Google Glass that allows doctors to access medical records instantaneously, smart vending machines, and a system which helps locate a car in a carpark – these are some of the technologies that are on display at the inaugural Internet of Things Asia 2014, held from April 21 to 22, 2014, at the Singapore EXPO Convention & Exhibition Center. Forty exhibitors from 11 countries worldwide are taking part.
Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the transfer of information between objects or people over a network without the requirement for human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.
A German software company SAP is pushing for Google Glass to be used in the healthcare industry. SAP said the smart glasses will allow healthcare professionals to retrieve and view real-time medical data on the spot.With a slide of the finger at the side of the glasses, medical staff will also get a dashboard which will indicate how many visits they have to do for the day, and who are the patients they have to visit. And by scanning the barcode on patients’ tags with the glasses, doctors will have immediate access to medical records. The company said medical staff will also have their hands completely free to treat patients.
Dinesh Sharma, SAP’s vice president (marketing), Internet of Things, said: “If you think of an emergency room, for example, a patient is brought in, (and) it’s a very chaotic situation. There is not enough room to be able to hold a hand-held tablet and be able to look at what is going on there, as well as taking care of the patient.”
With the glasses’ video conferencing capability, healthcare workers can also collaborate with other institutions or seek a second opinion.
“He (healthcare worker) can get access to world-renowned specialists by being able to have them look through his Google Glass at a particular condition. So what it can do… is essentially speed up the recovery, make things better for the individual patients, and ultimately end up reducing costs because (the doctors) are able to pull together the right specialists at incredibly reduced costs,” Dinesh said.
Another system on display is a smart vending machine, which tells distributors the popularity of their products, and helps them restock according to customers’ preferences. SAP said with the system, companies can save up to 20 per cent in operating costs.
Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck, who was at the exhibition on April 21 said such technologies can help businesses raise productivity.
“IoT can help businesses improve their work processes through using sensors for real-time monitoring and technology to trigger systemic responses. Automation of functions allows for more efficient deployment of scarce resources, and enables better service delivery,” Teo said.
He added that the Singapore market for IoT is expected to increase threefold over the next four years, and that IoT can also create new markets for products and services that previously did not exist.
An example is Cisco Systems’ Find Car kiosk. For those who have difficulty locating their cars in car parks, this may just be the solution. Cameras will capture the car’s license plate number when the car enters the car park. Drivers can then locate their cars at the kiosk by keying in the plate number. The system is not available in Singapore yet, but its developer said it is currently in early talks with building owners.