ACEINNA and Point One Navigation Announce the Launch of OpenARC

24 March 2021 – ACEINNA, a leading developer of inertial based guidance and navigation systems for autonomous vehicles and devices, today announced the commercial availability of OpenARC. The solution is a complete, precise positioning hardware & software platform that offers easy system integration of GNSS corrections with high performance INS and RTK hardware.  OpenARC is powered by Point One Navigation, a visionary leader delivering precise positioning for the next generation of transportation. 

The streamlined OpenARC positioning platform combines Point One’s Polaris GNSS correction service with ACEINNA’s OpenRTK330 hardware and software solution for developers of autonomous systems in trucking, precision agriculture, construction, mapping, surveying, and robotics. OpenARC provides high precision and confidence in positioning and localization applications, enabling centimeter level accuracy for challenging tasks such as lane keeping, precision agricultural guidance, and UAV landing maneuvers.

OpenARC is integrated into the OpenRTK330LI navigation module to provide a secure, vertically integrated, and easy-to-use positioning platform.  OpenARC offers an easy registration and activation process, and is very scalable, supporting single unit installations to high-volume deployments. 

The new platform is powered by Point One’s proprietary Polaris GNSS cloud correction service.  Polaris delivers superior station density in areas where operators need it the most, including urban centers and suburban surrounding areas, enabling cold convergence times of under 10 seconds - the fastest of any network solution available. 

Polaris provides continuous position monitoring and is the only network that tracks all modern satellite constellations, leading to industry best accuracy and confidence.  Fully owned by Point One, the Polaris network uses the latest in base station technology including advanced anti-jam, interference mitigation, security, and integrity monitoring.  Its cloud-based correction architecture allows for GNSS corrections in Real Time Kinematic (RTK) or State Space Representation (SSR) configuration.  The Polaris network’s open-source interfaces demonstrate compatibility with receivers and chipsets from leading providers.  The service is also compatible with any NTRIP/RTCM3 compliant receiver.

“We are excited to launch OpenArc, the most reliable, turn-key and affordable precise positioning solution on the market,” said Dr. Yang Zhao, Chairman and CEO of ACEINNA (above).  “OpenARC integrates high performance inertial navigation hardware & algorithms, with Point One’s unique technology, to deliver a complete high-performance positioning solution. This enables our customers to optimize their development costs by leveraging our combined expertise, which we now bring to many industries and applications together through our partnership.”

“Point One’s highly adaptable Polaris network is now fully deployed coast-to-coast, supporting many precise positioning and autonomous applications,” said Aaron Nathan, CEO and Co-Founder at Point One.  “OpenARC delivers a precise yet affordable corrections-based solution that is easy to use and we are delighted to be working with an innovator such as ACEINNA.”

For additional information on OpenARC operation, coverage and ordering details, please visit https://openarc.aceinna.com.

Source: ACEINNA

WeMaintain Signs Four Year Contract with KeolisAmey Docklands

23 March, 2021 –  WeMaintain, a fast growing PropTech company based in Paris and London, has signed a four-year contract with KeolisAmey Docklands (KAD) for the provision of lift and escalator maintenance solutions to all London Docklands Light Railway (DLR) stations. 

The agreement will see WeMaintain provide maintenance services covering 86 lifts and 30 escalators across the DLR network. Additionally, WeMaintain’s proprietary Internet of Things (IoT) solution will be installed on all lifts and escalators, providing live data to KAD that will give better insights into the operational state of critical equipment and open-up new possibilities for improved understanding of asset utilisation. 

Since its launch three years ago, WeMaintain has been transforming the regulated lift and escalator maintenance market. It gives asset owners and operators an end-to-end solution for carrying out critical maintenance operations and provides high-quality data through proprietary technological solutions that improves knowledge of assets. WeMaintain’s business model has been praised by customers in Paris and London as it provides real-time data and information on buildings and other assets they previously could not access. 

WeMaintain’s model differs from other maintenance providers by giving engineers and those on the ground autonomy and sophisticated technology to facilitate creating the best possible customer experience. Notably, engineers are incentivised to deliver on agreed customer KPIs, with performance bonuses paid monthly. This differentiates WeMaintain from its competitors and helps to ensure consistent high-performance. This ‘pay-for-performance’ model gives customers peace of mind and ensures engagement throughout the life of the contract term.

Commenting on the agreement, Tom Harmsworth, UK Managing Director of WeMaintain (above), claims that the KeolisAmey Docklands contract win will see exciting innovation for the DLR that will ultimately lead to increased lift and escalator reliability.

“We’re very pleased to be working with KAD and we look forward to delivering the highest standards of elevator and lift maintenance to the DLR network. Our operations team has deep experience of the rail environment and we look forward to bringing a new approach to this part of the industry. 

“This agreement will see WeMaintain bring real innovation to the DLR through the implementation of our IoT technology. 

“Once our IoT sensors are installed on all of the DLR’s 86 lifts and 30 escalators, we will be able to provide KAD with early warnings of possible equipment failure, allowing us to react and resolve an issue with speed and efficiency that wasn’t previously possible. We and KAD anticipate that once the effectiveness of our solution has been confirmed through live operations, our IoT technology will facilitate a shift to predictive maintenance. 

“Rail networks are uniquely challenging environments in which to work and WeMaintain has both the staff and the technology to offer operators unmatched maintenance solutions that will result in greater levels of customer satisfaction. Some of our team members have decades of experience working in the rail sector and it’s an area in which we see great growth potential for our business.” 

 Kieran Wright, Lifts and Escalators Maintenance Manager at KAD said: 

"KeolisAmey Docklands look forward to working with WeMaintain UK over the next four years, as they  maintain our lift and escalator fleet. WeMaintain have come across as being professional, dedicated and enthusiastic and wanting to change the way lifts and escalators are maintained away from the norm. I look forward to the step change that we can collaboratively achieve." 

Source: WeMaintain

Polte works with Deloitte in DoD 5G Smart Warehouse Initiative

16 March 2021 – Polte, an innovator of Cloud Location over Cellular (C-LoC) technology, has announced the award of a subcontract from Deloitte. In an initiative with the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), Polte and Deloitte will develop a 5G-enabled smart warehouse prototype at the Naval Supply Systems Command (NAVSUP) Naval Base Coronado.

Polte will work with Deloitte to equip the facility with its patented 5G Massive IoT location technology, a leading provider of accurate indoor and outdoor cellular positioning.

Polte allows the DoD secure, universal visibility of critical assets and inventory with accuracy heightened by a supplemental 5G private network. By providing real-time location intelligence, Polte enables service members to boost efficiency, increase effectiveness of their assets, and respond quickly to changes in their environment. The DoD's investment in this ultramodern prototype lays the groundwork to scale capabilities across facilities, keeping service members as prepared as possible to support its mission in maintaining peace and strengthening national security.

Polte's C-LoC technology provides seamless, indoor and outdoor location insights leveraging cloud computing and 4G/5G global cellular networks. By using ubiquitous cellular infrastructure and private networks, customers can eliminate the complexity and expense of additional hardware, access points, or beacon deployments. Taking a disruptive approach and offloading computational complexity from "edge to cloud," Polte both stretches the battery life of connected devices while safeguarding the privacy of produced location data.

With the rollout of 5G, Polte technology unlocks more significantly enhanced indoor accuracy for a variety of customers across campuses, warehouses and manufacturing zones. Polte's solution provides end to end, universal asset visibility, with high precision on the warehouse floor and utility that continues outdoors. Unlike beacon-based indoor tracking technologies, Polte allows uninterrupted visibility over the wide area network as the asset leaves the building and is transported to its next destination.

Having led cutting-edge smart factory projects in other industries, such as previous transformative work in Wichita, Kansas, Deloitte was selected by the DoD as one of the most qualified to oversee the demonstration and selection of 5G technology applications for the Naval Base Coronado smart warehouse prototype. Deloitte sought and vetted technologies that would improve the efficiency and safety of material and supply handling, management, storage and distribution. Polte was ultimately chosen as a key player in bringing the concept of reliable, scalable tracking for all assets in the facility to fruition.  

"We are excited to kick off this program to prototype a truly state-of-the-art facility for the DoD," said Kelly Marchese, principal with Deloitte Consulting LLP. "Today's legacy warehouse systems are impacted by issues including inefficient use of time, lack of Inventory visibility, and cyber vulnerabilities. However, leveraging innovative 5G location technology, tomorrow's service members will not only be able to decrease manual processes and redirect attention to uniquely human tasks that support the mission, but keep classified location data protected while doing so."

Work on the 5G smart warehouse prototype commenced in February 2021 and is projected for completion in 2024. Phase 1 will include roadmap assessments, experiment plan development, and security reviews prior to capability demonstration.

"In an increasingly hyper-connected society, the power of location is absolutely fundamental to the success of 5G," said Ed Chao, CEO of Polte (above). "Secure, accurate positioning is vital to the management and monitoring of everything that's important, streamlining operations for both enterprises and governments. We are grateful for this incredible opportunity to serve our country and our service men and women."

Source: Polte

IOTech and Microsoft Announce Edge XRT Platform to support Microsoft Azure Sphere

4 March 2021 – IOTech, the edge software company, today announced the launch of Edge XRT, its time-critical edge platform for Microsoft Azure Sphere. Designed and optimized for resource-constrained environments, Edge XRT delivers out-of-the-box device connectivity and edge intelligence for microcontroller units (MCUs), gateways and smart sensors at the IoT edge.

Azure Sphere is a secured, high-level application platform with built-in communication and security features for the connected devices. It is comprised of a connected crossover microcontroller unit, a custom Linux-based operating system, and a cloud-based security service.

“We’re delighted to collaborate with Microsoft and its partners to deliver real-time IoT edge capability for low-profile, yet powerful, devices,” said Keith Steele, CEO of IOTech. “The availability of Edge XRT for use with Microsoft Azure Sphere is an important step to accelerate the deployment, and even more importantly, dramatically reduce the time-to-value, for both greenfield and brownfield IoT edge solutions.”

Edge XRT for Azure is fully compatible with Azure Sphere-certified chips and Azure Sphere OS. An Azure Sphere device is designed to integrate securely with the Azure Sphere security service running in the cloud. The security service ensures the integrity of the device and provides the secure channel used by Microsoft to automatically install Azure Sphere OS and customer application updates to deployed devices.

Edge XRT reduces the time-to-value for Azure Sphere from weeks to hours, delivering securely connected device service deployments. In addition, by moving specific workloads to the edge of the network, devices spend less time communicating with the cloud and can react quickly to local changes and operate reliably, even in extended offline periods.

The edge platform, which simplifies connectivity to sensors and devices at the edge, enables connectivity to Azure Sphere devices using a range of standard industrial protocols including Modbus, BACnet and EtherNet/IP. It allows ready access to edge data, which can be sent securely to and from its digital twin running on Azure IoT Hub.

Edge XRT can also host edge intelligence applications for Azure Sphere devices. The platform allows users to create downloadable edge applications that can be updated over the air (via the Azure Sphere security service) throughout the life cycle of the device.

“Microsoft is pleased to collaborate with IOTech to enable the integration of device data with Microsoft Azure Sphere deployments,” said Galen Hunt (above), Distinguished Engineer and Managing Director of Azure Sphere, Microsoft. “Edge XRT software helps reduce device integration configuration time and deployment, helping customers and partners realize value from IoT solutions rapidly and at scale.”

IOTech and Microsoft will discuss the collaboration and solution during an upcoming webinar on March 25: Accelerating Time-to-Value for IoT Applications at the Far Edge.

Click here to register.

Source: IOTech