These days one of the hottest topics related to technology is Internet of things. Decades ago a simple radio was a very fascinating device for our ancestors. For us who are living in this technology dominated the world, Internet of things and some of its products can still be unbelievable for a non-technical and some technical persons. Basically, IOT connects everything within homes, buildings and critical infrastructure with the internet. It completely changes how we interact with our physical things making our life easier, the things more efficient and connected. Traditionally internet only connected the computers and people, When new technologies have developed the size of computer chips became smaller, cheaper, efficient and available in cheap prices for common people. Mobile phones and smart watches were developed and greatly welcomed by everyone. Now we are moving towards a connected world.
How internet of things works
Consider a normal human being, We have different senses like sight, hearing, taste, smell and touch. Based on these senses we make decisions and respond to these specific situations. If we sense a bad and irritating smell we move away from that place to avoid that feeling. We try our best to avoid the danger. Now consider a simple computer, You might be running Windows, Mac or some Linux OS. OS software has set of instructions already coded for you when you press the power button the hardware send signals to OS to turn it ON. When connected with the internet two computers can interact with each other based on some protocols and programs. They understand how to communicate and respond to the requests of each other in a controlled way. Now consider a single non-living thing, I have a high quality and expensive chair set that sits in the lawn most of the time under the shade. But when i bought that the manufacturer warned me about damage that could be done to its foam by water. The place where that chair sits is not effected by small amount of rain but high showers can make it wet. There are two solutions for that, Either i shall move it in the building daily, or leave it there and pray for its health in high showers. But wait, we have already said IOT can make our life easier how? Well, there are different high-quality sensors in the market that can sense sound, heat, motion, water etc. In the IOT world that chair set can be given a sensor when there is heavy rainfall that sensor can send signals to my phone or my maid’s phone informing about possible danger. Would not it be amazing? It would make my life much easier and i do not have to worry about that set every time it rains. This is just a little real world example. There are some massive IOT projects already developed in the world lets discuss a few.
Some Successful IOT projects
- Air pollution meter can monitor air quality on your smartphone.
- Smart door locks to lock your door remotely.
- Smart Bluetooth trackers Ever wanted to give yourself a “real-world search bar” to easily find misplaced items, like keys and TV remotes? Now you can, with location sensors that attach to your stuff as key fobs or stick-on tags.
- Smart bike lockers and trackers so that you can lock your bike using your phone and track where it goes in case it is stolen
- Connected smart kitchen to remotely monitor and control the cooking devices and appliances using your phone
The list can be very long and interesting, We just wanted to give an overview of internet of things and how it can change the world. There are some complex products in the market that are highly appreciated by the targeted markets. Iot industry is really changing the world and we would see some amazing products in near future.
