What is the Internet of Things?
The Internet of Things has been in the news a lot in recent years, but what exactly is it?
The term Internet of Things (often known as IoT), is a neologism coined by Kevin Ashton, which refers to the practice of connecting any object equipped with a sensor to the internet, thereby enabling it to exchange data with other connected objects without the need of human intervention.
The Internet of Things is generally considered the natural evolution of the web as we know it today and is an integral part of our daily lives. Thanks to IoT, it is possible to connect cars, domestic appliances, air conditioning systems and more, transforming them into ‘smart’ devices.
What counts is the availability of software which enables data exchange between connected things. It is also fundamentally important that the device is equipped with an IP address, so that it can be clearly identified.
The outlook for the IoT market is very positive. By 2013, its value is estimated to have reached around 200 billion dollars: a considerably higher figure than the 16 billion dollars it totalled in 2016. The IoT environment, already a part of our daily routine, is set to become one of the most important assets in the hi-tech sector.
- So what are the practical advantages of this model? In order to answer this question, we will consider the following points:
- The option to access data which is fundamental in understanding the workings of KPI’s in vehicles, domestic appliances and industrial machinery;
- Energy saving thanks to smart thermostats, which permit, via the use of real time data, the setting of optimal temperatures in all indoor areas;
- An improvement in household management thanks to the use of assisted living and domestic appliances which interact with each other and provide information, among other things, about the storage conditions of food and also the amount of electricity being used.
The applications of the Internet of Things do not end there. In some cities, in fact, the traffic lights are already connected to road signage (which allows traffic flow to be greatly improved). There are also notable health benefits, including for example contact lenses which can detect glucose levels in diabetic patients (a licence for these has been obtained by Alcon, part of the Novartis group).
The Internet of Things is already having a significant impact on our lives. In order to appreciate how significant, it is worth bearing in mind that, at present, the number of objects connected together via the internet has reached 5 billion (source Gartner). The forecast for growth, as already mentioned, is excellent and by 2020, the total is predicted to reach 25 billion.
Currently, the technical operations of those working on IoT are mainly concentrated on assisted living (the application of technological innovation to household management) and smart solutions for the urban environment. We can confirm however that, potentially, there really are no limits to the applications of the Internet of Things.
We must therefore prepare ourselves for a world in which alarm clocks will decide themselves when to ring, according to our biorhythms and satnav systems which, thanks to road surface sensors, will be able to warn us of accidents and traffic jams in advance. In other words, a future lifestyle which is already becoming a key part of our daily lives: an ever closer future, which we had better start getting used to sooner rather than later.
Translated by Joanne Beckwith
