Rink

July/August 2017

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36 / JULY.AUGUST.2017 USICERINKS.COM I t's not news that the technology surrounding us every minute of every day has changed the way we operate and function— for better or for worse. Not only does technology consume us on a day-to-day basis, it's rapidly changing at a pace faster than it ever has before. Many of the things that we take for granted today weren't even around five or 10 years ago. The first true smartphone, the Apple iPhone, just celebrated its 10th birthday in June. Can you even imagine going through a day without your smartphone? I can't (though sometimes I wish I could just go back to the pager and flip-phone era). So what does all of this smartphone and technology have to do with our rink industry—aside from figuring out how to keep your staff off their phones and focused on the rink? As technology continues to advance, more and more consumer devices are being marketed as SMART-like TVs, refrigerators, thermostats, security systems, etc. But what makes a device SMART? Today, most consumer products are really just enabled to connect to the Internet and be controlled or monitored by another device connected to the Internet, i.e. your smartphone. However, a true SMART device or system is capable of: • Self-monitoring using sensors • Analyzing the information acquired from those sensors • Automatically adjusting operation based on the analysis to maximize performance and efficiency • Predicting future maintenance requirements and/or failures • Reporting the operation status, adjustments made by the device, and required maintenance and/or repairs to the end-user (e.g. You) Get SMART Can SMART technology change the way we operate in the rink industry? RINK ISSUES SMART Technology

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