My prediction for the future will be Wireless Integration into more every day objects.

We are already seeing wireless tyre pressure sensing both in motor racing and in everyday vehicles.

This makes sense from a safety perspective, and could also help save fuel.

Christchurch is using the Bluetooth transmitters in vehicles to measure the travel time to varous destinations.

It really doesn't help when you are stuck in the queue, but supplies the data to others.

This has a 'Big Brother' problem and could easily be incorporated with a plate recogniton camera and used by law enforcement.

We haven't really seen M2M be tackled in any real common structure.

Imagine your washing machine advising the other power devices so that the total peak load of the house could be reduced, and then sending a text when it's completed.

How about integrating the oven so that it can override the washing machine, or tell the person who set it that due to power saving the roast will be 15 mins later than planned.

In NZ we have smart meters but so far they simply aid the power company to measure peak power use and charge the customer more.

The only smart part is when you get the bill.

Imagine if the devices were able to alter their consumption to reduce the peak loading. The distribution company could reduce the size of the infrastructure rather than building to suit peak demand.

Until someone comes up with a M2M standard that all manufacturers meet, they will all be single items and causing RF noise.

The major stumbling block is security or lack of it.

These devices need to structure packet size and frequency in order to twart anyone 'listening in' because regardless of the packet content, transmitting only when you are home is a security issue.

Wireless charging has many uses, and it would be nice to think this technology will do away with the need for multiple chargers and plugs on our devices.

This allows for better ergonomics and aids those with vision problems from breaking the sockets by forcing the plug in upside down.

Many of the current solutions are simply a solution looking for a problem IMO, but this will change, just as tablets took over from laptops.

Mark

My prediction for the future will be Wireless Integration into more every day objects.

We are already seeing wireless tyre pressure sensing both in motor racing and in everyday vehicles.

This makes sense from a safety perspective, and could also help save fuel.

Christchurch is using the Bluetooth transmitters in vehicles to measure the travel time to varous destinations.

It really doesn't help when you are stuck in the queue, but supplies the data to others.

This has a 'Big Brother' problem and could easily be incorporated with a plate recogniton camera and used by law enforcement.

We haven't really seen M2M be tackled in any real common structure.

Imagine your washing machine advising the other power devices so that the total peak load of the house could be reduced, and then sending a text when it's completed.

How about integrating the oven so that it can override the washing machine, or tell the person who set it that due to power saving the roast will be 15 mins later than planned.

In NZ we have smart meters but so far they simply aid the power company to measure peak power use and charge the customer more.

The only smart part is when you get the bill.

Imagine if the devices were able to alter their consumption to reduce the peak loading. The distribution company could reduce the size of the infrastructure rather than building to suit peak demand.

Until someone comes up with a M2M standard that all manufacturers meet, they will all be single items and causing RF noise.

The major stumbling block is security or lack of it.

These devices need to structure packet size and frequency in order to twart anyone 'listening in' because regardless of the packet content, transmitting only when you are home is a security issue.

Wireless charging has many uses, and it would be nice to think this technology will do away with the need for multiple chargers and plugs on our devices.

This allows for better ergonomics and aids those with vision problems from breaking the sockets by forcing the plug in upside down.

Many of the current solutions are simply a solution looking for a problem IMO, but this will change, just as tablets took over from laptops.

Mark

Imagine if the devices were able to alter their consumption to reduce the peak loading. The distribution company could reduce the size of the infrastructure rather than building to suit peak demand.

There's talk already of power shortages here in the UK over Christmas. But the truth is we generate an excess of power in this country -- it's just that a lot of it is being wasted, as you rightly point out. If it was being managed carefully, and automatically, we could spread the load and find ourselves using a lot less.

Then again, using less means paying less, and that's never a popular option with the energy companies

I totally agree with you though -- smart meters could be exactly that.

Absolutely it's already happening/happened and the silicon to do so is the right price and technically with in the range of the maker/amateur