You’ve probably heard of iBeacons. But have you seen them up close? Or developed apps for them? iBeacon technology is a fun and easy way to start working with Bluetooth Low Energy devices. Cloud City Development has been working with Pop Up Labs at MIT to help develop a solution for educating health professionals about the Maker Movement and how it positively affects the medical community. With the help of iBeacons, health professionals have learned how to start creating their own devices and tools! In this talk, I will first introduce iBeacons. Then I’ll show an example in Swift how to interact with iBeacons within an iOS app. Finally I’ll demonstrate how iBeacons in a Medical Maker Kit, coupled with the Medical Make app for iPad, help medical staff to learn about the items in the kit, which enables them to get creative, build new projects, and ultimately save lives! This talk will give you a glimpse of what can be accomplished with iBeacons and will encourage you to think of new ways in which Bluetooth Low Energy devices like iBeacons can be used to design and develop creative solutions that enhance the experience of life!

1. Saving lives with iBeacons
(Extended Remix Version)
Evan K. Stone
Lead iOS Developer
Cloud City Development // San Francisco

2. “An integrated design and so.ware consultancy specializing in web and mobile apps…”

3. Hello, AltConf!

4. The Purpose

5. Saving Lives with iBeacons

6. Will have some technical info

7. But really…

8. this talk is actually about…

9. thinking creaJvely

10. thinking in ways to improve
lives of those around us

11. thinking in ways that could
save the life of one person

12. Designers and Developers
working together!

13. Designing and building
amazing soluJons

14. CollaboraJng to help others

15. Dreaming of new ways to use
technologies like iBeacons

16. Not just for the sake of
innovaJon…

17. But to really help people.

18. Maybe even save a life.

20. The Jdal wave is upon us.

21. The Internet of Things
(IoT)

22. Especially in the last year

23. Flash flood of new devices

24. Renewed interest in iBeacons

25. What are iBeacons?

26. Bluetooth Low Energy
devices

27. They basically do one thing.

28. They broadcast some numbers
at regular intervals.

30. “AdverJsement”

31. Payload

32. 3 Things

33. UUID

34. D9B9EC1F-3925-43D0-80A9-1E39D4CEA95C

35. Major Value

36. 42

37. Minor Value

38. 7

39. Allows categorizaJon and
idenJficaJon

40. UUID: OrganizaJon/LocaJon
Major Value: Category
Minor Value: Item

41. Key Concept:

42. You have to know the values
to map them
(or know how to get them)

43. Bundled locally

44. Retrieved from server
(bonus points for using locaJon)

45. Minimum hardware requirements
for BLE development
(including iBeacons)

46. iPhone 4S (or later)
iPod touch (5th generaJon)
iPad (3rd generaJon or later)
iPad mini (or later)

47. iOS 7+
(1.66%)

48. Side Note…

49. iOS Devices
can be iBeacons too!

50. AirLocate
hlps://developer.apple.com/library/ios/samplecode/AirLocate/IntroducJon/Intro.html
(you will have to make some modificaJons because it’s broken…)

51. 😬

52. Devices

53. EsJmote

56. Gimbal
(this is what we used for the project I’ll show you in a bit…)

57. Many Others

59. Typical Scenarios
for iBeacons

60. Museums
hlps://www.brooklynmuseum.org/community/
blogosphere/tag/ibeacon/

61. Art InstallaJons

62. Retail Shops

63. Stadiums

64. CreaJve SoluJons…

65. Put a beacon in your luggage.

66. Play Treasure Hunt

67. Get creaJve! Have fun!

68. Developing with iBeacons

69. Geong the right Framework

70. iBeacons are BLE devices, right?

71. Yes, but…

72. In this context we use
Core LocaJon!

73. huh?

74. It makes sense when you think
about it.

75. iBeacons are proximity devices.

76. “I am near you.”

77. OK… so how do I use
Core LocaJon?

78. Three Steps

79. Create a CLLocaJonManager

80. Set the CLLocaJonManager’s
delegate

81. Create a CLBeaconRegion

82. var proximityUUID: NSUUID { get }

83. CLBeaconMajorValue

84. CLBeaconMinorValue

85. Get AuthorizaJon to use
LocaJon Services

86. Use requestWhenInUseAuthorization()
whenever it makes sense to do so

87. Start Ranging!
locationManager.startRangingBeaconsInRegion(beaconRegion)

88. Beacons will be caught in the
didRangeBeacons delegate method

89. Demo

90. TARDISBeacon

92. Geong back to saving lives…

93. How can iBeacons save lives?

94. Is it really that far-fetched?

95. At MIT, Lille Devices Labs has been
educaJng medical professionals
about the Maker Movement

96. They have been traveling around the
world showing them DIY concepts
and techniques

97. Teaching them that these techniques can
help them develop tools and soluJons that
would either be too costly or not available

98. They don’t know these tools and
techniques exist.

99. hlp://www.popup-labs.com/
“Finding the stealth ingenuity of nurses”

100. hlp://www.makernurse.org

101. Medical Maker Kits

103. Medical Make App

107. Why so important?

108. Let’s take one example…

109. Asthma.

110. 14 million Americans affected by Asthma

112. albuterol inhalers cost ~$70 out of
pocket and with insurance coverage
range from $0-40

113. Some would benefit from a
Smart Inhaler

114. Tracks and monitors their usage

115. Cost?

116. About $1000 a year.

117. Medical Make Demo

118. iBeacons allow medical professionals
to explore the materials

119. –Anna Young, Pop Up Labs
“Demys?fies medical technology
and devices.”

120. The Maker Studios show them
how to get started!

121. They can build a Smart Inhaler
at a fracJon of the cost.

122. At least one of the 14 million
Asthma sufferers could benefit
from a Smart Inhaler.

123. With Maker Kits and DIY
hopefully that person
will get one.

124. If we can save just one of those
who would be taken by Asthma
this year it will be worth it.

125. And that’s how we save lives
with iBeacons.

126. Evan K. Stone
web: hGp://www.cloudcity.io
cloud city blog: hGp://blog.cloudcity.io
blog: hGp://www.interac?velogic.net
twiGer: @interac?vlogic