Do you ever wonder what will be the next big thing in the field of information technology? When people talk about IoT, they really don’t have any idea how big it can be. Sometimes its lack of imagination or rather lack of observation. You can’t always keep the future within your sight. So why don’t we take a look on this so called Internet of Things (IoT) and how it is going to change the world.
The term IoT has been around us since 1999 after Kevin Ashton first coined it. In short, it is an environment in which physical objects are connected to a single network with the intention of sharing information. A thing in the Internet of Things can be a person, an animal, a plant, an electronic device, a building or almost anything physical which you can think of. In the world of IoT these things are provided with unique IP addresses giving them the ability to transfer data over the network, which creates opportunities for more direct integration between the physical world and computer-based systems. In other words, with IoT everything around us will become smart. If I tell you one of the popular examples (though it may seem a bit silly), think of a smart fridge; what if your fridge could tell you it was out of milk, sending you a text saying that its internal cameras saw there was none left, or that the butter was past its use-by date?Pretty impressive concept, right? But let’s not jump into any conclusions this soon. There is more to talk about.
If you think more on this, you will suddenly begin to realize that the concept of IoT is not that new. Why? People have been connecting things to networks for a long time now. Things like printers, scanners, mobile devices, automobiles and etc. are handled over networks in a number of ways. So we just gave a name to a process that has already been around us for decades, is that it? If that is so, then ‘Internet of Things’ is just a buzz word or a technical jargon that has been peppering over the last few years. But this is not actually the case. The IoT is not just about connecting things or networking objects, it is about making them smart. It’s built on cloud computing and networks of data-gathering sensors which opens enormous number of opportunities in numerous areas. Think of a plant which notify you when it needs water or think of a building which tells you when it needs a repair. With all the sensors connected everywhere the information generated will be massive.
The IoT is big news because it ups the ante: ‘Reach out and touch somebody’ is becoming ‘Reach out and touch everything'.
- Parker Trewin, Senior Director of Content and Communications, Aria
Why or Why Not?
Why Internet of Things? What is so important about IoT? Internet of Things will potentially transform nearly every industry to change the way we live and work, locally and globally. IoT is not only about changing the businesses, but also about changing the information technology in number of ways. Let me tell you the ways how IoT will change the world.When objects are embedded with sensors you can track their movements, even interact with them. Imagine a vehicle in a rental car company that has sensors and network connections embedded into it. Each vehicle can be optimized for higher revenues without having any rental centers. You can use IoT to identify your health problems. The patterns of heart rate, pulse, digestive system, and blood pressure can be monitored and diagnosed for anomalies. The information can be sent to the doctor automatically for analysis.
While being amazed by these remarkable ideas let’s see the actual reality which lies behind. Even though all these ideas are possible there will be complications. One of the major issues of IoT is security. Today, the most common IoT sensor is the ordinary RFID tag which can be found in everything from store merchandise to warehouse equipment passports and even on the “security” badge that gets you into your office at night. And what kind of security does that tag support? None. According to Hewlett-Packard 70% of the Internet of Things are hackable and six out of 10 devices that provide user interfaces were vulnerable to a range of issues such as persistent XSS and weak credentials.
I am sure you came up with this question when reading this, “Where does all the data provided by those sensors get stored and how can they be managed?” This is also a common issue related to IoT. Obviously, connecting all the things around you to internet means creation of massive data. Do we have enough technology or resources to manage these data? This is not just a brainteaser. It is a very practical and real problem. Sure, with IoT you will be able to measure your health, do your marketing and take your decisions more efficient than anything. But to do so, what if you have to wear 20 devices? A device for your health, a device for your business, a device to track your children and etc. You will have no other job than charging your devices. A common fear among people about IoT is that there will occur a digital divide. A division between the ones who are tech savvy and those who are not in the era of IoT. Most of our lives will be increasingly controlled by technology, and will be dependent on it. Some may call this a benefit, but it is a drawback that is inevitable when moving towards IoT.
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Technological Background
Now let’s get into the techy side of the IoT, how different technologies play their parts. As mentioned previously, in IoT each device get a unique IP address. IPv6 protocol provide IP addresses to each device. To build IoT related applications, Media Access Control (MAC) layers such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, ZigBee, Slow PAN, Wireless metropolitan access networks, Broadband wireless networks and Wi Max are used. RFID is one of the most commonly used technology in IoT. RFID tags which are integrated to objects, are used to track their movements. NFC is also another emerging technology utilized in IoT device implementation. Most ubiquitous environments can be implemented using this NFC technology. People are now experimenting on using GSM technology for IoT devices. Devices which use GSM technology have the ability to inter connect with each other very easily. Not only different data transmission technologies but also there are various innovative software tools and platforms serving IoT. Mnubo, Oracle, Swarm, Axeda and OpenRemote are some of those.What’s Next?
Think of smartphones 20 years back. They were not so popular then, but now, smartphones have become a necessity in everyone’s life. Same thing applies to IoT. In a few more years, IoT will become an important aspect in our lives. It is a promising concept, yet business, policy and technical challenges should be tackled. New sensor driven business models will create superior value. Even now there are startups such as AdhereTech, Chul, Enlighted and Humavox which have adopted IoT concept in their businesses. Governments should focus on providing legal frameworks for IoT to protect data privacy and security and to prevent bad decisions from automated systems. Standards should be implemented regarding networking technologies to support IoT where data can flow freely among sensors, computers, and actuators. Data storage, analyzing and decision making systems need to be developed in order to achieve the best out of IoT. Standards such as Thread, AllJoyn, Open Interconnect Consortium and Industrial Internet Consortium have now been initiated and are still developing.Internet of Things will be a huge technological as well as a business evolution if we managed to embrace it in right way. As Kevin Ashton said,
In the real world things matter more than ideas and Internet of Things has the potential to change the world just as Internet did, maybe even more so.
Sources
http://www.ariasystems.com/blog/internet-things-quotes-consider/
http://www.wired.com/insights/2014/07/7-reasons-internet-things-doomed/
http://www.cio.com/article/2602467/consumer-technology/10-hot-internet-of-things-startups.html
http://www.theguardian.com/technology/2015/may/06/what-is-the-internet-of-things-google
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