Here I sit at the keyboard, typing information to be distributed on the Internet. But, hold onto your jump drive because we are headed Where the Wild Things Are….to the Internet of Things.
The term Internet of Things or IoT was coined by Kevin Ashton in 1999 when researchers at MIT began to develop radiofrequency identification (RFID) technology. These RFID sensors were devices that could wirelessly transmit information from the environment to the Internet, bypassing human input of data.
The walls became the world all around
Various organizations offer a definition of IoT. Here is the SAP definition: “A world where physical objects are seamlessly integrated into the information network, and where the physical objects can be active participants in business processes.”
In the IoT, sensors and other objects collect data from their immediate environment and communicate this information among a group of sensors and/or provide data to an Internet site. The objects are identifiable by an assigned IP address, which means that the data is accompanied by the context of location or environment of the object. In some cases the data is communicated and analyzed and a “response” is returned automatically to the device in order to make a change and autonomously influence events in the real world.
Let the wild rumpus start
Cisco Internet Business Systems Group notes that the IoT really didn’t exist until there were more “things” connected to the Internet than people, which occurred in 2010. The growth of smartphone and tablet use resulted in 12.5 billion devices connecting to the Internet in 2010, when the human population on earth was “just” 6.8 billion. Even accounting for uneven access to the Internet and to devices around the world, the average number of devices per person in 2010 was 1.84. Estimates suggest that by 2020 there will be 50 billion devices connected to the Internet.
The IoT is possible not only because of the explosion of Internet-connected devices, but also because of improvements in other aspects of technology. Dispersed devices couldn’t be connected to the Internet without the wireless technology we have today. The myriad devices couldn’t be connected routinely to each other or to the Internet without the standardization of communications protocols. In addition, RFID and other sensor devices are only reasonable to use because of their small size, a result of the invention of tiny silicon chips.
I’m ready, I’m ready, I’m ready
Industry is using the IoT to lower cost and reduce waste in manufacturing and shipping with continuous automatic management of processes and inventory. Sensors are being integrated into public and commercial spaces to determine traffic flow and consumer behavior.
So, what does the IoT mean to healthcare? Devices will surely become more pervasive, providing real-time monitoring of our health and behavior when not in the hospital or doctor’s office. Instead of entering data into a telehealth device, we will wear or have devices in our homes that automatically collect and send data about all aspects of our behavior and environment. We will be connected to the Web socially by Facebook while our bodies are connected to a health monitor on the Internet. This will truly provide not just continuity of care, but continuous care.
The IoT will remove the bottleneck of waiting for humans to enter data by directly supplying a continuous data feed. Some processes will be automated, providing an autonomous loop for rapid data analysis and a feedback loop to change the physical world. For example, in Japan IoT enables continuous monitoring of consumers walking by billboards in order to personalize the advertisement displayed.
Like Max, the hero of Sendak’s “wild things,” we humans will be able to enjoy the wild rumpus, but we will need to make sure that we are the leaders in charge of using the IoT to make life better.
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