WeMaintain Acquires PropTech Startup Shokly to Drive Building Operations

9 February 2021 – WeMaintain, a tech-enabled lift maintenance company, has acquired French startup Shokly, a company specialising in fire alarm maintenance and management. The acquisition is aimed at increasing WeMaintain’s presence in the smart buildings sector.

WeMaintain, which launched in London last year, is driving the trend towards smart buildings by working to create a better relationship between the built environment and its occupants.

The company initially aimed to address a critical area of building operations: lift maintenance. WeMaintain has since moved on to resolve other pressing industry concerns such as low quality of service, lack of innovation, and poor distribution of information among building owners and facility managers.

WeMaintain’s model involves giving engineers and facility managers autonomy and sophisticated technology to create the best user experience. The company’s technology captures rich data from buildings, enabling transparency and a customer-first approach to the market. WeMaintain’s business model has been praised by customers in Paris and London who are now able to obtain real-time data and information on their buildings they previously had no access to. 

With Shokly, fire alarm system maintenance is automated and reliable thanks to a module that connects the central unit with the mobile app used by the engineers. Shokly has also developed IoT sensors for the day-to-day management of fire alarm systems. This allows customers to monitor their equipment, and spot potential malfunctions, remotely and in real time.

The acquisition creates multiple synergies. For WeMaintain, the move will result in the implementation of a data lake enriched in real time. This is a result of the additional IoT sensors deployed in buildings and in the field, with data collected via the engineers' mobile applications. On the customer side, managers and building owners will benefit from information that provides more detailed knowledge of their buildings, in addition to WeMaintain’s optimised service.

Benoit Dupont (above, centre), CEO and co-founder of WeMaintain, said Shokly was a ‘natural partner’ for WeMaintain and comments: “WeMaintain and Shokly have both started from their field expertise in order to identify and collect adequate data, provide a high-quality service and enable a broader long term data strategy. In fact, Shokly has created technology just like WeMaintain, that is not bound to a specific manufacturer, like traditional industrial players. We find ourselves with an agnostic technology, easy to deploy and that truly brings value to the client. Just like WeMaintain can deploy its IoT solution on all types of lifts, Shokly can install its solution on all brands and models of fire alarm systems.”

In a sector featuring a small number of historical players, lack of competition and poor adoption of digital tools, there are many opportunities for value creation. Through the creation and deployment of sophisticated technology and the recruitment of highly skilled engineers, WeMaintain can manage the usually invisible operations of regulated maintenance to better serve stakeholders within commercial real estate.

Olivier Comets, founder of Shokly, states: “The founding teams of both companies are aligned: we share values and an ambition to transform the space in which we operate. The historic approach to building operations does not serve customers and this has real consequences. Over 70 percent of companies that have a fire in one of their buildings close down in the following months. We look forward to becoming a building operation provider that fully leverages people, tech and data. We want to raise the bar in our industry. We can provide customers with a single point of contact that can take care of their building maintenance needs and one dashboard to access all the data and insight we extract from their buildings.”

Source: WeMaintain

Develco Products Partners with People Power to Provide Homecare Solutions in Response to COVID-19

12 December 2020 – Develco Products A/S, a business-to-business wireless technology company, announces a strategic partnership with People Power, a Silicon-Valley based software and services company. Advanced hardware from Develco Products combined with People Power’s software will help deliver advanced white label homecare services for European and U.S. markets challenged by COVID-19 and chronic diseases.

COVID-19 death rates at long-term care facilities differ widely across European countries, in many cases accounting for more than 50% of all pandemic-related fatalities. Research shows that living in long-term care facilities is a significant risk factor for death from COVID-19. As a result, the number of seniors who want to age safely and comfortably at home has accelerated across Europe.

The aging of Europe, characterized by increasing life expectancies in the coming decades, will create an accelerating burden on the economic, health care and social security of Europe. Hence, the demand for vastly improved remote homecare systems is increasing significantly. (sources: voxeu.org, eurosurveillance.org, Eurostad.)

The combined system offered by the partnership is available for service providers to help seniors live more safely and confidently in their homes. Companies can quickly launch AI-powered homecare services through their own brands. The combined system has undergone extensive testing and is ready for businesses to strategically approach the rapidly expanding telehomecare market.

Develco Products’ advanced hardware solution combined with People Power’s innovative software work together to help seniors remain safe at home 24/7 with a comprehensive safety net of alerts and emergency response procedures. The solution is designed for easy installation in the home or apartment of a senior and can be sold to their adult children worried about the safety of parents living alone or with a spouse or partner. The solution also helps families leaving a senior at home during the workday.

The combined system features a dual-SIM cellular gateway perfect for rural, urban, and underserved seniors challenged with antiquated or unavailable internet connectivity. The system does not require in-home cameras, respecting the privacy of seniors. Homecare offerings can incorporate wireless sensors that alert for occurrences of fire, water leaks, and more.

“The world is calling for a truly revolutionary system that solves a mix of challenges faced by people wanting to age safely and confidently at home,” said Karsten Ries, CEO of Develco Products. “We are confident the combination of People Power’s intelligent services and Develco Products’ world-class gateways and sensors will deliver homecare solutions through service provider brands that consumers will depend upon and love.”

People Power’s unique architecture is centered around AI-powered bots running in the cloud, which can be downloaded onto the gateway for added performance, reliability, and security. With the ability to learn continuously and update patterns of activity in the home, the system has the potential to detect deviations that signal potentially troubling situations such as falls, failure to get out of bed or returning home at expected times, sleep irregularities, and more. In such instances, alerts are triggered to notify family members, caregivers, and the 24/7 emergency call center.

“Intelligent homecare solutions that make a real difference to people depend on great devices that generate high-quality data for reliable and secure HIPAA-compliant services,” said Gene Wang, CEO of People Power (above). “Helping us address the myriad of homecare challenges faced in the COVID-19 era and beyond, we are delighted to partner with Develco Products, respected worldwide for their innovative product design and mature technology as we focus on delivering the next generation of intelligent homecare services.”

For service providers seeking recurring revenues from new businesses, Develco Products and People Power provide white label offerings for rapid go-to-market initiatives. Beginning with intelligent turn-key deployments of service trials to help companies frame and prove market opportunities, brands can quickly test their unique service differentiation with audiences of any size prior to broad commercialization. The center of the hardware solution is Develco Products’ advanced white label gateway, built upon a modular platform for connecting devices and transferring data reliably and securely. It supports a wide range of communication protocols and is able to quickly scale consumer offerings.

The combined solutions that Develco Products and People Power have designed for homecare are now available for evaluation and commercial deployments in the EU through Develco Products’ sales organization and readied for U.S. market opportunities through People Power’s sales organization.

For service providers and professional care agencies seeking more information in the EU and Scandinavian markets, please contact sales@develcoproducts.com, and for U.S. markets, please contact sales@peoplepowerco.com

Source: Develco Products

Looking Ahead: New Tech Brings a New Set of Barriers to Consider

17 November 2020 – Increased investment in IoT is paving the way for a new phase of fully digitalized supply chain management. The trend was largely influenced by the pandemic-related workforce layoffs and mandatory state lockdowns. Smart logistic solutions are economically resilient and effective. They not only offer an entirely new level of flexibility and efficiency, but require less human capital to supervise and maintain operations.

Although with a lot of potential use cases, Vincentas Grinius, CEO at IPXO (right), notes a few vulnerabilities concerning the technology, which should be addressed before upgrading to IoT-driven supply chain management – to avoid leaving any open doors for external threats.

External Security Gaps

Each IoT device needs an IP address to access the organization’s network, for instance, to send or receive relevant information concerning in-stock, machine operability, and other crucial information. However, IoTs are usually set up on public IP addresses, and are therefore visible to all Internet users. This could lead to a serious external data breach, which in turn, may potentially take down an entire supply chain structure.

“Each IP address needs to be validated by an encrypted certificate, either LOA or ROA. The difference between them is that the latter is digital, hence, more secure and tamper-proof,” explains Grinius. “However, the majority of IPs in the industry are still under LOA certificate, thus for IoTs operating on LOA-verified IP addresses, the risk of breach becomes significantly higher.”

“ROA is crucial in terms of preventing IP hijacking and securing network integrity,” he continues, “and should become common practice, as it could better protect the entire infrastructure.”

Robust Network Perimeter

Controlling a large number of IoT devices requires setting up a robust network perimeter. As malware is becoming more and more technologically sophisticated, Mr Grinius emphasizes the importance of regular security protocol updates. Timely upgrades are key to detecting any new red-flags.

“The IoT industry is still evolving, therefore we may not even be aware of some of the associated threats. Building a robust network perimeter, as well as making sure all of the security policies are up-to-date remains vital to prevent outside attacks,” explains V. Grinius.

Traffic Monitoring

Tracking IoT-related traffic may be the difference between catching a threat just-in-time or a little too late. Being able to distinguish any abnormalities is relevant to long-term security, as previously deemed suspicious traffic would be red flagged on the spot.

“Sometimes real-time data is not enough. Analysing historic data enables to dive deep into network forensics and make deductions if an intruder has been trying to knock-down your defences and reiterate accordingly. Isolating patterns, previously identified as malicious, allows to not fall victim to recurring threats, and keep a watchful eye on any new malware that might be emerging.”

IoT offers a great deal of manufacturing flexibility, and, if all security shortcomings are timely addressed, will bring supply chain management up to an entirely new level of efficiency, helping businesses recover and thrive in the post-pandemic economy.

Source: IPXO

SOTI Invests $20m to Fund New Aerospace Division, SOTI Aerospace

16 November 2020 – SOTI, a well trusted provider of mobility and IoT management solutions, today announced the launch of its new aerospace division, SOTI Aerospace. The division will focus on advanced aerial drone and robotics research. Working with industry-leading researchers, scientists, engineers, and academia from around the world, SOTI will initially invest $20 million (USD) to fund its new aerospace division.

The new division will focus its research on vision systems for indoor environments, including self-learning, situational understanding, automatic location of people and objects, self-navigation, and smart avoidance. Initial applications will be focused on the medical sector and search & rescue operations.

As part of its commitment to innovation, SOTI is also announcing a multi-year collaboration with Ryerson University. This initiative will bring together SOTI’s top talent and Ryerson’s world-class researchers to focus on advancing aerospace research. Ryerson's aerospace expertise will support SOTI's research and development of aerial drone technology. SOTI will support a research chair in this field and provide real-world experience in applied aerospace technology for Ryerson students.

“SOTI Aerospace represents an exciting new era for the company and continues our commitment to invest in Canada’s technology ecosystem and work with the best and brightest minds around the world in aerial technology,” says Carl Rodrigues (above), President and CEO, SOTI. “Ryerson University is an ideal collaborator. Together, we aim to nurture talent and entrepreneurship, and ultimately leverage technology for good. We look forward to working together to develop aerospace innovations that enhance student education while also bringing new technology to market.”

“Ryerson University is pleased to join with SOTI to advance innovative aerospace research and technology in Canada,” comments Mohamed Lachemi, Ryerson University President and Vice-Chancellor. “This collaboration unites leading aerospace researchers and industry experts, to accelerate the development of aerial drone research through dedicated funding. The agreement will also create new opportunities for our students to work on cutting-edge projects through enriched learning experiences, internships and scholarships.”

For over two decades, SOTI has been at the forefront of the mobile revolution. The new aerospace division will lean heavily on SOTI’s management team’s extensive engineering experience, as well as bring together the best and brightest from around the globe to reimagine how technology can be used to transform the world.

Source: SOTI

Cambridge Wireless and Huawei Partner to Build 5G Mobile Private Network in Cambridge

11 November 2020 – Cambridge Wireless (CW), an international community for companies involved in the research, development and application of wireless technologies, has teamed up with the global technology provider Huawei. The collaboration hopes to execute the building and deployment of Cambridge’s first 5G mobile private network within the Cambridge Science Park.

The partnership aims to explore how advanced wireless technology can have a far-reaching impact on both society and the economy. The new set-up will allow Cambridge’s technology community to undertake new digital research and application in key areas such as autonomous vehicles, clean energy and remote surgery.

The 5G testbed will go live in January 2021 and kicks off a three-year partnership between Cambridge Wireless and Huawei, which will involve digital training, business support and joint events. The testbed will be based at Cambridge Science Park, currently owned by Cambridge University – a university home to more than 120 tech companies and scale-ups.

 “We are constantly working to provide value to CW members,” said Simon Mead (above), CEO of CW. “As home to one of the world’s most advanced R&D ecosystems, Cambridge is perfectly positioned for the rollout of next-generation wireless technology and we’re delighted to be driving this initiative with our partners. We hope to bring something unique to the Science Park to accelerate use cases and development of this technology. We invite ambitious businesses to get involved and through this exciting 3-year partnership with Huawei, we will support their 5G innovation journey.”

Huawei Vice-President Victor Zhang described the partnership as a key part of the company's ongoing commitment to the UK. He said: “Huawei’s success is built on a relentless drive for innovation and we are able to keep pushing the boundaries of technology when we partner with those who share this ambition. The Cambridge eco-system is recognised as a global leader in technology and we are excited to work with the talent and vision in this eco-system. We hope to enable Cambridge Wireless members to reach new heights by allowing them access to our state-of-the-art equipment and markets including China and beyond. Our commitment to the UK and industry remains as strong as ever and we will continue to offer our expertise and technology to our partners to promote connections and innovation.”

Additional partnerships with TusPark UK and Freshwave have been developed to acceleratethe digitalisation of The Cambridge Science Park and enable businesses to exploit new capabilities, boost innovation and gain competitive advantage as they shift towards the adoption of 5G.  

“We are looking for organisations who would like to create, accelerate and test out new and innovative applications and products on the CW 5G Testbed,” said Abhi Naha, Chief Commercial Officer at CW.

Source: Cambridge Wireless

DJI Launches DJI Mini 2, the Perfect Drone for All Abilities

5 November 2020 – Today, DJI, a global leader in civilian drones and creative camera technology, launched DJI Mini 2. The high-performance camera, in the safest drone category, packs impressive new features into a small, portable design, all weighing less than 249 grams.

According to DJI, the Mini 2 is easy to fly and has improved imaging capabilities, powerful flight performance, and enhanced transmission technology for longer and more reliable connection. Supported with a wide array of accessories, DJI Mini 2 users can make the system their own with personalized items and an illuminated display case.

“Mavic Mini was a monumental breakthrough for DJI and for drone pilots across the world, as its unprecedented combination of weight, safety, performance, and overall value became the entry point for countless new drone pilots and fans,” said DJI President, Roger Luo (above). “DJI Mini 2 enhances those key aspects, packing larger drone performance in an approachable, small design in the safest drone category that is perfect for beginners and will also impress more experienced pilots.”

Just like the original Mavic Mini, DJI Mini 2 features a folding design that makes traveling with a drone incredibly easy. In addition, the new drone claims improved flight performance features in comparison to the original version. OcuSync 2.0 transmission technology has now been incorporated. This is responsible for ensuring stable, long distance, and reliable connection between the remote controller and the drone. Dual-frequency technology automatically switches between channels to help against interference.

DJI Mini 2 has a maximum transmission range of 6km, a 200% increase in range compared to that of the original Mavic Mini. Upgraded motors provide 31 minutes of flight time, faster acceleration and speed, along with the ability to withstand winds up to 24mph.

Like all DJI drones, high-grade positioning and vision sensors help Mini 2 hover precisely in place. GPS keeps track of where the drone is while the vision sensors on the bottom map out the ground below it and assist automated landing.

DJI drones offer a range of safety features, including:

• GEO fencing, which keeps drones out of sensitive areas such as airports
• Return to Home, a feature that can be activated so the drone returns to the pilot
• Altitude Lock, an adjustable limit on how high the drone can go.

The new drone is able to capture detailed images with the help of a 1/2.3-inch sensor capable of recording 12-megapixel images and a maximum video resolution of 4K/30fps @100 Mbps. Shake-free, smooth footage is also possible thanks to the 3-axis gimbal, which compensates for drone movement, wind, and more.

DJI Mini 2 is available for purchase today from store.dji.com and from authorized retail partners. For additional info visit: https://store.dji.com/product/mini-2

Source: DJI

BICS and Gurtam Partner for Global Telematics Services

29 October 2020 – International communications enabler BICS today announces its partnership with telematics software provider Gurtam to provide IoT asset monitoring and fleet management on a global scale. The collaboration combines BICS’ global IoT network connectivity with Gurtam’s GPS tracking and IoT platform, Wialon, which is the largest transport monitoring platform on the market.

BICS connects IoT devices to more than 700 mobile operators in more than 200 countries. This enables devices to roam seamlessly around the world and switch networks depending on quality and coverage needs. By combining this with Gurtam’s GPS monitoring platform, telematics resellers and GPS tracking service providers will be able to deliver flexible, reliable, and global connected services to customers looking to improve their business.

“We’re a global player with over 2.5 million vehicles being tracked via Wialon, and we are proud to work with more than two thousand partners,” said Kseniya Dolia, Technology Partners Community Manager, Gurtam. “Flexibility is at the heart of our offering, as evidenced by our hardware-agnostic solution. By selecting BICS as our technology partner, we are able to enhance this flexibility and offer cellular connectivity to our users, meaning businesses using Wialon no longer have to rely solely on local connectivity providers. Instead, via embedded SIMs, our platform gives companies the freedom to choose the cellular coverage that best suits them, and to take advantage of the stability, quality, and global reach of BICS’ network.”

The Global System for Mobile Communications Association (GSMA) predicts that between 2019 and 2025, the number of global IoT connections will more than double to almost $25 billion, while global IoT revenue will more than triple to $1.1 trillion. Thus, BICS and Gurtam’s partnership is an important step for businesses looking to deploy flexible, reliable, secure IoT connectivity for their devices.

“Reliable, flexible, and global mobility is fundamental in a digital economy.” said Mikaël Schachne (above), CMO & VP of Mobility and IoT Business, BICS. “It is vital that this need is met with a robust cellular connectivity offering, allowing assets to not only remain seamlessly connected while traversing borders, but also easily managed to meet their specific business needs.”

Partnership Powering IoT in Africa 

BICS and Gurtam’s IoT and connectivity solution is now being used by geolocation suppliers and resellers, such as Tazi360°, a West African company which specialises in fleet management. Through the collaboration, customers like Tazi360° benefit from employing the Wialon platform from Gurtam, combined with always-on connectivity from BICS.

The African and Middle East IoT market is the second-fastest growing region, second only to Asia-Pacific. It is forecast to double in the next three years, to reach over $20 billion by 2023, with the IoT automotive market alone expected to reach $2.71 billion in the same year.

 “Our customers are increasingly demanding seamless international connectivity to support their IoT strategies”, explained Mohamed Coulibaly, CEO, Tazi360°. “With the support of Gurtam’s state-of-the-art software, combined with BICS’ global reach, we can provide logistics and fleet management companies with a truly unrivalled offering of GPS tracking capabilities for vehicles, wherever they are.”

Source: BICS

Lenovo Announces IoT Solutions to Improve the COVID-19 Shopping Experience

15 October 2020 – Today Lenovo announced a set of ThinkIoT Smarter Store Solutions to help “brick-and-mortar” stores thrive in today’s new normal environment. These will improve the customer experience by enabling improved inventory availability and product interaction while simultaneously driving labour efficiency.

The ThinkIoT Smarter Store Solutions also promote a safer environment in stores during COVID-19, giving shoppers confidence during the upcoming holiday season. Today’s announcement extends Lenovo’s expertise in Smart Retail, and provides retailers with a complete set of solutions from the front-of-store and sales floor to the back-of-store.

Today’s announcement marks Lenovo’s third Smarter Solution set from the Commercial Internet of Things (CIoT) Business Unit. The solutions will help the company execute its service-led transformation strategy as it moves from a hardware provider to a software and services model.

A recent Lenovo survey found that nearly half of consumers reported that they began shopping online more frequently over the past month and 66 percent said it’s the retailer’s responsibility to keep them healthy while they shop in-store.

For in-store shopping, consumers’ main concerns are:

• Product availability
• Ensuring mask policies are in place/mask policy compliance
• Occupancy levels

When it comes to future store experiences enabled through technology, consumers are most excited about greater transparency, product availability and targeted advertising for relevant deals.

“Brick-and-mortar retailers offer a unique experience for shoppers that cannot be fully replicated online,” said John Gordon (above), President, CIoT Business Group, Lenovo. “With ThinkIoT Smarter Store Solutions, we’re helping these important retail businesses create even more differentiated customer experiences while improving their bottom line so they can continue to grow during challenging economic times.”

ThinkIoT Smarter Store Solutions offer end-to-end, pre-tested and validated IoT solutions to address key customer experience, productivity, and safety needs of stores. By working with proven hardware and software partners, including Avalue, L Squared, Spacee, and Viper Imaging, ThinkIoT Smarter Store Solutions help store operations leaders create a smarter shopping experience by:

• Bringing in new customers through targeted advertising and the tracking of in-store marketing effectiveness through custom QR-codes from digital displays. (Avalue)
• Driving inventory productivity with out-of-stock detection, inventory counts, planogram compliance, and price checking leveraging smart shelves and smart pushers. (Spacee)
• Increasing customer purchase rate by allowing customers to learn about products in a dynamic and self-serving way using smart displays with interactive product information and tailored ads. (Avalue)

ThinkIoT Smarter Store Solutions endeavour to make shopping spaces safer by:

• Identifying potentially sick employees proactively through the use of FDA-certified temperature screening to help keep sick employees from entering the store (Viper Imaging)
• Enabling policy communication with digital signs to convey policy changes, mask requirements, and occupancy levels to customers simply and easily with digital signs (L Squared)

Customers can pick their set of solutions based on what’s most important to them. Lenovo serves as the one-stop shop for these practical ThinkIoT Smarter Store solutions. The company provides validation, deployment, and management, which is especially important to simplify the complexity of large retailers with stores distributed across regions and countries.

Lenovo’s ThinkIoT Smarter Store Solutions are backed by:

• Validation processes for software solutions. These include up to 140 steps covering security, serviceability, scalability, and reliability
• A field network of more than 20,000 technicians for global deployment
• Customers in more than 180 markets, and expertise supporting more than 125 million devices

Lenovo’s ThinkIoT Smarter Retail Solutions complement Lenovo’s other Smart Retail solutions. The company is helping to create an ecosystem of inter-operable technology and aggregated data to transform business.  With a customized, integrated network of Smart Retail solutions, store-wide IT management is simplified and improved.

For example, Lenovo’s turnkey POS and self-service kiosk solutions help retailers grow beyond siloed digital point tools. This enables retailers to unlock data and insights, reduce their hardware footprint and expense through connected self-service solutions. In addition, Lenovo AI Innovation Centers can help optimize the business with analytics and machine learning capabilities in order to understand customer behavior, reduce shrinkage, and meet complex logistics and inventory challenges.

For more information visit the ThinkIoT website.

Source: Lenovo

Senet Raises $16M to fund International Expansion

22 September 2020 – Senet, Inc., a leading provider of cloud-based software and services platforms that enable the Internet of Things (IoT), today announced it has secured a $16 million funding round led by Fisk Ventures. This new round of funding is a strong endorsement of Senet’s focus on building out the United States’ largest public carrier-grade LoRaWAN network, and supporting global IoT solution deployment by providing coverage and connectivity readiness in 80+ countries.

This funding will be used to:

• Accelerate the deployment and densification of Senet’s LoRaWAN network across the United States to support utility and municipal network builds
• Expand global business development and co-marketing activities with network operators, tower companies and radio access network (RAN) providers
• Invest in awareness programs and business development resources designed to scale the commercial Internet of Things by transitioning users to mission-critical applications.

Senet was launched in 2014 to create a low-cost data network to rapidly deploy, securely connect and manage millions, and ultimately billions, of low-power, low-cost sensors. Senet’s LoRaWAN network supports a variety of municipal, industrial, and enterprise initiatives focused on automation, service delivery and sustainability. 

Included in its growth strategy, Senet is now offering programs for customers looking to transition from developer networks, crowd-sourced hotspot networks, and gateway-based Network Servers.  

“Over the past six years we've seen a wide range of businesses embrace IoT and have learned that creating a bridge between the physical and digital worlds is far more complex than most people realize,” said Bruce Chatterley, CEO at Senet. “Building on our experience and with the support of our investors, we will continue to strive toward delivering ubiquitous low-cost network connectivity, zero-touch device configuration, and device monitoring and management at massive scale in support of our customers’ needs. With a multi-year head start over competing LPWAN technologies and a strong partner ecosystem, we are in a great position to execute the next steps of our long-term strategic vision of helping organizations transform business outcomes, markets, and economies.”

Source: Senet

CCAR Emphasises Importance of Next Generational Thinking in Realising Future Mobility

8 June 2020 – As the automotive industry looks ahead to future mobility, the Centre for Connected & Autonomous Automotive Research (CCAAR) has asserted that fresh thinking from new industry entrants and innovative academics will play a key role in making it happen.

CCAAR, an automotive research centre developed in partnership between HORIBA MIRA and Coventry University, believes it is equally important for the industry to embrace the next generation of technologically talented entrants. The company believes the next generation will bring fresh thinking and disruptive theories that will play a huge role in fuelling future practice.

On a global level the automotive industry continues to face a significant challenge, establishing a new future offering. The industry is in need of an offering that utilises novel technologies in electrification, automation and connectivity to realise smarter, greener, connected vehicles.

In response, the UK government and major businesses continue to plough extensive investment and resources into major projects led by industry powerhouses in a bid to progress the technological breakthroughs required for the future mobility vision.

Siraj Ahmed Shaikh, Professor for Security Systems at CCAAR (above), comments: “The UK is home to some of the most accomplished automotive expertise in the world, both in the fields of industry and academia, who continue to spearhead the mobility revolution.

“However, it’s equally interesting to see the fundamental role that the next generation will play in this transition. By taking advantage of the unparalleled access to the network of researchers and industry experts involved in CCAAR, for example, many of our students working on PhDs in the field of automotive cybersecurity have come up with truly ground-breaking concepts which have not only been well received by the industry but will go a long way in forming the basis of future practice.”

Examples of pioneering academia from the many successful students at CCAAR include the proposed development of a systematic tool for testing in-cabin Bluetooth security and the application of Fuzz testing, a quality assurance technique used to discover coding errors, and security loopholes in software within vehicle systems. They also include the creation of a systematic security testing approach of Electrical Control Units (ECU) based on the success of an example case used in Over-The-Air software updates.

Siraj adds: “As we all know, there are many technological challenges that must be overcome before connected autonomous vehicles (CAVs) can be fully deployed on UK roads; from tackling the fundamental challenge of getting self-driving vehicles to effectively behave like a human, through to ensuring all according cybersecurity needs are met.

“As demonstrated with our ongoing work at CCAAR, the next generation, who are at the heart of this digital age, will be a major driving force in accomplishing this. Inherently accustomed to thinking through new technologies, their unique abilities to generate disruptive concepts and unique innovation will be crucial to realising the mobility revolution.”

Source: HORIBA MIRA