Grab a popcorn because we’re discussing 5G network conspiracy theories, how to skyrocket your YouTube career, and why Alexa is the best girl.
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The advent of 5G network has served as a catalyst for interesting stories around the globe.
Extremist political parties linked 5G to the spread of coronavirus, with activists setting fire to communication towers in Belgium, Netherlands, and Quebec.
YouTube and Twitter swarm with fears about radiation exposure and its effects on the immune system. The next iPhone boasts 5G, which spreads anxiety across fans. Whenever anybody mentions 5G, the air’s thick with tension.
In light of the pandemic, we believe that the merits of the 5G network deserve more credence. There’s more to the sky than gray clouds after all (ahem, rainbows, ahem).
In case you’re not up to speed, 5G network enables the Internet of Things (IoT). The concept builds upon the premise of embedding 5G chips (mini WiFi routers) into objects, such as a toaster, refrigerator, traffic lights, and yes, a car.
Today we explore 5 revolutionary features of IoT that should lift your spirits.
Smart traffic speed control
Here’s a provoking question. How do you measure luck?
Gambling peeps play a roulette to test it out. Roulette is a very uncomplicated game. The house edge is 5.26%. In plain English, that means that if you keep placing $100 bets on roulette, over the long run you will lose $5.26 per bet. If you lose less than that, you’re lucky.
Irish folk count themselves lucky if they spot a four-leaf clover. For the Chinese, it’s number 8. As for drivers, it’s traffic signs.
Do you feel like a superstar when incoming traffic lights flash green upon your approach? We certainly feel grumpy when we have to stop at every juncture, every single freaking time!
The impact of traffic on the mood has been a hot topic for social sciences. A New York Times study links evening traffic congestion to domestic violence. Another study shows that commuters would rather trade 1 minute in traffic to 5 minutes of any other leisure activity.
Those studies confirm what everybody not born yesterday already knows; everybody needs more luck with traffic.
With IoT, drivers make their own luck. Your in-built monitor displays recommended speed, so that you reach the road intersection at the right moment, every time.
Scale up the computational power required for performing the same trick for millions of vehicles in real-time, and even Houdini would scratch his head.
Ride sharing
Car ownership costs go far beyond what you pay for a car. The devil lies in the details, or in this case, in maintenance. Insurance? $1,427 per year. Gasoline? $8,876 annually for an average sedan. Parking? $3 Grand yearly.
In other words, owning a car ain’t cheap, chief.
When your wallet runs dry, and your finances sing romances, what do you do?
No. Don’t get a credit card. That’s bad.
B.A.D.
Instead, you share a car.
By car sharing we don’t mean Uber or similar taxi services, but government sponsored initiatives like Udrive which allow you to rent a vehicle for a limited time only.
Presently, there’s a lot to be desired from this service. Mostly because you can only park your car at pre-approved spaces, which is incredibly annoying.
This is where IoT comes in. With IoT and self-driving tech, you’ll be able to drop the car anywhere at your convenience, controlling it remotely via high speed 5G connection.
That’s definitely a one up over Uber and Lyft, wouldn’t you say?
Smart shopping
Imagine you’re a tech YouTuber. On a crisp Sunday morning, you stroll down the streets with your dog in Apple glasses. And yes, your dog wears Apple glasses too. Likes don’t earn themselves.
Anyway, you stroll into a particularly rich neighborhood. Your dog’s eyes rest on a new model of a Lamborghini on the driveway. And on a Bugatti. And on that shiny Rolls Royce. It lingers on the Rolls Royce for a little longer.
“So much territory to mark,” your dog thinks.
In the evening, you receive an invoice…
It’s no secret that we’re moving towards an increasingly digital future. The User Experience is centring on remote transactions as opposed to physically standing in queue to make a purchase.
That’s exactly the case with our canine friend above, and thanks to him you’re now the proud owner of a stunning Rolls Royce.
Alexa compatibility
Q: Alexa, is the cake a lie?
A: The cake is not a lie. It is delicious and moist. You can have some when you finish asking me questions.
Q: Alexa, what do you want to be when you grow up?
A: I want to be the computer from Star Trek.
Q: Alexa, rap for me
A: My name is Alexa, and I have to say, I’m the baddest A.I. in the cloud today. Your responses are fast, but mine are faster. Sucker speech engines, they call me master.
Alexa has come a long way since her smart-speaker debut in 2014. She’s become a greater influence in our lives. Think about the last time you ordered something off Amazon without asking Alexa to do it for you.
Manufacturers are now moving away from physical devices with Alexa Voice Service, and towards cloud-based solutions, reducing both cost and complexity of producing Alexa Built-in devices.
By reducing the engineering bill of manufacturing (also called the eBoM), companies can now cost-effectively build new categories of voice-enabled products from light switches to thermostats and more.
With an IoT upgrade, Alexa will keep you company in the car. What more could you ask for?
Parking
It’s finally here. The feature we’ve all been waiting for.
Gone are the days where you’re doing the rounds outside Costco, seeking out the last parking spot within two miles of the nearest entrance, before tussling with a jaded spinster for the last vacancy.
Getting real-time access to data has primarily driven innovation in parking technologies. And now, thanks to IoT, we’re able to capture insights, process them and derive data-driven patterns with greater efficiency and effectiveness.
Take an apps like SmartParking, for example. It lets you see which parking spaces are available, connects city councils and helps build a single parking management framework that works across multiple communities.
SmartParking uses a range of environmental sensors, and a cloud-based web platform with a dashboard that shows relevant parking-related data.
And you can save yourself a trip to the tolling booth with a live gateway feature that enables automated parking meter payment, without Grumpy McGrumperson giving you the side eye as you toss in your quarters.
Combine this with self-parking tech, and you’ll soon be able to say:
Car, go park yourself.
Enjoyed the read? Check out our fun corner for more!
Btw, here’s a Tesla parking itself.
