Doctors Perform Remote-Controlled Cardiac Catheterization Procedure Kilometers Apart from Patient

It’s like a scene from a science fiction movie: The doctor was several kilometers away from the patient. Using a breakthrough technology developed in Israel, he was able to perform a heart catheterization procedure using a robot. Professor Rafael Beyar, Director of Rambam Health Care Campus, the inventor of this novel robotic system, said: “In the future, we’ll be able to teach the robot how to perform catheterizations by itself.”

What an incredible invention!

http://www.ausforam.org.au/6119.html

Quantum Computing - a game changer

The major news in Tech in 2019 - in my view is the development of the Quantum computer - the Q System 1 - which was launched at CES by IBM

What does quantum computing mean . 

In terms that I understand - it’s replacing bits and bytes (binary, 0 and 1) with atoms turning left and right. This enables computer power to scale to effectively infinity. 

What does this mean to you and me ?

A key factor is the commercialisation of Bitcoin and Blockchain 

It’s going to change the way we transact financially . 

Currently - Bitcoins constraint is the ability to transact immediately. Everytime  someone’s transacts - the computer system/cloud has to travel through the entire ledger system - which takes minutes - 

Using Quantum computers - this will be immediate! 

Re processing speeds, NBN , Internet , data transfer, storage - I think Quantam  computers will be a game changer.

Not sure whether I have got the concept right - but it sure does sound an exciting time to be in tech and on this planet! 

War chest of jargon

Qubits

Qiskit

Q-CtrL 

Quantum computing in a nutshell:

Quantum computing is all about qubits, or quantum bits. These are the basic units of information used by quantum computers. Unlike regular bits, which store data as either 1s or 0s, qubits take advantage of the quantum phenomenon known as superposition. This means they essentially exist as 1s and 0s simultaneously.

The advantage of this in computing is that it exponentially increases the amount of information you can process. A pair of qubits that can exist as either 1s or 0s can embody four possible states. Three qubits can embody eight. But three hundred qubits can embody more states than there are atoms in the Universe.

https://www.theverge.com/2019/1/8/18171732/ibm-quantum-computer-20-qubit-q-system-one-ces-2019

Combining Design thinking , Lean Startup and Agile

Design thinking

 - it’s all about the user 

helps understand the user’s pain, challenge assumptions, redefine problems, in order to create new strategies and solutions.

“Painstorming”, vs “Brainstorming” 

Empathize with your users

Define your users’ needs, their problem, and your insights

Ideate by challenging assumptions and creating ideas for innovative solutions

Prototype to start creating solutions

Test solutions

Lean Startup

“Lean startup  aims to shorten product development cycles - fail fast and focus on what the customer wants - it’s about the pivot 

- “this is achieved by adopting a combination of business-hypothesis-driven experimentation, iterative product releases, and validated learning.” — Wikipedia

Globally, 90% of startups fail (Forbes) and the number one reason is market failure: “They make products no one wants.” (Fortune).

Agile

Agile is all about producing tangible, working results after each iteration... quickly 

Design Thinking, Lean Startup and Agile combined 

• Empathize, Define and Ideate through Design Thinking
• Turn ideas into Business models following the lean startup
• Build and deliver the product incrementally and faster through Agile processes.

5 hacks to access your creative genius

1. Pump up the volume
2. Have a cuppa
3. Go for a walk outside
4. Close your eyes
5. Just go and be creative 

To find out more - read this Article from Amantha Imber

The BSI Innovation team

Proud to be a member of this team of Humans, who has bee supporting AUSTRALIAN Innovation access grants and capital for over 20 years

Linh La, Harvey Gartrell, Jack Dean, Marcus Webb, Mick Lynch,  Peter Damnjanovic , Ivan Kaye, Nusa Wijaya 

Bsi Innovation is part of Www.bsi.com.au whose “pulse” is to “help you create your generational legacy”

Looking forward to continuing our journey to 2025 and beyond. 

New Huawei Phone to take 3d photos - a game changer

Huawei Technologies Co. is planning to unveil a new phone with a camera, capable of taking three-dimensional pictures for augmented reality applications.

 

The phone, code-named Princeton internally, will be announced this month and go on sale within a few weeks. The technology uses sensors developed by Sony Corp. that can accurately measure distances by bouncing light off surfaces.

 

The science behind Sony’s “Time of Flight” technology is as follows:

• The ToF sensor inside the camera pulses out infrared light.
• Light bounces off surfaces and back to sensors.
• Sensor detects depth by measuring differences in energy levels.
• Depth data creates 3D map of environment.
• App makers can get creative: design rooms with virtual furniture or have a Pikachu lounge on your desk.

                 

The new feature — dubbed “3D Camera” at Huawei — comes at a critical juncture for the smartphone industry, which is facing cooling global demand as consumers find fewer reasons to upgrade to new phones. Huawei is aiming to boost sales and win market share from competitors such as Apple Inc. by offering users the ability to generate 3-D models of themselves and the environment in real-time, and share it with others.

 

This is technology that has never been seen before and, at the extreme, has the potential to change how we view the world.

 

 

Besides generating pictures that can be viewed from numerous angles, Huawei’s new camera can create 3-D models of people and objects that can be used by augmented-reality apps. The new camera will also let developers control apps and games in new ways, such as hand gestures.

 

For Sony, the world leader in image sensors used in regular cameras, 3-D cameras could generate billions in additional revenue from the sale of its new components. The company bought Brussels-based Softkinetic in 2015, combining the Belgian startup’s time-of-flight technology with its own semiconductor manufacturing prowess to create 3-D chips small enough to fit inside smartphones. 

 

While Apple’s FaceID facial-recognition feature is also powered by 3-D sensors, it relies on a different technology called Structured Light, which can measure depth at shorter distances. Sony’s time-of-flight sensors can do so at longer distances. 

Is this a game changer? 

Four Key Elements for Innovation-Ready Tech

https://intelligentpathways.com.au/blog/four-key-elements-for-innovation-ready-tech/ 

So you have an idea?

How long will it take to make it a reality? 

Here are four key elements that will get you on the front foot and ensure your technology environment is ‘innovation ready’.

1. Service-based Architecture

Adopting a service-based architecture is essential for rapid, robust software development. Having a suite of standard capabilities or microservices such as authentication, authorisation, logging and monitoring reduces development time and will help you get your minimum valuable product (MVP) to market sooner rather than later.

The critical success factor for reuse will be a comprehensive service catalogue that enables easy discoverability and accessibility of your capabilities.

2. Rapid Experimentation

Rapid experimentation or prototyping goes beyond wireframes and mocked up screenshots and provides stakeholders the opportunity to interact with the ‘product’ prior to development. This a great vehicle for beta testing and fast feedback but also for reassuring nervous stakeholders who are footing the bill.

To maximise the value of this activity you should use an industry standard analysis tool like New Relic or Google Tag Manager to analyse how users interact with the solution. Knowing which features they used most, or which weren’t used at all will help you to deliver your MVP.

3. Predictable Implementation

A common blocker we see for quick time to market is governance, or the lack of automated governance. The development team think they’re done and dusted only to be told their application doesn’t meet x-y-z criteria.

Setting up a culture of DevSecOps within your organization can help solve some of these challenges by enabling automation around core activities such as Testing, a concept explored in one of our earlier blogs Building Agile Confidence with DevOps.

It is important to invest time and resources in developing best practice patterns for core activities such as API Design, API Implementation, API Security, security controls for cloud deployment, fully automated contract testing etc. to ensure consistency and enable fast deployment. This is not necessarily a cheap exercise but if you’re in an industry where timing and security are of equal consequence than it will be well worth the investment in the long run.

To minimise ‘bill shock’ that can come along with cloud infrastructure you should look to track your operational costs by using config tools to monitor your resource configurations and setting up alerts and notifications. You should also leverage vendor tools and guidelines such as the AWS Well Architected Framework to validate that your infrastructure is as secure, high-performing, resilient, and efficient as possible.

4. Development Platforms & Frameworks

There are a myriad of low-code development platforms and application generators available in the market. These tools can save a lot of time in the delivery of a product by enabling multi-channel deployment and eliminating the need to write repetitive code. They also have the added advantage of providing you access to ready-made best practice approaches to application setup that have been tried and tested by many developers before you.

However, beware the temptation of using less experienced, lower cost resources when using these platforms. If (or when) something goes wrong, it is essential that your developers still know what is going on under the hood in order to resolve issues quickly. As pointed out in a TechTarget article, ‘tools help a competent person move faster. They will not help those lacking mastery move better.’

Reaping the Benefits

There are many tangible benefits these elements will bring to your innovation program and to your organisation as a whole, but the intangible value they bring will be just as vital to your success.

• Through reuse, service-based architecture builds resilience.
• Through visibility, rapid experimentation builds shared understanding.
• Through certainty, predictable implementation builds trust.
• Through efficiency, development platforms & frameworks build confidence.

In Conclusion

You will not win any innovation awards for having a robust, reusable and predictable technology stack. But reducing the hurdles for getting your next big idea to market could mean the difference between being the next iPhone or the next Nokia.

Jeremy Ford

Application Development Lead

Jeremy is the Application Development Lead in the Queensland Services team. Jeremy has over 14 years’ software design and development experience and has worked on a variety of enterprise scale applications across the government, property and financial sectors. Jeremy specialises in Java and Web application development utilising modern software methodologies, such as Agile