The entire world is steadily and in a fast pace turning into an electronically controlled ball of energy. With that said, there has been much hype over this new sensation brought to us by our technology-oriented world called the Internet of Things or IoT. Taking a huge step back, about ten years ago, the Internet of Things was as anonymous as your everyday iPhone. However, right now, it is all over the place, and in every news website, you can take your eyes on.
Where Did The IoT Term Originate?
The term Internet of Things was brought to us by Kevin Ashton in 1999. According to him, it is an internet system which connects to the world via sensors and storage of data. Our world is currently in the evident trajectory of having more and more devices work in tandem with the worldwide internet. The statement is backed up by the fact in the year 2003, the ratio of internet-connected devices to people was 500 million internet-connected devices to 6.3 billion people in the world with approximately 0.08 devices per person. However, by the year 2010, it is already at a staggering ratio of 12.5 billion internet-connected devices to 6.8 billion people in the world, with about 1.84 devices per person. Year by year, these numbers skyrocket, and we know for a fact that it won’t stop any time soon.
How Can A Device Be Considered Under IoT?
Now that we know where the term Internet of Things originated let us now get into the discussion of how a device can be considered under IoT. Let’s get this out of the way: not all electronic gadgets can be classified under the Internet of Things. To be part of the list of devices that are classified under IoT, they must first have these seven essential features.
1. It has sensors
2. Competent processors
3. The ability to connect to the internet
4. Cost-effectiveness
5. Energy-efficiency
6. Great quality
7. Overall security
The long term plan of the Internet of Things is to turn even the mundane and everyday things such as the light bulbs, doors, and your washing machines part of it. Meaning, they too would have the seven critical features established above, making our lives even more comfortable. These appliances do not get replaced very often unlike cellphones, making them perfect candidates to experiment on and conduct morphing. Soon, our machines will seem like they have a brain of their own and work in conjunction with one another when they are connected to the internet. It is an exhilarating and compelling prospect, indeed.
The continuous evolution of machine to machine communication is what IoT pushes forward to, and that attracted the interest of a whole lot of companies over the globe. These companies are practically destined to grow big soon. Incorporation of IoT in businesses allows the companies to assess better the customer needs based on the data collected and fulfill their demands. IoT or Internet of Things and Big Data are the technologies to keep an eye out for.