Techno Talk
Joy or dread:
do we get a choice?
Mark Nelson
Probably not, unless you are ultra-careful. There’s no gain without pain and that’s the theme of this
month’s article. But there may be light at the end of the tunnel, so let’s dish out the bad news first and
then close on a more optimistic note. Buckle up, hold tight and off we go...
T
his year’s CES (Consumer
Electronics Show), held in Las
Vegas, retained its rank as the
world’s premier showcase where nextgeneration innovations are introduced
to the marketplace. Included were several competing smart home systems,
based on IoT (Internet of Things) platforms, differing from one another in only
minor details. Unfortunately, as one observer noted, no homeowner can afford
to invest in multiple smart platforms,
meaning that most of this year’s offerings will likely not be around next year.
Reasons to be cheerful, one,
two, three
Disappointingly, many of the farfrom-cheap innovations might strike
consumers as problems looking for a solution. Do people really need Bluetooth
skillets that track nutritional info on
the food you put in them and use heat
sensors to figure out where the pan is
too warm or cold? The name was good
though: ‘SmartyPans’. Does anyone
actually need an IoT-enabled cat litter
tray that alerts your smartphone when
Chairman Miao (http://bit.ly/pe-may20miao) has done his/her business? Visit:
www.lavviebot.com if you do.
On the other hand, some IoT applications sort of make sense. A
fingerprint-activated front-door lock
for your home that also integrates with
Amazon Alexa and Google Assistant
smart speakers might appeal to some,
particularly as it is claimed to be easy
to install and is priced ‘affordably’ at
$249. If tempted, search on YouTube
for ‘Kwikset Halo Touch smart lock’.
If you’re into smart speakers, how
about one with a touchscreen that
wraps around its cylindrical body?
Go to YouTube and search for ‘Royole
Mirage Cleer’.
Reasons to be fearful, one, two,
thousands or more
Why speak of suffering and sorrow,
when IoT devices can make life significantly more convenient? Because IoT
can make life more hazardous as well,
10
thanks to thoughtless and careless interfacing. Plenty of domestic IoT products
are as safe to use as a chocolate teapot,
simply because their minimal security
provides hackers uncontrolled access
to your home network.
Early adopters paid the price of
buying IoT gadgets that were totally
insecure. Take, for example, one brand
of home security CCTV camera. Not
only was it a surveillance camera, but
it also doubled as a baby monitor. As
it turned out, anyone able to find the
IP address of the devices could easily
take control of it, forwarding overheard
speech to their own PCs. The cameras
also transmitted their owners’ login
information over the Internet as clear,
readable text without any encryption.
In the US, one hacker got into a wireless camera system and threatened to
kidnap the family’s baby.
The Smarthomestarter.com website
relates how garage door openers can be
hacked too if the connected Wi-Fi network has weak security attributes. Bingo
– burglars can enter your home via the
garage while you’re away. Alternatively,
they can stay at home and instead access
your PC to snoop into your personal data
and create mischief or havoc playing
with other smart devices connected to
your network. I was also going to mention how the IoT-enabled ‘Vibratissimo
Panty Buster’ ‘adult’ toy could be hacked
remotely to inflict unexpected effects
on their owners, but fortunately I have
run out of space! Most manufacturers
are now taking IoT security more seriously, but plenty of insecure products
remain in use and perhaps on sale. In
the meantime, most IoT users have no
idea whether their smart home network
is now vulnerable or not.
From out of thin air
Good news: yet another ‘free electricity’
device has been invented. This one is
called Air-gen, and unlike other renewable energy sources, it works indoors
as well as outside and does not require
sunlight or wind. So how does Air-gen
work and who invented it?
The kudos goes to scientists at the
University of Massachusetts Amherst
in the US. Electrical engineer Jun Yao
and microbiologist Derek Lovley teamed
up to develop a device that uses natural
protein to create electricity from moisture in the air, a new technology they
say could have significant implications
for the future of renewable energy, climate change and the future of medicine.
Their air-powered generator is constructed using a thin film (less than
10µm thick) of protein nanowires that
are produced naturally by the microbe
Geobacter sulfurreducens, which occurs
in the mud in some riverbeds. A degree
of atmospheric humidity is essential and
when the protein nanowires (which are
electrically conductive) combine with
water, they produce a voltage gradient
that can be connected to electrodes,
enabling electrical current to be generated. Water vapour is naturally present
in the atmosphere, even in areas with
extremely low humidity.
Commercial prospects
Although the researchers concede that
the current generation of Air-gen devices can power only small electronic
circuits, they expect to bring the invention to commercial scale soon. Their
plans include developing a small Airgen patch that can power electronic
wearables such as health and fitness
monitors and smart watches, which
would eliminate the requirement for
traditional batteries. They also hope to
develop Air-gens to power cell phones
to eliminate periodic charging.
Says Yao, ‘This is just the beginning
of a new era of protein-based electronic devices. The ultimate goal is to make
large-scale systems. For example, the
technology might be incorporated into
wall decorations that could help power
your home. Or, we may develop standalone air-powered generators that supply
electricity at off-grid locations. Once we
get to an industrial scale for wire production, I fully expect that we can make large
systems that will make a major contribution to sustainable energy production.’
Practical Electronics | May | 2020
