According to Bosch, by combining the Internet of Things with artificial intelligence, a cycle emerges in which products and services create more and more value for all parties involved. How it works?
What is the result of combining artificial intelligence and the Internet of Things? An anagram, according to Bosch, but it is also an enhanced value-added mechanism. The technologist calls this combination AIoT and considers it essential to his future strategy. “With AIoT, we naturally want to make our devices smarter, but also better integrate the perspective of our users into our product development,” says Michael Fausten, Head of AI and Systems at Bosch.
AIoT course
He talks about the cycle of value creation achieved by combining AI and IoT. According to Fausten, the concept is simple: “Connected products generate data, which we can analyze using artificial intelligence and other methods based on machine learning. The knowledge generated allows us to update our software and products and improve their functionality.”
For Bosch, the cycle consists of four phases:
- Creation value Bosch uses data in its research and development process to improve applications or devices.
- products and consumers : Connected Products are used by customers and generate (anonymous) data.
- Data processing Data is transferred to the cloud, which stores it in an organized manner. Bosch guarantees appropriate privacy integration.
- artificial intelligence algorithms : AI examines structured data generated by connected IoT devices to derive new insights and make products better and more secure.
There is no shortage of telemetry at Bosch to make this model a reality. The manufacturer is responsible for a variety of devices. These are not just washing machines or refrigerators for consumers, but also machines in factories, smart cameras and sensors for (semi-autonomous) cars. When these devices are connected, Bosch can start working with the sensor data. However, this immediately involves security and privacy concerns.
Safe analysis
Faustin also understands this. “In a B2C context, products are delivered even before they reach the customer. The data they collect and return is therefore completely anonymous. It goes without saying that we process the data reliably. Bosch then uses the collected data to adapt and improve the products, including during their lifetime. With AIoT, we will develop products in collaboration with our customers. It’s a radically different approach from the past. »
In a B2B environment, Bosch deploys AIoT technology with the customer through its AI analytics platform. Fausten explains that this scalable platform analyzes billions of data points to find solutions to complex production problems in near real time. “By combining artificial intelligence with telemetry of the machine and the production process, Bosch can detect deviations and potential defects in time. Thus experts can intervene before production stops.”
Smart and efficient factory
Bosch itself builds on this technology at its factory in Dresden. All data from devices, sensors and products are stored there in a central database. Every second, the factory produces data equivalent to five hundred pages of text. Artificial intelligence examines this data and ensures that processes are optimized in real time, without interrupting production. The AIoT approach also enables Bosch to quickly detect and fix errors.
Through machine learning on IoT data, the company thus obtains information that improves the production process. According to Fausten, this ensures better products, more efficient and sustainable factories, and ultimately happier customers. When Bosch customers rely on an AIoT course themselves, they can get the same benefits, he says.
Essentially, AIoT creates a value cycle in which products improve themselves through telemetry analysis. Preventive maintenance is simple, the course can also make devices and machines more reliable and eliminate common faults. This self-reinforcing cycle, where AI and IoT data pave the way for better and smarter products, is a key part of Bosch’s current strategy.
Smarter Smart Camera
Meanwhile, Bosch already has many examples of this AIoT cycle outside of its own factories. In the field of smart cars, for example, Bosch offers cameras that monitor and interpret the environment. The introduction of artificial intelligence into this telemetry ensures that the camera not only sees the behavior of road users, but can also predict it. For example, maybe a pedestrian on the side of the road heading into the crosswalk wants to cross.
This is the AIoT cycle: the cameras monitor the environment, then the anonymous data is sent to the Bosch cloud environment, the AI analyzes the data, improving predictive behavior, that knowledge goes back to the cameras and everything starts over. Fausten points out that the added value of data analysis benefits not only the manufacturer, but also the customer.
The computers on an e-bike work on a similar principle. They can predict a rider’s arrival time based on the route, as well as other factors such as bike type and road conditions. By sending anonymized data back to the cloud and then using artificial intelligence in the IoT data, the on-board computer gets smarter.
Faustin believes that AI is the key to creating value in the future. “The introduction of AI completes the cycle,” he repeats. Thus, the product can be developed and improved faster. We could be down. »
