Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT)
AIoT is a combination of both the Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create a more enhanced and efficient IoT. AIoT significantly improves human-to-machine interactions and boosts data management and analytics.
The Internet of Things
IoT in its most basic form takes objects and connects them to the internet, allowing the objects to receive and send information. The objects are unable to automatically act on the information it receives but device operators and field engineers can act on the data collected. The information collected from the objects are stored on a cloud or a super storage that the object can connect to.
IoT – Objects receiving/ sending data to the cloud/ super storage.
Artificial Intelligence
AI allows machines or computer algorithms to think, learn and act like humans. AI learns from patterns or features in large amounts of data. AI can provide human-like interactions with software and make decisions for specific tasks.
Artificial Intelligence of Things
AIoT – Objects sending/ receiving data and communication with one another without having to be sent to the storage system first.
As previously mentioned, IoT allows objects to receive and send information. However, the object is unable to act on the information it collects. This is where AI comes into play. AI gives IoT a “brain”, allowing the objects to have machine learning capabilities and improved decision making without human help. IoT provides the data for AI to analyze and act upon.
AIoT can process, produce and act on insights from vast amounts of data far quicker than any human can, allowing AIoT to make decisions instantaneously. AIoT also allows for systems to be proactive rather than reactive. AIoT is able to proactively detect failures and events before they happen, saving both money and time. From a business perspective, AIoT can help deliver on KPIs by automated monitoring and discovering the root cause of a problem and fixing it immediately.
Our Future with AIoT
Cashier-less grocery stores:
Amazon.com’s Amazon Go Grocery allows customers to shop without going through a check out. Instead, after the customer leaves, they receive a receipt on their Amazon Go app of what they bought. Amazon Go stores are full of cameras, tracking devices and technologies that have deep learning abilities, allowing Amazon to know what someone is putting into their cart. Amazon started with smaller convenience stores and opened its first full-size grocery store in Seattle in late February of 2020.
The future of AIoT could lead to all major grocery stores such as Sobey’s and Co-op changing to cashier-less systems. A cashier-less system reduces the amount of manpower needed to run the store, therefore reducing the overhead for companies.
Spending less time in traffic:
With AIoT, self-driving vehicles have the ability to communicate with traffic indicators such as light poles, other self-driving vehicles and more. This allows cars to have up-to-date information about traffic conditions ahead and have the vehicle take an alternate route.
AIoT in Warehouse Operations
AIoT benefits many industries, including warehousing operations. AIoT has the capability to change warehousing from forecast-driven to demand-driven instead. Most warehouses are already set up with IoT in their conveyors, automatic guided vehicles, automated storage systems, handheld devices, scanners, voice systems and more. Adding AI to the mix will allow for data to be analyzed and acted on.
“The more data about actions and interactions that AI receive, the more it can learn about how to adapt to current conditions”
How AIoT will Transform Warehouse Operations:
Communication – AIoT will allow for all elements of the automatic system to talk to each other and learn from each other, enabling them to implement real-time adjustments and improvements.
Logistics – AIoT will help reduce operator error and processing times while increasing efficiency and productivity by using machine-learning algorithms to enable detailed stock movement forecasting and management.
Productivity – AIoT will improve productivity in pick-and-pack processes with machine-learning algorithms.
Inventory – AIoT will help reduce the amount of money spent on inventory control with a more precise and accurate inventory control system that uses radio frequency identification (RFID).
AIoT in Fleet Management
Another industry that will benefit from AIoT is fleet management. AIoT can help monitor fleets, reduce fuel costs, track vehicle maintenance, identify unsafe driving behaviours and more. Using IoT in fleet management is increasingly common, but including AI along with IoT can be even more beneficial. AIoT can provide real-time solutions to optimize the entire fleet management ecosystem.
Benefits of AIoT in Fleet Management:
Supply chain planning: Optimize supply chain operations with real-time visibility into fleet/cargo location and traffic data, enabling improved delivery estimates and mitigation of service disruptions.
Equipment reliability: Leveraging real-time operating data to drive improved maintenance planning and execution (predictive maintenance) to increase up time and utilization of assets.
Safety: Combine equipment operating data, location data, environmental factors and characteristics of freight to assess real-time safety concerns, such as speed violations, derailment risk, cargo stability, hazardous material spillage and more.
Fuel management: Reduce fuel consumption (largest operating expense) through adaptive operations based on environmental and network status. Optimize fuel planning across delivery routes based on real-time pricing and refueling times.
Driver compliance: Monitoring driver behavior to ensure compliance to regulatory or business operating procedures to minimize excess wear on critical business assets.
Track/road inspection: Lower maintenance budgets through improved track or roadway inspection procedures that use deep learning vision systems, correlated to location and operating data, to provide automatic detection of degraded infrastructure.
- Sourced from SAS: Analytics, Business Intelligence and Data Management.
Currently, most fleet management is done by using GPS to locate the vehicles, which can sometimes have a loss of signal when driving through areas with poor satellite coverage. With AIoT, there are other ways to track the vehicle, such as monitoring speed and turning rate allowing AI to calculate where the vehicle is at any given moment with GPS.
Conclusion
Even though AIoT is still rather new, it is already starting to change our everyday lives, from cashier-less grocery stores to self-driving cars. AIoT will help many industries become more efficient, including warehouse management and fleet management. The possibilities as to what AIoT can help us with are endless and AIoT will end up revolutionizing our workplace and personal lives.
