Arkadiusz Hruszowiec: How Intel is enabling Internet of Things

Arkadiusz Hruszowiec, Business Development Manager at Intel Corporation,
for the South-East European Industrial Market magazine

What would you say "makes up" the Internet of Things? Are the devices themselves and their interoperability central to the IoT?
At Intel we perceive IoT as a whole ecosystem consisting of various elements and we are in a unique position because we are able to deliver all ingredients of any end-to-end solution from devices with sensors gathering data, gateways sending data to the cloud, to datacenters that are required to analyze enormous amounts of information in order to bring value out of it.

Stand-alone, unconnected devices without ecosystem support are not able to provide real business value to companies. Furthermore it is crucial to ensure that those key elements constituting Internet of Things (sensors, gateways, data center, connectivity and software) are properly secured and able to be remotely managed.

What benefits does the Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance offer to its members?
With more than 400 members, the Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance includes leading solution and service providers from a broad range of industries. Partnering with Intel Internet of Things Solutions Alliance members can help you reduce risk and lower development costs. Members benefit from early access to roadmaps, test platforms, and design support. This helps them innovate with the latest technologies to give you first-in-market solutions you can use to stay ahead of your competition.

What is really important - members collaborate closely with Intel and each other to release optimized, interoperable solutions based on the latest Intel processors. Their proven, tested products mean faster time to market. Currently there are more than 5,000 solutions based on Intel technology - from component-level products, such as boards and software, to fully integrated systems. This elements are ready to fulfill practically every performance and form factor requirement.

You’re also one of the founders of the Industrial Internet Consortium, which has been developing rapidly since its establishment in 2014. What are your objectives for 2016?
The Industrial Internet Consortium has three major deliverables and activities: Worldwide harmonization of an E2E IoT architecture framework. IIC is meeting with Industry 4.0, working in ISO/IEC JTC1 Working Group 10, IEEE, NIST, CAICT, and other standards organizations to normalize taxonomy/terminology and harmonize architecture frameworks.

IIC will also be issuing a Security Framework publication that bolts onto the Architecture Framework publication that is now open to the public via the IIC website. Additionally, IIC has 40 testbeds in the pipeline, this is a big effort of the organization to get these testbeds operational. Some of these will be showcased at IoT Solutions World Congress in Barcelona in October 2016.

Industrial Internet of Things has made it possible for techniques such as predicative maintenance to be developed and implemented. Can you elaborate on the model’s essence and benefits?
A key use case for IoT is predictive maintenance: the ability to accurately diagnose and prevent failures in real time is a major advantage for companies and is vital for critical infrastructure applications. A failure of high-tech machinery and equipment can prove to be highly expensive in terms of repair costs, in addition to lost productivity from the resulting downtime.

Typically, technicians have been sent to carry out routine diagnostic inspections and preventive maintenance according to fixed schedules, which can be a costly and labour-intensive process with little assurance that failure will not occur between inspections. One example in the renewable energy sector is a wind farm - and in the extreme case, an offshore farm.

Wind turbine systems contain a great deal of technology, including a generator, a gearbox, and a multitude of electronics, including control systems to adjust blade pitch and so on. If any element fails - due to dust build up or cumulative vibrations, for example - the remote location means the repair cost will be extremely high. In addition, given that weather will always be a significant factor in this particular example, a turbine may not be producing electricity for some time.

However, on-site sensor-equipped systems can collect data from multiple turbines, not just a single turbine, enabling failure analysis to be performed to predict when a system or component is likely to malfunction due to stress or overheating, and thereby enabling better operator or autonomous decision-making for maintenance.

For example, if there is a high likelihood of the gearbox breaking down within a turbine, then switching to a lower performance mode and a reduced mechanical load, while still delivering 80 percent efficiency, could mean continued operation and further electricity generation for several weeks. This would allow scheduled maintenance that combines the repair and maintenance of more than just one turbine.

What kind of devices in your opinion will benefit the most from the IoT?
It is not stand-alone devices which will benefit from IoT, but by becoming smart and connected ingredients of an IoT system, they will benefit whole segments of economy. Take for example farming. If a plough is able to gather accurate data about soil, it will later enable targeted use of fertilizers or pesticides only in these places where they are needed and also in the right quantities. This will clearly not only reduce the cost of producing food but also increase its efficiency.