IoT Corner

The immense data needed to accurately forecast weather have typically been the domain of government agencies. Now, Boston and Tel Aviv-based start-up ClimaCell is using IoT to help capture many more climate data points than traditional weather stations in order to improve forecast accuracy.

It does this by leveraging sensors from deployed connected devices to aggregate climate data. It also has developed a technology that can provide atmospheric conditions from how cellular signals travel between phones and cell towers.

With all of this data at hand, ClimaCell has launched a flood warning service for 500 cities and is launching its own consumer weather app in May. Its localized weather forecasting ability has drawn the attention of firms whose success relies on accurate forecasts—such as airlines, agriculture companies, even sports teams.—Jeremy Losaw

What IS That?

The makers of LEX want you to have an exoskeleton in your closet. The backpack weighs less than 1 kilogram (2.2 lbs.) and protects your shoulders. In a few steps, it turns into a “bionic chair built to enhance posture, comfort and life.” It holds 264 lbs. of weight (120 kg).

Wunderkinds

Hannah Herbst was 15 when she was inspired by her 9-year-old Ethiopian pen pal, who had no access to electricity. The Florida teen came up with the Beacon (Bringing Electricity Access to Countries through Ocean Energy), which captures energy directly from ocean waves, based on the fact that about 40 percent of the world’s population lives within 62 miles of the coast of a significant waterway. Her invention consists of a hollow plastic tube, with a propeller at one end and a hydroelectric generator at the other. As tidal energy drives the propeller, it’s converted into useable energy by the generator.

2.5 billion

The number of online images stolen every day, according to Copytrack’s Global Infringement Report.

What Do You Know?

1. What is the percentage of written work that can legally be copied without it being infringement?

A) 10 percent
B) 15 percent
C) 20 percent
D) None of the above

2. True or false: Machine-spun cotton candy was invented by a dentist.

3. In which century was the swivel chair invented—1700s, 1800s, or 1900s?

4. The estimated revenue generated by the trademarked catchphrase “Let’s Get Ready to Rumble” is:

A) $50 million

B) $200 million

C) $400 million

D) $1 billion

5. True or false: The comb has no known inventor.

ANSWERS

1. D. There is no set figure or percentage. Each case is judged on its own merit. 2. True—in 1897, by William Morrison and confectioner John C. Wharton. 3. Thomas Jefferson invented the swivel chair and was purportedly sitting on one when he drafted the Declaration of Independence in 1776. 4. C. According to ABC News, the registered service mark of boxing ring announcer Michael Buffer is so successful that he makes more money via music, video games and merchandise than announcing in the ring. 5. True. Combs have been found throughout history by archaeologists. Their origins date back as many as 5,000 years, in Persia.