Some people think of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) as the comprehensive use of multiple sensors on complex machinery, heavy equipment, or remote turbines to stream vast data in real-time via the Internet.
While some IIoT applications are quite complex, others can be as simple as riding a bike. That’s what representatives from SAP and Hewlett Packard Enterprise (HPE) are demonstrating with their “Wired Bike” concept.
They have outfitted a mountain bike with multiple sensors that measure vibration, wheel rotation, lateral movement, and other data points that detect the bike’s functionality. The information gathered from these sensors automatically streams in two ways:
- Real time. Data flows through an HPE Edgeline server into:
- A 3-D visualization of the bike that tracks the bike’s movement. This could allow people in another location to monitor the bike and the data it is generating.
- An augmented reality iPad app, showing sensor data overlaying a picture of the bike, which could be used by a service engineer in the field.
- Real time and history. Data streams as outlined above, plus data is also collected in SAP HANA via the SAP HANA Cloud Platform (HCP):
- A simple voice interface can access historical data.
- The collected data could also be used for predictive bike maintenance.
- Native iOS apps could also be built to tap into the data in the HCP.
Endless applications of the IIoT
The ‘wired bike’ is only a demonstration, but the essential idea is that it is just another ‘thing’ that can be connected and monitored via the Industrial Internet of Things.
This idea can be carried over into multiple uses and industries, including aircraft assembly, where there are many critical maneuvers throughout a long manufacturing process (18 months on average).
All of the information needed for manual intervention and reference materials could be combined with a smart tool to automatically configure the tool’s settings to the work required. For example, the information stored in an SAP ERP system could automatically select the proper tool bit and torque required for a sequence of steps in the production process. This could speed up work and reduce the overall manufacturing time required, while reducing the risk of error in the process.
The wired bike is just the beginning. Think of where else we could go with the IIoT.
Learn more about the wired bike concept.
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