How in China the Internet of Things gets connected – Winston Ma

 

Winston Ma

In China, things are even more connected than people, writes Winston Ma, Adjunct Professor, NYU School of Law, in Europeansting.com, in a thorough overview of the possibilities and challenges of the Internet of Things. Are we ready for the future?

Winston Ma:

• In China, the internet of things (IoT) has proliferated to the degree that there are now more connected things than connected people.

• As the era of connected things has expanded into industrial applications and emerging technologies advance, several problems still need to be solved, including its rollout at scale.

• Societal challenges, such as the infrastructure gap, personal data protection and e-waste, must be tackled head-on in the new era of connected things.

In August 2022, the number of connected “things” (mobile devices) exceeded the number of connected “people” for the first time in China.

According to the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), there were 1.698 billion devices connected to the internet of things (IoT) in China’s mobile network, surpassing figures for mobile phone users. That trend is accelerating.

In just a few months, 52.3% of all connectivity in China was represented by “things” (1.845 billion) by the end of 2022 (see Figure 1). Therefore, China will see more IoT-driven digital transformation in the coming years…

Are we ready for the future:

In summary, the next decade will see the merging of the physical, digital and biological worlds in ways that create considerable promise and potential peril.

Hundreds of billions, if not trillions, of new digital infrastructure, will be needed and implemented. The transformation of industries will far exceed the consumer internet boom we witnessed last decade and the e-waste issue may be amplified.

Finally, are we ready with sufficient data regulation, privacy protection and AI ethics for the new Internet of Everything?

Much more in Europeansting.com

Winston Ma is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers’ request form.

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5G, Internet of Things: key for home appliances industry – Rupert Hoogewerf

 

Rupert Hoogewerf

Midea has become China’s most valuable home appliances firm, and 5G and Internet of Things are becoming a driving force in the development of the industry, says Rupert Hoogewerf, chief researcher of the Hurun Report on the release of its latest report, according to the China Daily.

The China Daily:

The top 10 ranking, released by Hurun for the first time, was based on market capitalization or valuation of China’s private home appliance companies.

These companies all have their self-developed brands. However, the ranking excluded consumer electronics companies such as Xiaomi, as well as TCL, which sold its smart terminal business in 2018.

Rupert Hoogewerf, chairman and chief researcher of Hurun Report, said 5G, Internet of Things and big data have huge development prospects for the home appliance industry.

The effect of online channels on the home appliance industry is growing, Hoogewerf said, adding that in China’s home appliance market, which has a market size of 900 billion yuan, online sales account for nearly 40 percent and the ratio is increasing. Tmall and JD have become leading enterprises, and the industry is no longer dominated by Gome and Suning.

China’s home appliance industry has become mature, with total accumulated value of the top three companies accounting for 80 percent of the total, Hoogewerf said.

Except for Galanz Group, the remaining nine are all listed companies, which is rare to see in China, he added.

The businesses of the top 10 home appliance enterprises covers air conditioners, refrigerators, washing machines, soybean milk makers, kitchen ventilators, microwave ovens, robot vacuum cleaners and more.

Geographically, the top 10 list includes four companies from the Guangdong-Hong Kong-Macao Greater Bay Area, four companies from the Yangtze River Delta and the remaining from Beijing and Qingdao.

More at the China Daily.

Rupert Hoogewerf is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers’ request form.

Are you looking for more innovation experts at the China Speakers Bureau? Do check out this list.

Baidu´s smartbike is coming to you - Kaiser Kuo

+Kaiser Kuo 

Baidu is about to release a new feature into the internet of things: a smartbike. Baidu director communication Kaiser Kuo explains the features in investors.com. First release will be in China, but "there's no reason necessarily we would leave it only in China."

Investors.com:

The Baidu Maps navigation system is built into a display on the handlebars to give bikers a visual readout of where to turn during a ride. 

The bike's smarts also contain social networking features. "It will locate other people using our DuBike operating system so you can meet up with other people and share good routes with other people. You'll be able to see other people using DuBike on your map if you want to find other riders," said Baidu spokesman Kaiser Kuo. 

The bike doesn't need charging, either. "You've got a power drum that converts your kinetic energy to charge the electric system," Kuo said. "The electrical system is powered when you pedal." 

In case anyone else tries to abscond with the DuBike, there's an anti-theft system in the form of a built-in GPS so owners can locate their bike using their smartphones. Baidu's Institute for Deep Learning research group developed the smart bike prototype, along with China's Tsinghua University's Academy of Arts & Design. 

The product is "more about the software ... rather than the actual hardware," said Kuo. "We're making the operating system open and available to all different bicycle manufacturers. The idea is that bicycle manufacturers can take this, get the specs on how to make the sensors talk to each other, how to make the operating system talk to your phone and put that all into a bicycle. The idea is that smart bikes become a part of your life." 

Kuo said there's been "considerable interest" from bike manufacturers in the system. The company would only say the first prototypes are scheduled for release soon and has not given a price for the smart bikes. Baidu also declined to say how many will be initally be produced or name the company that manufacturing them. 

The release of the prototype will happen only in China, said Kuo, who added: "there's no reason necessarily we would leave it only in China. We don't have maps for cities and countries outside of China yet, so that's a limiting factor - for now, at least."

Baidu´s prototype smartbike

More in investors.com

Kaiser Kuo is a speaker at the China Speakers Bureau. Do you need him at your meeting or conference? Do get in touch or fill in our speakers´request form.

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