Written by Justin Lam, Software Engineer and former MistyWest employee
This past January, MistyWest hosted a Vancouver Hardware Meetup webinar on the future of IoT on the cloud, where I spoke on a panel with fellow experts and innovators in IoT. MistyWest cofounder Leigh Christie, lawyer and member of AIOT Canada Edona Vila, CEO of Wearable X Billie Whitehouse, and IoT division lead at QuEST Global Amar Balutkar and I talked about the growing trends in intelligent connected devices and the ongoing security challenges.
Developing a hardware product? Adopting a design thinking approach may be what you need in order to meet your customer’s expectations and keep your user story in sight.
Written by Denis Godin, Industrial Designer at MistyWest
Has your business spent time and money developing a hardware product that failed at the commercialization stage because it didn’t meet customer expectations? Have you wondered at what point in product development you lost sight of the user story? A design thinking methodology can help to address these common issues that product development teams face.
This International Women’s Day, we’re highlighting 5 women founded tech startups in BC that are sustainably focused and leveraging novel technologies to tackle some of the UN’S SDGs.
Written by Madison Reid, Content Creator at MistyWest
It’s the year 2021, and women only account for 15 to 20 percent of the tech workforce in British Columbia. Why is this?
Research suggests that influence from families, role models and cultural stereotypes impact women’s decisions to pursue education–and later, careers–in STEM. The existing lack of representation of women and BIPOC folks in high profile tech positions can compound these reservations, further exacerbating the homogeneity of Canada’s technology workforce.
However, not all hope is lost within BC’s gender imbalance in tech! In recognition of International Women’s Day on March 8, we…
Do you have an innovative concept for a connected device? Here’s why hardware prototyping is integral to the product development process and the success of your project.
Written by Madison Reid, Content Creator at MistyWest
What is Hardware Prototyping?
When MistyWest was approached by VodaSafe prior to developing the AquaEye, founder Carlyn Loncaric had a proof-of-concept (POC) and a goal: to develop a life-saving piece of technology that can quickly scan underwater to locate drowning victims. Through iterative prototyping, our engineering team was able to develop a hand-held device that made novel use of ultrasonic sensor technology in only a few months.
The purpose of hardware prototyping is to answer questions, ranging from technical unknowns to getting a better understanding of your end-users and/or market. In the case of VodaSafe, the…
Through optimized firmware, MistyWest improved the battery life of a Bluetooth low energy wearable device’s hardware from under 10 days to over 45. Here’s how.
Written by Justin Lam
Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) devices have seen exponential growth over the past 5 years, and companies are constantly adding greater functionality to stay connected (such as adding machine learning to low power devices). When it comes to battery-powered devices like wearables, battery life will make-or-break your product for end-users. As devices become more complex, increasing in features, processing power, data rates, and range, the added functionality typically comes at a reduction in battery life.
In addition to a negative user experience, poor battery life also results in the need to have frequent charging, which impacts the…
MistyWest has experience rolling out architectures on both Azure and AWS platforms for our clients’ projects. We take a high-level look at what each has to offer to determine which is right for your connected devices.
Written by Justin Lam
The Internet of Things has seen extensive growth in the past few years, and the number of connected devices is projected to amount to 21.5 billion units worldwide by 2025. Choosing the right platform to connect your devices is no easy task, and weighing the advantages and disadvantages between them is crucial to making sure your system’s architecture is designed to meet the demands of your application. Nobody wants to select the wrong platform for their business, as it can be costly to develop a solution and learn halfway about a deal-breaking limitation. …
Each Westie has the right to veto a prospective project if they deem it unethical. Here’s how we apply our ethics policy to our company process and keep MistyWest’s mission, purpose and values at the front of our BD efforts.
Written by Dan Millar, Business Developer at MistyWest
Introduction
Recently, MistyWest hosted a webinar on the Dark Side of Technology where we talked about the ethical implications society is currently facing as new technologies are developed. The conversation touched on issues like data sovereignty, (un)biased machine learning, and the increase in civilian/private access to technology previously only available to the military.
A low powered wearable can pack a serious punch when it’s trained to individual users habits and capabilities using ST’s Machine Learning Core.
Written by Kevin Lockwood, Systems & Bluetooth Engineer
Introduction
Leveraging ML Components to Unlock Powerful Low Power Applications
Motion Sensors, or Inertial Measurement Units (IMUs), in wearable connected devices have long been able to internally detect limited human interactions (such as tapping) and in some cases, very specific orientations (such as a wrist tilt) while using low power consumption. Detecting complex motions, like the orientation or travel of a wearable in sports applications (such as tennis, golf, or boxing) requires a lot of data analysis by a microcontroller. …
Phil Tsao tears the Dyson Airwrap apart and marvels at its internal beauty in our technical teardown. Is the device built to last? Read on!
Written by Phil Tsao, former Westie.
Introduction
Previously, we brought you the first part of our Dyson Airwrap series where we looked at the surface of this achievement in product development, and then used it to deliver a bomb makeover for Ryan Walker.
Our first piece of video content harnesses the power of fluid dynamics and the Coanda effect to provide Walker a makeover.
Origin Story
If you’ve ever used a hand dryer in a public washroom, you’re probably familiar with Dyson. Famously known for their vacuums that defied the standard expectations for vacuum cleaners in the 1990s–featuring dual-cyclone fluid dynamic technology and very hefty price tags–Dyson has acquired a brand-loyal fanbase over the decades of lovers of their design engineering. The company’s researchers spend years developing patented technologies intended to disrupt existing product offerings in various markets, and Dyson highlights the research in their marketing and advertising.
Dyson has evolved since the 90s to make firmware-integrated fans and heaters, and made the leap into…
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