Apparently, IoT wrenches exist. Luckily no attacks are known to have occurred so far, but I find this situation both hilarious and terrifying. (I didn't add any tags - sorry for that, but I don't...
Apparently, IoT wrenches exist.
Luckily no attacks are known to have occurred so far, but I find this situation both hilarious and terrifying.
(I didn't add any tags - sorry for that, but I don't know which tags to use that would actually be helpful.)
I've been known to turn a few wrenches in my time, I've known about IoT tools like this, I still fail to find a use for them. setting the wrench to a precise torque doesn't require any network...
Apparently, IoT wrenches exist.
I've been known to turn a few wrenches in my time, I've known about IoT tools like this, I still fail to find a use for them. setting the wrench to a precise torque doesn't require any network connectivity. Having a torque level indicator doesn't require network connectivity. Certification of that torque setting doesn't require network connectivity.
Know what does require network connectivity? Tools-as-a-service for an ever increasing cost to manufacture things because you shall own nothing and even your tools need to be a subscription plan.
I could maybe see a case for a company wanting to track really, really, expensive tools. But I feel like the cost of incorporating the needed technology is going to far exceed the replacement cost...
I could maybe see a case for a company wanting to track really, really, expensive tools. But I feel like the cost of incorporating the needed technology is going to far exceed the replacement cost for most any portable tool that doesn't already have a computer in it.
I agree that tracking would be the most viable reason for implementing this and even that's stretching it. You could just GPS tag the tools for a far cheaper solution. Tools like this with network...
I agree that tracking would be the most viable reason for implementing this and even that's stretching it. You could just GPS tag the tools for a far cheaper solution.
Tools like this with network connectivity is just plain greed. There's no other reason. Specialist tools can do all of this without any network.
They don't necessarily need to be connected directly to the internet (and in fact, I'd push against that too), but tools with the ability to output data are incredibly useful for verifying that...
They don't necessarily need to be connected directly to the internet (and in fact, I'd push against that too), but tools with the ability to output data are incredibly useful for verifying that manufacturing processes have been completed properly.
You could reasonably want to take advantage of the ubiquity of tcp/ip to do that, but the tools in a work cell or on a line should be isolated and not directly accessible from your corporate network and certainly not from the broader internet.
Which can be done when being plugged in at EOD to charge and not require wireless connectivity at all, let alone being IoT. Electronic torque limiting tools have been around for a long time, set...
Which can be done when being plugged in at EOD to charge and not require wireless connectivity at all, let alone being IoT.
Electronic torque limiting tools have been around for a long time, set them to the required torque, it tightens to that setting and you're done. No IoT necessary.
IoT is generally a security nightmare. If you absolutely have to use it professionally, make doubly sure it's in a separate VLAN and not internet connected. The bigger problem is there's little...
IoT is generally a security nightmare. If you absolutely have to use it professionally, make doubly sure it's in a separate VLAN and not internet connected.
The bigger problem is there's little incentive for these companies to make their products secure - If they can manufacture some kind of obselecence from software not being supported after 3 years, or sell an interconnected system with a subscription, they will.
I don't even see the benefits. Maybeyou could track operator error when the torque is wrong, or automatically change the torque setting when it knows you're working on something else? But these efficiencies are so minimal I can't see how it's worth the downsides...
The purpose of the wrench from the article: I imagine with very sensitive equipment, especially safety critical, the value add is logging the exact torque applied to each bolt. If an accident...
The purpose of the wrench from the article:
that factories around the world use to assemble sensitive instruments and devices.
I imagine with very sensitive equipment, especially safety critical, the value add is logging the exact torque applied to each bolt. If an accident happens later on due to a faulty fastening, the manufacturer can prove it wasn't on their end, as they have records to show that the very bolt in question was tightened to spec. This explains the network connectivity: to send the logs to some log server to be archived.
I guess that makes sense from a tool manufacturer standpoint. I can't imagine buying a tool where the manufacturer says "we're gonna need you to hook this up to the Internet so we can watch you."
I guess that makes sense from a tool manufacturer standpoint. I can't imagine buying a tool where the manufacturer says "we're gonna need you to hook this up to the Internet so we can watch you."
This world we're building here... yea I'm really not sure about it. For the record, I'm a tech person. The main skill that I've built up in my life so far is software & web development. This, to...
This world we're building here... yea I'm really not sure about it.
For the record, I'm a tech person. The main skill that I've built up in my life so far is software & web development. This, to me, is such a ridiculous overapplication of "cutting-edge" technology that it actually devalues the reputation of digital technology and the IoT movement as a whole.
IoT has the capacity to do some really cool stuff in the home and the world at large. Air quality monitors, flood detection, power management, remote temperature control are just a few things off the top of my head. At the same time, none of this stuff is actually being designed in an altruistic way. Technology is supposed to be a public good, but every example I see in the IoT world is underpinned by some version of the SaaS paradigm that encourages fostering dependence on the supplier. To me, SaaS as a whole is a regressive application of scarcity-based thinking to a limitless commodity.
If you want to make a digital torque wrench, cool - seems like there's some potential in that idea. That said, there is no reasonable basis for making it an IoT device versus offering a decent interface for the end user to input the data themself - it's literally just a means to extract more value from the buyer than what they're already offering up for the hardware. The fact that this is the primary way for tech (or tech-leveraging) companies to up their profits is disgraceful, and a huge part of the reason why I refuse to apply my skills beyond a personal level.
Apparently, IoT wrenches exist.
Luckily no attacks are known to have occurred so far, but I find this situation both hilarious and terrifying.
(I didn't add any tags - sorry for that, but I don't know which tags to use that would actually be helpful.)
I've been known to turn a few wrenches in my time, I've known about IoT tools like this, I still fail to find a use for them. setting the wrench to a precise torque doesn't require any network connectivity. Having a torque level indicator doesn't require network connectivity. Certification of that torque setting doesn't require network connectivity.
Know what does require network connectivity? Tools-as-a-service for an ever increasing cost to manufacture things because you shall own nothing and even your tools need to be a subscription plan.
I could maybe see a case for a company wanting to track really, really, expensive tools. But I feel like the cost of incorporating the needed technology is going to far exceed the replacement cost for most any portable tool that doesn't already have a computer in it.
I agree that tracking would be the most viable reason for implementing this and even that's stretching it. You could just GPS tag the tools for a far cheaper solution.
Tools like this with network connectivity is just plain greed. There's no other reason. Specialist tools can do all of this without any network.
They don't necessarily need to be connected directly to the internet (and in fact, I'd push against that too), but tools with the ability to output data are incredibly useful for verifying that manufacturing processes have been completed properly.
You could reasonably want to take advantage of the ubiquity of tcp/ip to do that, but the tools in a work cell or on a line should be isolated and not directly accessible from your corporate network and certainly not from the broader internet.
Which can be done when being plugged in at EOD to charge and not require wireless connectivity at all, let alone being IoT.
Electronic torque limiting tools have been around for a long time, set them to the required torque, it tightens to that setting and you're done. No IoT necessary.
Is this a setup for Boeing to claim it's not their fault their planes are shoddily constructed?
IoT is generally a security nightmare. If you absolutely have to use it professionally, make doubly sure it's in a separate VLAN and not internet connected.
The bigger problem is there's little incentive for these companies to make their products secure - If they can manufacture some kind of obselecence from software not being supported after 3 years, or sell an interconnected system with a subscription, they will.
I don't even see the benefits. Maybeyou could track operator error when the torque is wrong, or automatically change the torque setting when it knows you're working on something else? But these efficiencies are so minimal I can't see how it's worth the downsides...
I can only imagine an IoT 'wrench' makes sense in a completely automated factory setting. If a human has to touch it to use it, what's the point?
The purpose of the wrench from the article:
I imagine with very sensitive equipment, especially safety critical, the value add is logging the exact torque applied to each bolt. If an accident happens later on due to a faulty fastening, the manufacturer can prove it wasn't on their end, as they have records to show that the very bolt in question was tightened to spec. This explains the network connectivity: to send the logs to some log server to be archived.
I guess that makes sense from a tool manufacturer standpoint. I can't imagine buying a tool where the manufacturer says "we're gonna need you to hook this up to the Internet so we can watch you."
This world we're building here... yea I'm really not sure about it.
For the record, I'm a tech person. The main skill that I've built up in my life so far is software & web development. This, to me, is such a ridiculous overapplication of "cutting-edge" technology that it actually devalues the reputation of digital technology and the IoT movement as a whole.
IoT has the capacity to do some really cool stuff in the home and the world at large. Air quality monitors, flood detection, power management, remote temperature control are just a few things off the top of my head. At the same time, none of this stuff is actually being designed in an altruistic way. Technology is supposed to be a public good, but every example I see in the IoT world is underpinned by some version of the SaaS paradigm that encourages fostering dependence on the supplier. To me, SaaS as a whole is a regressive application of scarcity-based thinking to a limitless commodity.
If you want to make a digital torque wrench, cool - seems like there's some potential in that idea. That said, there is no reasonable basis for making it an IoT device versus offering a decent interface for the end user to input the data themself - it's literally just a means to extract more value from the buyer than what they're already offering up for the hardware. The fact that this is the primary way for tech (or tech-leveraging) companies to up their profits is disgraceful, and a huge part of the reason why I refuse to apply my skills beyond a personal level.
The Bosch Rexroth Nutrunner sounds like an alien thingamabob mentioned in some off-the-cuff remark in Doctor Who lol