Ambient Informatics

Robb Bush founded Ambient Informatics in 2002 to design & develop new solutions to leverage real-time, real-world information from distributed sensor networks to improve the accuracy and reliability of decision-support software – and ultimately close the loop with dynamic dashboards for better human visibility, understanding, and responsiveness.

Primary Role: Founder
Secondary Role(s): CEO, Product Designer, Product Strategy

Business Driver(s): Capture Market Opportunity
Results & Benefits: Failure

Time Range: 2002-2003

Class: Company

Prodika Material Sourcing Visualization

As part of a larger application ad deliver project Robb design specialized Data Visualization of large / complex data sets.
In this case the subject is Raw Material sourcing relationship to different suppliers and locations
While the design worked well for on-screen display, the customer enjoyed the wall sized poster printouts!

Primary Role: VP Marketing & Alliances
Secondary Role(s): Visualization Designer

Business Driver(s):
Results & Benefits:

Time Range: 2005-2005

Class: Product

SAP IOT – Product-Centric-View (PCV)

The 1992 a Harvard Business Review article entitled “Staple Yourself to an Order” helped to illustrate the customer-centric impact of all processes from the time an order is placed, to fulfillment of the order. Every touch point of the order management process – touches the customer to some degree.
So, what does it mean when every touch point also has an impact on the near and/or long-term performance and profitability of your products and services? the following examples are intended to illustrate various “product-centric” activities that affect a product or service’s overall lifecycle cost, profitability, and ultimately – market success.
This presentation explores the benefits of incorporating transformational “product-centric” applications of cross-functional information and services into everyday activities across diverse business functions and roles – and not just in the context of a single application or module.

Primary Role: Sr. Director – Solution Management
Secondary Role(s):

Business Driver(s): Capture Market Opportunity
Results & Benefits: Improved Market Perception

Time Range: 2006-2008

Class: Project

SAP PLM – Contextual Analytics

Robb was the product “owner” for SAP’s first “embedded analytics” solution that presented contextual analytics related to the business object (eg Project, Order, Customer, Item, etc). This capability shipped with SAP Business Suite 5.
With SAP’s acquisition of Business Objects, additional tools became available. Robb led the specification and development of Dashboards for analyzing Product and Service performance.

Primary Role: Sr. Director – Solution Management
Secondary Role(s):

Business Driver(s): Capture Market Opportunity
Results & Benefits: Improved Customer Enthusiasm

Time Range: 2008-2009

Class: Product

One Network 3D WMS / Dock / Yard

ONE Network 3D WMS Game Development
NAVIGATION – GETTING AROUND
– Between Levels
– Between Sites
– Assets
– Within Charts

OBJECTS (3D Models)
– All are Data-Driven to change shape (dimensions), color, or location (time & space)
– Sites / Buildings
– Physical Assets (containers, assembly lines, material, vehicles)
– Charts / Analytics

LEVELS
– Network Level View
– Corporate Level View
– LoB Domain Level View (My Locations)
– Site / Inside View
– Warehouse

3D Warehouse Mgmt

Show “Virtual Buffers” in 3D Warehouse
 – Receiving
 – QA
 – Storage
 – Staging

Drag and Drop from Storage to Staging (creates a pick-list)

“Level 6 Data” Where is it, what asset, how many, what order

GENERAL NAVIGATION
Navigation from Corp Level

from Inbound Docks / Yard
to
Warehouse (move something from Storage to Staging)
to
Outbound Docks / Yard
 – Ability to show resources form multiple locations in a single view
Asset View

GAME MECHANICS
 – Purpose / Objective for Player
 – Gain Points, Health, Badges, Unlock New Features / Levels

MULTI-PLAYER COLLABORATION

OVERALL SCENE
 – Add Timeline to Lanes
 – Navigator Menu – Jump to Top View, Side View, Reset View
 – Zoom In Out (Stay in Isometric mode)
 – Drill Down from a Higher Level to this DC level

APPEARANCE OF OBJECTS

Data to Define the Material (Object)
 – Dimensions (Different representations from being a “Trailer” to how it looks in timeline)
 – – Container (H=Fixed, W=Fixed, Length=53, 40, 24)
 – – Container ON Timeline (H=Fixed, W Fixed, Length=Duration on Schedule)
 – Color
 – Labels / Graphics (eg JB Hunt as Text or Logo)

Data to Define the Capacity (Lane)
 – Dimensions, Color of the Lane
 – Segmenting (Schedule States, Occupied, Maintenance, Open)

INTEGRATION

Writing to and from sample Data?

Primary Role: VP Product Management
Secondary Role(s): Designer

Business Driver(s):
Results & Benefits:

Time Range: 2014-2014

Class: Product

stand in the future…

stand in the future to solve today’s problems

Steve Justice, Skunk Works – Lockheed-Martin

This quote really resonates with me.

After 25 years at the leading-edge of Enterprise & Supply-Chain technology with trailblazing and iconic companies – where I was privileged to learn from industry-legends – I have developed an obsession for achieving ‘elegance’ in solutions to highly-complex problems.

It is something that I have repeatedly attempted to deliver, with successes & failures. However, it is always constrained by limitations that were built-in from the start – and this means 20-50 years ago – and also from the ‘paralysis’ that comes from induced artificial-complexity, that typically compounds over time.

After resigning1from management & NOT from my colleagues – some of the very best in the business! from Infor2 a KOCH company in October 2020, I was determined to see if I could design a ‘dream system’ for global trade & logistics – for a foreseeable future. A completely-new approach to address the wicked-problems we face in the present, anticipates the potential in the next 30 years or so, and provides a concrete, realistic example of how an ideal system could be. It represents a new system-design and set of principles that could make a positive impact on ‘how the world works’ in the 21st century, and beyond.

2050 seems ambitious and aspirational enough to ‘anticipate’. Its a year I hope to see – a world where my grand-daughter will be 30 years old.

the calls for action

Supply-Chain challenges and failures are front-and-center, making today’s headlines – with calls to “re-think, or re-imagine supply-chain”, or to reduce unnecessary complexity and barriers.

To achieve the results & benefits the world needs, then we must envision what that future could be. We need to stand in the future.

taking action!

Today, with all the hype surrounding the latest concepts and buzzwords like ‘Industry 4.0’, ‘Digital Transformation’, and ‘Self-Driving’, or ‘Autonomous’ this-or-that…

You have to wonder, ‘how will we get there from here?’, and subsequently, ‘then what’?

Will it actually be ‘better’ than what we have today?

How will we get to an INDUSTRY 4.0 ‘vision’ – with a conflagration of business-processes, constructs, and assumptions from 20-50, or even 70+ years ago?

the best way to predict the future
is to invent it.

ALAN KAY

In the spirit of the ‘art of the possible’ – I dedicated myself to create something completely different than anything that exists today, with zero-dependencies on the past – that can only be appreciated when you ‘stand in the future to solve today’s problems‘ – and not to remain stuck in the past.

I have created a Supply-Chain Management Simulation Game, called INDUSTRY 5.0 – and an experimental Autonomous Logistics System for People & Cargo called NŪMŪV.

  • INDUSTRY 5.0 is a ‘serious game’ that enables you to envision business models, supply chains and logistics of the future – based on anticipated capabilities, where autonomous robotics are manufacturing & moving people & cargo – even in space!
  • NŪMŪV (i.e. ‘new move’) is an experimental multi-modal transport system-simulator – one that moves both people and cargo ‘autonomously’ – orchestrated by supply & demand, in time & space via the INDUSTRY 5.0 game.

what next?

With a comprehensive design-specification and several Patents in process, we are now in the early stages of development, and getting closer to be able to really show it off.

  • Do you want to know more?
  • Do you want to help?
  • Do you want to Invest or Partner?

We greatly appreciate any encouragement and support in this early stage.

Onward and upward!

Robb