Connecting people and things, in order to connect the whole world. How? With the internet of things, a global infrastructure for the information society – as defined by ITU – which enables advanced services connecting physical and virtual objects, based on current information and communication technology. This idea first emerged in 1999, cited by Kevin Ashton, former researcher at Procter & Gamble and then at Massachussetts Istitute of Technology. Then it took ten years to have the more precise definition of “internet of things”.
Internet of things means connecting physical devices, such as cars, buildings and house appliances, together with electronic sensors, softwares and other connectivity systems, in order to enable objects to collect and exchange data and information.
Nowadays, not everyone is used to turn on the air-conditioning with his own smartphone before coming back home, or to shut automated blinds when out of home for dinner, and it starts to rain. All of this, however, is already possible, and within some years it will be very normal for everyone!
Internet of Things is not only home automation: it’s only the easiest example coming to mind, because it will impact our lives a lot very soon.
Internet of Things, however, is about to impact above all on energy production and distribution, and on cities urban development – which will soon become smart cities, and will have most efficient systems for public transportation, waste management and other services. Internet of Things will be fundamental to enhance quality and the number of interactions between the city flows. The environment will be clearer, and less resources will be used.
What is the actual state of the internet of things?
An estimate brought by Wired says that in 2014 there were already 7 billions connected objects: more than population on earth! In 2020, it is expected to reach 50 billions connected devices, with an average of six devices per person.
In 2015 the Internet of Things global economy dimension was valued in 157 $ billions, as Il Sole 24 Ore reported. And in five years, the economic turnover will grow to 661 $ billions, with a 33,3% compound annual growth rate.
American companies are pushing investments in Internet of things, starting from Google, Microsoft, Amazon and Apple. Sure, a lot of companies – especially from Europe – are still experiencing the first digital transformation, but the European Commission is putting a lot of effort into boosting the industry digitalization: among 50 € billions of funds, there are operations about cloud, data technology, 5G networks, cybersecurity and, finally, Internet of Things.
Internet of Things applications
No economic industry is excluded by the expansion of Internet of Things: it ranges from house electric appliances to irrigation systems, from surveillance systems to industrial monitoring. But the most important industries for Internet of Things are essentially two:
- Automotive: we have already talked about self-driving cars, and you may already have noticed that ground mechanism has something to do about Internet of Things. What are the main benefits for users? Less driving responsibilities, more comfort, less probability of traffic jams.
- Home automation: every house appliance can be connected, and not only this is time-saving, but also money-saving. If you have smart oven and iron, they will dose energy in order to avoid and overload.
We will soon see, in a future article, what are the 10 most important Internet of Things applications.
