Time To Brush Those Teeth

Aloha~

How is everyone doing? Hope you had a great weekends. Last week, I went to Singapore to attend a forum discussing about the energy policy around ASEAN countries and saw some nice decoration at Chinatown. I didn't notice that Chinese New Year was around the corner. For those who are unsure what is Chinese New Year all about, it's basically the celebration of a new year in the Chinese calendar. This is the time when all Chinese community will come out celebrate with all the firecrackers.

It was fun to see all the decoration especially when you see all the image of the boar (which I was told by someone that it's their zodiac animals for this year 2019). During my stay, my friends took me for some chinese food and they are all very tasty (and oily). As I head back to my hotel, I was thinking, am I going to get my teeth cleaned after all those fried and oily food? Well, guess we won't know as we always just brush our teeth before going to bed or right after waking up.But wouldn't it be cool if we have toothbrush that tell us the states of our teeth?

What Is A Smart Toothbrush?

Now, several toothbrush manufacturers are hoping that your iPhone or Android will help you improve your brushing habits in tandem with one of their fancy smart toothbrushes. Most people brush their teeth twice a day — in the morning and before bedtime for just 46 seconds each session.  Smart toothbrush is a Bluetooth-connected electric toothbrush that encourages you to aim higher than that minimum standard with timers and by tracking your brushing habits, setting goals, and letting you see your overall progress.

Smart toothbrushes hold you accountable for brushing (and brushing the right way). They remind you when it's time to replace your brush head and scold you for pressing too hard or missing a section of your mouth. Plus, electric toothbrushes provide better plaque removal than manual brushes, and they require less effort on your part, because you just glide them along your teeth while they oscillate, rotate, vibrate, or pulsate.

How Does It Function?

In addition to whiter teeth and fresher breath, a smart toothbrush could actually help detect early signs of heart issues. Parents are always looking for ways to get their kids to be healthy. Smart toothbrush is an intelligent toothbrush that turns brushing into an interactive AR game. Some smart toothbrush have features that can:

1. It has its own brain. It caters its abilities to your brushing habits. For example, if you brush too hard, it lightens up its pressure.
2. Using the app on your smartphone, this brush and app guide you along your brushing journey to give you key insights into the brush pressure as well as build-up.
3. For those looking to multitask, this oral care system hooks up to your shower to provide a truly thorough clean. Best of all, you never need to worry about any mess.
4. In addition to app integration and three extra brush heads, the included travel case also doubles as a convenient charger. It’s perfect for frequent flyers looking to maintain their dental hygiene.

What Value Does It Bring?

For many products in our lives, the introduction of technology has tons of benefits. Toothbrushes are no different. Tech upgrades can actually improve your hygiene:

• Time: A simple timer to let you know when you’ve hit two minutes of brushing can truly improve your oral health. And, some toothbrushes beep every thirty seconds so each quadrant of your mouth gets the same thorough clean.
• Thoroughness: Likewise, an intelligent brush that can accommodate your brushing style ensures you get a deeper and more thorough clean.
• App: By connecting to an app, you can keep an eye on your brushing style, progress, and overall health.
• Information: With the app at your fingertips, you can give more information to your dentist and perhaps catch oral issues before they become a big problem.

Although there are tons of benefits and features of smart toothbrushes, they may not be all that practical. You may find out more information about your teeth sooner than your traditional brush-using partner, but the result would be the same: a trip to the dentist for any problems.

Recycle The Smart Way

Merry X'mas~

Hello everyone, how is your holiday going? It's been another great year with another great celebration coming soon. Well, I have been busy shopping around and celebrating Xmas with my family. Sometimes we just need to relax and self-reflect on ourselves, which I am gladly doing it for another new challenges. This time, I went to Singapore for X'mas celebration because of the Disney decoration. Partly also because my children asked me to bring them.

At the same time, I am also thinking is there a way to maintain the cleanliness of the city, when there are thousands and thousands of visitors coming to check out the X'mas decoration? Well, let's see....yes. Now let's see what "smart" alternatives we can use to recycle instead of using the conventional ways.

How To Recycle Smartly?

Do you ever find yourself hovering over a recycling bin, not sure whether the container in your hand can go in or not? What is the difference between high-density polyethylene (HDPE) and low-density polyethylene (LDPE) anyway? Why do plastics all have the little arrow triangle sign on the bottom, even when they can’t all be recycled? People are confused about where to recycle things, and consumers are confused about the actual material the packaging is made of. There are hundreds of materials out there that look the same, but can’t be recycled in the same ways.

Nowadays, the trend is clear that the use of pervasive computing technology has taken place to improve waste management by providing electronic system which utilizing radio frequency identification at bin level.

What Are The Differences?

A new “smart” recycling bin aims to help relieve any confusion. The bin uses computer vision—an algorithm that can “learn” to recognize images much the way the human brain does—to identify the material held in front of its cameras, and then tells the consumer exactly where to place the container.

A smart recycle bin application based on information in the smart card to automatically calculate the weight of waste and convert the weight into point then store it into the card. The wastes are tracked by smart bins using a RFID-based system integrating the web-based information system at the host server. Two crucial features of the selective sorting process can be improved using this approach. First, the user is assisted in the application of material waste classification. Second, the smart bin knows its content and can report back to the rest of the recycling chain.

What Is The Way To The Future?

I envision the smart bins as working like this: a consumer goes to a Starbucks and orders a latte in a paper cup (or a juice in a plastic bottle, or a milk in a carton, etc.). Once he's finished, he goes up and taps his phone against the bin, registering his identity with the bin app via Bluetooth. He then holds his cup over the bin’s cameras, which take two photos. The computer vision identifies the material and lights up the correct area of the bin. The user then gets a reward via the app. That reward would depend on the bin’s owner or sponsor. In a Starbucks, for example, it could be points towards a free coffee. But it could be anything: charity donations, free merchandise and so on. If the user didn’t want to use the app or register his identity, he could simply use the computer vision to help them know where to toss his cup.

Smart recycling containers that reward people for proper use could help drive up the rate of plastic recycling, reducing the amount of plastic that goes into oceans and landfill, and creating business opportunities out of the challenge to cut back on waste. It’s part of a wave of innovations aiming to keep plastic circulating in the economy, which also include a way to turn empty bottles back into raw materials and a new supply chain model enabling the recycling of plastics from electronic waste.

Who Should Champion It?

Whether or not people recycle has a lot to do with cultural norms. Homeowners—residents of single family housing—have adopted the cultural norm of putting their recyclables on the curb on collection day. However, they are not always doing this right. So while we have created this cultural norm of participating, we still need to do work on recycling right. In public spaces and multifamily housing, the cultural norms to recycle are not as strong. Where there’s more anonymity, there’s less pressure to participate. 

I hope that smart recycle bin will help create a cultural norm around recycling in public spaces, especially when paired with the app. Users, especially millennial, may enjoy the validation they get from recycling and earning rewards. I think the bin will appeal to corporations, who are under increasing pressure to be seen as sustainable.

It’s a win-win for companies, which could use the bins to gather valuable data about customer habits, whether its individual consumer data gathered through the app, or simply data about how much or what kind of waste is recycled. 

Technology does have a role in improving recycling, though it’s not as important as the human education element. But the most important challenge remains ensuring you and I are doing it right.

Rock-A-Bye Baby, In The Smart Cradle

Anaivarukum iniya Dheebavali nal valhthukkal. Deepavali naal vazhthagal~

Happy Diwali to all my Hindu friends. How was your holiday planning? Hope you had some great time with your love ones. I had mine when I went to visit my friends at Cameron Highlands. It was a great breeze up there. During this holiday, I took the opportunity to visit some of my relatives too, who are also residing there. The air was fresh and the temperature was cool. It was a relaxing way to recharge and do some self reflections.


When I was visiting my aunt, she just had her 1st grandchild in her family. Boy, was she so excited and thrilled to have this little angel into the family. She keeps talking about her little grandchild throughout the day. Of course you can't expect that the little toddler will keep quiet the whole time, right? The baby was keep screaming for milk and after awhile, a little nap. As I was looking at the baby cradle, I was wondering if there's anything smart that have been invented in the market?

What Is The Definition Of Smart Cradle?

Infants or a toddlers needs parents' attention 24 hours a day and 7 days a week, which is practically impossible due to other priorities like household activities, official works and personal works. Baby care centre or nanny are the two options available which involves lots of passion. We live in a world where technologies are used all around us and the new generations of parents were raised with technology. There are many things these parents will buy to help them care for their baby and a lot of these products can be put into one system. “Smart Baby Cradle “provide parents a smart system to monitor and comfort the baby. The Smart Baby Cradle allows them to monitoring their babies, the cradle, play soothing music and even speak to the baby. 

The Smart baby cradle is a baby-care system that will provide a safe cradle for baby and allow wireless remoting to monitoring and comfort the baby. Parents can use a smartphone app to control the system, including rocking the bed, speaking to baby, turning on the toy and seeing the baby. Smart baby cradle  will have semi-automated features, as well as manual. The device will combine the features of all the devices mentioned previously, as well as automation to help soothe the baby when the parents are unable to. This will give parents a little more time to do everyday tasks, and reduce the stress on the parent. Some of the devices including:

• Smart phone remote control
• Cradle smoothly swing 
• Mobile toy automated control 
• Sounds detecting 
• Webcam monitoring

Is There A Market?

The smart baby cradle is still in its infant stage. Not many people will opt for this  technology. However, some sides of the world has just started to give it a try especially the western world. But one thing for sure, evolution is coming and we can't run from development.

In the present study, an intelligent baby cradle system was developed. The cradle was capable of detecting the movement of the baby and initiate cradle swing. Additionally, in the event of bedwet or hyperthermia, the developed device is capable of sending SMS. The device can be used to minimize the workload of the parents and nurses in home and hospitals respectively.

Smart pantry

Sawubona~

Good day everyone. Hope you guys (and gals) are doing well. I was just back from the CEPSI 2018 convention in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. For those who don't know, CEPSI is the biggest and the most prominent electricity supply industry conference in East Asia and the Western Pacific region. This is a must-attend event for the electricity supply industry players as it is held every two years. 

The convention was a great eye opener to check on all the latest technology in electrical equipment such as switchgears, inverters, capacitor banks and others. Another great thing about this year's convention is it emphasize on the Internet of Things. It was great to see that we are going towards smart technologies in our daily life. As I was walking through the hall, there were a few pantries for people to network. As I was talking with new partners, my head was spinning with an idea, can we also apply the Internet of Things into our pantry at offices?

What Makes A Pantry Smart?

The smart pantry is a modular system and can be adjusted to the different consumers needs. This base can make use of a different combination of modules to keep an updated list of the commodities in your pantry. A bar-code reader module will be a convenient way to scan all packaging that arrives from the shop as it is stored in the pantry and also all packaging as it is thrown to the trash (a mobile phone or tablet may be used as bar-code reader module). A weighing station module will enable communication through IoT with small weight sensors that can be placed under strategic commodities that will be tracked by weight. A touch screen module can be added to allow simple manipulation of the current shopping list (adding and removing items as well as a scheduling mechanism). he back-end will use machine learning to analyze your past behavior and to try and make "smart" decisions based on this behavior and the information obtained from the different modules. The combination of these means and other modules that could be added later should make the task of keeping tabs on current pantry levels more manageable.

How Does It Work?

A smart pantry uses built-in sensors to track how much of a particular item you have. For example, just put your favorite granola bars straight into the container and select the item in the accompanying app. When you start running low, the container (through a Wi-Fi connection) works with the smart app to order more straight to your pantry. The system works without the step of you pushing a button to place an order. The process is completely automated, so you don’t have to think about checking how many coffee pods you have left. The app is smart enough to learn your consumption habits, so it can order more of your favorite food before you even realize you’re running low. 

So the final conclusion is..?

Smart pantries can make meal planning and preparation more efficient and enjoyable. For example, while you are at the grocery store, cameras in an interactive pantry, or smart shelves that can scan RFID tags, can count items and determine what is already there so you can purchase only the items you need. An interactive pantry can scan the contents of shelves to create a recipe using available ingredients. 

While most IoT technology can be used to track inventory, other innovations can help people stay healthy. With the use of scanners and cameras, interactive pantries can evaluate nutritional labels on products, helping users stick to calorie counts or other dietary requirements. The interactive pantry can make nutritional suggestions to help users get recommended daily allowance of proteins and vitamins. Food-borne illnesses and spoilage can be a serious health problem. Instead of keeping track of individual expiration labels, consumers can use smart pantries equipped with scanners that alert them when food should be disposed of.

As more companies focus integrating IoT innovations in the kitchen, the range of appliances and products is increasing. By connecting smart pantries to mobile devices, companies will be better able to help their employees and customers to improve food selection and promote healthier lifestyles.

Smart kettle

Selamat Merdeka ~

Good day everyone, how is your long weekend? Must be enjoying with your family or close ones. In fact, I was on holiday with my family at Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia and they were celebrating the 61st National Day of Malaysia. It was a grand celebration especially when you get to see people from different races come together and put their differences aside to make sure everyone is enjoying the birthday of Malaysia.

While we were there, we stayed in a hotel and as you know, all the basic necessities are available to us. Then as we use their kettle to cook water, I was wondering if there is any smart kettle that makes part of IoT more interesting to the smart homes. So after I have gone back to my home, I try to find out more of this smart kettle and this is what information that I have.

What Is A Smart Kettle

Usually early in the morning, at the moment when you awake, you would like your coffee to be readily available to you. It's like having a personal barista in your home, ready to take your order. Well, the Internet of Things which we like to call it IoT has push the boundaries of what it can do, what it can help us to enjoy that first sip of coffee as soon as we roll out of bed. A smart kettle is a fantastic (almost magical) device, that boils whenever you tell it to – or whenever a certain chain of events trigger. 

How Does It Work?

Ok, so it isn’t actually magic. It’s a complicated combination of wires, technology, and a motherboard or two that makes this WiFi kettle work. All you need to know, is how fantastically simple it is to use. It can actually be

• Connects to with WiFi
• Connects to Alexa, IFTTT
• Can be controlled by Nest, Phillips Hue, and Hive
• Can be operated via an Android or iOS app

On the base, is where you have your controls for the Power Switch, WiFi Toggle, Temperature Control, and Keep Warm functions. With the LED display, you can clearly see what temperature you have it set to. it remembers the previous temperature it boiled to – fantastic if you need water of a specific temperature (such as for heating baby bottles). As you can set the temperature your kettle boils to, you make it much more energy efficient, as they are no longer boiling for boilings sake.

Why Do You Want A Smart Kettle?

Now there will always be a question where we will ask why would we choose to have a kettle on the WiFi when we could just switch it on at the wall? Actually it makes our life easier. As long as there is water, we will have hot drinks no matter where we are. We  really can boil your kettle no matter the distance since the WiFI and IoT are everywhere. We’re always connected to the smart kettle. Ideal for when we are nearly home, about to leave the office or are too tired to get out of bed and wait for it to boil. With volume sensing, it uniquely starts water heating before the time scheduled, ready for when you arrive.

Should We Invest In Smart Kettle?

The beauty of a smart kettle is how you can connect it to everything. And I mean everything. With the innovative use of IFTTT, you can set it so your kettle will start boiling when your Phillips Hue lights switch on. Or when your Nest SmartStat senses your home is getting a little chilly, and a hot drink wouldn’t go amiss. You can even set it to boil if you get tagged in a photo on Facebook. For tech lovers, this smart kettle is a dream and the latest addition in creating a fully connected home.

Smart Gardening

大家好 ~

How is everyone's doing? Hope you are having a great time. I'd just came back from Singapore for the preparation of the annual BEX-Asia, which will fall on next month Septembeer. If anyone wants to know what does BEX mean, it is actually an acronym for Build Eco Xpo. It is an annual gathering of the green building professionals, where over 12,000 Architects, Building Owners, Developers, Engineers, Facility Managers and Solution Providers meet, exchange ideas, source for the latest products & solutions and build valuable relationships.

During my stay at the Marina Bay Sands, I saw some greenery in the middle of the city. It was a sight for mesmerize. The sea was great, the people jogging around the bay was great, and even the people there are great. I took the opportunity to go into the Gardens by the Bay and it was a relaxing treat to myself. The way they have done with the garden in the city area is astounding. Then it crossed my mind, can we do the same smart gardening at every homes on this planet? Well, I have gathered some information and would to share some thoughts with fellow readers.

Smart Garden Concept

Studies have shown that the presence of greenery in our lives and workplaces drastically reduces our stress levels. That tree through your window and suffering pot plant on your kitchen sill are doing you more good than you think. But what if you have no garden, time, or indoor space to cultivate a lush green paradise? Well, smart garden is a garden system environment which able to auto monitoring the humidity and water amount in the garden and provide the resources the environment needs. It allows for sustainable long-term garden cultivation with maximum harvest based on the natural capacity of the soil enhanced by well-planned companion planting. The main goal of the smart garden is to provide a smart control of the garden, by irrigating the garden based on the information collected by the sensors installed in the garden.

Facilitation for Smart Garden

There are many system to be considered when making a smart garden. The first system is an Automatic Water Sprinkle Function, which is used to sprinkle water in automatic condition. It also to ensure the plant or flower at that garden is in good condition. When the soil moister sensor probe detects the soil in dry condition, then the sprinkler will automatically turned on and when the soil moister sensor probe detects the soil is in wet condition, then the sprinkler will be turned off.

The second system is LDR Light Sensor is to detect the light. When the garden is in dark condition, this LDR Sensor circuit will automatically turn on the lamp. Otherwise, when the garden is in bright condition, the light will automatically be automatically turn off.

The third system is the Motor Canopy Circuit which is functional either in automatic system or manual system. For automatic action, when the canopy detects heat, it will automatically open and when there is no heat detected, it will automatically close.

How to Make One?

In addition to actually building the garden bed from scratch, the majority of the work went into making a custom-designed smart watering system. Proper watering is the most important aspect of gardening, so we should focus on that first and foremost. We only needed a single smart piece in the smart irrigation setup and the controller for the in-ground sprinkler system.

Then we have a plant sensor to watch the weather on its own. The system can be even more tied into the weather. We can also install a smart outdoor cam that can allow you to watch for pests. If a smart cam detects motion, it could sound an alarm or flash outdoor lights. Soon it will be able to take care of both watering and pest control. It can spray specific spots in a garden plot, and watch for motion and startle pests by dousing them with water.

Should We Invest In Smart Garden?

Gardening is a wonderful way to escape from everyday stress. Reconnecting with the natural world gets us out of our heads, especially if we tend to obsess over negative thoughts. It boosts our self-esteem and instills a powerful sense of achievement and pride.

Growth is not only seen in plants but smart gardens may also increase surrounding property values and encourage increasing rates of home ownership. Gardening is a physical activity and participation gives you the prospect of improved physical health. However due to the time constraint that we have in our personal and working life, I would say that it is up to the individual whether he or she wants to invest in it. Either the traditional ways or the IoT ways, gardening will always rings a positive bells to our personal lives. 

Mopping The House in IoT Way

Ogenki Desuka, Minasan~

Happy 4th of July to fellow Americans. It's been a great trip to the great city of New York. I was there for the Intersolar Conference and managed to catch a glimpse of the celebration for the independence of United States of America. It was a such a great sight that I never thought would have experienced it on my own. The crowd was cheering and the bands were playing great tunes of music.

During my stay at New York, I managed to walk around the Big Apple's shops and and did some window shopping. At a gallery, I saw something that caught my attention, a label called "SMART MOP". At first thought, I was thinking more of a futuristic Internet of Things that can do all those mopping for you by using sensors, but when I went into the shop, it's just a super absorbent mops and a retractable handle that make the work convenient. Well, it did serve its purpose as a "smart mop" but what if there's such an IoT mop which is in the design stage?

What Makes A Smart Mop?

Imagine, as a building service contractor, having the ability to head off customer restroom complaints before they happen. Well, imagine no further: A wide variety of Internet of Things, or IoT, solutions are becoming increasingly available that allow contractors to tap into restroom fixtures and dispensers, which inform them of high usage, low supplies or even the possibility of future malfunctions. That's where the smart mop should come in handy. The smart mop knows where it is in the room and the direction in which it's going. It can also tell the house-cleaner which spots need more mopping through the display screen on top. 

Which Stage Is It In?

Currently this smart mop is still in ideation stage. The last I'd checked was that it had a prototype in South Korea. The smart mop, they claim, provides an easier, more effective and enjoyable mopping experience. In addition, it has a game mode, which allows the mopper to play a game designed to find hidden targets shown on the screen. You score points when you clean the hidden targets around the room. Let's hope that it can make it out soon in the market where people will start to enjoy mopping their houses and keep it squeaky clean.