All you need to know about the ‘Internet of Things’
Hello everyone! I hope you are doing good. In this blog, I have shed light on one of the revolutionary technologies that has made a huge impact on people’s lives. So, let’s dive deep into the topic!
The term ‘Internet of Things’ was coined in 1999 by computer scientist Kevin Ashton. While working at Procter & Gamble, Ashton proposed putting radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips on products to track them through a supply chain. He reportedly worked the then buzzword ‘internet’ into his proposal to get the executives’ attention. And the phrase stuck.
But what exactly is the Internet of Things? This type of Internet is not just about connecting people, but it’s about connecting things and hence it is named so. Things can start to share their experiences with other things. It works like this: you take things and then you add the ability to sense and communicate and touch and control and there you get an opportunity for things to interact and collaborate with other things. Let’s talk about such devices.
One common example of this is your mobile phone. It has so many senses: it knows your current location, it knows what you are saying to it and responds accordingly, it tracks your activity, etc., and can communicate on a network. Another example is the self-driving car. is a car that is capable of traveling without human input. Self-driving cars are responsible for perceiving the environment, monitoring important systems, and controlling, including navigation.
Now, you might be wondering how this cool technology works. Well, I have got you covered. At the foundation of the IoT are Internet Protocol(IP) and Transmission Control Protocol(TCP). These standards and rules form the basis for sensors, devices, and systems to connect with the Internet and with each other. The IoT processes data from the devices and communicates the information via wired and wireless networks, including Ethernet, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 5G and LTE cellular, radio frequency identification (RFID), and near field communication (NFC). Typically, IoT devices connect to IoT gateways or edge devices that collect data. They feed data to and from cloud computing environments, which store and process the information. A broad array of networking standards ensures that the data is then sharable and reaches the correct “thing,” thereby connecting the physical world with the digital.
Two basic types of connected devices exist: digital-first and physical-first. The former consists of machines and devices specifically designed with built-in connectivity, such as smartphones, streaming, media players, mobile payment terminals, agricultural combines, and jet engines. Digital-first devices generate data and communicate with other machines through machine-to-machine (M2M) communications. Physical-first devices, on the other hand, include a microchip or a sensor with communication capabilities. For example, a key chain, a vehicle, or a medical device in a hospital may contain a chip — added after it was manufactured — that makes the object or product newly functional and traceable.
Now, after reading a lot about this new-age technology, a question arises: Why do we need such kind of technology when we can live our lives without it as well? Let’s discuss some areas where IoT(Internet of Things) is very helpful:
- Infrastructure Management
Infrastructure Management is useful for monitoring and tracking if there is any problem in urban or rural Infrastructure such as bridges, railways, etc. to diminish and reduce the risk of damage, and any failure in strength would be tested and efforts will be made to repair it.
2. Data-driven decisions
Sean Covey, a recognized writer said, “We are free to choose our paths, but we can’t choose the consequences that come with them.”Everything in life is about decisions. IoT is important for many people because it opens up the possibility of making decisions based on the collected data. If you could improve the quality of your crops by measuring the soil, its humidity, and nutrients, would you do it? The most probable answer is yes. By installing sensors or smart devices, you could take your crops to a whole new level.
3. Better Life Quality
Smartphones are an important part of daily life. People rely on these devices to do almost any task; from answering the phone to sending emails. Communication is something that improves the quality of life. And the IoT devices allow that.
Finally, let’s talk about the future of IoT. Former Google and Alphabet executive chairman Eric Schmidt made this bold IoT prediction back in 2015: “The Internet will disappear. There will be so many IP addresses, so many devices, sensors, things that you are wearing, things that you are interacting with, that you won’t even sense it. It will be part of your presence all the time.”
We’re not there yet, but we could be soon. With the number of connected devices expected to reach 27 billion by 2025, consumers will undoubtedly encounter IoT devices. So, the future of IoT seems bright.
Thank you for reading the blog! I hope you found it interesting.
