Connected Bumblebees: Use Twitter to Follow Bees #buzzisback

May 11, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Nik Sargent likes to “do things differently”. Nik is a technologist, artist, data collector, photographer, and bumblebee conservationist.

Busy Bees

Nik’s Bumblebee Project started off in 2011 with the goal of getting to know these amazing, social creatures. As he learned more, he found that the bees documented behavioral patterns were different from observed behavioral patterns due to climate change and unusual weather conditions. Nik observed countless hours of camera footage and discovered that the Queen’s hibernation schedule has been completely disrupted leading to disaster of new bumblebees and subsequent pollination which is critical to our food supply. There are many reports of a decline in pollination and is of global significance.

Earlier this year, Nik added sensors and a gateway from ioBridge to help automate and collect more data generated by these busy bees. The bee boxes now monitor temperature, track movement, count bees, and provide real-time feedback from the bumblebees by being connected to the cloud. The project looks to be evolving as new sensors and ideas will be incorporated over time.

“ioBridge is a big step forward in allowing us to automate and correlate environmental and activity data without resorting to manual CCTV analysis,” said Nik in an email interview. “It gives us the freedom not only to view and collect the data from anywhere remotely,  but also share it and tweet it – again helping to raise awareness.”

Nik was able to capture a photo of the first tweet triggered by a Bumblebee.

Video Still of Bumblebees

And, here’s what she said…

Bumblebee Tweet

We were so happy to find out about this project. We didn’t know much about Bumblebees and learned a lot by following Nik’s project. Thanks for sharing and we hope to do our part to help raise awareness of the global impact and never ending curiosity that bumblebees generate.

To get more info about the Bumblebee Project visit LoveBumbl.es and follow the project on Twitter.

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Small Steps Lead to Big (Connected) Things

May 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

In the March/April issue of Connect World Magazine, you will find an article about a few of the small steps taken by ioBridge. We have connected toasters, thermostats, fish tanks, pet feeders, pools, garage doors, and many other things to the Internet and get to see our users, developers, and partners do amazing things. We are pushing towards a connected future, but how do we get there?

“If consumers try something connected, they will try another,” said Hans Scharler, co-founder of ioBridge. “For example, if you could open your garage door from a mobile phone, then controlling a light is right around the corner. But, the same consumer will not make a major overhaul of his or her house all at once. A connected world could potentially be much more than home automation, but it will take a series of little wins to get there.”

We believe that it will take a lot of small steps and small ideas to help push along the Internet of Things. Already a lot has happened since Jason Winters and I founded ioBridge, Inc. in 2008. We operated the very first server from Jason’s house and quickly grew to customers in over 40 countries with many servers in the US and Europe. We had big ideas for lots of markets and knew early on that we needed to partner with companies to bring out next-generation products and services. We were fortunate that our early customers wanted to invest in us by sharing great ideas and working together on new things. Our goal remains to make connected devices easy, fun, and practical for tinkerers and manufactures alike.

First ioBridge Prototype

This little guy, called the IO-100, was our first connected gizmo that could monitor and control anything that you hooked up to it over the Internet. Does that sound familiar?

First Assembly of ioBridge Module - IO-100

We look forward to the new things to come and seeing what people dream up next as the Internet of Things emerges.

[via Connect World Magazine]

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ioApp — iPhone App for ioBridge Widgets is Now Available

March 27, 2012 By 3 Comments

ioApp is available now in the App Store! Monitor and control almost anything connected to ioBridge from your phone!

iPhone app for ioBridge Widgets

ioApp is a mobile app created by ioBridge to access your ioBridge Widgets right from an iPhone or iPod Touch. All you have to get started with ioApp is create widgets at ioBridge.com, then run ioApp on your smart device. ioApp works with Button, Switch, Value, and State widget types. Android app is coming soon.

If you are new to ioBridge and wondering how to get started with ioApp, we have also created a video tutorial that walks you step-by-step. At the end of the tutorial, you will be monitoring your outside temperature right on your mobile device. View the complete ioApp tutorial on ioBridge Connect.

We look forward to your feedback, so feel free to chime in on our forum.

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ioBridge Provides Web Connectivity Technology and Cloud Services for Pool Control Systems

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

If you happened to be at the Orlando Pool and Spa Show 2012 last week, you might have noticed all of the buzz around a new product from Zodiac Pool Systems called iAquaLink. Every aspect of managing a pool and spa is possible with iAquaLink by allowing for control from an iPhone, Android device, and any web browser. Users are now able to get the spa ready before leaving work, schedule cleanings, monitor pH, set the solar heater, etc. Pool and spa installers are also able to remotely maintain a user’s pool and provide new services.

Access to iAquaLink on any Device

Here’s a quick video introduction linked by Carecraft pool builders and retailers:

Zodiac contacted us about creating a remote monitoring and control device for their pool and spa control systems. We worked with their engineering and marketing team to create a new product that incorporates Wi-Fi, Ethernet, USB, and RS-485 connectivity. We also extended our web services, created an API, and provided a streaming interface to monitor and control over 100k pool and spa systems efficiently. All of our combined efforts resulted in a highly secure, real-time, connected product that is targeted to pool professionals and consumers.

iAquaLink System Overview

The pool and spa industry is highly competitive. By adding Internet-connectivity and many new features, companies like Zodiac are able to maintain their competitive edge. “It’s critically important to Zodiac and our Jandy Controls business to maintain our reputation for highly dependable, intuitive pool and spa automation,” said David Goldman, Director of Product Development at Zodiac. “We’re delighted to raise the bar yet again by incorporating ioBridge’s technology.”

And, we are thrilled as well to be working with innovative partners like Zodiac. We have many other projects like this going on under the hood and we love being able to share this one with you.

“We are extremely proud to have been chosen by Zodiac to provide connectivity technology for their new iAquaLink intelligent pool control system,” said Dr. Robert Mawrey, CEO of ioBridge. “The flexibility and accessibility of the ioBridge platform allows companies to enhance the value of their products. We believe that the iAquaLink is a wonderful example of an Internet-enabled product and that it provides a competitive edge that sets Zodiac apart from other pool and spa control system providers.”

Visit http://www.ioBridge.com for more applications and information on how ioBridge works with manufactures such as Zodiac.

[via ioBridge Press Release]

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Powercast and ioBridge Partner to Create Cloud-connected Wireless Sensor Networks

February 24, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Powercast met ioBridge last year at the Remote Monitoring and Control Expo and we quickly hit it off.  Powercast saw pairing their wireless sensor technology with ioBridge’s web gateways as a complete solution they could deliver to customers.  ioBridge’s cloud service gateway for professional applications was a great fit to connect their wireless sensor network to the cloud.

Last month Powercast put a live demo of their remote monitoring in the cloud solution on their website.  The layout below displays various Temperature, Humidity, Light and Carbon Dioxide sensors at different locations throughout the Powercast headquarters.

Powercast Sensors and ioBridge demo

This is a great example of how ioBridge technology can be the missing piece of the puzzle in someone else’s solution.  We are seeing a growing level of interest from solution providers like Powercast that have their own existing technology, customers and applications.  We love these types of partnerships where our cloud connecting technology makes their solutions better and easier to manage.

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