BeaSmart: A beacon enabled smarter workplace

Abstract

IBM's Watson Internet of Things (IoT) initiative is the next step of IBM's exploration of new ways for systems and humans to learn and interact synergistically. As the IoT ecosystems continues mature, new devices and protocols are being developed. Our team is specifically interested in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) IoT beacons. As BLE beacons become more popular and widely adopted, interesting use cases have been developed. For example, Location-Based Systems that use BLE beacon technology to help smartphone users navigate through buildings. In this paper, we will provide examples of what has been done with BLE beacons, and an overview of a work-in-progress prototype that leverages BLE beacons. Our prototype, BeaSmart, is a mobile application that is being deployed and tested in the IBM Almaden Research Center (ARC). The BeaSmart application has four features that provide a more contextualized experience for employees and visitors as they navigate through ARC. We plan to use BeaSmart as a tool to evaluate the technical and human factors to consider when making a building smarter with BLE Beacons.