The world changing by the grace of Internet of Things
The Internet of Things, or "IoT" for short, is about extending the power of the internet beyond computers and smartphones to a whole range of other things, processes, and environments.
“The Internet of Things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.”
If you just read that and thought, “ok…what?”, you’re not alone. Most people neither want nor to need to dive into the nitty-gritty of IoT. So in this post, I’ll provide you with a simple explanation of the Internet of Things and how it may impact you. This can also serve as a resource to share with others who need an introduction to IoT (like friends, family members, or customers).
Before we jump in, note that “The Internet of Things” and “IoT” can and will be used interchangeably. And a quick tip: avoid saying “the IoT.”
Essentially, anything that's capable of gathering some information about the physical world and sending it back home can participate in the IoT ecosystem. Smart home appliances, RFID tags, and industrial sensors are a few examples. These sensors can monitor a range of factors including temperature and pressure in industrial systems, status of critical parts in machinery, patient vital signs, and use of water and electricity, among many, many other possibilities.
Entire factory robots can be considered IoT devices, as can autonomous vehicles that move products around industrial settings and warehouses.Other examples include fitness wearables and home security systems. There are also more generic devices, like the Raspberry Pi or Arduino, that let you build your own IoT end points. Even though you might think of your smartphone as a pocket-sized computer, it may well also be beaming data about your location and behavior to back-end services in very IoT-like ways.
