Riding High Bluetooth is booming. Find out what's next for this tech trailblazer
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Q1 SPRING 2019
BOXING CLEVER:
CELLULAR ADVANCES
ASSET TRACKING
DATA FARMING:
AGRICULTURE
GETS SMART
Riding
High
Bluetooth is booming.
Find out what’s next
for this tech trailblazer
SMART ROPES FOR AIR QUALITY SENSORS HARRY POTTER
SMARTER SHIPPING DRIVE CLEANER CITIES TEACHES KIDS CODING
Contents
News
Cellular asset tracker a ‘first’ 3
Welcome
Geir Langeland
Director of Sales & Marketing
News
The latest developments from Nordic Semiconductor
News Extra
nRF52811 introduces Bluetooth 5.1 7
Open source cellular asset
T
Analysis his is the 50th edition of Nordic’s magazine and to mark
IoT clears smart city air 8 the occasion the publication has a new look, editorial
Comment
What makes cellular so reliable? 9
emphasis, and title.
Since the early 2000s, Nordic’s engineers have specialized in
Nordic is looking
to a future
tracker ‘a world first’
the development of ultra low power (ULP) wireless technology.
Cover Feature
where it is one Finnish open source electronics specialist, In addition to being able to function as a
Such technology enabled the company to carve a healthy
Bluetooth rides high 10 niche with proprietary 2.4-GHz wireless and ANT+ devices
of the leading Ruuvi Innovations, has laid claim to the world’s standalone IoT asset tracker and sensor node,
suppliers to first open source, multipurpose, industrial the device will also be able to act as a cellular
Feature that used much less battery power than competitive products. grade 5G gateway, environmental sensing, gateway for any of Ruuvi’s existing RuuviTag
Tracking assets with cellular 14 The proprietary technology led directly to the development the wireless and asset tracking node. The company Bluetooth sensor beacons located nearby.
of Bluetooth Low Energy, perhaps the fastest growing RF local and wide says the product will enable wide scale IoT “We’re really excited about employing
Feature technology ever and now a mainstay of consumer, commercial, area networks deployments in applications and environments Nordic Semiconductor’s brand new [low
Growth of the smart farm 18 not previously viable. power cellular IoT] module in our new product,”
and industrial wireless connectivity. that will form a Ruuvi Node is a maintenance free, industrial says Lauri Jämsä, Founder and CEO of Ruuvi
Nordic Inside Recently, a focus on the IoT has encouraged Nordic to expand
critical part of grade node solution and employs a Nordic Innovations. “Pairing the LTE-M and NB-IoT
Harry Potter teaches coding 20 its product offerings. First the company’s engineers introduced Semiconductor nRF9160 SiP cellular IoT cellular module with our multi-use energy
chips and tools that supported development of products using the IoT module and an ultra low power nRF52840 harvester node enables totally new kinds
Case Study the popular smart-home and -industry wireless protocols multiprotocol Bluetooth LE SoC. Ruuvi Node of asset tracking, gateway, and sensor
Developing winning athletes 22 Thread and Zigbee. And in December 2018, after an intensive will also include an embedded solar panel uses. The products enables large
to support energy harvesting, a full range IoT deployments in places where it
Nordic People four year R&D program by its cellular and low power wireless
of environmental sensors, GPS positioning, previously wasn’t viable.”
Markus Tacker 23 engineers, Nordic launched the nRF9160 SiP, a low power and NFC for securely reading device IDs and The company says its open source Ruvvi Node
enables new
cellular IoT solution, with integrated LTE-M/NB-IoT modem and configuration parameters. A large capacity approach has gained interest from customers asset tracking
Tech Zone News GPS, for kilometer range wireless connectivity. 40-Wh battery and support for external such as Bosch Connected Industry. Ruuvi aims applications such
as container cargo
Bluetooth gains Direction Finding 24 Nordic is looking to a future where it is one of the leading power for high duty applications are included. to launch the product during Q2 and Q3 2019.
Tech Briefing suppliers to the wireless local and wide area networks that
Zerynth comes to Nordic SoCs 25 will form a critical part of the IoT, an industry area that will In Brief
Tech Perspective
transform education, work, health, transport, energy, leisure,
and just about every other part of our lives.
Mobile firm Telenor NORDIC CERTIFIED AS
Building next-gen beacons 26 That makes it the right time for ULP WirelessQ to become and Nordic partner ALIBABA IoT PARTNER
Nordic’s nRF52 Series has received
Nordic Product
Selection Guide 27
Wireless Quarter and expand both its editorial scope and
pagination to cover everything in wireless IoT. I hope you enjoy
to capitalize on IoT certification under the Alibaba IoT
Ecosystem Partner program. Established
the new look and content. With strong IoT growth expected across in 2018 by Alibaba Cloud IoT, part of
multiple industries, two world class e-commerce giant Alibaba, the program
aims to drive and develop a stronger, more
Norwegian companies, mobile operator
mature IoT sector. To receive certification
Telenor and Nordic Semiconductor, are
under the program, partners are required to
collaborating to make it easy to develop IoT
support the AliOS Things Operating System
applications on 4G networks using fast and
and have AliOS Things certification.
robust wireless technology.
Last autumn, Telenor became one of the service, and we now hope that more people
first firms worldwide to rollout a 4G wireless will have the opportunity to take advantage PRIMARY SCHOOLCHILDREN
Wireless Quarter is published on behalf of Nordic Semiconductor by Ecritech network that supported both versions of of the enormous opportunities the Internet of TO RECEIVE MICRO:BIT
www.ecritech.com cellular IoT (LTE-M and NB-IoT). Then, in Things can provide.”
A four-year, $2.3m
December, Nordic announced worldwide “That Nordic’s nRF9160 SiP can be used for
Editor program will see the
Steven Keeping steven@ecritech.com availability of its nRF9160 SiP multimode both NB-IoT and LTE-M makes it possible
micro:bit distributed
module that offers both cellular IoT to prototype and test both technologies to to 100,000 year 5 to
Assistant Editor
Chris Williams chris@ecritech.com The Bluetooth ® word mark and logos are technologies. find out which is best for an IoT application or 7 pupils in Norway’s
registered trademarks owned by the Bluetooth
SIG, Inc. and any use of such marks by Nordic “Using new technology from Nordic sensor,” says Peder Rand, Product Manager primary schools to
Production Editor Semiconductor is under license.
Andrew Woolls-King andrew@ecritech.com Semiconductor, we have developed a tool for Cellular IoT at Nordic Semiconductor. stimulate interest in computing and the
Creative Director
© Nordic Semiconductor 2019 that makes it easier for developers to create “This functionality, combined with support IoT. The nRF51822 SoC powered compact
Sam Grimmer good solutions that use IoT over 4G,” says for GPS and the nRF9160’s small size, is programmable computer is designed to
Image Editors
Ove Fredheim from Telenor Bedrift. unique to the cellular IoT market. The nRF9160 teach children IT and coding skills. Nordic
Nathan Sargent, Neale Hobday “The development tool is delivered with SIM also has the market’s lowest current draw, has already donated over 3000 micro:bits to
Print & Distribution cards from Telenor. We are the first mobile which enables new battery-powered institutions in Norway.
Subscribe @NordicTweets Like us Follow us Forum: devzone.
Printech Europe nordicsemi.com phone company in the world to offer this applications with many years of battery life.”
2 W Spring 2019 Spring 2019 W 3
News In Brief
nRF9160 GAINS ARM PSA
Logistics & Transport Smart Home
CERTIFICATION
Smart rope load sensors assist crew when Apple HomeKit-compatible alarm Nordic’s nRF9160 SiP
cellular IoT module is
mooring vessels and enhance safety pinpoints smoke source among the first products
to be awarded Platform
Security Architecture
French smart home company, Netatmo, has (PSA) Certified Level
Norwegian shipping company, Wilhelmsen released a Bluetooth LE smart smoke 1 certification under a new initiative
Ships Service, has launched a series of alarm that not only triggers an spearheaded by Arm. PSA Certified enables
Bluetooth LE smart ropes, designed to assist 85-dB alarm but also sends a real device makers to achieve the security
ship crews when mooring vessels in port. time alert to a user’s smartphone required for their use case through three
The Timm Mooring Assistance smart ropes indicating in which room smoke progressive levels of security assurance,
comprises up to 22 ropes—depending on the has been detected. each requiring increasingly rigorous
size of the vessel being moored—each fitted The Smart Smoke Alarm can be hardware and software evaluation.
with a single load sensor to provide feedback paired to the user’s smartphone
on safety and efficiency parameters. For or tablet using Bluetooth LE
example, the load and temperature data can connectivity provided by Nordic’s HEARABLES ON THE RISE
alert crew members to the load distribution nRF52832 SoC. From the Netatmo A new report from market analyst, Global Info
between individual ropes, safety alerts for Security app the user can review the status Research (GIR), claims the worldwide market
potential rope snaps, as well as predicting the of one or more Smart Smoke Alarms, set up for ‘hearables’—wearable wireless devices
lifetime of individual ropes. Access to this data sound test reminders, as well as check when with the form factor and functionality of a
allows the crew to take immediate corrective the unit last self checked its battery, smoke headphone—is expected to grow at a CAGR
action in case of a problem. sensor, and Wi-Fi connection. The user can of 29.7 percent over the next five years, to
Sensor data from the ropes is wirelessly also use the Smart Smoke Alarm ‘Hush’ reach sales of $5.7 billion in 2023, up from
relayed to a ‘collector box’ on the vessel feature to silence the alarm directly from their $11.9 billion in 2017. Among all the major
using Bluetooth 5 technology’s long range smartphone. applications of the hearable devices market,
the healthcare sector was expected to
feature enabled by Nordic’s nRF52840 SoC. Compatible with Apple HomeKit, the device
dominate as the technology evolved to allow
The collector box comprises a Bluetooth “It is essential for us to use a low power can be also be voice controlled via Apple’s Siri.
people to measure health parameters.
LE Ethernet router which relays data to the consumption solution with a global standard as Users can ask the voice assistant if there is
Bluetooth 5 tech’s long
vessel’s bridge via a wired LAN for immediate range feature enables the our customers are operating vessels around smoke in the home or if the device’s batteries
analysis by crew members via a dashboard on smart rope to transmit the world,” says Tore Strand, Subject Matter are working properly. power consumption with features such as the
a tablet or PC. wireless signals—in
Expert at Wilhelmsen Ships Service. “The high The Smart Smoke Alarm is powered by two 2.4-GHz radio’s 5.5 mA peak RX/TX currents
NORDIC LANDS TWO
The Bluetooth 5 nRF52840’s new radio
a tough environment
dominated by RF absorbing link budget and long range feature, which help non replaceable lithium batteries with a 10- and a fully automatic power management TOP AWARDS
architecture with on-chip power amplifier substances such as steel overcome the challenging RF environment, are year lifespan, which covers the entire service system that reduces power consumption Nordic Semiconductor
and water—to a collector has received recognition
(PA) provides -96-dBm RX sensitivity and a box sited up to 100 meters the most important capability of the Nordic life of the device. Battery life is enhanced by up to 80 percent compared with Nordic’s
maximum output power of 8 dBm. away from the sensor SoC for our application.” by the nRF52832’s design which minimizes nRF51 Series SoCs. in two major international
awards programs with
its nRF9160 SiP low
power cellular IoT module
By the Numbers Smart Health
Nordic partners with A globally-usable iBASIS eSIM with 10 MB
winning Embedded Computing Design’s
highly prestigious “Best in Show” award at
of free data is now provided with all nRF9160
Insulin monitor
$271
one of world’s largest this year’s Embedded World Conference. The
1 trillion
Development Kits. The developer then
award comes on the back of the company
records dosage cellular data carriers
registers the eSIM on Nordic’s nRF Connect
for Cloud website to then connect to iBASIS’s
also being named winner of the 2018 Global
Semiconductor Alliance’s “Most respected
Global Access for Things network and gain emerging public semiconductor company
Taiwan based DIABNEXT, a healthcare Nordic Semiconductor has struck a deal with access to an entire range of configurations,
semiconductor
achieving $100 to $500 million in annual
services company, has launched an insulin one of the world’s largest international cellular monitoring, and connectivity services. sales” award.
million
injection monitoring and recording device carriers in voice, data, and IoT services, iBASIS. Nordic’s cellular IoT customers get instant
unit shipments called CLIPSULIN. The device attaches to
all commonly used disposable and reusable
The deal with the company makes global
LTE-M and NB-IoT cellular IoT connectivity
high quality global connectivity without having
to negotiate and manage multiple relationships nRF91 SERIES
insulin pens and employs a vibration automatic and instant when using Nordic’s with individual local cellular carriers around the AVAILABLE TO ALL
in revenue
According to analyst, IC Insights, annual sensor to accurately detect insulin dosage nRF9160 SiP module. world. Using eSIM technology, the developer
Nordic Semiconductor has made its nRF9160
semiconductor unit shipments, including and record injected insulin units. can use iBasis as a single global connectivity
SiP low power cellular IoT module available
integrated circuits, optoelectronics, sensors, Using Bluetooth LE or NFC wireless supplier, with a single contract, and a single to all customers via its global distribution
and discrete devices, grew 10 percent in 2018 connectivity provided by Nordic’s monthly bill. network. The nRF9160 has also received
Nordic Semiconductor has reported full 2018 and surpassed the one trillion unit mark for the nRF52832 SoC, the data is automatically “iBASIS believes that for IoT to succeed, GCF certification—the trusted mobile
revenue of $272 million, representing growth of 14.9 first time. According to IC Insight’s 2019 McClean transmitted to the user’s smartphone, connecting things should be easy,” says Ajay communications industry ‘quality mark’ for
percent over 2017’s full year revenue. The result Report - A Complete Analysis and Forecast of the from where the patient can then retrieve Joseph, CTO of the company. “We’re delighted compliance to the 3GPP LTE specification
comes on the back of continued strong performance Integrated Circuit Industry, semiconductor unit important information from the DIABNEXT to partner with Nordic Semiconductor to and global cellular network interoperability—
in Bluetooth LE, particularly in the first half of 2018, shipments climbed to 1,068.2 billion units in 2018 app. The iOS and Android app functions as provide an eSIM for Nordic’s cellular IoT along with separately required FCC and CE
that saw revenue grow 50 percent year-on-year. and are expected to climb to 1,142.6 billion in 2019. a digital logbook for a diabetes patient, not modules. We are reducing complexity, making regulatory certifications. This means the
For Bluetooth LE; healthcare and wearables markets Starting in 1978 with 32.6 billion units, the CAGR for only recording their treatment data, but it easy to support Nordic’s customers’ nRF9160 is approved for use in global cellular
grew revenue significantly in 2018 over 2017, up 58 semiconductor units is forecast to be 9.1 per cent also enabling the patient to monitor blood global deployment, using a single eSIM, for a networks and cellular IoT products.
percent and 17 percent respectively. through 2019. sugar levels and physical activity. remotely programmable on demand service.”
4 W Spring 2019 Spring 2019 W 5
News
Power transmitter wirelessly News Extra
charges consumer electronics nRF52811 brings Bluetooth 5.1 Direction
Powercast Corporation, a U.S. based
technology company, has launched the first
FCC and ISED approved solution for “wireless
The chips then convert that energy to
DC power that can then be used to charge
batteries or directly power the enabled
Finding to advanced wireless applications
power over distance” for mobile consumer devices. Direction finding adds precise positioning to Bluetooth low power
electronics. Acting as the main ‘brain’ of the PowerSpot wireless technology, opening up many new applications
Employing a 915-MHz RF signal, the TX91503 wireless transmitter, the 32-bit
PowerSpot transmitter outputs up to 3 W Arm Cortex M0 microprocessor in the
B
Effective Isotropic Radiated Power (EIRP) Nordic nRF51422 SoC makes the transmitter luetooth LE products such as beacons have benefited
(and associated ID data) that can directly configurable and controllable. For example, from Bluetooth 5 tech’s received signal strength
power or charge up to 30 portable low power it configures and controls the transmitter’s indicator (RSSI) capability which enables a crude
devices—including fitness bands, wireless 915-MHz oscillator/PA subsection that measure of proximity. This estimate of position is employed
headphones, game controllers, hearing aids, feeds the power antenna and turns off the for applications, for example, that rely on triggering a
and a variety of smartcards—that are fitted transmitter when wirelessly connected charging when no devices are within range. notification on a smartphone when the beacon detects a
with Powercast’s patented embeddable devices are fully charged. The nRF51422 also According to the company, the wireless consumer close by. Unfortunately, the system is limited
Powerharvester technology. provides Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity transmitter can charge and power smaller, to approximate positional estimates which restrict its
The Powerharvester solution consists of for communication between the user’s end less power hungry devices—such as smart usefulness.
a proprietary converter chip and a boost devices and the transmitter to monitor the cards and basic sensors—at distances up Now, however, the latest revision of the Bluetooth Core
converter chip that once integrated in end battery status of connected devices. to 24 meters while for more power hungry Specification, Bluetooth 5.1, brings precise positioning of
devices, harvest energy from the PowerSpot The PowerSpot wireless transmitter devices like game controllers, headphones, things in three-dimensional space to the popular low power
wireless transmitter as well as ambient RF automatically powers enabled devices it and smartwatches, the most suitable wireless technology. (See page 24.)
energy from other RF sources. detects within its charging zone and stops charging range is typically 30 cm or less. “Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding is a very important
addition to the technology,” says John Leonard, Senior
Product Marketing Manager with Nordic Semiconductor.
“Nordic believes it can have a similar impact for indoor
Wearables Smart City situations as GPS did for outdoor positioning. Where GPS
has fundamentally changed the world on a macro scale for
Biomedical engineers NB-IoT successfully cars, people and objects, Direction Finding will have a similar
develop wearable tested in German impact on the micro scale inside buildings and properties.”
The Bluetooth SIG predicts some 400 million Bluetooth
respiration monitor smart buildings “location services” products per annum by 2022.
Bluetooth 5.1 SoC support 32 GPIOs, a 5 by 5-mm QFN32 with 17 GPIOs, and a 2.5 by
Researchers at the University of California Europe’s largest telecommunication Following its strategy of bringing new capabilities of 2.5-mm wafer level CSP32 with 15 GPIOs. All packages are
have developed a wearable, disposable provider, German-based Deutsche Bluetooth LE to developers as soon as they’re adopted by compatible with those of the nRF52810 enabling reuse of the
respiration monitor that provides high Telekom, in collaboration with real estate the SIG, Nordic has added an SoC to its nRF52 Series that same PCB layout. All versions of the nRF52811 are available
fidelity readings on a continuous basis and service provider, ista, has successfully supports Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding. The nRF52811 was now with full capabilities—including Bluetooth 5 Long Range,
is designed to help children with asthma, conducted wide scale field testing of an unveiled at Embedded World in Nuremberg, Germany, in Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding, and Zigbee 3.0—made
cystic fibrosis, and other chronic pulmonary NB-IoT network in apartment buildings February this year. “The nRF52811 joins the comprehensive available through software releases during 2019.
conditions. across Cologne and Bonn. family of Nordic multiprotocol products that address the
The inexpensively produced sensors were The pilot project was a part of a widest scope of applications found today,” says Leonard. Tech check Finding the way
created by University of California biomedical technology partnership between the two The SoC expands Nordic’s nRF52 Series platform by adding The nRF52811 includes Bluetooth 5.1 Direction Finding enables positioning solutions
engineers using the popular children’s toy companies to investigate how NB-IoT a device that combines Direction Finding with the low cost a 2.4GHz radio (4dBm that not only rely on RSSI but also the actual direction of
Shrinky Dinks with thin sheets of plastic that can be optimally used for the end-to- of Nordic’s baseline nRF52810 and the multiprotocol support output power with a signal. This improves accuracy significantly and opens
are painted or drawn on and then shrunk end communication of battery powered of the mid-range nRF52832 and advanced nRF52840. The -97dBm sensitivity up new applications. There are two types of methods for
with heat. Placed in two positions–one devices in buildings. SoC is a good option as a connectivity chip for applications (at 1Mbps in Bluetooth determining direction: Angle of arrival (AoA), where the
between the ninth and 10th ribs and another According to the telecom giant, in 99.75 that feature a companion microprocessor. Examples include 5 mode)), 64MHz, direction of the received signal is calculated; and angle of
on the abdomen–the devices track the rate per cent of the tested metering points home and industry gateways that demand low power 32-bit Arm Cortex M4 departure (AoD), where the direction of the transmitted
processor, and 192kB
and volume of the wearer’s respiration by across some 60 apartments, it was wireless support for Bluetooth 5, Thread, and Zigbee smart signal is calculated. Direction finding can operate in either
Flash and 24kB RAM
measuring the local strain on the application possible to establish a stable connection applications such as those used with smart light networks, two or three dimensions depending on the selected design
memory. The nRF52811
areas. Signals from embedded sensors can be that enabled rapid, energy optimized HVAC, and security systems. The SoC is also a good choice SoC also includes a wide complexity and antenna array.
transmitted via Bluetooth LE and displayed data transmission that exceeded the for cost-constrained Bluetooth beacon applications range of analog and In AoA applications, for example, a device transmits a
on a smartphone app. The information performance of existing technologies. requiring Bluetooth 5 technology’s extended range or for digital interfaces specific direction-finding packet, using just one antenna. The
gleaned could, in the case of asthma, help “We have over 23 million IoT capable tomorrow’s precise indoor location systems. receiving device is equipped with multiple antennas and the
warn of an oncoming attack. devices in use throughout Europe and The nRF52811 is accompanied by an updated version of incoming signal from the transmitter arrives at the antennas
“The current standard of care in respiration graduate student researcher in biomedical the number is increasing every day,” Nordic’s nRF5 SDK which includes the S112 SoftDevice (a at slightly different times. Using the time shift information
monitoring is a pulmonary function test that’s engineering at the university. “The stretch says Achim Dicke, CTO at ista. “The Bluetooth 5 certified RF software protocol “stack”) and a an algorithm can precisely calculate the three-dimensional
often difficult to perform and limited in terms sensors allow users to walk around and go successful field trial shows that NB-IoT large selection of examples, libraries, and drivers, making it position of the receiver relative to the transmitter.
of the [information] it provides of a patient’s about their lives while vital information on the has everything needed to become a global simple for a designer to quickly start product development. The nRF52811 SoC is a good choice as a transceiver for both
respiratory health,” says Michael Chu, a health of their lungs is being collected.” interoperable standard in the M2M sector.” The chip is produced in a 6 by 6-mm QFN48 package with the AoA or AoD scenarios.
6 W Spring 2019 Spring 2019 W 7
Analysis Comment
Smart City Svein-Egil Nielsen
Air quality sensors
CTO: Nordic Semiconductor
Tomorrow’s smart cities must offer
drive cleaner cities fresh hope for fresh air by using the big
data generated by the IoT to bring air
What makes
Urban zones are using the IoT to limit pollution and improve citizens’ lives pollution under control cellular so reliable?
Standards compliance only
A
t the top of the list of challenges for the world’s takes vendors so far, robust
megacities is air pollution. Alarmingly, nine out of wireless connectivity
10 people in the world breathe air containing high
levels of pollutants and it’s leading to ill health. In 2016
comes from ‘ownership’ of
there were 4.2 million ambient pollution related deaths every part of the system
from heart disease, strokes, lung cancer, and chronic
respiratory diseases, according to a 2018 World Health What’s the most reliable wireless
Organization (WHO) report. technology? The answer is cellular.
Air pollution levels are determined in part by the amount For example, armed with decent 4G
of particulate matter (PM) per cubic meter. So-called coverage and a smartphone data
PM2.5 (2.5 µm diameter) particles are the most dangerous plan, consumers find cellular is more
to human health because they lodge deep in the lungs for robust, more secure, and often just
many years. as fast as Wi-Fi. This reliability is
PM2.5 is created by households, industry sectors like even more remarkable considering
waste management, agriculture, and transport. Research cellular is the most complex wireless no means a guarantee of reliability).
from various international bodies has revealed that technology ever designed. As a former Chair of the Bluetooth
approximately 30 percent of PM2.5 alone comes from Just a handful of highly SIG and now CTO for wireless chip
vehicle exhaust emissions. While this number is significant experienced vendors design and vendor Nordic Semiconductor, I know
and explains why cities work hard to encourage electric manufacture the cellular base only too well that even with a solid,
vehicles, it also suggests rapidly growing cities need to do stations and network infrastructure universally agreed and vetted open
more than implement cleaner transport if air pollution is to across the globe. This experience, standard underpinning a wireless
be substantially reduced. Tomorrow’s smart cities must together with the positive pressure technology there are numerous
offer fresh hope for fresh air. that comes from a highly competitive subtle differences between end
market, leads to ‘ownership’ of the solutions from different suppliers.
The power of big data whole system. For example, the These nuances cause unprecedented
How can governments, private enterprises, innovators, three largest vendors in the cellular interoperability problems.
and individuals do more to deliver on this promise? The infrastructure sector (Ericsson, Nokia All wireless connectivity relies
answer lies in accessing and analyzing the ‘big data’, Bluetooth LE beacons or the cellular network would be generation of LTE-M/NB-IoT modems connected to and Huawei) make it their business to on successfully linking to another
generated by large networks of wireless air quality able to immediately alert people to the potential risks, established cellular infrastructure that aggregate and own every component that impacts party’s device. In Bluetooth that’s
sensors. Such technology can provide the detailed offer advice on how to proceed or detail temporary driving further process data from a local sensor network before system performance. things like smartphones, tablets, and
environmental and health information needed to bring air restrictions. passing to the Cloud via LPWANs. The falling cost of At the other end of the wireless PCs. In cellular, it’s base stations. If
pollution under control. And the more sensors the better; Some major cities have already embraced this low power cellular IoT is even convincing some OEMs to link, the mobile handset, the same products using wireless technologies
larger networks generate greater volumes of more responsibility. For example, in 2014 Chicago began prototype sensor products combining Bluetooth LE and is true; a handful of vendors make it can’t connect reliably and transfer
accurate data, and more accurate data means greater creating a citywide network of environmental air quality cellular IoT inside a single device. their business to deeply understand data securely, it’s ‘game over’; the
insight into how and where pollution is generated and the sensors mounted to lamp posts, with a long-term goal It’s a powerful combination and will become further every element of their product’s products are destined for poor
effectiveness of air quality improvement initiatives. of being able to analyze the collected data to predict and enhanced as Bluetooth LE mesh networks take advantage construction. And when they’ve reviews and lackluster sales.
In the same way awareness and social conscience can Need to Know prevent poor air quality incidents. More recently, Hong of the long range and high throughput advantages of designed and built their solutions, Moreover, wireless connectivity
lead citizens to reduce water usage during periods of Kong has used smart lamp posts fitted with IoT sensors Bluetooth 5 tech to encourage the deployment of many they test and retest, then continue can throw up technical glitches that
Polluted city air makes its
drought, it’s expected that urban populations will choose way indoors and sensor for real-time collection of the city’s air quality and vehicle more smartphone configurable, compact, inexpensive, and to make performance improvements are hard to resolve. Diagnoses and
to become part of clean air solutions if they’re informed makers are addressing flow data. low maintenance monitors. Such networks will gather the throughout the product’s lifecycle. fixes only come when a vendor can
and educated. For example, people are likely to choose the challenges of poor These initiatives have received a boost through the vast amount of real time data needed to make accurate test and adjust every software and
public transport rather than their own cars when advised domestic air quality commercial availability of compact low power sensors. predictions of air quality for specific places and times. Theory collides with reality hardware technical parameter that
via live updates (triggered by weather, temperature, traffic with new technology. This technology combines a sensing element (for Control over every aspect of could affect wireless performance.
flow, and travel pattern that have been shown to increase For example, Yongin, example, the metal oxide semiconductor (MOS) monitor Technology offers help infrastructure and end points is the This detailed control isn’t easy; it
particulate pollution). Korea-based technology of a VOC sensor) with a wireless receiver incorporating WHO guidelines call for PM2.5 to be limited to 25 μg/m3 key to reliability not just in cellular requires designing and building the
company, SoluM, makes a powerful embedded processor to perform some basic daily mean and 10 μg/m3 annual mean. With figures such as but in any wireless application. It’s connectivity technologies in-house—
the Keyco Air which
A scalable IoT solution edge computing before data is wirelessly transmitted Beijing’s 90 µg/m3 (2018) annual mean, Los Angeles’ 18 µg/ the difference between theory from the physical layer and protocol
monitors air quality (as
Through the large-scale deployment of wireless sensors— across a network. m3 (2018) annual mean and Paris’ peak reading of 55 µg/ (off-the-shelf software or hardware stack to development and test tools—
well as humidity and
widely integrated with existing city infrastructure— temperature) in the For a city’s sensor data to be crunched and distributed m3 in February 2018, the world’s largest cities need plenty intellectual property (IP) conforming instead of buying in modular, low cost,
accurate volatile organic compound (VOC)- and PM-levels home, in turn detecting into databases of meaningful, shareable information, of help to approach those levels. That makes for a lucrative to a standard should work perfectly off-the-shelf IP. But vendors that
can be delivered in real time to authorities who can then unhealthy or potentially hundreds or thousands of wireless sensors must be market for OEMs developing air quality IoT applications for together) and reality (unforeseen take an ownership and control path
use the information to trigger preventative action. For harmful levels of wirelessly connected to the Cloud. The solution lies in smart cities, but better yet, striving for purer air ensures factors that impact real world are destined to be the winners as
example, if high PM levels are detected in a particular pollution. Bluetooth LE connectivity in the sensor, combined with citizens of the world’s megacities will enjoy a much performance are numerous, so while wireless connectivity becomes ever
area of a city, smartphone notifications sent over local cellular IoT gateways. These gateways leverage a new healthier future. compliance to a standard helps, it is by more pervasive.
8 W Spring 2019 Spring 2019 W 9
Cover Feature: Booming Bluetooth
Riding High
Bluetooth is buoyant and the technology’s trailblazers are pioneering
applications unimagined when the specification was adopted. WQ reports
N
In Short orth Yungas Road, known locally as ‘death road’,
is an 80-km stretch of ‘highway’ connecting La
In two decades
Bluetooth technology
Paz and Coroico in western Bolivia. A popular Left: Bluetooth LE
destination for thrillseeking bike riders, the dirt sensors will enable
has become ubiquitous farmers to increase
track offers an unbroken 64 km downhill stretch peppered yields and enhance crop
The introduction of
with sheer drops, treacherous hairpins, and frequent quality
Bluetooth LE in 2010
rockfalls. The consequences of an error are severe. Center: Bluetooth
dramatically expanded
the technology’s range Few would attempt this ride without a companion, but tech promises to make
thanks to the now near ubiquity of wireless technology, a Bolivia’s infamous ‘death
of applications beyond road’ a little safer
consumer to industry support crew is on hand almost anywhere, even on death
Below: Intelligent home
and commerce road. Late last year, U.S. cycling equipment company products such as smart
Next in line for Bluetooth Specialized released its ANGi sensor. Attach ANGi to your speakers wouldn’t exist
helmet, pair it via Bluetooth LE to your smartphone, and the without Bluetooth tech
LE are indoor location
services and high device’s built-in accelerometer and gyroscope will detect
quality audio any potentially dangerous incident. If a fall is detected, the
sensor relays the data to the user’s smartphone, and if
the alert isn’t cancelled by the rider via the partner app, a “The decline in mature markets is by no means worrisome
text alert will be sent to the rider’s emergency contacts as these markets are in the midst of transitioning to more
notifying them of the accident and its location. It’s a salient sophisticated wearables,” says Jitesh Ubrani, Senior
Bluetooth
reminder how far Bluetooth has come for a technology yet Research Analyst for International Data Corporation (IDC).
to see its 21st birthday, and originally conceived by Swedish “While the previous generation of wearables was focused technology
cellphone manufacturer Ericsson as a means to enable a on providing feedback like step counts, the current and is one of
short range radio link between computer peripherals. upcoming generations are far more capable and are on
Ericsson—alongside Nokia, Intel, IBM, and Toshiba—met track to becoming prescriptive and diagnostic tools.”
the key
in 1996 and made two fundamental decisions: Create an Where sports and fitness once dominated, healthcare technologies
interoperable protocol forming a standard and form an with partners including Nordic Semiconductor, the applications are now increasingly finding their feet underpinning
industry alliance whose charter was the development of technology was released to the public in October 2006 in the wearables space thanks to both an inevitable
an open specification for hardware and software. In May under the brand name Wibree. The advent of Bluetooth disintermediation between patients and medical the consumer
1998 the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (SIG) came LE was a game changer. Its ultra low power consumption practitioners in an overworked healthcare sector and a wireless
into being, and by the end of that year, membership had enabled a new way of gathering data from sensors without recognition by the U.S. Federal Drug Administration (FDA) revolution
swelled. Within two years not only was the Bluetooth 1.0 comprising range or requiring frequent battery recharge that wearable technology is an ally in health management.
Specification launched, but the first Bluetooth cellphone or replacement. As a result, the applications to which “We know consumers and healthcare providers are
and wireless headset were too. Bluetooth tech could be applied broadened exponentially. increasingly embracing digital health technologies to
Things moved quickly. The Bluetooth SIG’s membership inform everyday decisions,” says FDA Commissioner, Scott
ballooned and last year nearly four billion Bluetooth devices BLUETOOTH EVERYWHERE Gottlieb. “From fitness trackers to mobile applications
were shipped. Today, Bluetooth is native in smartphones, Health and fitness companies in particular sat up and tracking insulin, these digital tools provide consumers with
tablets, and PCs; wireless headphones and speakers are took notice, launching a range of wearables that gathered a wealth of valuable health information. Clinical evidence
found in practically every home; nine of ten new cars movement data and sent it to the wearer’s smartphone. demonstrates consumers who are better informed about THE FUTURE HOME
that roll off the production line are Bluetooth equipped; According to analyst Euromonitor, in 2014, 28.8 million health make better and more efficient decisions.” Thanks to Bluetooth LE, there is little in today’s home that
wearables are universal; we have not just smart homes, but wearable devices shipped; last year the figure was 125 As a result, the FDA has promoted guidelines to fast track can’t be prefixed with “smart”. Locks, lights, smoke alarms,
Specialized’s Angular
and G-Force indicator smart industries, and cities. We live on ‘Planet Bluetooth’. million. By 2022, wearable shipments are forecast to reach the previously lengthy FDA approval process that has held appliances, even toilets … all can now be made intelligent.
(ANGI) incorporates GPS This rapid adoption is founded not only on the open nearly 200 million, a 594 percent surge in just eight years. back wearable tech companies from trying to get medical- Smart home device manufactures have several low
tracking, crash detection, standard but also, crucially a power frugal version, Over that time the concept of what a ‘wearable’ is grade technology into consumer devices, and the result power wireless protocols to choose from, but Bluetooth
and safety beacon in a
compact package
Bluetooth LE, as a hallmark element of the Bluetooth has changed as dramatically as their sales. From basic has been demonstrable. Smart asthma inhalers, Bluetooth has one key advantage, its unique interoperability with
4.0 Specification in 2010. Bluetooth LE was born out of wristbands that counted steps, wearables today have LE blood glucose monitors, epinephrine autoinjectors, and smartphones and tablets. The smartphone’s user interface
a 2001 Nokia venture to develop a wireless technology become sophisticated analytical tools, with some even supervised care wearables for seniors, to name a few, have is not only the easiest and best understood way for
which would operate from coin cell batteries and allow offering medical grade information. While sales of basic proliferated; to the point analyst Markets and Markets consumers to interact with home automation devices,
peripherals such as heart rate monitors to connect to the wearables are now in decline, the forecast for more claims the global market for medical wearable devices will it can also act as the gateway between the smart home
Finnish company’s handsets. After further development sophisticated wearables is anything but. reach $12.1 billion by 2021. device and the Internet. As a result, the global installed base
10 W Spring 2019 Spring 2019 W 11
Cover Feature: Booming Bluetooth
of smart home products reached 361 million devices in 2017 AUDIO OVER BLUETOOTH LE
and was expected to expand to about 560 million devices As for Bluetooth LE’s next horizon, you need look no
by the end of 2018, at a value of some $28 billion. further than audio. The proven reliability of classic Is classic Bluetooth heading
Strengthening Bluetooth LE’s suitability for smart home
applications was the release of the Bluetooth mesh 1.0
Bluetooth audio has not only inspired manufacturers
to design the audio jack out of current iterations of
for obsolescence?
specification in July 2017. Mesh networking allows devices smartphones, but with over 1.2 billion annual shipments To all but the most tech-savvy consumer, Bluetooth is
within a network to communicate using packets relayed of Bluetooth audio and entertainment devices—headsets, Bluetooth, a means of neatly pairing their smartphone with
via other nodes without recourse to a central hub device. headphones, speakers, and earbuds account for over 80 their wireless headphones, smartwatch, car, speaker, or smart
The mesh specification has strengthened Bluetooth tech’s per cent of that market—the opportunity for Bluetooth LE home product. The adoption of Bluetooth LE in the Bluetooth
hand for future smart home application development, a to overcome the limitations of classic Bluetooth is obvious. Core Specification Version 4.0 in 2010 may have passed without
fact recognized by the Bluetooth SIG earlier this year with “Classic Bluetooth doesn’t handle true wireless stereo fanfare from the general public, but for developers it was
the formation of a new Smart Home Subgroup. [TWS],” explains John Leonard, Tactical Marketing Manager another matter, and as such consumers have been enjoying the
“For the smart home market to grow, it needs true at Nordic Semiconductor. “The conventional system sends inherent benefits of Bluetooth LE ever since.
global wireless mesh networking standards that can meet Initially, the pros and cons of classic Bluetooth versus
the reliability, security, and performance needs of the Bluetooth LE depended on the individual demands of the
market,” says Dian Fan, General Manager of Xiaomi IoT application. For applications
Platform. “We’re confident that Bluetooth mesh is one of powered by coin cell batteries and
those standards and will enable tremendous growth and Above: A new generation at ABI Research. “The Bluetooth community continues therefore requiring low power
of wearables such as
innovation in home automation for years to come.” the Humon Hex Muscle
to grow ... as the technology enhances its specification in consumption, Bluetooth LE was
If Bluetooth mesh will be key to smart home growth, it is Monitor, which determines order to retain its prominent position.” the answer, and the wearables
also set to play a key role in another area of Bluetooth LE’s muscle hemoglobin For example, the introduction of Bluetooth 5 in mid 2016 market for one, exploded as a
expansion, the industrial IoT. Networks that can collect saturation, is moving added some key capabilities to Bluetooth tech, notably result. But there was a drawback
wearables from feedback
data to monitor and control production lines, inventory, to diagnostic tools increased range and throughput. While (theoretically) With Bluetooth – throughput. While both classic
and energy, rely on sensors and devices at the edges of quadrupling range, Bluetooth 5 comes with the trade off Bluetooth and Bluetooth LE offered a similar theoretical range
the network. These are capable of receiving and sending
Right: Bluetooth 5.1
of reduced data rates, longer transmission times, and a
5.1 tech’s of around 100 meters, Bluetooth LE could only support a raw
Direction Finding will
data via the network to the Cloud, so a central system can enable smartphone users greater risk of interference. But for some applications— Direction data bandwidth of 1 Mbps, approximately half that of classic
to pinpoint their location in
analyze and react to, for example, remove bottlenecks
indoor situations such as
notably smart agriculture—the compromise is worth it. Finding feature, Bluetooth. This was not a problem for wearables or other
or perform predictive maintenance. According to a Using big data to make informed farming decisions that devices transferring small amounts of data infrequently, but
PwC report, Industry 4.0: Building the digital enterprise,
underground train stations
can bolster production and profit has obvious appeal location impractical for continuous, data heavy applications, not least
and airports
industrial products firms will invest $907 billion per year but retrieving this data from many acres has proved accuracy will audio streaming to wireless headphones and speakers. As such,
through 2020 in realizing the smart factory. “Industry 4.0 economically prohibitive. With Bluetooth 5 sensors that improve from classic Bluetooth had its place.
is no longer a ‘future trend’ - for many companies it is now roadblock is removed. (See page 18.) Agricultural IoT But subsequent iterations of the Bluetooth Core Specification
at the heart of their strategic and research agenda,” states and big data farming is on the rise, and according to a BI meters to have not so much leveled the playing field, as bulldozed it
PwC. “The major focus of investment will be on digital Intelligence report, more than 75 million IoT devices will centimeters completely. With the introduction of Bluetooth 5 in mid 2016,
technologies like sensors or connectivity devices.” be installed for agricultural purposes by the end of this a 2 Mbps ‘high speed’ mode allowed developers to increase
decade, a rise of 150 percent from 2015. the throughput near to classic Bluetooth levels at the cost of
BLUETOOTH NEXT? the stream to one device, which then splits the channels a small range reduction. A 125 or 500 kbps ‘long range’ mode
The rise of Planet Bluetooth has been enabled both by DIRECTION FINDING via a wire. TWS also requires two separate devices to meanwhile enabled an increase in range to hundreds of meters.
constant enhancements to the Bluetooth Specification and Another application of Bluetooth technology anticipated receive the audio stream and emit each channel in perfect Current work by the Bluetooth SIG to introduce an audio-
the ultra low power wireless connectivity solutions that to loom large in 2019 and beyond is direction finding, synchronization. So, while [the current system] is great for over-Bluetooth LE solution later this year will erode classic
power increasingly sophisticated applications. thanks to the latest update to the Bluetooth Specification, banded headsets linked by wires, totally wireless devices Bluetooth’s position further. While classic Bluetooth provides
“Over the last 20 years, Bluetooth has ... been one of the Bluetooth 5.1. Together with received signal strength have had to rely on proprietary solutions.” a satisfactory audio solution, a revised Audio Profile based
key technologies underpinning the consumer wireless indication (RSSI), Bluetooth 5.1’s Direction Finding feature The Bluetooth SIG is working to formalize an Audio Profile on Bluetooth LE promises not only enhanced battery life, but
revolution,” says Stuart Carlaw, Chief Research Officer yields is an improvement in location accuracy from meters supported by Bluetooth LE to be formally adopted by the synchronization between left and right audio channels, support
to centimeters, opening up new possibilities for accurate Bluetooth SIG later this year. “Work is ongoing on the new for playback streaming to multiple devices, and broadcasting.
indoor positioning of assets and people. (See page 24.) audio specification, but we anticipate this profile to be The Bluetooth SIG’s 2018
“Location services is one of the fastest growing solution well-suited to hearables and other low-power devices,” Bluetooth market update forecasts
areas for Bluetooth technology, and is forecasted to reach says Leonard. “Power consumption could be reduced by as that by 2022, 97 percent of all
Bluetooth beyond: over 400 million products per year by 2022,” says Mark much as 10 times, which could have just as big an impact on Bluetooth chips shipped will include
Between a ship and a hard place Powell, Bluetooth SIG Executive Director.
“Since the introduction of Bluetooth Low Energy in 2010,
product development as the increased speed.”
Bluetooth LE is now omnipresent in our lives. Whether
Need to Know
Bluetooth LE technology. All the
consumer cares about is that
Bluetooth 5 tech’s long range functionality has expanded Bluetooth LE developers have been able to create powerful, low cost the consumer knows it or not, there is almost certainly In 2016, the global IoT market Bluetooth works, is easy to set-up,
applications. Wilhelmsen Ships Service has embedded a Nordic nRF52840 location services solutions for a variety of applications no home in the developed world that doesn’t contain at was valued at $157 billion. and doesn’t rapidly drain their
By 2020, it is anticipated to
SoC load sensor in a network of ropes to assist ship crews when mooring spanning across consumer, retail, healthcare, public least one Bluetooth LE device. Moreover, the home is smartphone or Bluetooth device
grow to $457 billion with
vessels in port. In a challenging environment dominated by RF absorbing venues, and manufacturing,” says Andrew Zignani, Senior just the start. Whether you are a mountain biker hurtling battery. Bluetooth LE does all that and more. For now, classic
applications for smart cities,
substances such as steel and water, the Timm Mooring Assistance load Analyst, ABI Research. “The new direction finding feature down death road in Bolivia, a farmer standing in his field in the industrial IoT, connected Bluetooth retains an edge in mains or large battery powered
sensors provide safety feedback via Bluetooth LE wireless connectivity on ... will further accelerate the adoption of Bluetooth for midwestern Iowa, or indeed simply trying to pinpoint your health, and smart homes applications such as PCs and smartphones, but a few more
potential rope snaps up to 100 m away, enabling the crew to take immediate location services in existing markets, while unlocking position as you navigate your way around the Louvre in contributing almost 85 amendments to the Bluetooth Specification could see Bluetooth
corrective action in case of a problem. (See page 4.) business opportunities for new applications.” Paris, make no mistake, you are now on Planet Bluetooth. percent of that total LE’s parent consigned to history.
12 W Spring 2019 Spring 2019 W 13
Feature: Asset Tracking
Boxing
Clever
The shipping container is a glorious
success, transporting over $7 trillion
of goods across the globe annually.
But things still get damaged, and
logistics firms want answers
F
In Short orget the World Trade Organization (WTO), the
Shipping containers
Panama Canal, Amazon, FedEx, and the unimpeded
move 90 per cent transfer of money across borders, the shipping
of consumer goods container is the thing most responsible for the
around the world in 750 revolution in international trade. According to The
million unit movements Economist, a U.K. based newspaper, this humble steel box
annually. The system is has been more of a driver of globalization than all trade
fast and inexpensive agreements in the past 50 years put together.
Transport and logistics The secret of the shipping container’s success is
companies have “intermodalism”, or the ability to be conveyed seamlessly
embraced IT and IoT by two or more forms of transport. Goods can be packed
technology to handle into a standard (ISO) container, with double doors at one
documentation and end, measuring 8 ft (2.43m) wide by 8.5 ft (2.59 m) high and
keep track of individual one of two lengths, 20 ft (6.06m) and 40 ft (12.2m). And
shipping containers
then transported by purpose designed ship and offloaded
But damage to the cargo onto a train or truck without the contents ever being
within, such as that disturbed. (Or even the doors being opened; only around 5
caused by impact, high per cent of shipping containers are visually inspected in the
temperature, and water,
U.S. and even fewer in Europe.) Compared with what went tracked as they cross the high seas. Many containers container ship in the world to surpass 21,000 TEU capacity. is considerable; global shipping container trade is believed
runs to billions of dollars
before, this is a brave new world. carrying high value cargo are fitted with GPS tracking This is a ship so enormous it will dedicate its working years to account for approximately 60 per cent of all ocean trade,
per year and is often
undetected until arrival As Marc Levinson explains in his book The Box: How devices and radio transceivers that can connect to the to sailing from Asia to Northern Europe via Africa, avoiding With today’s equating to 1.83 billion tonnes and $7 trillion in 2017. At any
at the customer the Shipping Container Made the World Smaller and the IoT. But what happens inside those 38 or 76-m3 boxes the Panama Canal through which it is too large to pass. one time, 20 million shipping containers are moving across
World Economy Bigger, before shipping containers were during transit remains literally and figuratively shrouded The OOCL Hong Kong is one of a class of Ultra Large technology, the oceans and continents, and 90 percent of everything a
Low power cellular IoT
and short range wireless
first used in 1956, shifting cargo 15 km by land transport in darkness. That represents an opportunity for IoT Container Ships (ULCS) comprised of those with a capacity it’s practical to consumer purchases arrives by ship. That means shipping
and loading onto a ship at the port of departure and then entrepreneurs. of 10,000 TEUs and over. Maritime News reports that at the containers hold everything from ball bearings to Bugattis,
technology offers
unloading it onto to a truck or train for a 15-km trip to its beginning of 2018 there were 451 ULCS operating, while
deploy dozens cherryade to Château Mouton Rothschild, and jeans to jet
an inexpensive, low
maintenance solution final destination cost just as much as all the rest of a 6,500- BREAKING THE BOTTLENECK another 129 were on order for delivery by 2020. And, if of wireless turbines.
to monitoring and km export voyage. Loading and unloading of individual goods in barrels, sacks, the market remains buoyant the 30,000 TEU vessel could sensors inside a Considering the volume of container ship traffic and the
reporting the condition The ease with which goods can be moved in containers and wooden crates from shore-to-ship and back again be with us within a decade. Elsewhere, analyst McKinsey fact that the ocean is hardly known for its benevolence,
of goods inside a shipping and the cost savings that this convenience yields has changed little in the two millennia from the Roman Empire forecasts modest but continuous growth in cargo moved
single shipping the modest amount of valuable cargo lost overboard is
container prompted a boom in international trade; according to the until half way through the 20th century. Things started by shipping containers of between 1.9 and 3.2 per cent for container to remarkable. According to Shipping and Freight Resource,
World Bank, in 1973, global container port traffic was four to change when American Malcom P. McLean realized it the next five decades. It seems nothing is about to threaten monitor the the World Shipping Council’s (WSC) surveys in 2011, 2014,
million TEUs (‘twenty-foot equivalent (container) units’). would be much simpler and quicker to have one container the shipping container’s dominance. and 2017 accurately determined how many shipping
That rose to 225 million TEUs by the turn of the century, that could be lifted from a train or truck directly onto a ship condition of the containers were lost at sea. The WSC found that during a
and a staggering 753 million TEUs by 2017. Shanghai alone without having to unload its contents. A decade later, on 23 LOST AT SEA cargo nine year period, on average, 1,582 shipping containers fell
handled over 37 million TEUs that year. April 1966, Sea-Land’s Fairland sailed from Port Elizabeth, While the shipping container is a remarkable invention overboard each year and of those 64 per cent were lost due
It would seem that transporting cargo efficiently and U.S., to Rotterdam, The Netherlands, with 236 containers that has transformed the logistics industry over the past to catastrophic events such as storms and ship collisions.
inexpensively around the world is a challenge that’s aboard in the first international voyage of a container ship. 60 years, in its basic form it’s merely a cheap steel box - Such limited attrition is testament to the mechanical
been solved. The shipping industry has computerized Fifty one years later, Orient Overseas Container Line albeit a robust one. The true value, of course, is in what the systems used to secure containers to ships.
the documentation and shipping containers are carefully (OOCL) took delivery of the OOCL Hong Kong, the first container holds. According to analyst, Statista, that value Once the shipping containers make it to land, they
14 W Spring 2019 Spring 2019 W 15
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