Innovations in technology never cease to amaze us and promise a better future. From wireless power to 3D printing to gamification to autonomous vehicles to Automatic Content Recognition to mobile robots to the topic of this post, The Internet of Things (or, as some call it, The Internet of Everything), technological creativity and innovation have been on the rise in recent years. Great, right? Oh, well, that’s probably because it is. The potential of this venture is enormous, with the eventual aim of giving all inanimate items consciousness in a truly sense.
Explain the concept of “The Internet of Things.”
In an IoT scenario, every entity (device, human, network, etc.) is assigned a distinct identifier and equipped with the means to exchange data via the Internet. The goal is to set up a system in which we can command an “army” of networked gadgets that can talk to each other and to us, eliminating the need for us to micromanage each piece of machinery.
Cloud computing, the proliferation of linked devices, the rise of Big Data, the popularity of online video, and the rise of mobile applications as a computing platform all come together in the Internet of Everything. With the rise of pervasive computing came the expectation that processors would need to be embedded in previously unconnected devices; this expectation eventually gave rise to the Internet of Things.
Auto-ID Center co-founder and MIT executive director Kevin Ashton elaborates on IoT’s potential:
Humans are becoming the primary data source for today’s computers and the Internet. About 50 petabytes (1 petabyte = 1,024 terabytes) of the information currently stored on the Internet was first recorded and created by humans, either through typing, pushing a record button, taking a digital photo, or scanning a bar code…
The issue is that humans could be better at collecting data on things in the actual world because of their limited time, attention, and accuracy. There would be a lot less waste, loss, and expense if we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things based on data they obtained without our help. We’d be aware of when goods were new or had passed their prime and when they needed to be discarded, repaired, or recalled.
“Control everything with your smartphone.”
The iot application development (IoT) may sound like something from the distant future, yet it is already here, and several technologies are at extremely advanced stages of development. Developers have been motivated by the potential of this innovation to create products for both the consumer and business-to-business markets.
Companies like SmartThings, Nest Labs, and Ninja Blocks are fighting it out in the home automation market to win over consumers’ affection. The quantified self-movement is another key consumer-facing sector that is helping to raise people’s understanding of the IoT’s possibilities.
Many industries, including transportation, manufacturing, healthcare, and retail, stand to benefit significantly from B2B vertical applications of the IoT.
Actively Developing Projects
The original SmartThings was funded on Kickstarter, and the firm has since grown into a powerhouse with a wide variety of useful hardware and software for automating the home. It is based on a software platform that can be accessed via the cloud and allows users to integrate into their daily life applications that make their environment more responsive and entertaining. Additionally interesting is the fact that SmartThings is developing an open platform and is openly welcoming the developer communities, paving the path for a more relaxed and diverse setting ideal for unrestrained innovation. Convenience, family, fun & social, green living, health & fitness, and security are just a few categories that the development apps address.
Xively Cloud ServicesTM is another exciting venture with the potential to promote the use of open digital systems (formerly Cosm and, before that, Pachube). It claims to be the “world’s first Public Cloud for the Internet of Things” to create a network that allows any Internet-connected item to talk to any other device.
Xively, like its predecessor Cosm, will provide a means for disparate devices to communicate with one another, but unlike Cosm, Xively will charge for its services to commercial users and provide them with free, open-source initiatives. Platforms like Xively are essential to creating a genuine Internet of Things, as opposed to the current state of affairs.
Which is better: the Internet or the company intranet?
Despite the exciting progress that has been made, the Internet of Things is still in its infancy, with the vast majority of devices connecting to the Internet but lacking the ability to communicate with one another. This has resulted in a proliferation of Intranets of Things rather than a single Internet of Things. Now, an open-source framework that allows for the connection of disparate devices is required for this technology to flourish. The current crop of devices is not only prohibitively expensive but also offers nothing in the way of interoperability.
More individuals will be able to afford and use high-quality consumer goods thanks to the Internet of Things industry expansion. But despite all the discussion about the advantages of the IoT, no one seems to be expressing any actual worries, such as what if the robots, able to communicate and relate to each other, would no longer need us and go away, or else unite and turn against us? That seems like the plot of a science fiction movie, and there is one out there. What’s certain is that we’re in for some genuinely monumental events.