Many of us
have dreamed of smart homes where our appliances do our bidding automatically.
The alarm sounds and the coffee pot starts brewing the moment you want to start
your day. Lights come on as you walk through the house. Some unseen computing
device responds to your voice commands to read your schedule and messages to
you while you get ready, then turns on the TV news. Your car drives you to work
via the least congested route, freeing you up to get caught up on your reading
or prep for your morning meeting while in transit.
We've read and
seen such things in science fiction for decades, but they're now either already
possible or on the brink of coming into being. And all this new tech is forming
the basis of what
The Internet
of Things (IoT), also sometimes referred to as the Internet of Everything
(IoE), consists of all the web-enabled devices that collect, send and act on
data they acquire from their surrounding environments using embedded sensors,
processors and communication hardware. These devices, often called "connected"
or "smart" devices, can sometimes talk to other related devices, a
process called machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, and act on the
information they get from one another. Humans can interact with the gadgets to
set them up, give them instructions or access the data, but the devices do most
of the work on their own without human intervention. Their existence has been
made possible by all the tiny mobile components that are available these days,
as well as the always-online nature of our home and business networks.
Connected
devices also generate massive amounts of Internet traffic, including loads of
data that can be used to make the devices useful, but can also be mined for
other purposes. All this new data, and the Internet-accessible nature of the
devices, raises both privacy and security concerns.
But this
technology allows for a level of real-time information that we've never had
before. We can monitor our homes and families remotely to keep them safe.
Businesses can improve processes to increase productivity and reduce material
waste and unforeseen downtime. Sensors in city infrastructure can help reduce
road congestion and warn us when infrastructure is in danger of crumbling.
Gadgets out in the open can monitor for changing environmental conditions and
warn us of impending disasters.
These devices
are popping up everywhere, and these abilities can be used to enhance nearly
any physical object.
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