Internet of Things - Living Inside the Network

Internet of Things, or IoT, is an idea of various everyday appliances and items being connected to the internet, being able to identify themselves, as well as send and receive data. Nearly every physical object can become a part of IoT when connected to the internet, from cars and washing machines to electric kettles and lightbulbs. And while we’re not yet at the point when this interconnection is common, there are already around 50 billion items connected to the Internet of Things.

Perhaps the most common and useful example to picture IoT is a Smart Home. A house like that would be nearly fully automated, with things like an alarm clock that can predict at what time you need to get up and turn on your coffee machine as it wakes you up. Things like smart lightbulbs that dim in the evenings, locks that can recognize your face and voice or even a washing machine that sends you a notification when it’s done may sound very futuristic, but we do currently possess most, if not all of the technological solutions that would be needed to make this a reality.

The Internet of Things relies on two types of devices to obtain data that it can then analyze and apply: general and sensors. General devices usually mean ones where data is put in manually, like smartphones, washing machines, remotely controlled electric kettles, and so on. Sensors, meanwhile, collect the data on their own, like light sensors, pressure plates, or movement detectors. So, for example, things like self-dimming light bulbs, devices that monitor the soil wetness in flower pots, and so on. But IoT can be applied to many fields, not just everyday tasks at home. They can be also applied to medicine, transportation, industry, and many other fields to improve efficiency and reduce time and resources wasted. For example, applying the principles of IoT to hospital beds would help medical staff to react to the patient’s needs better and quicker, while in factories, IoT can help with optimizing efficiency, and predicting when certain machines or elements will need replacing, which could make work in factories much safer by minimizing equipment malfunctions.

Join the live-streamed webinar to see how useful IoT can be in many fields of life!