Digital Transformaton Project – self-driving carts

14

October

2016

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Chris Anderson argues in his book on the Long Tail that there are retail scientists who are dreaming of smart shopping carts which can detect content in the carts by their RFID tags, and consequently give the customer recommendations of products that fit next to the products in the cart (Anderson, 2009). This means that one could have cheese in his cart, and through recognition, the cart would recommend certain bread that fits with the cheese. After this, Anderson mentions that “even these scientists still can’t transport matter into reach and make acting on those recommendations easy. In the physical world, shoppers move; products don’t.” (Anderson, 2009). This is exactly the point where Chris Anderson could be wrong, and where modern day scientists could be right, by designing a self-driving shopping cart. Even though the products won’t fly into one’s cart literally, the cart brings itself toward the products, leasing little to the imagination of the customer. The self-driving shopping cart is the emerging technology which will be discussed further in this report. The company which is the subject of the report is Albert Heijn. Albert Heijn is a supermarket which was founded in 1895 and currently has over 850 branches spread in the Netherlands. (AH, 2016)

Emerging technology of self-driving cart

The concept of self-driving (shopping) carts is a concept that could potentially change the whole way of shopping. With the Internet of Things growing and the expectation of over 50 billion things being connected in 2020 (Hbr, 2016), it becomes clear that self-driving carts fit right into the future. It is an emerging technology for which Wal-Mart has filed a patent in March of 2016 (Atherton, 2016). The shopping-carts will contain a robotic device under the cart and this will cause it to drive in the way the customer wants. Additionally, the entire system will work in a “sensor-rich world, where central computers track inventory and match customer needs to what’s available in the store for the shopper” as Atherton also mentions. Also, the carts will be able to bring themselves back, after being left by customers in, for example, the garage. This causes the employees to have more time to spend on other duties, instead of assembling carts. The concept of self-driving carts resembles online shopping, in a way that one is working with a digital device. However, with a physical purchase, its advantage being an immediate purchase instead of waiting for shipping, it might even win more ground over online shopping (in the supermarket industry) (Atherton, 2016). As more and more customers are switching to online shopping, retail stores are probably looking for way to nevertheless attract these customers (Mintel, 2016).

Customer Experience

Customer experience is an important aspect of shopping, and it is very likely that it is easier to gain a positive customer experience in a traditional brick-and-mortar store than online. It is true that online shopping may have a larger inventory and more possibilities, however it loses on the aspect of instant gratification. Also, doing the groceries with a few clicks on one’s keyboard will never top the physical experience of strolling through the supermarket with one’s family. It is important to realize that this concept of self-shopping carts has many possibilities, such as a screen being connected to the cart, with enables the customer to, for example, browse through available products or a see a map. However, it would probably be easier, and cost effective, to let an application on a smart-phone control the carts. The implementation of this concept of self-driving carts could cause Albert Heijn to stay ahead of its competitors, and this is ultimately what also causes them to have a first-mover advantage in the Netherlands with the introduction of this technology.

 

Group 5

 

References

AH (2016) Alles over Albert Heijn Retrieved from: http://www.ah.nl/over-ah

Anderson, C. (2006) The Long Tail: Why the Future of Business is Selling Less of More. New York City, N.Y.: Hyperion.

Atherton K., (2016), Walmart patents robot carts for better shopping. Can robot carts compete with Amazon? Retrieved from: http://www.popsci.com/walmart-patents-robot-carts-for-better-shopping

Harvard Business Review (2016) To Predict the Trajectory of the Internet of Things, Look to the Software Industry. Retrieved from: https://hbr.org/2016/02/to-predict-the-trajectory-of-the-internet-of-things-look-to-the-software-industry

IMAgency (2016) Albert Heijn. Retrieved from: http://imagency.com/work/albert-heijn/

Mintel (2016) 29% of UK online grocery shoppers are shopping for groceries more online now than a year ago. Retrieved from: http://www.mintel.com/press-centre/retail-press-centre/29-of-uk-online-grocery-shoppers-are-shopping-for-groceries-more-online-now-than-a-year-ago

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Who wants to be a Supersoldier? On human enhancement.

2

October

2016

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It’s a myth that human augmentation is anything new. Since the first humans picked up sticks and rocks and started using tools, we’ve been augmenting ourselves. The tools have simply gotten smaller and less cumbersome to use. That has always been the trend, and that will continue to be the trend. From rudimentary objects like rocks and sticks, through forged steel and circuit boards, and onward to gene therapies – the common thread is transhumanism; to constantly and fundamentally transform the human condition.

What is like to be a cyborg?

There’s a big gulf between the fantasy vision of cyborgs, and the current reality of being dependent on an implant or a prosthetic in day-to-day life. If we’re to separate the two, we ought to pay close attention to those who are living in that world already. Quietly, almost without anyone really noticing, we have entered the age of the cyborg, or cybernetic organism: a living thing both natural and artificial. Artificial retinas and cochlear implants (which connect directly to the brain through the auditory nerve system) restore sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. Deep-brain implants, known as “brain pacemakers”, alleviate the symptoms of 30,000 Parkinson’s sufferers worldwide.

Source: Euro-Technoprogressives (2009)

This idea of transformation is often cast as risky. In science fiction, stories abound that technological enhancement will lead to a society of haves and have-nots. So does transhumanism offer a stark choice of evolve or perish? Some would express fear that emerging augmentations would create an arms race, that threatens to leave behind those who choose not to be augmented, but this assumes everyone will seek to compete with everyone else.

Creation of a supersoldier?

One of the weakest links in armed conflicts-as well as one of the most valuable assets-continues to be the warfighters themselves. Hunger, fatigue, and the need for sleep can quickly drain troop morale and cause a mission to fail. Fear and confusion in the “fog of war” can lead to costly mistakes, such as friendly-fire casualties. Emotions and adrenaline can drive otherwise-decent individuals to perform vicious acts, from verbal abuse of local civilians to torture and illegal executions, making an international incident from a routine patrol. And post-traumatic stress can take a devastating toll on families and add pressure on already-burdened health services. We want our warfighters to be made stronger, more aware, more durable, more maneuverable in different environments, and so on. The technologies that enable these abilities fall in the realm of human enhancement, and they include neuroscience, biotechnology, nanotechnology, robotics, artificial intelligence, and more.

While some of innovations are external devices, such as exoskeletons that give the wearer super-strength, our technology devices are continually shrinking in size. The military technology getting the most public attention now is robotics, but we can think of it as sharing the same goal as human enhancement. Robotics aims to create a super-soldier from an engineering approach: they are our proxy mech-warriors. However, there are some important limitations to those machines. For one thing, they don’t have a sense of ethics-of what is right and wrong-which can be essential on the battlefield. Where it is child’s play to identify a ball or coffee mug or a gun, it’s notoriously tough for a computer to do that. This doesn’t give us much confidence that a robot can reliably distinguish friend from foe, at least in the foreseeable future.

 

Source: Tylley and Woollaston (2015)

In contrast, cognitive and physical enhancements aim to create a super-soldier from a biomedical direction, such as with modafinil and other drugs. For battle, we want our soft organic bodies to perform more like machines. Somewhere in between robotics and biomedical research, we might arrive at the perfect future warfighter: one that is part machine and part human, striking a formidable balance between technology and our frailties.

Ethical concerns

Our ability to “upgrade” the bodies of soldiers through drugs, implants, and exoskeletons may be upending the ethical norms of war as we’ve understood them.

There are serious moral and legal risks to consider on this path. The Royal Society released its report ” Neuroscience, Conflict and Security.” This timely report worried about risks posed by cognitive enhancements to military personnel, as well as whether new nonlethal tactics, such as directed energy weapons, could violate either the Biological or Chemical Weapons Conventions. In changing human biology, we also may be changing the assumptions behind existing laws of war and even human ethics. If so, we would need to reexamine the foundations of our social and political institutions, if prevailing norms can’t stretch to cover new technologies.

Sources:

Swain F. (2014), Cyborgs: The truth about human augmentation. http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140924-the-greatest-myths-about-cyborgs

House A. (2014), The future is android. http://s.telegraph.co.uk/graphics/projects/the-future-is-android

European Technoprogressives (2009), Human enhancement technologies. http://euro-technoprogressives.50webs.org/ETP-HET.html

Lin P. (2012), More than human? The Ethics of Biologically Enhancing Soldiers, http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2012/02/more-than-human-the-ethics-of-biologically-enhancing-soldiers/253217

Tyley J. and Woollaston V. (2015), Rise of the super soldier. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-3150927/Rise-SUPER-SOLDIER-Liquid-armour-indestructible-exoskeletons-weapons-never-miss-future-warfare.html

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Social networks and innovation? Forget Facebook and Twitter.

1

October

2016

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Power of social media

In the current digital arena, social networks have touched the lives of almost every human being on earth, allowing us to share life’s novelties with friends and loved ones. However, social networks are not restricted to sharing and commenting on pictures, but giving rise to innovation among individuals to help make our world a better place.

Social media can be an excellent way to reach out to both existing and potential customers and take advantage of their creativity. There are two ways to involve your network in developing new products and services:

  • Crowdsourcing – asking your network to brainstorm solutions to a particular problem your company is experiencing, either on their own or in groups. The community collects, develops and ranks the contributions to reveal the strongest performers.
  • Open innovation – allowing people to submit their own competitive ideas and inventions for your company to harness.

With so many minds able to network together, open innovation allow people to work together on a massive scale. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter have already become immensely popular for setting up robust platforms for online communities and many enterprises are using them as an effective medium to innovate. However, today there are very good examples of social networks where niche communities not only find work, but also hire a development team, innovate their business, and collaborate from different corners of the world.

Rise of new entrants

The world of social media might be crowded, but that’s certainly not stopping new players entering the market. The success of Pinterest and Instagram  has shown that it’s possible for relative newcomers to make a big impact. And while Facebook may boast close to a billion users, many alternatives are aimed at a more exclusive audience. The drop in organic reach has been apocalyptic for many businesses. Why? There’s too much content on Facebook and the company is forced to ratchet down the reach. We’ll have to either spend a lot more money on Hollywood-quality content, a lot more money on advertising or both. This will force some businesses to reconsider Facebook as a viable channel and enable a migration to less noisy venues.

Source: SocialMediaToday

Future of open innovation

Innovation and idea generation are no longer confined to the boundaries of office buildings now that niche social networks create room for like-minded people to come together and give their input to deal with particular challenges. Idea sharing on a global scale leads to innovative solutions in a shorter period of time. Businesses now also rely on niche social networks for innovative ideas to increase their sales, establish brand value and convert prospective customers into loyal ones.

Without a doubt, social networks posses incredible potential for innovation among individuals from all walks of life. Businesses, non-profit organizations and governments also realize the efficacy of social networks in making this world a better place, which is why they are all using niche social networks to connect with people of similar interests and innovate solutions to deal with specific challenges.

Sources:

Arno Ch. (2012), The rise of niche social networks. http://www.socialmediatoday.com/content/rise-niche-social-networks

Kind C. (2015), 28 Social Media Marketing Predictions for 2015 From the Pros. http://www.socialmediaexaminer.com/social-media-marketing-predictions-for-2015

NIBusinessInfo (2015), Online business networking and social networking. https://www.nibusinessinfo.co.uk/content/using-social-media-support-innovation

Singh M. (2016), How innovation develops among individuals in niche social networks. http://www.innovationmanagement.se/2016/02/11/how-innovation-develops-among-individuals-in-niche-social-networks

 

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Technology of the Week – Transport Industry Disruption

16

September

2016

5/5 (1)

Travelling is something that has always accompanied us, it’s necessary to move from one location to another. During the decades, the concept of travelling has transformed in a sophisticated way. Nowadays people drive cars, take trains and subways to reach their destinations. Not to mention airplanes and boats. All those ways of travelling, how different they may sound, are subject to technological transformation. Without the transformation of software and hardware in it’s broadest sense, we still would be walking or riding a horse.

What is Uber?
Uber is a multinational online transportation network company. To passengers, Uber is essentially synonymous with taxis, and to drivers, it’s basically a referral service. The app connects riders with drivers using their phone’s GPS capabilities, letting both parties know one another’s location and removing the question of when the ride will actually arrive. In addition, the tech company also processes all payments involved, charging the passenger’s credit card, taking a cut for itself (which ranges from 5% to 20%), and direct depositing the remaining money into the driver’s account, all in the background and completely cashless.

What is BlaBlaCar?
BlaBlaCar is the largest long distance ridesharing platform that connects drivers with empty seats and passengers to share travel costs. Members must register and create a personal online profile, which includes ratings and reviews by other members, social network verification, and rate of response. Profiles of members show how much experience they have of the service, meaning those with more attract more ride shares and, importantly, each user’s profile includes a “BlaBla” measurement, which indicates how much they are willing to chat during a trip.

Future predictions: 

Uber has a quite uncertain, but nonetheless possibly promising future ahead. Only recently they have announced that they will be testing self-driving cars in Pittsburgh. Self-driving cars are a futuristic concept, which will arguably grow in the years to come. It is however possible that there are serious problems ahead for Uber, since the law regulations can get stricter, which can cause them to lose a great market share worldwide. Another future prediction is the development of better maps. Maps are fundamental to Uber and it’s expansion into new markets.

The last 5 years BlaBlacar has expanded itself throughout Europe and is growing at a fast pace. One of the most recent expansions was the expansion to India in early 2015. Because the BlaBlacar’s business model is still very innovative, the company continues to expand. Due to the nature of the product BlaBlacar offers, the popularity of the platform will presumably grow, because sharing economy is a trend that is constantly increasing in importance. However, in order to remain successful, BlaBlacar has to defend it’s reputation at all costs, since it’s a critical asset for BlaBlaCar. After all, who would like to share a car with a stranger if he couldn’t trust him?

Group 5: 

Olcan Ayaz

Tomasz Kowalik

Hady Naorie Bah

Julian Ost

Sources:
Is it safe – about ride-sharing services. Retrieved 13 September 2016, from http://blog.liftshare.com/liftshare/is-it-safe-about-ride-sharing-services-like-blablacar-and-liftshare
How much money BlaBlaCar could be making? Retrieved 13 September 2016, from http://uk.businessinsider.com/how-much-money-blablacar-could-be-making-2015-9
BlaBlaCar business model. Retrieved 13 September 2016, from http://unicornomy.com/blablacar-business-model/
Uber loses at least 1-2 bilion in gross revenue over next 12 months. (2016) Retrieved 13 September 2016, from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2016-08-25/uber-loses-at-least-1-2-billion-in-first-half-of-2016
Lyft on the road to 1 biblion in gross revenus over next 12 months. (2015). Retrieved 13 September 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/ryanmac/2015/11/17/lyft-on-the-road-to-1-billion-in-gross-revenue-over-next-12-months/#2e5a59b330c9
Uber information. Retrieved 13 September 2016, from https://www.crunchbase.com/organization/uber#/entity
Lyft were closing in on Uber with path to profitability. (2016) Retrieved 13 September 2016, from http://www.forbes.com/sites/briansolomon/2016/05/12/lyft-were-closing-in-on-uber-with-path-to-profitability/#756002db464e
The thruth about how ubers app manages drivers. (2016) Retrieved 13 September 2016, from https://hbr.org/2016/04/the-truth-about-how-ubers-app-manages-drivers
Uber drunk driving study. (2016). Retrieved 13 September 2016, from http://fortune.com/2016/07/28/uber-drunk-driving-study/

 

 

 

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