Expanding the web with Beacons

Why use Beacons?

This is a project to help people engage with the world around them in a more interactive way using the power of the internet. It is a project to help develop an active, engaging Web, rather than just a passive Web that sits around waiting to be accessed. Beacons prompt people to engage with physical locations and objects through notifications on their phones.

Why the C Bulb?

The C bulb is the best option for implementing this BLE technology because light bulbs are so ubiquitous. The average home has 45 light sockets that can be turned into information rich data points to engage with people. And the home is just the beginning. There are applications for BLE technology in transportation and commercial sectors as well. The focus of this project is for the individual consumer, but the unrealized potential for this technology is massive and GE is well positioned to take advantage of it.

Installation

Installing the product will be as easy as screwing in a light bulb and downloading an app.

Users will be require to download the GE Life application on their mobile device. There will be some very simple calibration using the application. When standing near the bulb/beacon you wish to calibrate, open the app and select the location (i.e. home, office, work, car, etc.) of the beacon.

How does it work?

Users will keep information in the could that will be accessed via an application on their mobile device. Information will consist of whatever the users choose and will be filed how ever the users want. Users may have a file for HOME, a file for WORK, a file for the CAR. Users may further classify their information into sub-folders of HOME such as KITCHEN, BEDROOM and WORKSHOP or STUDY.

GE Beacons will send out a signal that will be picked up by the users phone. The signal will prompt them to open the GE Life application on their phone. Different beacons will send prompts to open the different folders in the app based on the users location. A user that just arrived home, within range of their primary HOME GE Beacon, may choose to receive a prompt of their chores list, a list of calls that they need to make, or suggested audio or video to play via their home entertainment system. Or this could look like prompts to check out cooking videos or recipe sites while in the kitchen. A user that just got in their CAR may want to be prompted to look at their errands list. In the the users workplace, this could look like reminder prompts of to do lists, meetings or ideas when the user gets in vicinity of their desk, or another location in their work environment.

Users may also choose to receive prompts throughout the day based on their location. Let's say that they are at home, within range of their HOME GE Beacon, around 4pm. The GE Life app will detect this and send information to the user about dinner recipes. Or if the user is working late, still at WORK at 6:30pm, maybe they receive information about take-out or other restaurants in the area.

All of these features will be custom for each member of the family. Each family member will have their own account on the same GE Life service. Kids coming home from school may receive prompts about chores or homework. Parents may receive prompts about dinner ideas in the early evening. Mothers may receive prompts about their kids getting home safely. All users' accounts will be password protected and secure, so the information broadcasting from GE Beacon is not readable by anyone accepted the designated users.

Another awesome feature of the service will be to log the location data in a cheap (energetically speaking), secure way by not using GPS. When the user is near a GE Beacon, that location specific signal that it is sending out will be detected by the users phone. The users phone will be logging the time and location while it is within range of the GE Beacon. This data will be aggregated to inform people of how much time they spend at home, at work and in their car. It will also be able to break it down even more specifically. For instance, within the users home, where are they spending their time? The service will record time spent in the kitchen, bedroom, home office, whatever users prefer. This information can be provided in bar graphs, pie charts, whatever. This feedback can then be used to help people set goals to adjust habits and optimize behavior for a better life.

This sort of location based reminder and logger is much better suited for a network of BLE devices than GPS or the like for a number of reasons. One, GPS uses a considerable amount of battery. BLE uses much less energy and is better for applications and services that will run in the background. Two, GPS does not necessarily know where your car is (or other mobile locations that users may wish to add GE Beacons to) and if you are near it. BLE uses physical vicinity to detect users location and prompt messages.

Example

I created a mock-up of what the C bulb beacons might look like. To create a similar type of service I purchased a RadBeacon Dot from Radius Networks. I configured the beacon to the Eddystone-URL format using various URLs, depending on the beacons location. I shortened the URLs using http://bitly.com.

The URLs I chose are associated with different folders in my google drive corresponding to their locations. I use the PhyWeb Application for iOS to discover the transmitting RadBeacon.

Upon clicking on the link provided by the beacon, my google drive app opens the folder that I have synced to that beacon. So I sync the short bitly Eddystone-URL of my Google Drive - Home folder to the RadBeacon that is near the door of my house. When I open the PhyWeb app and click the link when I am at home, my Google Drive - Home folder opens. I synced the short bitly Eddystone-URL of my Google Drive - Car folder to the RadBeacon that is in my car. When I open the PhyWeb app and click the link when I am in my car, my Google Drive - Car folder opens.

This is extremely useful since I can edit the contents of my google drive using any of my devices. Once I arrive home and my phone prompts me to check my home folder, it will contain the most recent, up to date notes.

This method is also quite secure. When I try and log in to my google drive folder with another device, the other user cannot see the folder (unless I explicitly share it with them).

This is just a simple, easy to implement version with the current technology and not a lot of work. It is not very user friendly, but it works with a minimal amount of know-how or setup.

I imagine a much more seamless experience with a platform developed specifically for this purpose. GE will have a mobile app specific for this purpose and alerts will come directly via push notifications and prompt users to go through the app. The app will then access information via web services, perhaps via IFTTT.

Better with GE

GE can make a much better, more integrated and seamless version of this example platform that I made.

GE could either use existing technology or develop their own. Developing this network will require an application for iOS, Android and desktop as well as cloud based services.

GE already has several IFTTT channels for their appliances. GE could easily develop an application that taps into the existing IFTTT network to create an amazingly powerful platform that bridges the physical and digital world simply by detecting the presence or absence of users' smartphones.

Many of the best IFTTT recipes are location based. Linking location through BLE via GE C bulbs will save users energy by not requiring GPS to be running all the time.

In Real Life...

In practice, it may look like this. The user leaves their house. The Home C bulb/beacon is out of range, triggering an IFTTT action that turns off the lights, turns off climate control and locks the door. The user enters the car, entering the range of the Car GE beacon, triggering an IF notification with a list of errands. The Car GE beacon leaves the range of the House beacon, triggering the garage door to close. Later, the user comes home. The beacons are within range of each other and the garage door opens. The user's phone detects the Home beacon and select lights turn on and climate control turns back on.

Another scenario. The kids get home from school. Once they are within range of the Home beacon, Mom gets an IF notification letting her know that all of the kids made it home.

Additional Resources

Google is developing a Nearby Notifications feature that will make notifications on a mobile device from a beacon much easier to implement and use. This feature allows beacons to interact seamlessly with mobile apps. It also allows users to manage their beacons through an online beacon dashboard.

From Google:

Note: Nearby Notifications will be launching soon along with an updated Beacons Dashboard and Beacon Tools app. Check back later in the summer of 2016 for updates.

Summary

So technologically, each bulb will be transmitting a unique Bluetooth signal. this unique Bluetooth signal will be picked up by your smartphone (which is also connected to the internet). The smartphone will connect to a service running on the internet. The service on the internet will be able to detect which bulb you are closest to based on the unique Bluetooth signal being transmitted by each bulb. Based on which bulb you are near it will send you appropriate notifications.