INTERNET OF THINGS: A DRAWING OF THE FUTURE

When we speak of technological revolution, the notion of the Internet of Things – IoT is one of the main subjects. And it is not difficult to understand why. Its possibilities are innumerable, such as transforming our relationship with technology, changing the way we interact with the world, and even more, how the world interacts with us.

BUT AFTER ALL, WHAT IS INTERNET OF THINGS (IOT)?

In a very simple way: it is the way things are connected and communicate with each other and with the user, through intelligent sensors and software that transmit data to a network. As if it were a great nervous system that allows the exchange of information between two or more points.

The result of this will lead to having a more intelligent and responsive planet.

But what “thing” are we talking about? The answer is anything.

From a clock or a refrigerator to cars, machines, computers, and smartphones. Any gadget you can imagine can theoretically enter into the Internet world of Things.

There are more objects on the internet today than people, which leads us to reflect on this process.

IN THE VIEW OF THE SPECIALISTS

Andy Stanford-Clark, an engineer at IBM, is one of the creators of the Internet of Things. He says that we humans have always been adept at putting our minds and abilities on the objects we use, almost as an extension of our consciousness.

But when objects begin to respond, and technology begins to communicate back in an active, automatic, and continuous fashion, the line between user and object becomes hazy.

As David Rose speaks in his book “Enchanted Objects,” objects are almost enchanted and alive and are able to anticipate our needs.

He has a slightly different view about the future: he believes that enchanted objects from fairy tales and science fiction will come into real life.

The stories of fairy tales are in our culture and they talk a lot about our desires. Let’s think of Snow White’s story as an example.

Remember that famous mirror that spoke to her? That same one that was activated by the phrase “mirror, the mirror of mine”. He knew who the most beautiful girl in the kingdom was.

So now let’s bring this to our reality: have you ever imagined a mirror that can reproduce the images of all the clothes you experienced in front of it and then show you one after another so you can review, compare, and choose which one is better? Cool, huh?

A SEA OF OPPORTUNITIES

The truth is that the Internet of Things provides many opportunities and connections, many of which we cannot fully imagine or understand their impact on today.

It is not difficult to understand why this scare has been so commented today, it certainly opens doors to many opportunities, but also some challenges.

SMART CITIES

The idea behind the so-called Smart Cities is to drive advances in technology and data storage that make the Internet of Things a reality for the environment and infrastructure we live in.

It is possible to develop data-driven transport, waste control, energy, and even law enforcement systems to make them more efficient and improve the quality of life in cities.

We can interact and collect information from these smart systems using our smartphones, watches and other wearables. More than that, systems will communicate with each other.

Garbage trucks can be alerted to where trash needs to be collected, and sensors in our cars will direct us to where there are vacancies available that we can stop.

Buses can update their location in real time, and so on.

BIG DATA

We cannot fail to look at the business area, which will be equally affected by the notion of the Internet of Things. One problem that many companies will face is the amount of information that all these devices will produce.

These companies should find ways to store, track, analyze, and make use of this large amount of data.

And to make sense of all this data, Big Data analysis plays a key role. If it was already a critical issue for companies of all sizes, the Internet of Things came to accelerate this process even more.

SECURITY AND PRIVACY

What are the challenges that the Internet of Things represents and how can companies better prepare to solve them?

The biggest concern is about the security and privacy of the sensors used in IoT and the data they store.

And more than that, the integration of devices to transfer all critical data also presents problems.

With billions of devices connected to each other, what can people do to make sure their information stays secure?

Will someone be able to hack your toaster and thus gain access to your entire network?

For this reason Internet of Things could also increase the risks involving security threats from companies around the world.

So we would be living the death of privacy?

LET’S PLAY WITH THE IMAGINATION

This may all seem a bit far from our reality, it may scare and not be so easy to assimilate.

To better illustrate this concept and open up our minds a bit, let’s use an example of our day-to-day life, where it is possible to realize that, indeed, this Internet of Things can be a good change.

Let’s say, for example, that you have an early morning meeting; your alarm clock, connected with your calendar, wakes you up on time.

The lights in your room light up, the curtain opens automatically. Before that, your coffee maker has started making coffee, and the toaster begins to heat your bread.

When you get in the car, your favorite song starts playing. Your car can also have access to your calendar and contacts, and will automatically know the best route to take to reach your destination.

If there is too much traffic, your car will send a message to those involved, notifying them of their possible delay.

All this optimizes our lives when objects anticipate our needs. There may be those who have reservations about this lifestyle.

But let’s think the other way. What if, instead of wasting time on these details every day, our focus is on something more productive and really can make a difference?

CONCLUSION

During the last century, but more intensely in the last decade, we have seen a global data field emerge.

Objects, people, and even nature emitted large amounts of data, we just could not see, hear, or make sense of them.

This is what IoT has changed in our reality, because now everything has intelligence, and is interconnected, so that we have access to data, or rather, to information.

Deep down, we had a sea of data, that we are now able to put intelligence and turn them into information, knowledge and, ultimately, wisdom.

And once we can understand the patterns of all of these data, society will become more efficient, increasing productivity, improving the quality of life of people and of our planet itself.

With this, generate new insights, new activities and, of course, further foster innovation.

The bridge between data collection and the appropriate sharing of data, with security and protection for all parties, remains a key challenge in the evolution of this sector. Despite this, it is an encouraging segment and one that we must follow closely.

Liked? Check out more tips on our blog. Know the plans from Nestify for Hosting Business Website, Blog, Virtual store, Application, among others.

Source: Wikipedia