Innovating for Industry

The growth of technologies such as newer mesh networks for industrial automation is being matched - and some analysts would say exceeded - by radical waves of innovation in the consumer electronics sector, and both have a lot to learn from each other.

"Technical innovations in consumer electronics are driving expectations for multivendor, multiplatform interoperability that is absolutely required for industrial automation. The automation industry must evaluate and determine the application of various technologies and innovations available today and tomorrow with a keen eye to how these technologies can provide a secure reliable interoperable solution that addresses real needs," advises Thomas Burke, president of the OPC Foundation.

The reality of industrial automation is there are an overwhelming number of technical innovations, so many disparate/disconnected platforms, different revenue models, and much higher expectations of security and reliability in comparison to consumer electronics, observes Burke.

The challenge is to learn from the technical innovations being applied in consumer electronics and standardise, leverage, and adapt many of these innovations for industrial automation and other domains.

"We also must make sure the technical innovations not only provide the ‘wow' factor, but the technical innovations of today and tomorrow must be tailored to the demands of the industrial environment," according to Burke, in an ISA report. Systems in industrial automation have a much longer lifespan than consumer products and require a strategy for backward interoperability.

Potentially, there is a great deal of synergy, and the majority of the respective industry-standard organisations are trying to learn from each other. "End-users' expectations from the consumer electronics world demands interoperability. Responsive suppliers adopting open interoperable standards are being rewarded by the marketplace," Burke argues. Open interoperability enables end users to leverage the ideas and creativity of many vendors to make their manufacturing operations more competitive.

Modern factories need to be integrated with the enterprise systems, which are often spread across many physical locations, advises Burke. Enterprise Service Buses (ESBs) are a common way to provide this connectivity; however, there are no standards for accessing an ESB.

Industry standards and focusing on the necessary infrastructure services to provide a solid baseline for secure, reliable interoperability in a multiplatform environment are mandatory. A much more robust design and testing environment must be put in place for products that are developed for industrial automation systems.

Notably, the ISA100.11a industrial wireless networking standard is being enhanced with emerging support for backhaul functionality, factory automation and other key-use cases. The ISA100 Wireless Compliance Institute (WCI) provides real-world feedback from deployment of ISA100 devices and systems to ISA Standards Committees in order to foster rapid refinement and development of open industry standards for wireless applications.

The M2M force

According to Yankee Group analyst John Keough, the M2M (machine-to-machine) market has matured from a fledgling industry into a "force to be reckoned with in the wireless space". There are substantial growth opportunities in well-established verticals such as industrial applications and asset monitoring.

M2M connections are forecast to more than double from their 2011 level of 19.6 million to 50.2 million in 2015. The good news for enterprises is the fact that hardware pricing is dropping, and "use cases are becoming established".

The number of M2M devices will increase from 62 million worldwide in 2010 to 2.1 billion in 2020, according to market research company Analysys Mason. With a year-on-year growth rate of between 36 and 52 percent, M2M has the potential to be one of the fastest-growing connectivity sectors in the coming decade.

The US Telecommunications Industry Association (TIA) recently hosted forums from around the world looking at the trends of M2M standardisation. The Global Standards Collaboration meeting (GSC-15) was also organised by the China Communications Standardisation Association (CCSA) in Beijing. The Chair of TIA TR-50 Smart Device Communications engineering committee has been appointed Convener of the M2M Standardisation Task Force (MSTF).

Many of these players are teaming up with M2M service providers and their supporters to roll out new offerings and platforms. Ericsson's Device Connection Platform helps operators set up M2M applications for their enterprise customers. Mobile operators such as Deutsche Telekom and France Télécom are also looking at how the two operators could work together in the M2M sector.

Ericsson has announced plans to acquire Telenor Connexion's machine-to-machine (M2M) platform, in an effort to get more technology and know-how in the growing sector. Telenor Connexion is wholly owned by Norwegian operator Telenor Group, and a provider of M2M solutions. The company's customer list includes Nissan, General Electric, and Qualcomm.

Wireless M2M services provider Kore Telematics offers a single point for billing, support, logistics and relationship management in over a hundred countries. "The adoption of M2M applications requires uninterrupted, reliable data communications," according to Alex Brisbourne, president and COO. Its tools offer a single view and centralised management capabilities of devices, with the ability to manage inventory, provisioning, activation/deactivation, and technical support.

"Multinational companies are looking for simple and efficient ways of rolling out and managing their M2M deployments," according to Erik Brenneis, head of M2M services for Vodafone. Global M2M applications now need "the best of the terrestrial and satellite worlds in a seamless way".

Research group ABI notes that though the M2M market largely consists of low data rate, low data consumption applications, broadband networks can be more spectrally efficient despite higher equipment costs.

Mocana, a company that focuses on smart device security, has released a study which states that connected devices already outnumber PCs on the internet by five to one, and the increasing spread of M2M in various domains also raises the risk of insecure device management.

Organizations racing ahead with device and network rollouts are advised to guard against business, financial and liability impacts of future device security breaches, according to Mocana CEO Adrian Turner.

"Securing the ‘Internet of Things' is going to be challenging. Processor limitations, memory constraints, battery life and a slew of other idiosyncrasies particular to device environments make device security technically difficult," cautions Turner.

Atheros Communications has announced an emulation development kit for low-cost and low-energy microcontrollers (MCUs) with application programming interfaces (APIs) to support scalable infrastructures for grid, automation, monitoring, and other M2M applications. Dan Rabinovitsj, senior vice president at Atheros Networking Business Unit sees huge potential in the next wave of growth in industrial networking applications.

"Connectivity is driving technology advancements in computing. Whether it's by wired, wireless or hybrid networks, there are billions of new devices that will be connected. We foresee a lot of innovation occurring in the enterprise and machine-to-machine markets as well," predicts Mark Hung, research director, wireless, Gartner.

In other vendor developments, Sierra Wireless has developed ultra-rugged routers for real-time transmission of critical information in harsh conditions. Sierra Wireless offers M2M solutions for equipment manufacturers and enterprises, such as AirPrime and Open AT. OleumTech, a specialist in industrial automation systems, has also developed low-cost wired and wireless automated solutions for industries such as oil & gas.

IT infusion

Markets like China and India are eyeing M2M developments with a lot of interest. India's internal demand for measurement and instrumentation products and services is growing in double digits with the expansion of its economy and increased investments, observes Shekar Gopalan, partner & global VP of research, Frost & Sullivan.

In a recent news report, Shekar mentions the increasing digitization, use of sensors and embedded instrumentation: "All these form the backbone of a continuous and embedded architecture for measurement."

Up to the early 1980s, instrumentation products were largely mechanical and manual and electronics was limited to transistors, operational amplifiers, and simple logic ICs. The infusion of IT into instrumentation - in the form of microcontrollers, firmware, and software - created a paradigm shift in accuracy, ease of use, connectivity, and automation. This was followed by instrumentation that was computer-based, on PCs, and modular. Today, instrumentation is increasingly digital, embedded and cannot exist without IT integration, observed Shekar in remarks to the Indian press.

Proliferation of wireless connectivity has enabled measured data to be shared by other sensors or instruments for making intelligent decisions. This enables continuous sampling and measurement rather than an off-line process.

"The other exciting aspect of IT infusion into testing is the ability to embed test elements into products, systems, and devices. You now have the ability to make rapid and accurate measurements at multiple points in an environment and correlate all of them over a network to make intelligent decisions," says Shekar.

Indeed, the growth of Asia as the world's manufacturing and industrial engine in the 21st century augurs well for new approaches to control engineering and industrial innovation, along with platforms for wireless monitoring and productivity. With the rise of Asia as the epicentre of the mobile and wireless wave, the convergence between the two trends should be even more interesting to watch this year.