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The introduction of Telematics solutions to the fleet management industry continues to prove worthwhile for different businesses. Fleet managers can now remotely assess vehicles thanks to the enhanced GPS tracking solutions. The ability to monitor driver behavior and manage vehicle maintenance adds to the ballooning list of benefits from these technologies.

Telematics brings together telecommunications and informatics systems to empower fleet managers. Wireless Telematics devices collect data on various aspects of the vehicle and help companies make informed decisions on how to manage their fleet.

Talk of Telematics began way back in the ’70s as the internet started to gain traction in the technology world. Telecommunication networks have since expanded on a global scale, and transfer of data has steadily become child’s play. Satellite connections or cell phone networks are all that is needed to transfer Telematics data to central units in real-time.

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What can you do with Telematics?

From a central dashboard, you can monitor the current location, fuel consumption, and speed of your cars. VPs also get an opportunity to assess the productivity and profitability of the fleet. The fast-paced growth of technology has ensured that the applications for fleet Telematics solution have no limit at the moment. Vehicle-based businesses continue to make the most of adequate connection systems world over.

Given that businesses have unique needs, API integrations and customizations are necessary for the success of Telematics systems. Once the right model is in place, fleet managers have an easy time picking out relevant data. Such data will reveal the state of their fleets and help them reduce costs as they streamline services.

Monitoring fleet activity comes with the benefits of controlling costs better and complying with government regulations. As fleet owners seek cost-effective ways that boost accountability and improve productivity, we are bound to see more innovative products introduced to the market.

Vehicle makers have joined this bandwagon. Smart cars will be already installed with OEM Telematics systems to connect them to smart traffic technologies. Customers can look forward to high returns from their fleets.

Reliance on data

Fleet management has now entered into a phase where companies cannot expect to succeed without data and technology. Businesses should seek to take these changes in their stride and strive to deliver proactive and predictive services. Rather than putting out fires, Telematics enables companies to plan ahead.

Digitized data allows you to aptly take care of the needs of today’s techno-savvy clients. Telematics technology ensures that you can give your competitors a run for their money without being unnecessarily hard on your employees.

Constant phone calls to drivers are soon becoming a thing of the past as the fleet management software gives you a full picture of your fleet. You’ll be better placed to optimize schedules for different vehicles using near-real-time data. Telematics allows you to ditch manual paperwork and focus the time and resources to step up productivity.

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Increased productivity

Although Telematics solutions have been around for over ten years, only 40% of fleets use this technology. This statistic does not mean that the benefits are not adequate. Organizations that take time to plan a Telematics implementation carefully have enjoyed a high return on investment (ROI).

Incorporation of Telematics also has a hand in decreasing the risk factor. You get to save your company loads of out-of-pocket expenses that often arise in the event of an accident.

Top productivity features include:

• Route optimization
• Total cost of ownership
• Vehicle health monitoring
• Near-real-time tracking

Coolgear continues to offer top-notch solutions to clients in an industry where compliance mandates are on the rise. Contact us for customizable Telematics solutions and we will help you enhance service delivery and facilitate efficient dispatch.

If you’re a fan of science fiction, then you’re familiar with the idea of cyborgs. The merging of man and machine has given us characters as varied as the Cyberdyne systems Model 101 terminator, and classic heroes like the six million dollar man. And if you’ve been keeping an eye on the news, you’ve no doubt seen that real-world cybernetics are making big strides as well.

One prediction that’s been made is that cybernetic augmentation won’t just be out of necessity, in the future. Instead, it will be something people do deliberately.

More Than Human

A cyborg is anyone whose physical functioning is either dependent on, or advanced by, a mechanical or electronic device according to Dictionary. That is a pretty broad definition, and it includes both senior citizens with pacemakers, as well as people with prosthetic limbs, and who wear contact lenses.

That last one might be particularly important when it comes to understanding the potential future of this aspect of the medical field. Contact lenses have been around for a long time, and the idea behind them was fairly simply in the beginning; rather than wearing corrective lenses on your face, put them directly into your eyes. However, as contact lenses became easier to make, and more reliable to use, they became more popular as cosmetic items. Whether someone would rather have blue eyes instead of green, or an actor needs to have that bright red, the-devil-is-in-me look, this simple device expanded from being something used to correct legitimate problems people experienced into something that fulfilled a very different role.

According to The Medical Futurist, cybernetics offer the same sort of potential, but to the nth degree.

As an example, imagine the not-too-distant future where we have developed working, cybernetic eyes (or at least corneas). These eyes will allow those who have been blind to gain vision, true, but they could do much more. Perfect vision on the level of a high-quality digital camera, along with the capability to zoom in from a long distance away, or even to record images and video to be seen later makes it more than just an eye; it’s a body camera straight out of a cyberpunk spy thriller. It might also have the ability to see in night vision, infrared, or other modes, as well!

If such a thing existed, who wouldn’t want to have that instead of the eyes they were born with? Especially if their vision is less than optimal, and this technology could offer them something so much better? You could extend those questions to practically every part of the human anatomy, and ask why someone wouldn’t want an upgrade. Artificial muscle fibers meant to help those with degenerative conditions could turn a healthy person into a superhero. Digital skin implants could allow someone to have a tattoo that can be changed at will.

The list of possibilities goes on and on, and it’s only limited by our own creativity.

Popularity, Cost, and Difficulty

While it’s hard to imagine people voluntarily undergoing drastic augmentation for procedures they don’t need, it isn’t tough to imagine that technology could grow so advanced that we reach a point where some implants could be done as simple, outpatient procedures. As the technology advances, and the cost comes down, things that we once considered on the cutting edge (smartphones and tablets, for example), will become more affordable and available to the wider population.

When it comes to cybernetics, that offers up all kinds of unique possibilities.

If you’re working on new and exciting advancements in medical technology we’d love to help! Get in touch with one of our product specialists today!

When you set out to create something new, you quickly find out how deep you’re in. This is uncharted territory! You’re on your own now! It can be scary, it certainly can be stressful, but it doesn’t have to be something that you do alone, without any help or guidelines along the way. Instead of diving in blindly, it is extremely helpful to come up with an efficient plan backed by healthy amounts of research, so you can ensure your idea will make its way through design, development, manufacturing, and marketing into a concrete product that will sell. 

Below, we’ve outlined the top three mistakes that developers make that can easily put a business — large or small — at risk. Keep these key points in mind when you’re starting your product development journey so you can easily avoid disaster. 

Lack of a Plan 

The first and perhaps most important step to developing a product is to outline a detailed plan for it. Ask yourself what it is that you want from this product. What is its purpose? What is your consumer market? Why? How will you appeal to that key demographic? What will your marketing look like? How will you roll out the product to the design team? The manufacturer?

These questions may seem silly or obvious, but if you haven’t thought each one of them through and made a written document of how you plan to address each portion of your plan, then you will not be prepared along the way. You can’t anticipate every issue that may arise, but you can think through as many as possible and put down some solutions on paper.

Ensure that your plan includes an approximate timeline of all foreseeable deadlines with a little flex time built in for cushion. A copy of this plan should be copied and given to (or clearly communicated in another fashion) your suppliers and manufacturers, as well as those on the marketing end responsible for the product launch. Not only will you be more prepared, but other stakeholders can be more prepared as well — and you’ll have a working document to refer back to if needed for accountability measures. 

Lack of Research 

Another glaring mistake that can happen when you’re setting out to design a new product is forgetting to do your research. There are three important components to research: understanding the product and its purpose, understanding the market, and understanding the client who will buy the product.

In order to understand the product and its purpose, you can always refer back to your planning document, which should include a vision for the product. You should always try to experience the product from the point of view of the customer; is the experience worthwhile? Does your vision for your product play out – in terms of efficacy, purpose, and aesthetics?

In terms of researching the market and consumer, you must not only gather accurate data but also thoroughly analyze it. How well do you know your market? How well do you know your customers? These are essential questions to answer by compiling data-driven research that will inform the rest of your entire design process.  

Lack of Efficiency 

Finally, the third hard-hitting mistake that product design and development teams make is a lack of efficiency, which almost always stems from a root cause: unclear or inconsistent communication. 

When you have deadlines that must be set and met, communication between the design team, developers, and the manufacturing contact person must be constant and efficient. Without it, you run the risk of deadlines being missed, which results in broken systems of accountability and weakened trust.

Your communication plan must include frequent, most-pressing updates (as to not overwhelm); friendly (not annoying) reminders about upcoming deadlines; and clear expectations regarding what standards must be met throughout each step of the process.

If your product goes into development stages but you haven’t communicated what standards must be met, your supplier will manufacture the product using standard industry expectations. If that’s not what your product calls for, this miscommunication could be seriously costly. Making sure that you are clearly communicating with all other stakeholders of the project will avoid this mismanagement mistake. 

 Looking for more information on building successful design models? Don’t wait — keep reading. Or reach out; we’re here to help. 

Over the years, machines have continuously moved out of the research labs and into areas of real-world applications such as medicine, construction, and more. With more robots playing a part in the creation of high-quality products and the completion of certain jobs and tasks, this trend is set to continue.

Every year sees advancements made in the field of robotics, and 2019 is no different. This article looks at a few robotic innovations being made;

1. Hadrian X

Hadrian X is a robotic bricklaying system with the ability to construct a house in two days. The Dynamic Stabilization Technology it makes use of enables the Hadrian X construction robot to correct for certain factors in the environment in real time; ensuring precision in its functionality.

2. Temi; the personal robot

Its sound system that makes use of autonomous navigation, as well as its smart display capabilities, allows Temi to connect its users to their various smart devices, video communications, and friends, delivering an unparalleled user experience coupled with day-to-day usability.

3. Saul Robot

The Saul Robot was developed by Xenex to aid in the fight against diseases such as Ebola. The robot does this by emitting high energetic pulses of ultraviolet rays to break down the virus’ cell walls. The Air Force uses it during the procedures of quarantine that are conducted on the aid workers.

4. Pepper

This robot makes use of multi-directional microphones, analyzing the lexical field, enabling it to assess the tone of voice and emotional states of the humans around it. This allows Pepper to change its attitude based on the perceived mood of the human. The combination of 3D and 2HD cameras make it possible for this talking humanoid robot to recognize object shapes.

5. Paro

Paro is one of the many examples of robotic applications in the field of medicine. The robot has five sensors; light, posture, audition, tactile, and temperature. This therapeutic robot is designed to aid in lowering stress levels and has been effective in assisting as well as motivating patients to relax.

6. Robotic Exo-suits

This lightweight exo-suit has introduced new ways of combining fabric design, robotic control, actuation, and sensing to increase the users’ balance, endurance, and strength. The soft exo-suit wearable robot can be used to help the elderly increase their muscular strength and can also be used in the rehabilitation of the various movement disorders that can be found in adults and children.

7. Asus Zenbo

Asus developed the Zenbo to help its users remember and even perform daily tasks. The robot can understand verbal commands, monitor its surroundings to detect emergencies, and can connect to other smart home devices such as door locks, cameras, and lights.

8. Worker Robots

The tech giant Google is rarely left behind when it comes to technology innovations. It is planning to come up with worker robots that will be able to download different personalities from cloud-based systems, and further store and display them while interacting with human beings.

9. Multi-tasking robots

Advancements in technology have led to the development of robots capable of performing multiple tasks simultaneously; one such robot is the multi-tasking bot. The multi-tasking bot can prepare a hamburger in 10 seconds and could be the first step in revamping the fast food industry.

10. Robotic surgeries

Intuitive Surgical has continued to push the limits of surgical robotics, making Da Vinci a pioneer and a market leader. This surgical robot makes it possible for a surgeon to control three wristed, elbowed instruments that come with an articulated endoscope meant for deep-seated lesions.

Innovations in tech are being made at an unprecedented speed. Looking for more information on building successful robotic models? Don’t wait — keep reading. Or reach out; we’re here to help. 

There are different ways to channel your company’s resources and enhance customer service experiences. Some businesses want to provide a place where customers can find information, such as the directions to different vendors within a major airport. Other businesses want the target user to perform a transaction, such as making a cash or credit card payment or obtaining a product via a vending machine.

Creating a self-service kiosk solution is a way that a business like yours can interact directly with customers, either by providing a specific experience through self-service kiosks or by delivering multiple solutions in a hybrid kiosk/vending machine. When your goal is to build self-service kiosks, the question is whether to create different models (each design specific to the user experience) or to design a hybrid kiosk that delivers multiple products or services to customers via a single machine. At Coolgear, we develop products that are used in the designs of many types of self-service machines.

Getting Started

Before you can create the right self-service kiosk, vending machine, or hybrid kiosk/vending machine for a brand, it’s important to answer some questions about your current and future business strategy:

Will a self-service machine best meet the consumer’s needs?

You can create a machine that serves a single purpose — providing one product or service — or a machine that enables a customer to perform multiple tasks or transactions. However, remember that consumers are now accustomed to using their smartphone for everything so they won’t use a kiosk to interact with a brand if there is an easier way to accomplish it. Therefore, when designing a customer experience, be sure to decide whether a kiosk or an app is the best way to accommodate the busy consumer.

Can a kiosk take the place of a service rep?

Some customers prefer to have a physical interaction with a brand. Think of the consumer who still goes to the shopping mall to try on clothes instead of ordering through Amazon or another website. He or she may be willing to scan the price tag of a garment at a kiosk, but prefers old-fashioned consumer experiences (i.e. asking questions about a product, looking for deals on clearance racks, using the dressing rooms, and paying a real cashier).  If you want to reach targets in the same way a customer service representative would, providing an interactive kiosk could connect with targets without actually staffing employees in a physical location.

Will you deliver a product or service?

There are different types of transactions that a self-service kiosk can perform. For example, a customer can check in to a facility or event or purchase a ticket or a product. When you are at the cruise terminal, you see kiosks that allow customers to perform everything from renting luggage carts to paying for parking and purchasing sunscreen. A kiosk benefits the brand by decreasing the number of minutes required for a customer to complete a transaction.

Will you need to generate more income through kiosks?

Self-service kiosks provide diverse consumer experiences. When a customer approaches the ordering kiosk at McDonald’s, he or she can select the type of product and see an image, price, and number of calories for each type albeit a sandwich, a beverage, a snack, a salad, or a dessert that is desired. With this type of experience, a customer can be more likely to spend more. The ordering process is rapid on a touch screen display, and the customer can pay after giving little thought to the total amount of the purchase.  

What is a reasonable timeframe for a customer to complete a transaction?

Digital consumers are motivated by the convenience factor. They don’t want to waste time or go to multiple locations or machines to interact with a brand. They want your brand to streamline every consumer process, including when they want information, to pick up merchandise, or to return a rented item.  

We can help brands understand the increased revenue potential of custom-designed kiosks because many of our products are used in their design. Looking to start a self-service project? For more information, please contact us today.