Have you heard the latest tech speak, the new technological phrase, the three words that are sure to be part of a revolutionary change in your life; Internet of Things? If not, then be prepared as this simple term is about to explode both in your home and in your workplace.
The Internet of Things is progressing at a fast rate, all our devices are connected to one another, they talk to the cloud, they talk to each other, they each assist with our daily requirements of getting from A to B by using Sat Nav or similar.
The Internet of Things also tells us when we have meetings or appointments, some devices turn off our lights at home or turn the oven on, others open our car door or close the garage door, and some even track fitness through a smart watch.
In the broadest sense, the term IoT encompasses everything connected to the internet, but it is increasingly being used to define objects that ‘talk’ to each other.
By combining these connected devices with automated systems, it is possible to gather information, analyse it and create an action to help someone with a particular task, or learn from a process. In reality, this ranges from smart mirrors to beacons in shops and beyond.
You will start to hear new terms being mentioned by colleagues, friends and family, at home, on the TV, the radio and of course via the internet. Terms like; Internet of Things, IoT, Internet of Everything, Connected Home, Connected Car, Connected Self, Industrial 4.0, Smart Factory, and Industrial Internet of Things.
Without realising it, you will have already been using the Internet of Things for a couple of years, it was particularly prominent in 2016, due to the rise of wearables and smart devices such as internet connected fridges, the aforementioned fitness trackers, even healthcare devices, smart traffic light sensors and of course smart TVs. Your life will have already been changed by IoT, you just might not know it.
Kevin Ashton is a British technology pioneer and he has listed a few ideas of what could happen in the next 25 years, through just one aspect of the Internet of Things, a self-driving car.
We will be a passenger in our own self-driving car.
We will be able to commute from Edinburgh to London at 250mph in our self-driving car.
There will be specific trunk roads direct from Edinburgh to London for our self-driving car. And, no accidents!
Our self-driving car will drop us at our destination, find a location to park itself, collect us from a location of our choice, and self-drive home.
All the street signs and traffic lights will connect to the internet, talk to each other, and respond accordingly to traffic flow. Meaning no more traffic jams.
Image credit: Alessio Lin via www.unsplash.com
The next step is for us to embrace the Internet of Things and run with it, or we will potentially be left behind.
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