FACEBOOK LIBRA

The financial world is rapidly spreading their services by integrating with the latest technology, since the currency is  the only oil which runs finance of any organization, business of a country, Facebook has taken initiative to launch its very own digital currency or virtual currency or cryptocurrency “Libra”, which lets you purchase things and send money with Zero fees. To date back the existence of cryptocurrency, it was created in 2009 by Satoshi Nakamoto, which is actually the first Decentralized cryptocurrency is popularly known as “Bitcoin”. Later then many digital currencies came into existence to name a few are Litecoin, Ethereum, Dash, ripple, NEO, Monero and others but these have not made an impact in the digital currency system. Facebook has launched Libra with the main aim of becoming a global currency with the same population of user base it has, especially for those developing countries which have poor financial and banking systems. However Facebook is not alone in developing this system, Facebook tied up with a couple of hotshot companies in silicon valley, Libra is governed by the Libra Association, which is a swiss group and has around 28 members including facebook subsidiary Calibra, uber, MasterCard, Paypal, Spotify, visa and others.

Before discussing the working of cryptocurrency, there is a huge confusion among the people to differentiate between Bitcoin and cryptocurrency. Bitcoin is a digital currency which uses cryptocurrency and it is completely governed by a decentralised authority such as government currencies, whereas cryptocurrency refers to the technology that just catalyses the process of financial transactions. Now, Does actually does Libra work? The technology which runs Libra is “ BLOCKCHAIN”, which is written in the Libra white papers of technical manifesto.

Blockchain is a concept which is not enough to understand in a passage or two but we can understand a few applications in Libra. Firstly Blockchain is infrastructure or the backbone on which all the cryptocurrency payments take place. It is an unchangeable, digital, transparent and most fastest record of all payments that can ever happen in any cryptocurrency. Secondly Blockchain is completely Decentralised, which means all the transactions are processed and verified by a bunch of independent systems, rather than a central system, with the primary main to increase security so that no single entity of the process is hacked also guaranteeing the users that these transactions cannot be blocked even by government bodies. These independent systems are referred to as nodes. These conclude that these are anti-state and anti-bank tools.

Libra’s nodes will run only through servers of Libra’s Associations numbers which are Facebook, PayPal, Uber and others, so there is no single system which verifies the transitions, Libra’s transactions are collectively processed and verified by many independent systems which are good according to blockchain experts. Also, this makes a lot of fear among the developers that put them into pressure if the government ordered to block the transactions.

Decentralisation makes any system less vulnerable to malware, hacks and misfunction. Blockchain generally makes around 7 transactions per second, But on the other hand by centralisation, it takes around 24,000 payments per second. The only reason why the Facebook platform has a stable bitcoin is only because of its Huge users. Which means that the value of Libra will be connecting to the real-valued assets.

Libra’s Associations will initially store a different currencies such a Dollars, euros, pounds and others in a Unit, the value of this unit will determine the Libra’s total unit circulation .whenever a user tries to trade cash for a Libra, the same cash will be added to the associations reserves. At the same time, Facebook is launching its wallet Calibra which lets users transact through Facebook messenger, WhatsApp or a standalone app.

Recently France announced that only the government can mint money, the bank of England announced that Libra has to meet a sustainable standard to be allowed in the UK, PayPal, Visa and Mastercard have left the collaboration. Facebook which is well known for its oversized user base, unaccountability arrogant monopoly has put questions to the globe if it can maintain its standard in the financial domain, with all these controversies and struggles lets see how far Libra can meet the digital financial world.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the author's and not necessarily represent or reflect the views of DOT Club as a whole

BITCOIN-THE NEXT BIG THING IN FINTECH

Digital asset designed to work as a medium of exchange that uses strong cryptography to secure financial transactions and control the creation of additional units is called Crypto-Currency.

Presenting Bitcoin

• It’s decentralized.
• Doesn’t have a central authority.
• No central server; Bitcoin network is Peer-to-Peer.
• No Central Storage; Bitcoin ledger is distributed.
• Ledger is public; Anybody can store it on their computer.
• No single administrator; Ledger is maintained by a network of equally miner.
• Anybody can become a miner.
• Addition to the ledger is maintained through competition. Until a new block is created, it’s not known which miner will create the blog.
• Issuance of bitcoin is decentralized; Issued as a reward for the creation of a new block.
• Anyone can create a new bitcoin address.

·  Inception: January 9,2009 as BITCOIN 0.1.0 Invented by an unknown person named Satoshi Nakamoto.

·   Current Version: August 9,2019 as BITCOIN 0.18.1

·   Technology Used:

1.     . Block-chain Technology
2.     . Data Mining
3.     . POS Technology

Block-Chain Technology:

The bitcoin blockchain is a public ledger that records bitcoin transactions. It is implemented as a chain of blocks, each block containing a hash of the previous block up to the genesis block of the chain.

A network of communicating nodes running bitcoin software maintains the blockchain. Transactions of the form : player X sends Y bitcoins to payee Z are broadcast to this network using readily available software applications.

Network nodes can validate, add them to their copy of their ledger, and then broadcast these ledger additions to other nodes.

In about every 10 minutes a new group of accepted transactions, called a block is created, added to the blockchain and quickly published to all nodes, without requiring central oversight. This allows bitcoin software to determine when a particular bitcoin was spent, essential to prevent double-spending.

·     Data Mining

Data Mining Techniques

Mining is a record-keeping service done through the use of computer processing power. Miners keep the blockchain consistent, complete and unalterable by repeatedly grouping newly broadcast transactions into a block, which is then broadcasted to the network and verified by the recipient nodes.

Each block contains an SHA-256 cryptographic hash of the previous block, thus linking it to the previous block and giving the blockchain its name.

Early bitcoin miners used GPU’s for mining as they were better suited to the proof-of-work algorithm than CPU’s.

Later amateurs mined bitcoin with specialized FGPA and ASIC chips. The chips have become obsolete due to increasing difficulty.

Today bitcoin mining companies dedicate facilities to housing and operating large amounts of high-performance mining hardware.

Pooled Mining

Computing power is often bundled together or “pooled” to reduce variance in miner income. In a pool, all participating miners get paid every time a participating server solves a block. This payment depends upon the amount of work an individual has contributed to help find that block.

·     POS Technology.

Wallets: A Wallet stores information to transact bitcoins. More specifically, a wallet stores the digital credentials for the client's bitcoin holdings and allows one to access them.

Bitcoin uses Public-key cryptography, in which one public and one private key are generated for the wallet to operate.

Modes of Wallet Operation :

1.  Full Clients: Verify transactions directly by downloading a full copy of the blockchain. These are the most secure and reliable way of using the network. Full clients check the validity of mined blocks, preventing them from transacting on a chain that breaks or alters network rules.

2. Lightweight Clients: Consults full clients to send and receive transactions without requiring a local copy of the entire blockchain.Much faster to set-up and allows them to be used on low power, low bandwidth devices such as smartphones.

Safety Issues.

• Each blockchain is registered to a bitcoin address.
• Bitcoin address requires a valid private key.
• If a private key is lost then the bitcoin network won’t recognise any other evidence of ownership.
• Coins are then unusable & effectively lost.

EX:- In 2013 a user claimed to have lost 7500 bitcoins worth $7.5 million at the time when he accidentally discarded a hard drive containing his private key.

• If a private key is revealed to a third party e.g. through data breach, the third party can use it to steal associated bitcoins.

EX:- In December 2017, around 980,000 bitcoins have been stolen from cryptocurrency exchanges.

Bitcoins are mainly used in bitcoin exchanges, venture capital by payment service providers . Industries using Bitcoin as a mode of monetary transaction are

• Online Shopping Industries

Companies like Microsoft has added bitcoin to its list of payment methods back in 2014.This made shoppers possible to pay using bitcoin money to buy videos, games, apps and other services offered by the company.

• Other companies that have added bitcoin to their list of payment methods includes Overstock, Dell, TargetDirect, and CheapAir. Target, Wallmart, Nike, Amazon also accept bitcoin payments, especially from gifts.
• Hotels & Restaurants
• Travel companies like Espedia has added bitcoin to their accepted modes of payments. Bars and Restaurants of North America also accept bitcoin money as payment for their service.
• Online Casinos: Most gamers and especially gamblers prefer using bitcoin for betting or any other transaction in online casinos because betting with bitcoin provides a fast, safe and secure way to pay online. Bitcoin also enables us to keep track of all the bets placed in the online casinos through blockchain.
• Charity: Some of the biggest charity organisations like “Save the Children”. “Human Rights Foundations”, “The Water Project” and “Freesnowden” accept bitcoin contributions to the accounts. 

Also, bitcoin reduces transaction costs significantly, meaning more money goes to charity organisations.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the author's and not necessarily represent or reflect the views of DOT Club as a whole

Wi-fi -The Form of Electricity through Rectennas

Ever thought that connected to a Wi-fi network would be a rather become more helpful without thinking of the battery draining out with the continuous usage. Well, that is a myth that we used to believe but now it is not.

Image source: MIT/Christine Daniloff

Researchers from MIT and elsewhere have designed the first fully flexible, battery-free “rectenna” — a device that converts energy from Wi-Fi signals into electricity — that could be used to power flexible and wearable electronics, medical devices, and sensors for the “internet of things.” (Image source: MIT/Christine Daniloff)

Massachusetts institute of technology (MIT) has developed a new way of charging electronics devices without the use of wire. Yes, they have devised a new way of powering electronics devices through Wi-Fi signals.

Researchers at MIT have developed a new flexible device that can convert the Wi-Fi signals into electrical power that can power electronic devices like laptop, mobiles, etc. MIT scientist made a device from flexible, inexpensive that powers electronics devices, medical equipment and wearable devices. These devices that convert AC electromagnetic waves into DC electricity are known as “rectennas.” This is a two-dimensional flexible device that is powered solely by Wi-Fi waves passing through it. 

All rectennas consist of a component known as a “rectifier,” which converts the AC signal into DC signal. The researchers used a 2-D material known as molybdenum disulphide (MoS2), which is three atoms thick, is one of the thinnest semiconductors present in today world. As the WIFI signal hits the antenna, it picks up the electromagnetic radiation, converting it directly into an alternating current, and then it is passed through a diode, which converts the signal to direct current for use in electrical circuits. It can capture higher frequencies than other flexible rectifiers, which can't capture the gigahertz frequencies in which Wi-Fi signal operates.  The devices are flexible and it can be fabricated in a roll-to-roll process to cover very large areas.

Researchers have demonstrated a new rectenna that uses a flexible radio-frequency that captures electromagnetic waves carrying Wi-Fi signals as AC waveform. It has a novel device made out of a two-dimensional semiconductor just a few atoms thick which is connected with an antenna which receives the ac waveform and converts them into dc signals which powers the electronics devices. 

“What if we could develop electronic systems that we wrap around a bridge or cover an entire highway, or the walls of our office and bring electronic intelligence to everything around us? How do you provide energy for those electronics?” said Tomas Palacios, a professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US.

The report suggests that the maximum output efficiency for the current device stands at 40%, depending upon the input power of the Wi-Fi signal. At the typical Wi-Fi power level, the power efficiency of the rectifier is about 30% i.e. it can produce about 40 microwatts of power when exposed to the typical power levels of Wi-Fi signals (around 150 microwatts). The power generated is more than enough power to light up a simple mobile display or silicon chips. Today’s rectennas made from rigid, more expensive materials that are able to achieve around 50 to 60 % efficiency. The team is planning to build a more complex system and improve efficiency. 

The device could also be used for practical use like medical implants and swallowable sensors.

These sensors can also be used to harvest energy from the environment to power up the small labs inside the body and communicate data to an external computer.

The development team says the as molybdenum disulphide (MoS2) rectifier can capture and convert up to 10 GHz of wireless signals with an efficiency of about 30 %. This is much higher than other flexible designs available, and the researchers also say that it is faster as compared to other devices.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the author's and not necessarily represent or reflect the views of DOT Club as a whole

RERA & Technology-Reshaping the Real Estate Sector

RERA (Real Estate and Development Authority) Act 2016, a bill passed by the Modi government with the sole objective of establishing a Real Estate Regulatory Authority for the regulation real estate sector. The act ensures the sale of plots, apartments, buildings and setting up of a tribunal for grievance redressal and to set up rules and regulations of the regulatory body. As per the present scenario, the real estate sector is experiencing a massive slowdown, therefore RERA Act and the infusion of Technology can be fruitful in reviving this particular sector. Focus on technology is imperative because it is the key driver for growth in all spheres.

The adoption of technology has been very late in the real estate sector but has made it easy and attractive with the help of advancements and innovation. As the government aims towards a five trillion economy, the real estate sector plays a pivotal role in it. According to IBEF reports, the real estate sector in India is expected to reach US$1 Trillion by 2030 and by 2025 it will contribute 13% to the GDP. The fact that this sector holds a market size $150 Billion still has tremendous growth ahead and eventually will become the major player in the contribution of the GDP of the country.  As far as technology is concerned it has made the way simpler for the people as it can meet its customers within seconds. The conventional method of using paperwork for all invoices, transactions done have now been converted to a digitalized platform. Technology has increased the quality standards of the construction and has tremendously reduced the construction time of a project. Developers have started using a common platform which brings the developers and customers together were buying of properties has become smoother. Focusing on various technologies that are used or can be used in this industry.

⮚Blockchain Technology:

Though India has not been fully operational in adopting the blockchain technology still there are various opportunities in this sector. It will bring transparency and increase the efficiency of India's Real Estate sector. It enables safer and faster transactions with minimal intervention. It makes buying and selling more convenient by removing the intermediaries.

⮚Internet of Things:

Today IoT has hugely penetrated the real estate industry at a building level. It has made the lives of people simpler. People having home appliances, security cameras, etc. can now control it via the internet. People can also use this technology for energy saving.

⮚Process Automation:

The larger player has been using ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) system for a long time but due to process automation affordable ERPs using SaaS subscription model are being made available. This prevents the players from spending large capital costs in the development of ERPs.

⮚ Augmented Reality (AR):

It uses a computer-based model to visualize what the project/construction will look like upon completion. So it allows developers to make corrections before the construction starts in this way they can eliminate the flaws in the project.

Artificial Intelligence is considered as the major technology in shaping the Real Estate future. Also, it is the radical and groundbreaking technologies set to transform the market shortly. Ways in which AI is modifying the real estate sector are:-

1. Chatbots: They have penetrated every aspect of our lives. When it comes to Real Estate they have revolutionized the selling and buying activities, chatbots have proved itself in saving time, cost-cutting and saving additional resources. Introduction Chatbots in websites have optimized the time spent on common queries.

2. Construction Automation: Some tools have been developed to provide good quality materials at cheaper price from suppliers. Robots have been deployed to handle materials used for construction which cuts down the cost and triggers profit by extensive use of AI.

3. Drones: Another next-gen technology is drone. It has become a new medium for developers to build houses in a cost-effective, faster and safer manner. They have been fitted with high-resolution cameras so that inspection becomes easier and pics can be taken at different stages.

4.Investor Analytics: An intellectual robot can check the revenue and growth goals set by the property investors and can also, evaluate the risk based on investor's parameters that they can make necessary modifications for which they can meet their monetary goals.

Real Estate sector was traditionally functioning offline but when advancements came and technology was embraced in this sector it led into a scalability impact in various markets. Now technology integrates two polarised part which existed in isolation before like search and discovery platform thriving in the country and the fragmented brokerages, retailers. What tech does is it consolidates them and bring them to a common platform.

So what technology means when it comes to the Real Estate sector, the answer is it builds affordable houses, modular homes and creates an efficient process to build projects. Finally, the sole objective remains that how to build low-cost houses or how you can use technology to achieve that target.

When it comes to RERA Act, it is also very imperative for this sector by introducing Regulatory body for grievance redressal, speedy recovery of cases which will ease the problems of people and builders would be able to get occupancy certificate early if they are eligible for. I think both the RERA Act and the use of tech in the Real Estate industry is very important for the revival of the slowing industry as it will eventually help in the growth of the economy of our country.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the author's and not necessarily represent or reflect the views of DOT Club as a whole

OTT MEDIA: PAVING A NEW WAY OF MARKETING

The rising clout of digitalization has shaken the conventional pattern of conducting the business and with no differences; media business has embraced the changes. Starting from the methodology of producing the content to delivering to the audience, everything has been metamorphosed with the rapidly evolving technology as well as the changing taste & preferences of customers. Concurrently the number of customers & market players are exponentially increasing and the task of brand positioning is becoming more difficult for marketers. Marketing mix aims at bundling the factors that can be controlled by a firm to influence consumers for experiencing its products. As the Nextgen marketer, the approach of informing, persuading and reminding about particular goods or services has been changed drastically with the change in lifestyle & product attributes. The traditional pattern of marketing requires a perfect mix of the modern approach to reach plausible customers. Within the busy lifestyle, the customer touch points are slowly diverting towards the tech-savvy platforms. The affordability to access such platforms and improved connectivity support this transformation. Through OTT media the promotional efforts can be strategically designed and targeted to the right customer at the right time. Measuring audience engagement with advertising is more prominent in the case of OTT than conventional advertising through TV advertisement & OOH advertising. Moreover promoting through OTT can put an intense impact because of the content and positioning the message. Also, it can help the marketer in understanding the entire journey of the customer and derive strategic implications to improve product performance.

OTT Platforms Scenario

The OTT content is gaining momentum across the globe because of the improved connectivity and accessibility to smart gadgets. The busy lifestyle and a quest for change in the engagement with video content are driving the audience towards the OTT media. As the meaning suggests OTT is independent of the typical transmission mechanism. Leading names like Amazon Prime & Netflix stikes into our mind whenever we take up about OTT media services. From the introductory business line of online bookselling and DVD by mail rental service, both the players forrayed into digital video distribution in the early 21st century. By 2012 they had created a decent share in the markets of US, UK, Canada. Sweden, Germany and other Nordic countries. Gradually Amazon Prime & Netflix expanded to other developing with their region-specific marketing strategies. To captivate the increasing demand new OTT content players emerged and some existing television media players diversified their offerings into OTT media services. According to a report by eMarketer, 10.2% of the global population has access to OTT media content and the subscription rate is growing by 24.0%. In line with global trends, the consumption of the content on digital platforms is increasing in India with more than 560mn internet users. Though Amazon and Netflix hold a major portion of the market, other players like ALT Balaji, Viu, BigFlix etc are coming up. Popular television media operators like Viacom, Sony entertainment, Star, ZEE entertainment etc have entered into OTT media services through VOOT, ZEE5, Hotstar, Eros Now and other subscription-based platforms. The main source of revenue is generated through subscription fees. For the developing-market, the OTT players have designed their pricing strategies with an eye to lifetime profitability from the subscribers and aim at increasing the subscriber base. The main focus of these OTT content players is producing original content with the touch of regional preference. Each OTT content has its specific objective of attracting as well as retaining audiences. These days leading movie production houses are releasing their movies exclusively on OTT platforms and the response as well as engagement quite satisfactory. On the other hand, it is becoming a marvellous platform to integrate brands which attempts at reaching the audience with a similar buyer persona. OTT media is getting wider acceptance across the regions and demographics because of creative and region-specific content. Using the analytics, the content creators are able to gauge the audience reaction and deliver the content with a great watching experience. Considering the booming demand in the Urban area, the OTT players are taking the assistance of Out of Home(OOH) advertising in prime locations of metro cities.

With the evolution of technology and ease of accessing the internet, Indian OTT market has flourished. The major players follow the various business model in order to cope up with their competitors. A key element that plays a major role in the success of OTT is that these major players would also likely concur with is that when a market is changing as rapidly as today’s OTT landscape, hence the business plan is getting strong in technical agility and operational flexibility. The media business has flourished with a combination of transactional business models and free, ad-based, subscriptions. In addition to it, many of the most successful OTT services have amalgamated the available existing model, layering new models on top of the available existing services in order to increase revenue growth. These business models have been broadly classified into 4 types: Platform, Processor, Performer and Player. These fall along with the scales of business integration scale, using content directly to generate revenue and simple support to other marketing and communication systems as a contributor.

The continued advancement of technology and certain new acronyms like IoT (the Internet of Things) being a master of our lives, it becomes really hard for consumers to really understand what a product does, especially if that product is software. On top of that, consumers often prefer the tangibility of a product and they want to see and how something works versus just read about it. This gives huge scope for the market players to make a huge business of out of this. Hence if the content is marketed right like a video on- demand content, it can be boon for a company. Undoubtedly the future of OTT Media marketing is effulgent and it is the chore of the marketer to leverage the best out of it.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the author's and not necessarily represent or reflect the views of DOT Club as a whole

BEACONS TECHNOLOGY

Beacons are small and cost efficient, micro-location-based technology devices that can emit radio frequency signals and notify nearby Bluetooth devices of their presence and transmit information. Smartphones or other mobile devices can capture the beacon signals and distance can be estimated by measuring Received Signal Strength Indicators (RSSI). Stronger signals are received with the proximity of the receptive devices. Various industrial sectors including retail, educational institutions, transit systems, travel, enterprises, event organizing, finance etc. have started leveraging beacons solutions to track and communicate with their potential and existing customers. A beacon fixed on to a shop wall or event location or any public place, can communicate easily with a corresponding smartphone app and figure out where the person is located currently with great accuracy. The retailers or event organizations can then come up with a much targeted or personalized communication based on the proximity of the customer.

How do beacons connect to the web?

You’ve probably heard of Bluetooth. It’s present in more than 90 per cent of all phones and has been around since the 1990s. While many consumers don’t use Bluetooth on a daily basis, it’s hugely important to the Internet of Things. Being in 90% of the world’s phones, Bluetooth technology means beacons are compatible with devices consumers use on a daily basis around the globe. Bluetooth provides the infrastructure for the entire beacon ecosystem. It’s a standard for sending data over short distances, a wireless technology not so dissimilar from Wi-Fi. This is why beacon hardware can be simple. There is already a web of Bluetooth around you that can connect beacons and smart devices and almost anything else.

How do beacons work?

As you move through a shopping mall installs beacons in their shop, all of the beacons will have certain IDs, registered in their dedicated app. This means a smartphone app can immediately recognize that the incoming ID is important and that it’s from that particular mall. The ID, however, has little meaning on its own; it’s entirely up to an app or other programs to recognize what it means.

What happens next? That depends on what the owner has programmed it to do. One code could trigger the app to send a coupon. Another could offer navigation services. The possibilities are nearly endless. All the beacon has to do is connect your exact location to the app, and the rest is up to the program.If this sounds a little too big brother for you, don’t worry. There are limitations to what they can do.

First, beacons only work if you have the right app. Beacons can’t ping your phone unless you give them permission to pair, which is done through installing the mobile app. If you don’t have the app installed, you won’t ping the beacon.

Second, beacons don’t work with when your phone's Bluetooth is turned off. Unlike the store’s Wi-Fi network, you’re in full control of whether your phone pings beacons. Even if you have the app installed, you can manually turn off your phone’s Bluetooth to cut off any communications with beacons.

Third, beacons have a limited range. If you’ve ever used a Bluetooth device, you know the range is limited to half a mile in the most ideal, unobstructed, outdoor conditions. Walls, merchandise, other device signals, and other obstacles limit this range to 100 meters or less.

Beacons in Retail industry

Customer experience has become the key to the success of any industry including retail. Retailers can deliver a much more appealing customer experience for consumers by implementing reliable Beacon Solutions. These micro-computing devices can easily figure out interested customers, loyal customers, potential customers exactly where the person is, what they are interested in, when they enter into the store environment and many such attributes. This provides an opportunity for retailers to provide a much engaging Customer experience by sending contextually relevant, hyper-local, significant messages and advertisements on their smartphones. Beacons solutions will act as a bridge between the online and traditional offline shopping by capturing and sending consumer data to retailers and vice-versa to create an enhanced shopping experience.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the author's and not necessarily represent or reflect the views of DOT Club as a whole

ROBOT - DEXTERITY

Imagining robots part of human world is a common buzz because some human must design and build, Program it, to serve its purpose but it’s all mechanical. What happens when the robots start learning everything by itself – ROBOT DEXTERITY. The irony of robotics is “What’s hard for humans is relatively easy for robots, and what’s easy for humans is nearly impossible for robots.”

Dexterous Manipulation is an area of robotics in which multiple manipulators, or fingers, cooperate to grasp and manipulate objects. Dexterous manipulation differs from traditional robotics because they are mainly the object-centered ones. That is, the problem is formulated in terms of the object to be manipulated, how it should behave and what kind of forces should be employ upon it.

In General case a robot can pick an object as programmed like Location co- ordinates, size, shape, color etc. if any of the programmed specifications changed the robot fails. This is where ROBOT DEXTERITY masters the technology. It will help the robot to manipulate the object with trial and error method. This improves the efficiency and it rises to the next stage “self-learning Robots”.

“Dactyl” a new advancement is a system for manipulating objects using a Shadow Dexterous Hand. For the Re-orientation/Self learning there are few things first robotics should expertise at first. Real world experience, High Dimension control, Noisy and partial Observations, Manipulating more than one object at a time. The problem is Traditional robots can easily provide enough data to train complex policies, but most manipulation problems can’t be modeled accurately enough. Training directly on physical robots allows the policy to learn from real-world physics. Domain randomization deals with simulation which is designed to provide a variety of experiences. This gives robots learning in simulation, gather more experience quickly by scaling - up, and by de-emphasizing realism, tackle problems that simulators can only model approximately.

The new Robot “MuJuCo” with Dactyl has been built. This copies the simulation by seeing the other one. Example if a human turned an object in a particular direction the robot copies the simulation and places the object in the same direction. This is happening cause of the robot can manipulate the object by repeatedly making contact with it. Dactyl was designed to be able to manipulate arbitrary objects, not just those that have been specially modified to support tracking. Dactyl uses regular RGB camera images to estimate the position and orientation of the object.

The important factor is tactile sensing is not necessary to manipulate real-world objects and Randomization developed for one object generalize to others with similar properties. The key players in this area are the Open AI

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the author's and not necessarily represent or reflect the views of DOT Club as a whole.

DIGITAL TRANSFORMATION IN REAL ESTATE

Real estate is a cyclical industry, reacting to macroeconomic trends such as interest rates, population growth, and economic strength. It takes care of one of our very basic needs i.e. a home to stay, for which in this sector the demand is very high and profitable too. 

Talking about the real estate industry earlier, it was tougher than what it is now. People had to go to the sites and search for favorable sites in person. But, since the last decade with the increase in the use of the internet widely all over, it has been easier for the real estate sector to reach their customers and for the customers to find the perfect property for themselves. The extensive use of internet gave birth to a new way i.e. digitalization. Digitalization is spreading all over like an epidemic. With this major change, all sectors need to adapt it to perform the best.

In the real estate industry, Digital Marketing is playing a major role. It is true that people will make a final decision after seeing the property in person. But investors are likely to conduct thorough research before viewing the properties, for which it is ideal that as a realtor and property, one must have a strong online presence. As per Digital Marketing Activities, there has been a phenomenal increase in the number of leads (at least 300%) from marketing real estate online via digital marketing platform. Undoubtedly, buyers get interested in personal buying experience when it comes to high monetary value products, digital marketing makes the real estate or developers in India create a huge impact on the buyers. To attain this objective of reaching out the target users, digital marketing is applied. The various channels used to achieve these are:

Optimize your On-Page Real Estate Content

Today, the need for a more intricate strategy is needed in order to get your website rank in the top few pages of search results. This includes:

• Create user-friendly navigation and design elements.
• Keywords are implemented in prominent areas.
• Develop many pages to showcase housing markets, company info and listings. 

Blogging

This is a crucial aspect of the real estate agent and marketing plan whether we are a seasoned agent or first-time agent. However, once you realized which type of content the audience likes, it will be a lot easier to do it. Since most of the sellers and buyers turn to real estate websites in order to find out who an agent is, information about their markets, what distinguishes them from the pack, and so on. Therefore, to know your users and what drives leads to you, there is a need for content marketing strategy for real estate.

Social Media

1. The first thing that is needed to be done is to make sure your profile is filled in properly.

Sounds obvious, right? But you’d be surprised at how many real estate companies overlook this aspect of their social media accounts, especially if they’ve recently moved office or changed their phone number.

For each platform you’re using, Add your: Contact details, Address, Profile photo, Website URL etc. That way, if your audiences are looking for a way to get in touch, inquire or simply learn more about your business, the information is there to do so. We all love convenience.Fancy taking this tactic a step further? Dive into the details of your real estate business and use the Story section on the Facebook Page to build those all-important personal connections

       2. Real estate video marketing to showcase properties should be used

97% of marketers say video has helped increase user understanding of their product or service, 76% say it has increased sales, and 76% experienced more support queries after using video in their strategy.

But while you might already know how to record, upload and promote basic video content on social media, you’ll need to adapt—and test new video formats—if you want to make your content a success.

For example, these can be done:    

a. A series of Instagram Stories to show the interior of a property they’re selling (remember these expire after 24 hours unless pinned to an Instagram profile)

b. A Facebook Live video at one of their open house events

c. A Snapchat Story which encourages their followers to take part in a property Q&A

d. A YouTube video which explains the step-by-step process of buying a house

e. A 360 post to give their audience a full, 360-view of the property

SEO or Search Engine Optimization

It would let us be found at the top of search engine results when you optimize your agency’s site for the services your agents offer. Outrank your competitors time and time again as your strength in search grows and you continue to drive traffic to your site.

A strong organic strategy will drive more and more traffic to your agency’s site over time. You can even leverage local SEO strategies, so people searching for agencies near them can easily find you and map where your agency is located thus also driving traffic not only online but also through your agency’s doors.

If any real estate company wants to be the best then online marketing is very important as well as in an effective way. When they are planned to do online marketing then they should remember one thing that they are going to provide the best value. They should be very careful while giving the information online because they are going to take part in someone’s very important decisions about the home.

Their online strategies should show this desire. While creating the content, it should be designed in the way, when the user is going to take the decision it would be easier for them to choose. If they actually help the user in searching for a desired home then the chances of engagement will increase. In the end, a successful digital marketing strategy will help them to generate and convert more leads into potential clients.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the author's and not necessarily represent or reflect the views of DOT Club as a whole.

INNOVATIONS ALL THE WAY

Float like a Cadillac, Sting like a beemer!

A famous line from the movie ‘Cars’ by a renowned franchise – The Walt Disney Company, who made all the kids and race car fans sob tears of happiness and dream that one day they can be a race car driver too. Well, this might seem a little out of context, but it is the dream part which keeps all the people associated with motorsports on their toes and keeps innovating their way to a better future. And since we are talking about motorsports, why not take something which defines the epitome of engineering – the one and only, Formula 1.

Since its inception in 1950, Formula 1 has become the world’s most exciting auto racing competition. Their cars race at speeds that go all the way up to 360 km/h, but F1 is not only about going faster: it is also about endurance, security and innovation. An F1 car can go from 0 to 160kmph and back to 0 in just FOUR seconds! The average cost of an F1 car for 1 day is more than ₹ 53 Crores. Bear in mind that it is the price of the most basic components. It doesn’t include hundreds of millions spent on development and research. It’s quite a pricey machine.

Now the big question is, how are we, people who drive a Honda Civic or Toyota Prius or maybe a high-end Ferrari or a Merc, benefitting from a rich sport which makes its cars go round and round on the track? 

  To start off, let us talk about efficiency. An engine for a normal car delivers roughly around 29% Thermal Efficiency which is way below what it is capable of because a Formula 1 car using the ‘similar V6 engine’ can give you 44% of thermal efficiency. In layman terms, thermal efficiency for an engine is defined as converting the thermal power from burning of the fuel into work, which in this case is running the engine. The cars these days are coming with better power figures and more longevity which is the sole mission of Motorsports.

  There’s a high-end technology called Automatic Transmission. Well, yes, one can easily guess that it changes gears automatically for you. And then there are Clutchless Manual Transmission, more commonly known as Paddle Shifters, which doesn’t need a clutch to shift gears. Again it might sound like a normal thing, but in a Formula 1 car, this techy thing lets you change gear in 30 to 50 milliseconds. Yes! In a normal car, 50 milliseconds pass by the time you touch the gear knob. And the good news is, the same technology is being used in most of our affordable high-end cars.

  How about the futuristic cars designs that we are seeing these days. You think Automotive manufacturers are using them just to make their cars look good. It is the courtesy of another motorsport concept, which is the usage of ‘DESIGN AND ANALYSE’ by Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) which is a design engineer’s only true love. It allows you to run specific models and tells you how your car will behave in every earthly condition ever.   

The list can go on and on from Kinetic Energy Recovery System which converts heat energy released from brakes to a more usable form, Traction Control, Tire Dynamics, Brake Materials, Lighter Body Weight, Aerodynamically Efficient Cars to what not! The so-called Hierarchy is not only restricted to an organisation’s work order, but it also goes for the technological flow too. From the very best of motorsports to the most practical part of road cars.  

Now both the cars below, might not Ka-Chow to you, but they sure as hell break every limit out there and are designed to make your lives happier!

Source: https://www.msn.com

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the author's and not necessarily represent or reflect the views of DoT Club as a whole.

Changing Dynamics of Agriculture with Technological Advancement

Agriculture: A source of living, science and art of cultivating plants and livestock. And well when I say science it means usage of modern technology in order to increase the yield of per hectare land. Technology and agriculture go hand in hand. As and when we are progressing, more and more expenditure is being done on research and development of new tools and techniques in order to increase the productivity of land along with the quality of crops produced. While in the 1900s in the USA 11 million agriculturists worked in order to feed 76 million people, these figures have drastically changed to 6.5 million agriculturists working to feed 321.4 million people in 2017 which has happened only because of increased utilization of new and better ways of cultivating.

Image Source: Analytics India Magazine

Day by Day the new inventions in agriculture sector in form of tools and implements or in form of software development which enables the farmers to have a real-time experience of their farms on their mobile have led to a wide change in the working pattern of farmers as well as also resulted in the ease of their working conditions. Technology is said to be a helping hand for humans and for human welfare. And, when it comes to agricultural sector various concepts like machine learning, Data science has come into the picture. Various kind of technological advancements that are used are discussed below:

1)  The machine known as Autonomous picker has been invented, which picks up strawberries after they grow fully, 2 times faster than any human who saves both time and energy of human agriculturist.

2)  Another technological advancement has been done by the invention of Drones. These drones weighing 4.7 pounds can fly for 1 hour covering a vast area of 800 acres helping the farmers to capture images of the farmlands row by row in order to find out various areas of the farm which need the attention of the farmer. The farmers know exactly which area in the farm needs attention and so that they can use insecticides only for those regions resulting in reducing the usage of pesticides and water and also by giving information about the weeds affecting the crop and how can they be cured. A company named Agrobotix has commercialised a software which helps in analyzing these drone captured infrared images and machine learning is regularly improving these system’s abilities to differentiate between various types of crops and weeds that affect them. Various other companies are also working on developing software to help farmers in practicing Big Data Analytics of all the images captured through space in order to benefit farmers at large scale.

3)  According to a UN report, 20%-40% of crops get destroyed due to pests and weeds. So, in order to protect the crops:

• Robotic weed/pest Killers have been invented to perform the activity of insecticide spraying by judging the need for doing so in the infected area.
• Organic farmers have started to use laser weed killing technology where the weeds/pests are killed using a laser in order to maintain the quality of the crop and to provide healthy crop to the consumers.

4)  Another invention that has been introduced is of Micro Sensors which enables the farmers to get a real-time data of the growth of the crop on their smart phones, helping them to know the exact time for harvesting and finding out any problem in the crops, if any.

5)  Robotic Soil Sampler is another invention which takes a sample of the soil, liquidizes it and analyses its pH and phosphorus levels in real time helping the farmers in crop growing process.

These are some inventions which I have mentioned but there are hundreds of such inventions enabling the farmers to improve their methods of production and increasing the land productivity. All these techniques not only help in easing the work of farmers but also have a huge impact in providing good quality crops with least impact of insecticides and pesticides on the crops which enables its consumers to live a healthy and chemical free diet.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the author's and not necessarily represent or reflect the views of DoT Club as a whole.

Redefining Healthcare with Tech Innovation

We are living in an era of technology that has been radically transformed the way we conduct our lives in every sphere; be it transportation, digital communication or any other field. When we excavate some of the biggest contributions of science & technology in the last few centuries, then the metamorphosis of the improvement in health care becomes magnified. Continuous technological developments in healthcare have saved countless lives and improved the quality of life. Early identification of diseases, advanced treatment and increasing average life expectancy prominently indicate the quantum of growth in health care. Technology-induced healthcare processes are offering considerable promise for enabling new healthcare models to widen the opportunity of public healthcare.

Experts in healthcare believe that by the end of this decade, more than 80 per cent of healthcare organizations would invest in consumer-facing mobile apps, wearable health gadgets, remote health monitoring tools and virtual care. By 2020, health data will travel through the cloud, the mobility solutions to touch $83 million.

Mobile technology is helping healthcare by enabling virtual connection between doctor and patient beyond the time & place barrier. It helps in reducing the costs of commuting and decreases the risk of sick patients spreading contagious diseases in waiting rooms. Telemedicine and over the phone consultancy are becoming potentially life-saving, extremely convenient, for patients who live hours away from the nearest hospital and require immediate help. Quick response and superior mobility are shaping the modern ways of providing healthcare services. Also, the improved mobile connectivity helped both the patients and doctors fraternity to refer health & medicine related information via internet. All these are possible because of the advancement in the Information and Communication Technology. These days lot many mobile apps are introduced such as mFine, Practo, PharmEasy etc with innovative features to smoothen the healthcare process. Not only that with latest trade regulation eCommerce businesses for healthcare are booming such as 1mg, NetMeds and many more.

Digitalization of Health Records replacing paper records and has been a game changer for many allied healthcare service providers. Healthcare professionals are now responsible for inputting patient data such as vital signs, weight, test results, etc. into a central, digitized system. These Electronic Health Records are helping for scheduling appointments, updating patient records with diagnostic codes, and submitting medical claims. Accurate & Convenient storage of electronic helps in providing better healthcare services along with effective administration of hospitals. Within all these initiatives the wastage generated from healthcare industry has been reduced significantly. 

Artificial Intelligence, Big Data and the Cloud  

Source: https://blog.hcitexpert.com/p/digitalhealth-startups-in-india.html

The wider range applications of AI, ML & Big Data are engulfing the healthcare sphere. The amount of Data that are gathered on a daily basis from the healthcare system is tremendous and to understand such data with high veracity the role of big data and analytics becomes prominent. Big data technologies have already made headway into the field of healthcare and have made a considerable impact too. Millions of doctors rely on imaging data for medical diagnosis, and moreover, technology has made these data quantifiable to improve the deliverables.  

The involvement of AI in Digital healthcare can be visualized from the example of mFine. It uses AI system to do the conventional & repetitive tasks in a fast & Hassel free manner. The systems use data collection and analysis to assist the doctors during the course of the consultation and beyond. With the help of AI, they are able to replicate human cognition and derive meaningful medical outcomes in delivering the services. 

Within all these tech innovations the search engine giant “Google” has taken a lot many initiatives. The research & development team of Google has discovered high-end applications of Machine Learning in improving the healthcare system.

Google puts intensive efforts in developing healthcare through tech innovation and firmly believes that,

AI is poised to transform medicine, delivering new, assistive technologies that will empower doctors to better serve their patients

Diagnosing Diabetic Eye Disease, Assisting Pathologists in Detecting Cancer, Assessing Cardio Vascular disorders are some of the greatest contributions. Application of Deep learning in understanding the Electronic Health Records has opened up new possibilities of research. The contribution of Google inspires the tech enthusiasts in understanding the wider range of applications & possibilities through the implications of AI, ML & deep learning.

Smart bands, fitness apps are also becoming a trend in modern lifestyle and helping immensely in generating awareness & promoting a healthy lifestyle. Nevertheless, there are few limitations of these tech innovations in terms of their usability and managing the data generated from digital healthcare. These limitations should be taken care to yield more benefits out of these tech innovations.  

Enhanced patient care, Improved Public health, Cost & time effective treatment all of these are possible because of the tech innovations. With intensive research and sensible use of technology, we can carry forward these tech innovations to serve the greater good.

NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the author's and not necessarily represent or reflect the views of DoT Club as a whole.