What if you wake up one fine morning, get off of your bed and surprisingly your bed starts to get arranged all by itself. Now you try to look for your slippers but they’re nowhere near so you just call it out loud saying, “need my sandals!!” and the next thing you notice is your slippers are coming to you automatically. Being very delighted, you go to washroom, turn your water heater on and take a pleasant warm shower. After having breakfast, you call your self-driving car while standing at the door and take a safe ride to your office.
Now all these examples may sound too imperturbable to be true but humankind is actually going through this era right now where almost everything around them tends to get inter-connected using network. And this is exactly the rudimentary concept of “Internet Of Things”; which is also known as IOT.
What is Internet Of Things?
To be more precise, the phrase “Internet of Things” refers to a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines provided with unique identifiers and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.
Kevin Ashton is credited with coming up with the concept of Internet of Things (IOT) in 1999.
How does IOT work?
To start off simply, this whole concept basically illustrates a connection between any devices with an On & Off switch to the Internet. This includes everything from cellphones, coffee makers, lamps, wearable devices and almost anything else you can think of. This also applies to components of machines like a jet engine of an airplane or the drill of an oil-rig.
Sophisticated chips and sensors are embedded in the physical things that surround us. Each is transmitting valuable data. Every device with built-in sensor is connected to an IOT platform that can investigate what exact information can come in handy and what can be emitted. This information is required,
• To detect patterns
• Make recommendations and
• Detect possible problems before they occur.
Why do we need to connect things?
Lately, there’s been a solid controversy about the fact that just because everything can be connected doesn’t substantially mean that it should be. But each device collects data for a specific purpose that may be useful to a buyer and impact the wider economy.
Why don’t we just check up on some scholars and cognize what they say about the significance of IOT?
“IOT offers us opportunity to be more efficient in how we do things, saving us time, money and often emissions in the process”, according to Matthew Evans, the IOT program head at TechUK. It allows companies, governments and public authorities to re-think how they deliver services and produce goods.
Again, “The quality and scope of the data across the Internet of Things generates an opportunity for much more contextualized and responsive interactions with devices to create a potential for change”, said Caroline Gorski, the head of IOT and digital manufacturing at the Digital Catapult.
The SWOT analysis of Internet of things:
Strengths of IOT:
In a nutshell, IOT promises to make our lives tranquil to a massive extent where it:
• Increases efficient resource utilization.
• Minimizes human effort
• Saves time & money
• Enhances data collection
• Improves security
• Automates the daily tasks and provides a better monitoring of the devices
Weaknesses of IOT:
Well from the discussion above, we can at least come up with this idea that IOT simply means to connect anything and everything you want. But then again, can we deny the fact that anything that’s connected within a network can be hacked?
Absolutely not. In fact, this is where this whole system drifts apart to a significant extent and gets confronted by human trust issues. With the evolution of networks all around as the number of connected devices and shared information increase, so do security and privacy concerns. There’s also an issue of surveillance as well.
Some of the other issues also need to be taken into account in order to set the benchmark,
• Over dependence on machineries can drag down human efficiency as well as deteriorate health conditions. To which extent should we be dependent on IOT?
• Since devices will be vastly inter-connected, one disturbance can interrupt the whole network pretty easily.
• Unemployment will be a crucial problem in the near future.
Opportunities of IOT:
• Healthcare applications
• Wearable.
• Infrastructure management
• Making computer omnipresent
• Exciting investment opportunities
Threats of IOT:
• Vulnerability to hackers.
• Lack of demand.
• Unemployment issue.
• Human health deterioration
• Inability to meet the expectation
DID YOU KNOW?
As of 2019, more than 26.66 billion IOT devices have been active. It’s estimated that the number of active IOT devices will surpass 30.73 billion in 2020. According to current statistics on IOT devices, the number will surpass 3.5 billion by 2023, with Asia leading the charge.
4 predictions about Internet of Things:
i. The IOT devices such as machines and sensors are expected to generate 79.4 Zettabytes of data in 2025 (International Data Corporation). Also, IOT will grow at a compound annual growth rate of 28.7% over 2020 to 2025.
ii. The Internet of Things Grows Artificial Intelligence
iii. 5G is central to the IOT or single network for billions of applications
iv. Routers will become more Secure to block unwanted access
Despite having drawbacks in connecting everything with a single network, the fact that IOT brings everything under control and make our lives way easier than before is irrefutable. But since IOT deals with a lot of personal information and biometrics, the solution to security issue is still undetermined. Efforts will have to be made to find ways to combat its disadvantages. It is evident that it opens a wide array of possibilities to enhance the quality of life in all aspects. But it is essential that we tap on the right spots to make this technology work the best for us.