Introduction to IOT

INTRODUCTION TO INTERNET OF THINGS

     

Imagine that things around you begin to talk to you and start providing information in a smarter way.

How would you feel if your alarm clock, knows your office location and path, know traffic conditions and is learned enough to create an estimate of your arrival time and wake you up accordingly? No traffic on road, you can enjoy some more sleep.

Wouldn't it be great if your umbrella updates you about the weather by beeping and tell you to carry it?

Wouldn't you like to have hot coffee while you are on your way home just through an app?

Wouldn't it be sweet if you could control all applications in your house remotely? Get security updates. Or maybe your Home can have a Facebook/Twitter Id where it will update its conditions like room temperature, electric consumptions or other things?

Wouldn't it be cool to get updates about your office employees, if they start becoming peeping Toms?

Well…. this is just the tip of the iceberg. IoT, in short, is enabling things around you to send information over the internet

There are over 7 billion people. Over 90% of the Earth’s surface has connectivity. There are over 1 billion devices on the internet. The number of books/information if stacked on top of each other could take you to Pluto and back 7 times! IoT is just going to increase this exponentially.

To put everything in simpler words “Internet of Things will enable things around you to update their status on the internet"

 

What is the Internet of Things?

Rather than being a foundational technology itself, the IoT has evolved on the back of various other innovations, including wireless communication, real time analytics, machine learning, sensors and embedded systems. These have been combined to transform ‘things’ - whether that’s physical objects, devices, vehicles or buildings - into a connected part of the internet, enabling them to be controlled or sensed remotely. Doing so brings the power of computing to the physical world, removing the need for human intervention and introducing much greater automation to everything we do.

How will it change the world?

Needless to say, the potential benefits of the IoT are huge, not least the enormous time and cost savings to industry, business and individuals. The supply chain example is a really good one, where IoT allows organisations to track where their stock is at any given time, optimising efficiency, reducing losses and maximising sales.

It’s also praised for its ability to reduce waste and energy, by allowing us to better control our use of resources based on our actual needs. Think of the NEST thermostat, which controls your central heating based on when you’re at home, away, or even in bed. No more leaving the heating on when you’re on holiday! Another great example is a solution by Altiux, which aims to better control street lighting based on a city’s requirements. If it succeeds, the energy savings and environmental benefits will be enormous.

Safety can also be enhanced by the IoT, by enabling us to track security systems and potential threats automatically and remotely. It also promises huge improvements in healthcare, giving patients the power to track their symptoms and vital signs through connected wearable devices. Such technologies could save the healthcare system millions through a reduced need for appointments, onsite tests and unnecessary treatment.

And what about the risks?

As with any new technology, there are teething problems and various issues that will need to be addressed as the IoT becomes more integrated into business and society. Probably the biggest immediate issue is security, with billions of new hackable devices let loose on the world, often with minimal cybersecurity protection. Remember the DDOS attack that hit Dyn last year, bringing down sites such as Twitter, The Guardian, and Netflix? The perpetrators used an army of ‘bots’ made up of IoT devices, which had little or no security to protect them. With the IoT growing all the time, these kinds of attacks are likely to become more common, making the right security and cyber insurance increasingly important for businesses.

There are also concerns that as more of our infrastructure is controlled by computers, cyber-attacks could start to become ‘physical’, with disastrous real-world effects. To give you an idea, in 2015, security researchers managed to hack into the computer systems of a Jeep, killing its transmission and causing the recall of 1.4m vehicles. With a growing number of connected cars on the road, they need to have watertight protection to keep our roads safe.

Another issue is privacy, as to function the IoT must capture and store huge amounts of data about our lives and businesses. While this information is initially used to our advantage, many experts are worried that its existence could lead to technology providers having ever greater control of our lives – control that could be difficult to wrestle back.

Finally, as is the case with many new technologies, the success of the IoT comes down to finding the problems that it is best placed to solve. Just because anything can now be connected doesn’t necessarily mean that it should be. It’s the job of entrepreneurs and start-ups everywhere to develop the products and services that will genuinely make the world a better place.

PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS:

Healthcare

According to a research, 646 million IoT devices will be implemented by 2020. These connected devices will collect data, automate processes and more. The devices include wearables, gym equipment, and sensors at home, hospitals or at remote places through which real time data will be sent to personal users and doctors to better monitor the state of one’s physical health.

Retail

Supply chain and retail will prove to be a major market in IoT device usage. From providing valuable information to users in retail shops regarding a product fit, to what amount of product should be purchased for lesser wastage is what IoT products are expected to do. With Amazon’s Go already introduced in the market to forget the days where long queues take most of our time and foiling the shopping experience, we can expect IoT to help retailers and users both. Knowing what market demands are for retailers and what should be bought and from where for users will be easier. Products can be conveniently shipped to door steps as per the weekly and monthly user behavior.

Homes

Almost all the electronic devices in the homes will get connected to the mobile or tablets to give you real time data. Lighting fixtures, thermostats, mirrors, toasters, automation systems, music systems, televisions, security etc will get connected to the mobile app and can let you control these devices from remote places. Apart from providing real time updates, these devices will be smart enough to perform tasks on their own over the time as per user behavior.

Transportation

With millions of vehicles on land, in water and air, getting connected online will be the next big innovation in the transportation industry as this would reduce the traffic, provide location information on stolen vehicles and suggest alternate route in order to avoid any delay or an unwanted happening through the data collected and analyzed. As per research, there will be 220 million connected cars on road by 2020.

Media and Advertising

Target advertising will reach to a new level entirely with IoT helping companies break free from ambiguous marketing activities. As per your past behavior in certain categories of hearing news and going through headlines on online media, you won’t have to do anything when you enter your car to start commuting because your car music system will start reading you the news of your choice automatically. While surfing the internet, you will be shown relevant advertisements as per your needs or if any event of your choice is coming up.

Smart Cities

The idea of connecting cities and buildings with IoT devices has been one of the best yet, as it would resolve the issues related to lighting (street as well complexes), water harvesting, electricity, traffic, pollution levels etc, with these smart devices being used only when required. As per the estimation, 75 million IoT devices will be shipped for IoT systems at 30% CAGR, from 36Bil$ in 2014 to $133bil in 2019. This investment will generate $421bil in economic value for cities worldwide in 2019.

Manufacturing, Oil, Gas and Mining

35% of manufacturers already use smart sensors and with the introduction of smart IoT devices, the overall cycle of producing products for the market will get quicker. This should increase the competition as through the real time updates and data, it will be easier to maintain the product in case of after sale services. In the oil and mining industry, it is expected that 5.4 million IoT devices will be installed by 2020 which will help in gathering environmental metrics for the extraction processes.

Construction

With the Introduction of IoT in construction industry, it will be easier and more efficient to track materials used in construction, manage stock and maintain optimum inventory levels. Elon Musk has already introduced smart roof tiles based on solar energy to generate more power and are aesthetically appealing as well.

Agriculture

IoT devices in agriculture will be installed in the soil to better manage and gather data in terms of acidity levels, temperature and variables that help in crop yields. It is estimated that 75million IoT devices will be in use till 2020.

Hospitality

31% of hotels use next-generation door locks, 33% have remotely controllable devices in their rooms, and 16% have connected TVs as per the Lodging Technology survey conducted in 2015. These numbers will increase in the coming years and connecting every operational electronic equipment present in the hotel rooms to serve clients and customers better will bring about a revolution in the industry.

Thanks for giving your Time, Please give your valuable feedbacks!

keep Learning & Exploring!!!

REFERENCES:

• Wikipedia
• Quora
• Different Blogs
• Images - Google
• IOT Analytics