TTechnology Vechnology Vision 2ision 2023 023 | When A | When Attoms meet Bitsoms meet Bits #TechVision Building the conditions for transparency Back in 2013, Target made what was, at the time, coming into the company’s stores, trying out Worldwide, the supply of data is growing fast. considered an incredibly bold move. The company and falling in love with a product, only to pull up Much of it is being generated online—in the past became one of the 昀椀rst retailers to announce a their smartphone and 昀椀nd an online retailer with year the internet had 5.07 billion users total, with an year-round price matching policy that included a cheaper price. Shoppers had nearly perfect 126 However, average of 6.5 hours spent online a day. 125 Target pricing found on popular e-commerce sites. the contributor that is perhaps most in昀氀uential on information, instantly attainable at their 昀椀ngertips, adopted this policy because they were grappling and so they acted on it. transparency is how advances in sensing technology with a “window of transparency.” Customers were are generating new types, and enhanced 昀椀delity, of While price matching in the retail industry is old data about our physical world. From our health to news, what it teaches us is more relevant today our home, sensing technologies increasingly play an than ever: the conditions for transparency all come integral role in our daily lives. The new Apple Watch down to data and connectivity. In Target’s case, what can calculate sleep cycles down to the minute and 127 And in Sweden, But data alone isn’t enough. drove them to act was a combination of pricing track heartbeat irregularities. e availabili of that information from online competitors (a new data researchers built a low-cost nano-sensor that can 128 data is key. at’s where source) and frictionless access to that data via their detect pesticides on fruit in a matter of minutes. communications technologies smartphones (connectivity). Today, we are seeing a rapid acceleration of both new types of data While each of these new sensors operates on a small come into play. and our ability to transmit and access them with scale, they give clear, quanti昀椀able lines of sight into increasingly larger systems. One research effort unprecedented speed. This con昀氀uence is creating incredible opportunity for “windows of transparency” demonstrated how a low-cost microsensor can to open, giving enterprises a stark choice: get ahead recognize and locate the distinct sound of a leaky 129 Scientists at the now or risk missing out. water pipe with 100% accuracy.