“IoT technology?” I hear you ask. You may have heard the term somewhere before. You may even know that IoT stands for the Internet of Things. The way it’s been used sometimes makes it seem like nothing more than a mere buzzword. That it’s just a cool-sounding word to refer to the fact that accessible technology is advancing at such an astonishing rate.
Make no mistake: the Internet of Things is something very specific, and it’s changing the way people are doing business. People who start companies with a particular goal in mind now have to deal with this new technology. Are you planning on starting a business? You could be placing the future of your company at risk before it’s even begun if you’re not planning with IoT in mind!
Wait, what is the Internet of Things?
When people try to explain this, they tend to either simplify it too much or make it sound extremely complex. Article after article online seems to be filled with buzzwords that make the actual subject at hand difficult to grasp.
Many people are happy to leave the description as a simple “series of objects that communicate with each other via the Internet”. But this doesn’t really explain what’s going on. Here’s my explanation. The Internet of Things isn’t an actual network in and of itself. It isn’t a “new Internet”, separate from the one we human beings use. “Internet of Things” is the name we’ve given to an idea, or a trend. It’s about the growing popularity in technology that responds directly to its environment. It takes data from that environment and sends it online. Once the data is online, signals will be sent back to the device to respond in a certain way.
WikipediaStill a little perplexed? Read ahead. You’ll see plenty of examples that should make it clearer. If you have business aspirations in any of these areas, then it’s important that you think about these emerging technologies. It will help you understand the technological environment you’ll be entering. It will also help you determine whether or not you need to start setting up your own IoT framework in the near future.
Protecting the environment
One of the biggest concerns facing environmentalists right now is air quality. And many people now have aspirations of beginning businesses with explicit green goals.
Such companies are now developing technology utilizing IoT. For example, the Air Quality Egg. Sounds like a strange product, but it’s one of the best examples of IoT use out there. It’s an air quality sensing system. It collects accurate readings of the levels of carbon monoxide and other pollutants in a given area. That data can then be transmitted to a network that is used by the local community or the entire public. This allows people to monitor air quality levels via online maps.
FlickrThere are several other IoT products designed with the environment in mind. Sensors that help protect wildlife and track illegal deforestation.
Health and wellbeing
One of the biggest examples of IoT is fitness trackers. You’ve probably seen them around. In fact, with millions being sold every year, you may even have one yourself! You know that they track things like steps taken, heart rate variations and even sleep quality. You may also be familiar with the fact that this data can all be collected and sent online, allowing the user to view it and monitor long-term progress. This is the Internet of Things at play!
FlickrPeople who want products designed to help health and wellbeing are looking for items that use sensors like this. This technology isn’t just helping people track activity levels and heart rate. The GlowCap, for example, can help users monitor their prescription medication intake. It’s estimated that around half of people with prescriptions don’t take their medication correctly. The GlowCap senses whether or not a prescription bottle has been opened at the required time. If not, it sends this data to a number of devices, including the user’s phone. This reminds them to take their medication!
Another popular product is the Mimo monitor. In the past, parents would use audio-based baby monitors to track their baby’s state when they weren’t in the same room. As you probably know, these things work via the transmission of sound. But what if monitors could do more? What if they could respond to the baby’s movement, behavior or body positions? Their temperature and their breathing? That’s the Mimo monitor does.
In short
The Internet of Things is all about the use of technology that gathers data that is sent to another device. It’s what is seeing technology become more dynamic. Whatever you’re setting out to do, you should be considering where it can fit in with your company’s goals.
