.
   [/LIST=1]
   The Remote ID Rule requires both a Standard Remote ID Drone and a retrofitted model to broadcast the drone ID, location, altitude, and velocity along with time mark via radio frequency broadcast (likely Wi-Fi or Bluetooth technology). Of note, however, while a retrofitted model is required to broadcast the drone’s takeoff location and elevation, a Standard Remote ID Drone must broadcast the actual location and elevation of the control station. This means real time broadcasting of the location of the individual operating the drone, as well as the location of the drone itself. Remote ID broadcast information will be publicly available to anyone who is capable of receiving the broadcast signal, likely via their phones.
   Continue reading: https://www.jdsupra.com/legalnews/drones-2022-to-infinity-and-beyond-or-3833802/

Blockchain technology has been gradually disrupting business sectors over the last few years, bringing strong data security for all assets stored on its infrastructure. No longer solely the realm of crypto, blockchain is now being utilised by healthcare providers, keeping patient records protected and bolstering collaboration. In this article, we take a closer look at the key blockchain technology applications in healthcare today.
Health information exchanges
Many health authorities have introduced the concept of Health Information Exchanges (HIEs), to enable patients, doctors, and other staff to securely access and digitally share medical information with each other. This can not only improve speed, quality, and safety of patient care, but also deliver a reduction in costs.
While complexities around security and privacy, along with inefficiencies brought by legacy healthcare infrastructure, have often made secure data transfer difficult, the decentralised nature of blockchain prevents individuals from tampering with assets.
“Blockchain technology is essentially a digital ledger or database for recording information. It is extremely difficult to alter, cheat or hack, and it is already changing digital world concepts such as ownership, privacy, trust and collaboration,” said Jonas Lundqvist, CEO of private blockchain provider, Haidrun.
“Although the mechanics of blockchain are extremely complex, the concept is straightforward enough: to decentralise data storage so that it cannot be controlled or manipulated by a single actor. Records or transactions are verified using an advanced consensus algorithm, and then cryptographically sealed into data blocks, to provide a time-stamped and immutable, single version of the truth.
“With certain types of blockchain, data access can be limited by the patient who can then chose to share relevant parts of their personal information with providers. In this way, a potential hacker cannot simply use a single patient’s private key to access broad sets of data. Instead, the bad actor would need to steal multiple users’ private keys to obtain any significant volume of valuable information. All users within one blockchain can keep their own copy of the ledger or database.”
Continue reading: https://www.information-age.com/blockchain-technology-applications-healthcare-123498663/

Female representation in corporate leadership roles has been a widely discussed topic recently. In the last five years, gender representation has improved at every level in the corporate pipeline. Despite this, women still occupy less than a quarter of current C-suite positions. One woman who has proven herself despite this trend is the cofounder and president of AiFi Inc., Ying Zheng.
Ying is one of the premier computer programmers in the world and an accomplished business leader. After stints at both Apple and Google, Zheng used the knowledge and experience she gained in those positions to launch AiFi with fellow co-founder Steve Gu. Her rise in tech has been meteoric. However, the industry remains a challenging arena for females in the U.S. Big Tech companies still have lower female representation than the rest of the U.S. civilian labor force.
Despite these statistics, Ying believes that the industry is moving in the right direction. “The U.S. and E.U. are very progressive markets for female leaders, at least from my experience,” says Zheng. “We have seen massive support from investors such as Plum Alley and Qualcomm Ventures, both of whom take a proactive approach to funding and encouraging female leadership in tech. These companies and dedicated funds allow us to improve on the change that we see in the tech industry already.”
While entrepreneurship is high on policy agenda throughout the world, “there is rarely a focus on diversity,” suggests Birkbeck Professor Helen Lawton Smith, who recently disseminated her Regional Studies Association funded research on ‘Addressing regional inequalities in innovation opportunities for BAME and disabled groups.’ She concluded that a lack of connectivity between organizations of all kinds, with a silo mentality beginning to be broken down. “The political agenda is changing, but there is a need to build a better system of building communities through institutional change.” 
Continue reading: https://www.forbes.com/sites/benjaminlaker/2022/02/03/women-are-still-underrepresented-in-tech-leadership-heres-how-to-change-that/?sh=a31c8c168321

When it comes to women in STEM careers, the numbers tell the story. Tech jobs—AI, machine learning, data science, cyber security, software programming, and technology consulting to name a few—continue to outpace other occupations nationwide.
Even so, women are still facing gender discrimination in the workplace. Women occupy approximately 28% of the STEM workforce and, on average, they make 83 cents for every dollar that is earned by their male counterparts. At first glance, the numbers may seem disappointing, but they are consistently improving. Progress is being made, and this is due in large part to companies that have made it a priority to attract and promote women in technology. 
According to a recent study by SmartAsset, the top cities for women in tech are Arlington, Virginia;  Baltimore, Maryland; and Washington, D.C. Dallas comes in at No. 61 of 63 cities in the study. However, Dallas’ suburbs have impressive rankings on the list, with Irving at No. 42, Plano at No. 27, and Frisco tied with Oakland, California at No. 22. Industry leaders are seeing a slow, but positive change in Dallas. “I have found that Dallas-based organizations are being intentional in including women in STEM in their workforce in ways that we have not seen historically,” says Marissa Horne, vice president of tech strategy and governance at Capital One. “Dallas has a unique opportunity to become a leading innovation hub across STEM domains, especially technology.  Leveraging the power of private enterprise and university partnerships, this city has the ingredients to elevate its technology ecosystem. As this occurs and Dallas moves further along the innovation curve, women must play an integral role in bringing this reality to life.”
Katie Mills, treasurer of the Dallas Society of Women Engineers, says that in the past few years, her organization has noticed more companies publishing their diversity goals and openly pushing to have more women in upper management, particularly in technology fields. “We see those companies not only coming out with stated goals, but with metrics, plans, check points, and a path to meet those goals,” she says. “It’s not only about gender equality on corporate boards but taking steps to support women early in their careers so these women remain in the STEM workforce and provide these companies with a pool of talent to draw from when looking for leadership positions.”
Greater equity in the workplace begins with planting the seeds to pursue STEM early—usually in elementary school. Hattie Hill, CEO president of the T.D. Jakes Foundation, says there is systemic bias within the U.S. education system that pushes girls away from science and math, even when they show an interest. Plus, there are few female STEM role models for girls in elementary through college. The foundation’s STEAM Academy believes that to prepare all students for the changing workforce, they need to learn more than technical skills. The arts help to spark creativity within STEM disciplines and are a productive way to combine a love of the arts with a background in the sciences. Recently, the STEAM Academy partnered with Dallas Summer Musicals, inviting nearly 1,500 DISD students and teachers to see the Broadway musical, Hamilton. This was a great way to showcase the kind of technology required behind the scenes to create such a stunning production. “It illustrated to young people the various job possibilities they can have in the future,” Hill says. “Right now, when it comes to bridging the gap and job opportunities, students can’t be what they don’t see. Our programs invited students to have an opportunity to experience STEAM in a specific way.”
Continue reading: https://www.dmagazine.com/publications/d-ceo/2022/january-february/women-leading-tech-and-innovation/

In 2021, cyberattacks against IoT devices have gotten bigger and bolder, from hacking water treatment plants to security cameras, which is why work-from-home (WFH) employees and IT teams need to collaborate and share responsibility for securing the enterprise. IoT adoption has become a critical business enabler, but what are the new security challenges that come with it and what steps can be taken to overcome them?
The use of corporate and personal connected devices is now intertwined as work and home environments merge into one, but it exposes businesses to new cybersecurity obstacles that require a joint response from everyone.
Personal IoT devices crossing onto business networks
The rise in home and hybrid working as the new norm is resulting in greater consumer connected devices straying onto business networks. The non-business connected things range from anything between wearable medical monitors and smart lightbulbs to coffee machines and pet feeders. Over the last two years, Palo Alto Networks has been tracking this trend as part of a IoT security study covering 18 countries in EMEA, APAC and the Americas. In the 2021 results, 78% of international IT decision-makers (among those whose organization has IoT devices connected to its network) confirmed an increase in non-business IoT devices connecting to corporate networks by remote workers in the last year. Some markets, such as the USA, reported even higher figures with 84% saying there had been an upsurge.
These personal IoT devices present a rising security challenge for cybersecurity teams as attackers only require one employee to have one vulnerable device they can exploit. Unfortunately, most consumer IoT devices provide poor or no security features at all. Without the enterprise-grade level of security required, consumer IoT devices could pose a real problem for businesses; this is a concern acknowledged by respondents in the study.
Continue reading: https://www.techradar.com/features/whos-responsible-for-securing-the-future-of-work

Ransomware attacks in many cases hit industrial control systems (ICS) or operational technology (OT) environments, and impact is often significant, according to a report published on Thursday by IoT and industrial cybersecurity company Claroty.
Claroty’s “Global State of Industrial Cybersecurity” report is based on a Pollfish survey of 1,100 IT and OT security professionals in the United States, Europe and the APAC region. More than half of respondents work for enterprises that have an annual revenue exceeding $1 billion. The survey was conducted in September 2021.
Roughly 80% of respondents admitted that their organization had experienced a ransomware attack within the past year, and nearly half said the incident had impacted their ICS/OT environment.
Only 15% of respondents said there was no impact or minimal impact on operations, and nearly 50% said there was significant impact. Seven percent said the incident resulted in a full operations shutdown that lasted for more than a week.
The cyberattack was disclosed to both authorities and shareholders in most cases, but some companies apparently did not inform anyone.
[ READ: Many Ransomware Attacks on OT Organizations Involved Ryuk ]
The survey shows that ransomware payments are prevalent, with more than 60% confirming that they had paid a ransom. Twenty percent of respondents said the amount of money paid to the hackers exceeded $1 million — this includes nearly 7% that paid out more than $5 million.
There has been a lot of debate over the past years on ransomware payments. The U.S. government has taken action against payment facilitators and issued a warning regarding potential legal implications. A recently introduced bill would require organizations to report ransomware payments.
Of the individuals who took part in the Claroty survey, 28% believe ransomware payments should be legal and there should be no requirement to inform authorities. More than 41%, on the other hand, believe these types of payments should be legal only as long as regulators or authorities are informed. Approximately 20% believe ransomware payments should be illegal.
Nearly two-thirds of respondents said reporting incidents involving IT or OT systems to government regulators should be mandatory.
When asked about the hourly cost of downtime on their company’s revenue, 8% said it was more than $5 million and 14% said it was $1 to $5 million.
Continue reading: https://www.securityweek.com/ransomware-often-hits-industrial-systems-significant-impact-survey

Technology is taking a sharper turn to change the world like never before. As a result, the internet landscape is also expanding. It is not only limited to smartphones, laptops, tablets, or computers anymore. In today’s era, a multitude of devices is internet-connected, creating “smart” devices.
As you know, IoT or the Internet of Things is an umbrella term for all the internet-connected devices we see in our daily lives.
To understand how IoT can enable us to create a smart and connected world (not just devices), let’s start with the basics.
What is IoT?
IoT refers to the physical objects/things worldwide connected to the internet for gathering and sharing information. The range of existing and potential IoT devices is tremendous. IoT networks offer an interconnected environment for objects to have a digital presence and enable them to communicate with other objects and people.
IoT is a revolutionary transformation in the digital world with the potential to touch every person’s life. Changes that came with IoT are visible everywhere. A few examples of IoT devices are smart cities, smart wearable devices, integrated supply chains, smart connected homes, parking sensors, and many more.
The growth of IoT and its adoption are moving at a fast pace. The adoption of IoT that we see today is driven by multiple other evolving technologies like wireless protocols, large volumes of data, low-cost microprocessors, cloud-based web applications, and most importantly, the surge in connected devices. You can see the statistics of IoT vs. non-IoT devices active connections from 2010 to 2025.
IoT – Architecture
IoT Architecture consists of a collection of sensors, physical data, cloud services, communication layers, users, IoT protocols, business layers, developers, and actuators. And due to the wide range of internet objects domain, there’s no standard defined architecture being strictly followed universally.
There were multiple architectures developed depending on the requirements and demands of different industries. Yet, there is a basic flow of processes on which IoT is built. So, in this blog, we will discuss the primary layers of IoT architecture (i.e., 5-stage IoT Architecture).

• Sensing Layer

The functionality of the sensing layer is the ability to identify changes in the physical condition of connected things in real-time. Therefore, sensors are the main elements of this layer. With the help of sensors, one can measure the physical environment, collect data, identify and locate intelligent objects and finally, send data to the cloud for data analysis.
While in the case of actuators, the process intervenes in physical reality. So, for example, they can adjust the room temperature or switch the lights on/off.

• Communication Layer

The communication layer handles the message routing among IoT devices, connectivity, and routing between the cloud and devices. In addition, the data collected from sensors is transmitted directly to the cloud and application layer in the communication layer.
Protocols like Message Queuing Telemetry Transportation (MQTT), Constrained Application Protocol (CoAP), and Lightweight Machine to Machine (LwM2M) help to connect different devices to send data.

• Cloud Layer

The Cloud Layer is where all the collected data from the sensors and devices are transferred. The functionality of this layer is to store, process, and analyze the data. Besides, the cloud uses a data center as a central server to process the data generated by the edge device.

• Management Layer

In the management layer, one can operate and monitor all the other layers with the help of cloud management tools.
Continue reading: https://readwrite.com/iot-a-connected-and-smart-world/

Zipline, a leading drone operator, will begin delivering prescription medicines to patients' homes in a suburb of Charlotte, North Carolina, this year, helping usher in the long-anticipated era of routine drone drops.
Why it matters: Battery-operated drones could satisfy our demand for "instant delivery" in less than 15 minutes, while easing traffic congestion, improving safety and helping the environment.
The big picture: Drones routinely deliver medicine, food and sundries today in places like Australia, Finland and Africa.

• But the revolution has been playing out in slow motion in the U.S. while the Federal Aviation Administration works on rules to govern drone safety in our increasingly crowded skies.
• Drone delivery in the U.S. is poised to accelerate as companies like Zipline and Google-owned Wing push ahead with increasingly sophisticated trials with the FAA's blessing.

Driving the news: Zipline is set to announce Tuesday that it will partner with the pharmacy unit of Magellan Health to deliver prescriptions — including high-cost specialty medications — directly to patients' homes, Axios is first to report.

• The trial, which awaits the FAA's nod, will take place in and around Kannapolis, North Carolina, where Zipline has a distribution center serving nearby hospitals.
• Zipline recently started a delivery-by-drone pilot with Walmart, dropping packages of 4 pounds or less in customers' yards in rural Pea Ridge, Arkansas.
• The company plans a third distribution center in Salt Lake City, which will expand the number of communities it can serve.

What they're saying: "It only feels weird and sci-fi in the United States," Zipline CEO Keller Rinaudo tells Axios. "In other countries, this is normal."

• Within a week of using drone delivery, the novelty wears off and people start taking the service for granted, he says: "Seven days to go from science fiction to entitlement"
• Chronically ill patients who can get their meds quickly and conveniently are less likely to visit the ER or need other high-cost interventions, which helps bring down the overall cost of health care, Magellan Rx Management CEO Mostafa Kamal tells Axios.

Where it stands: Logan, Australia, near Brisbane, is the drone delivery capital of the world, accounting for the bulk of the more than 140,000 deliveries to customers Wing completed in 2021.  
Continue reading: https://www.axios.com/home-medicine-drone-delivery-2022-86bacbbb-0c41-481c-bed7-7e094306aa0d.html

Today, Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), ranking member of the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sens. Mark Kelly (D-Ariz.) and Bill Cassidy (R-La.) introduced the Drone Act of 2022. Their bipartisan proposal seeks to criminalize dangerous drone activity – including by drug and human traffickers who have embraced drone technology to facilitate their operations. Alarmingly, criminals have started attaching weapons to drones, posing significant national security and public safety concerns.
“As drone technology advances and drone usage becomes more widespread, it’s imperative that we modernize the law to deter criminal activity. Drones offer great potential for revolutionizing how we do business in this country, and a lot of work went into making sure this bill wouldn’t stifle all the positive aspects of drone innovation. A lot of work also went into making sure this bill gives law enforcement the tools it needs to go after terrorists and drug cartels that use drones to advance their criminal enterprises. Moving forward, I’ll continue working with my colleagues to ensure drone laws strike the right balance – allowing this technology to improve efficiency for businesses, law enforcement, military operations and recreation while curbing what should be illegal activity,” Grassley said.
“From my years serving in the Navy, I know firsthand the power drone technology offers. In the wrong hands, it can pose security risks, which is why Senator Grassley and I are introducing the Drone Act to stop the illegal use of drones, like for drug trafficking, and to increase penalties for the most serious crimes,” said Kelly. “It’s critical that we give law enforcement the tools to accomplish its mission of keeping our communities safe and our borders secure against criminal organizations.”
“From the southern border to cities across the country, criminals are using drones to smuggle drugs, weapons and commit crimes that put Americans at risk,” said Dr. Cassidy. “We must confront this new threat.”
The Drone Act of 2022 would ensure drug traffickers and terrorists cannot use drones to carry out violent attacks. In recent years, a would-be al Qaeda operative, Rezwan Ferdus, pleaded guilty to charges of attempting to damage federal buildings, including developing a high-speed drone that could attack the Pentagon with grenades. International drug traffickers are now using drones to spy on U.S. law enforcement at the southern border, smuggle drugs into the country and even drop bombs on competing drug organizations. Simply put, terrorists and drug dealers should not have their own air forces, and the Drone Act of 2022 would explicitly criminalize all of this activity.
Currently, federal law prohibits certain uses for drones, but those provisions are limited and fail to address a wide range of illicit activity. The Drone Act of 2022 will expand the list of criminal offenses and make them punishable with a $250,000 fine or a prison sentence. 
Continue reading: https://www.grassley.senate.gov/news/news-releases/grassley-kelly-cassidy-lead-bipartisan-bill-to-criminalize-dangerous-drone-activity

Tell us of your company and role
My name is Chris Gee, and I work for Connected Places Catapult. and our business is about providing smarter-living solutions. We help grow businesses by innovating in mobility services and the built environment. Our solutions offer new levels of physical, digital and social connectedness. We operate at the intersection between public and private sectors, and between local government and transport authorities. 
As Future Aviation Technologist, I manage the UK’s most complex air-mobility projects. One is the Drone Pathfinder Catalyst Programme, which is helping realise the potential of drones across a broad range of industries and sectors. We are doing this in partnership with the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority, as well as with industry and academia. 
How will drones change supply chain?
The potential for drones as powerful business tools is huge. For supply chains, drones can be used in warehouses to increase the accuracy and efficiency of inventory management through to last-mile delivery. 
Which firms use drones most for supply?
Some of the most exciting developments of drone technology we have seen are in logistics, where they have come into their own. 
The flow of medical supplies during the pandemic is now one of the most recognised-use cases, and many companies are working with the NHS to build drones into the medical supply chain. This has value for time-critical deliveries to remote areas, because  certain drugs have a short effective lifespan. 
There are also retail delivery examples, where drones provide fast delivery from a network of local retailers. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the first commercial drone delivery service start in the UK this year.
What’s the toughest part of your job?
The landscape is always changing - developments in regulations, advances in technology and new services are launched daily. This might be a challenge to some, but I find it fascinating. It does mean I always have a very long reading list of things to catch up with!
We work on the most interesting and involved air mobility projects in the UK. This is a very broad portfolio of projects, ranging from shaping the UK’s legislation for drones to exploring the commercial models for the new types of digital infrastructure needed to support services such as drone delivery.
Best bit of advice you’ve been given?
That collaboration is key. Especially if we want to accelerate the next revolution in air mobility. Given the complexity of what the sector is trying to achieve in order to achieve commercialisation, we must be clear on the outputs of each project we work on. 
This means that we focus on the aspects of the project where we can have the maximum impact. That way, we avoid getting caught up in areas that the project is unable to influence.
Continue reading: https://supplychaindigital.com/logistics/drone-use-in-supply-chain-about-to-take-off

Drones or UAS (Unmanned Aerial Systems) have been popular for their application in the military. But you will be surprised to know that they now have over a hundred commercial applications from photography and delivery to security and disaster relief. The drone technology does not only replace costly methods efficiently but also reduces the need for human efforts on dangerous sites. That is why it has come to be a critical element in different industries.
In this article, we talk about five commercial spaces where the UAS technology has been adopted and is being increasingly used. Let’s get started.

1. Shipping and Delivery Drones are like pilotless aircraft that can deliver food, goods, and other packages to a specific location. Several drones can be controlled remotely by a single operator, which means the delivery of all packages can be tracked accurately. Companies like DHL, FedEx, Amazon, etc. are among the top 10 companies by revenue that use drone delivery because of benefits, such as: Reduction in road congestion due to the reduction in the usage of vans or delivery vehicles Reduction in carbon emission, thus environmental pollution Reduction of delivery durations Reduction of transportation costs
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   Continue reading: https://www.suasnews.com/2022/02/brilliant-applications-of-drones-in-the-business-world/

Tell us of your company and role
My name is Chris Gee, and I work for Connected Places Catapult. and our business is about providing smarter-living solutions. We help grow businesses by innovating in mobility services and the built environment. Our solutions offer new levels of physical, digital and social connectedness. We operate at the intersection between public and private sectors, and between local government and transport authorities. 
As Future Aviation Technologist, I manage the UK’s most complex air-mobility projects. One is the Drone Pathfinder Catalyst Programme, which is helping realise the potential of drones across a broad range of industries and sectors. We are doing this in partnership with the Department for Transport and the Civil Aviation Authority, as well as with industry and academia. 
How will drones change supply chain?
The potential for drones as powerful business tools is huge. For supply chains, drones can be used in warehouses to increase the accuracy and efficiency of inventory management through to last-mile delivery. 
Continue reading: https://supplychaindigital.com/logistics/drone-use-in-supply-chain-about-to-take-off

In September 2020, the House of Representatives passed a bill known as the IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act that requires all Internet of Things (IoT) government devices to meet minimum security requirements. Naturally, with everything interconnected, the need for a function improvement in the security of the networks that share information is much needed. Multiple reports have indicated that around 98% of traffic from IoT devices is unencrypted to this day, and obviously, this number should be close to zero. Security is of imperative importance for the services we plan to rely on in the coming years.
H.R.1668 – IoT Cybersecurity Improvement Act of 2020 has the potential to improve the security of IoT devices. This new law:
1. Requires the National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST) to issue standards and guidelines for the use of IoT devices controlled or owned by federal agencies;
2. Directs NIST to consider relevant standards, guidelines, and best practices created by the private sector, agencies, and public-private partners;
3. Directs the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) to issue guidelines for every agency that is consistent with the NIST recommendations, including updating the Federal Acquisition Regulation;
4. Directs NIST to work with industry experts, cybersecurity researchers, and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to publish guidelines on security vulnerability about information systems controlled or owned by an agency (including IoT devices managed or owned by an agency), and the solution of such security vulnerability;
5. Requires any federal-owned IoT devices to comply with the NIST standards and guidelines; and
Continue reading: https://www.iotforall.com/top-10-things-you-should-know-about-the-us-iot-cybersecurity-improvement-act

Over the years, the cost of smart technology has gone down and more people are adopting the Internet of Things (IoT). With IoT, anyone can enjoy the convenience of smart homes and generate valuable insights from data collected by IoT devices.
Combined with other disruptive technologies such as AI, machine learning (ML), and augmented reality (AR), IoT can be a powerful business intelligence tool and help any business automate its processes and operations, optimize and save costs, and significantly improve top-line growth.
Custom AR IoT solutions by software houses like rinf.tech can transform your business by enabling more efficient data collection and management which, in turn, fosters informed decision-making and a greater level of customer experience personalization.
IoT provides endless opportunities for businesses not only in the way information is collected but also in how business operations are carried out.
Continue reading: https://www.imcgrupo.com/how-the-internet-of-things-can-transform-your-business/

From ovulation and reproductive trackers to contraceptive microchips, in recent years, there has been a surge of digital health products marketed to women. Known as “femtech” or female technology, this rapidly evolving global industry is expected to be worth US$60 billion (£44 billion) by 2027.
Many of us are already used to apps or devices managing many aspects of our lives. And at a time when regular access to doctors has been limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it seems more women have turned to technology for their healthcare. Indeed, data company Fermata recently calculated that in the last six months of 2020 alone the number of companies under the femtech umbrella grew from 369 to 581, across 36 countries.
These digital health products are part of a much larger realm of “embodied technologies”, that allow users to have awareness of their bodily rhythms and functions in a way that seems safe, intimate, and empowering. Yet such products do not always offer an accessible privacy policy or commitment to protect women’s data from being sold on to third parties.
Continue reading: https://theconversation.com/womens-health-technology-could-be-so-much-more-than-period-trackers-172576

Meet two amazing women from the Air Force Research Laboratory, who lead the discovery, development and delivery of warfighting technologies for the United States Air Force and Space Force. Through careers in STEM, women from across AFRL pursue a broad range of research and development efforts, work that ultimately provides Airmen and Guardians with new and innovative technologies that help keep the fight unfair.
Read their stories below and learn more about AFRL’s work with spacecraft thrusters, chemical propellants and noninvasive brain stimulation.

• Dr. Candice Hatcher-Solis, a research biological scientist
• Corinne Sedano, a senior research aerospace engineer

Dr. Candice Hatcher-Solis
Dr. Candice Hatcher-Solis is a research biological scientist in AFRL’s 711th Human Performance Wing at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio, and leads the neurobiology of cognitive performance team that investigates the effects of noninvasive brain stimulation. More specifically, she studies transcranial direct current stimulation, exploring how noninvasive nerve stimulation can enhance learning and memory through electrodes that target specific areas of the brain.
“The complexity of the brain makes this field [of neuroscience] exciting to me, and I’m interested in investigating a lot of the unknowns,” she said. “I feel like we are on the cusp of understanding the different effects of brain stimulation, and I’m excited to contribute findings that could advance our knowledge and provide answers.”
Through her research, Hatcher-Solis aims to learn more about human cognition, and ultimately, she strives to identify techniques that could benefit our military. However, what she enjoys most is unlocking mysteries and delivering meaningful results to the nation’s warfighters.
Continue reading: https://alltogether.swe.org/2022/02/extraordinary-women-in-stem-inspire-others-through-success-2/

The intersection of retail sales and blockchain technology is a current “hot” topic. But what does this actually mean for retailers? Is the time and money needed to invest in new technology worth the cost? What intellectual property (IP) protection is available?
First, a non-fungible token (NFT) is a unique and non-interchangeable unit of data stored on a blockchain. NFTs can be associated with reproducible digital files, such as photos, videos, and audio. NFTs use a digital ledger to provide a public certificate of authenticity or proof of ownership, but do not restrict the sharing or copying of the underlying digital files. The lack of interchangeability (fungibility) distinguishes NFTs from fungible digital assets, such as Bitcoin. NFTs can represent many things, ranging from trading cards to plots of virtual land to digital art to virtual fashion, just to name a few.
Importantly, NFTs often involve the display and/or transfer of various forms of IP, and raise the same types of concerns—e.g., trademark, copyright, and right-of-publicity—as any other commercial endeavor using potentially protected content, including issues related to clearance, registration, licensing, transfer, and enforcement.
Continue reading: https://www.natlawreview.com/article/how-retailers-can-make-blockchain-work-them-ip-space

Blockchains are distributed databases that store the data among nodes on a network and guarantee the fidelity and security of data stored on the chain. They are typically used in cases where the data has to be trusted without the need for third-party verification. Blockchains serve as the underlying infrastructure for cryptocurrencies, which have surged in adoption and popularity in recent years.
A defining characteristic of blockchains is that the data stored on them is immutable — data stored on the blocks in the chain are linked together cryptographically and very hard to change without expending considerable resources.
We are starting to see alternative use cases emerge for blockchain technology, especially in areas such as cybersecurity identity management, food industry supply chains, healthcare, property records and digital voting. 
Cybersecurity Use Cases
According to a study conducted by IoT Analytics in 2020, there are 12 billion internet-connected devices worldwide, and the global number of connected devices tops 21.7 billion. With the growing number of devices, businesses and IT departments struggle to authenticate users and devices and provide them access to critical business applications, especially when users bring their own devices (BYOD) and are often working remotely.
Continue reading: 
https://www.forbes.com/sites/forbestechcouncil/2022/02/02/blockchains-use-cases-in-cybersecurity/?sh=27e393505989