GoTenna: Connecting People

20

October

2016

5/5 (1)

At any given moment in time, there are probably millions of campaigns crowd funding on the web. I went through a few crowd-funding sides just like Kickstarter and Indiegogo and next to a lot of useless and weird gadgets, I was intrigued by one project called “goTenna”.

goTenna is a mobile long-range mesh network device that pairs itself with your phone via Bluetooth and enables you to communicate even when you don’t have any phone service. The technology does not rely on external infrastructure like Wi-Fi networks and cell towers, routers or satellites.
With their app it is possible to chat privately with another person or a group of people broadcast your message to anyone in range. Furthermore, it allows you to send text messages or GPS coordinates on offline maps to others.

The device is powered by networking protocols, which intelligently relays messages through other users. This means there are positive same side network effects in this case as more people use the device in your area, the more people you can reach in terms of users and in terms of distance as the messages are relayed through other people’s devices. So it is possible to double or triple any device’s effective range and create a network that gets stronger the more people join. Kickstarter collected about 480 thousand dollars so far and it is possible to order 2 devices for 149$.

I think this technology does not only enable off-track outdoor travelers or over-crowded places but is also helpful during emergency situations, where it allows for critical communications with friends and family as well as others nearby even when the power is out and cell towers are down.

The whole subject made me think of various questions. Could this device also revolutionize the messaging market? If people use the device for crowded spaces, events and emergencies, would they use the messenger tool on a daily basis? goTenna repeatedly talks about their privacy and security, which is a huge issue for people using Whatsapp. Can the cost of investing in the device plus building a network outweigh privacy concerns and actually create competition? And is it even possible to recreate a network such as Whatsapp or Facebook Messanger or will this device only cater a niche of outdoor travelers?

What do you think?

Source:

goTenna Team. 2016. goTenna Mesh off Grid People Powered Connectivity. [ONLINE] Available at: https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/gotenna/gotenna-mesh-off-grid-people-powered-connectivity/description. [Accessed 20 October 2016].

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Digital Transformation Project- RFID Revolutionizing the Retail Industry

13

October

2016

5/5 (4)

Van Lier is a Dutch men’s shoe brand founded in 1815. Currently Van Lier sells over 100 thousand pairs of shoes each year across The Netherlands, Belgium and Germany. On average the central warehouse in Breda stores 16 thousand pairs of shoes. Given these numbers imagine how many shoes move in and out Van Lier’s warehouse every day! Last month Van Lier implemented a barcode scanning system, which is a major improvement compared to manually counting the inventory stock like before. However, after having analysed the IT strategy, considered the internal and external factors, and interviewed the IT and Logistics department of Van Lier, we came to the conclusion that there is an even better solution than barcodes: a Radio Frequency Identification System, also called RFID.

Based on the identified key business needs; time saving efficiency, reducing error sensitivity and tracking of goods, this technology would be able to lead to significant improvements in Van Lier’s inventory management system. There is no need to implement a new business model as the RFID system would be implemented as a full replacement of the current barcode scanning system. At the moment a passive ultrahigh frequency RFID tag is most suitable for inventory management in the retail industry. The passive nature of the tag means that it does not push out signals; instead, it waits for a signal from an RFID reader.  The benefits include: 1) the ability to scan large pallets at once compared to each individual items, 2) the ability to save large data capabilities such as shipping history on the chip and lastly 3) less human interaction is needed which reduces the error margin and labor cost. In order to implement the new system successfully investments have to be made in RFID tags, readers and a new warehouse management system, including new registers. At the moment this investment is estimated to cost Van Lier €265.000. These costs would be too high to bear for Van Lier however, the price of the RFID tags is expected to drop during the next decade (interview Van Lier, 2016). This would make the investment more overseeable and interesting for Van Lier. Considering these facts it might be best to implement RFID gradually over the coming years since Van Lier is not constrained or pressured to implement the system now.

To conclude, our case highlighted that Van Lier is prone to three key business needs: time saving efficiency, reducing error sensitivity and tracking of goods. An RFID system is the most optimal solution to implement since it assigns a unique tag to each product and allows for more information storage than EAN barcodes, in addition Van Lier would be able to scan whole pallets with products at once where unique tags decrease errors, making it impossible to scan products twice. The RFID system will be a valuable investment once the production costs of the chips have been reduced.

The chart below shows a detailed plan for the gradual implementation of a RFID system.

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Bibliography

Adaptalift. (2012). RFID VS BARCODES: Advantages and disadvantages comparison.. Available:http://www.aalhysterforklifts.com.au/index.php/about/blog-post/rfid_vs_barcodes_advantages_and_disadvantages_comparison. Last accessed 9th October 2016.

CNFRD. (2016). definition of RFID. Available: http://www.centrenational-rfid.com/definition-of-rfid-article-71-gb-ruid-202.html. Last accessed 9th October 2016.

Corboy, M. (2007). Strategic planning models . Available: http://www.accaglobal.com/content/dam/acca/global/PDF-students/2012s/Strategic%20planning%20models.pdf. Last accessed 9th October 2016.

Hyster. 2012. RFID VS BARCODES: Advantages and disadvantages comparison. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.aalhysterforklifts.com.au/index.php/about/blog-post/rfid_vs_barcodes_advantages_and_disadvantages_comparison. [Accessed 8 October 2016].

McFarland. 2009. Toolkit McFarlans Strategic Grid . [ONLINE] Available at: http://visual.placodermi.org/2009/01/14/toolkit-mcfarlans-strategic-grid/. [Accessed 8 October 2016].

IMPINJ INC. (2016). The different types of RFID. Available: http://www.impinj.com/resources/about-rfid/the-different-types-of-rfid-systems/. Last accessed 9th October 2016.

Koh, C.E. Kim, H.J. Kim, E.Y.. (2006). The Impact of RFID in Retail Industry: Issues and Critical Success Factors. Journal of Shopping Center Research. 13 (1), 101-117.

Kurt Salmon. 2015. Kurt Salmon RFID in Retail Study. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.kurtsalmon.com/en-us/Retail/vertical-insight/1259/Kurt-Salmon-RFID-in-Retail-Study. [Accessed 1 October 2016].

Landry, C. (2016). How Retailers Are Effectively Using RFID Technology. Available: http://www.mytotalretail.com/article/how-retailers-are-effectively-using-rfid-technology/. Last accessed 4th October 2016.

Mojix.Inc. (2016). Benefit analysis. Available: http://www.mojix.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/04/Benefit_Analysis_Cover02_V4_19041 6.pdf. Last accessed 4th October 2016.

Rabobank. (2016). Schoenendetailhandel. Available: https://www.rabobankcijfersentrends.nl/index.cfm?action=branche&branche=Schoenendetailhandel. Last accessed 9th October 2016.

RFID Journal. 2016. Frequently Asked Questions about RFID. [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.rfidjournal.com/site/faqs#Anchor-46384. [Accessed 8 October 2016].

Smiley S. 2016. Active RFID vs Passive RFID. [ONLINE] Available at: http://blog.atlasrfidstore.com/active-rfid-vs-passive-rfid. [Accessed 9 October 2016].

Software Advice. 2015. Pricing Guide Warehouse Management System. [ONLINE] Available: http://www.softwareadvice.com/imglib/lightbox-download-assets/warehouse_management_pricing_guide_2015.pdf. [Accessed 7 October 2016].

Statista. (2016). Projected size of the global market for RFID tags from 2016 to 2020 (in billion U.S. dollars). Available: https://www.statista.com/statistics/299966/size-of-the-global-rfid-market/. Last accessed 9th October 2016.

Traub, K. (2016). The Right Way to Encode RFID Tags for Consumer Products. Available: http://www.rfidjournal.com/articles/view?13951. Last accessed 4th October 2016.

Venkatraman, Henderson, Oldach. (1993). Aligning business and IT strategy. Available: http://www.valuebasedmanagement.net/methods_venkatraman_strategic_alignment.html. Last accessed 9th October 2016.

Yüksel, M.E. Yüksel, A.S.. (2011). RFID Technology in Business Systems and Supply Chain Management. Journal of Economic and Social Studies. 1 (1), 53-71 (http://search.proquest.com/docview/1328488902?pq-origsite=gscholar) Last accessed 9th October 2016. 

 

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Project Muze: Google and Zalando launch disruptive machine-learning experiment for 3D fashion design

27

September

2016

5/5 (5)

Zalando uses machine learning to explore the potential of algorithms in clothing design. The project is an experiment to built a neural network that can create virtual fashion, which can then be produced in real life and eventually purchased by customers. The project was present at Bread&Butter, a German based fashion event.

Google’s TensorFlow, an open-source platform for machine learning, is the basis of the experiment. Furthermore, Project Muze can be described as a neural network -meaning that it is a computer system or algorithm modeled on the human brain and nervous system. The software was attributed a set of aesthetic parameters and exposed and trained to preferences such as colors, textures and styles from more than 600 fashion “trendsetters”. In addition, it is equipped with data from Google Fashion Trend Reports and data about trends on the Zalando webpage itself. The machine-learning algorithm is then supposed to connect preferences to people with similar interests and create designs accordingly.

I create multiple designs on projectmuze.com:
At the beginning I was asked some personal question, for example it asked me about my favorite art period and mood or what is my favorite type of music. After that I was ask to enter my age and could then draw a design on a mannequin. What first seams very intriguing soon became disappointing. The designs were somewhat strange and the logic behind questionable. For example, it is possible to answer even more question after creating your first piece to change the color and pattern to match your individual taste. After having entered blue as my favorite color, my former designed was then changed to the color green?! After answering another question about my spirit animal the color of the design changed again to a bright purple/pink. The software does not filter all your preferences to create one piece but rather adapts it after each question to a new preference.

Summarising, the software gives a very interesting view on how fashion design might look like in the future. However, at this point the software is still not feasible and far from creating real world wearable pieces.

References:

Zalando SE. 2016. Project Muze. [ONLINE] Available at: https://projectmuze.com/en. [Accessed 25 September 2016].

Paul Sawers. 2016. Google and Zalando launch Project Muze, a machine-learning experiment for 3D fashion design. [ONLINE] Available at: http://venturebeat.com/2016/09/02/google-and-zalando-launch-project-muze-a-machine-learning-experiment-for-3d-fashion-design/. [Accessed 25 September 2016].

Sarah Perez. 2016. Google’s new Project Muze proves machines aren’t that great at fashion design. [ONLINE] Available at: https://techcrunch.com/2016/09/02/googles-new-project-muse-proves-machines-arent-that-great-at-fashion-design/. [Accessed 25 September 2016].

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