iBeacon
The brand name iBeacon is a proprietary standard introduced by Apple in 2013 for localization in closed rooms, based on Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE).
The process is supported from iOS 7 or Android version 4.3 and can therefore be used from the iPhone 4s , iPad (third generation) and iPod Touch (fifth generation) as well as current Android devices. Apple does not have exclusive patent rights to the technical features.
details
The word beacon is derived from the English term for beacon or beacon and describes the principle of operation. iBeacon is based on a transmitter-receiver principle. For this purpose, small transmitters (beacons) are placed in the room as signal transmitters, which send signals at fixed time intervals. If a recipient comes - z. B. a smartphone with an installed mobile app that is configured to receive iBeacon signals - within range of a transmitter, the universally unique identifier (UUID) of the transmitter can be identified and its signal strength measured. If at least three beacons are within range of the device, z. B. using trilateration or the fingerprinting method to calculate the position of the receiver in two-dimensional space. To determine a location in a three-dimensional space, four beacons are required within range.
iBeacons themselves cannot send push notifications to receiving devices, nor collect or save user data. They only send information about their own identity (the values UUID, major and minor).
The data is transferred using the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology introduced by Nokia in 2006 , which is extremely energy-saving. Since the batteries in the modules only need to be changed very rarely, the technology is often used in devices such as smartwatches and gamepads. In addition, specific information can be displayed on the smartphone depending on the location. iBeacon modules have a range of up to 30 meters and are characterized by their low power consumption. Depending on the signal strength, the measured distance to the iBeacon is divided into four categories: Unknown (unknown), Immediate (up to 50 cm), Near (up to 2 m) or Far (up to 30 m).
There are now alternative standards with the same purpose, such as Eddystone, a standard published by Google in 2015, or the Alt Beacons from Radius Networks.
Application examples
Stationary retail
A number of services are possible based on iBeacon: These range from the targeted display of product information at the point of sale (POS) to special offers, steering of visitor routes when entering a shop to mobile shopping in retail. In addition, the recorded data allow a detailed analysis of purchasing behavior in retail. In the United States , Apple Inc. began equipping its own sales outlets with iBeacon in 2013.
Sports
In the USA, more than 20 baseball stadiums have now installed iBeacons to make it easier for visitors to navigate the stadium or to spontaneously push seat upgrades. The flow of visitors can also be made more efficient: on arrival at the stadium, visitors are directed to the entrance with the shortest line.
museum
In the museum, visitors can be guided through the museum using beacons that are attached to individual exhibits. When you arrive at an exhibit, further information is provided via an app. In this case, the smartphone replaces special devices for audio guides. In 2015, the Museum of Modern Art (MOMA) in New York used beacons for interactive audio compositions within an exhibition on the work of the Icelandic artist Björk .
City tour
The technology is also used for city tours. The transmitters are attached to important buildings, historical locations or as a reference to local restaurants. The user can do without a mobile data connection and GPS location. In Germany, since April 2016 , a beacon network has been in operation in the city of Bielefeld , Gadderbaum district , which is operated by the Bethel foundations located there . With an app, visitors and residents can get information about the historical buildings and social and medical facilities.
Industry 4.0
Beacons are used in industrial production to identify workpieces, machines and employees. In the area of Industry 4.0 in particular , applications for networking production processes with mobile applications on smartphones and tablets are implemented.
Pilot project face recognition by the German Federal Police
The Federal Police have been using iBeacons in the pilot project for facial recognition at Berlin Südkreuz train station in Berlin since August 2017 in order to be able to determine the presence of test persons during video surveillance .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b iBeacon for Developers. Apple Inc., accessed June 13, 2014 .
- ↑ Apple iBeacon: The Undercover Attack on NFC. T3N, accessed December 25, 2013 .
- ↑ Andreas Kudak: Evaluation and application of current developments in the field of Bluetooth Low Energy using the example of iBeacon. July 28, 2014, accessed March 17, 2018 .
- ↑ Christian Eggert: Not only in the museum: iBeacon will change our lives. In: huffingtonpost.de. June 5, 2014, accessed June 24, 2014 .
- ↑ iBeacon test lab. echolot digital worx, accessed December 15, 2013 .
- ↑ Johannes Kuhn: Beacon technology in department stores: Gigantic experiment, maybe soon normality. In: sueddeutsche.de. July 16, 2014, accessed July 17, 2014 .
- ^ IBeacon In Apple's Retail Stores Has Limited Appeal. forbes, accessed December 7, 2013 .
- ↑ Introduction of iBeacon in baseball stadiums. In: Appleinsider.com. Retrieved June 24, 2014 .
- ↑ Björk Is on Display, Up Close and in 3-D at MoMA. In: New York Times. Retrieved August 8, 2016 .
- ^ "Beacons" guide through the village of Bethel | Bodelschwingh Foundation Bethel. In: www.bethel.de. Retrieved April 29, 2016 .
- ↑ 100 places Industry 4.0 | Alliance Industry 4.0. (No longer available online.) In: www.i40-bw.de. Archived from the original on August 8, 2016 ; accessed on August 8, 2016 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Face recognition at the Südkreuz. on: digitalcourage , August 21, 2017, accessed on August 23, 2017.
