Internet of Things (IoT) is the concept of connecting not just computers to the internet, but anything that can be fitted with the electronic sensors or actuating motors.
Both sensors and actuators have gotten very small and cheap since the advent of IoT and are continuing this trajectory. IoT devices containing sensors and actuators are equipped with capabilities to share the information through wireless communication.
The Internet we have today is known to most of us a the platform that allowed humans to share information with each other through email and websites. In that context, Internet of Things is the platform that will allow everyday objects to share information using the internet too. This includes machines transacting and sharing data with other machines, consuming each other’s sensing and actuating services and data and together producing value as data driven automated solution.
We’ve had smart watches, smart TV’s and other home appliances connected to the internet for some time too now, so many understand the basic concept of IoT as smart devices, yet many have not realised why IoT is a game-changer for the way we will work, live and play. Society and the economy will operate dramatically different, and the environment will benefit as a result of reduced waste and rapid change in response to sensed events.
With IoT we can sense and control the world around us. We can discover where we’re wasting resources and forecast events with a degree of certainty the same way we forecast the weather. With this data driven foresight we can then choose to intervene events where it makes sense. For example, a forest area can detect smoke, moisture reduction and other attributes that warrant a potential alert. There are great benefits for the environment, society and the economy, but there are also risks of using these emerging technologies.
Read more about unintended consequences of Internet of Things