The World of IoT Technologies
Introduction:
Nowadays in 2020, we live in The world of Technology a lot of new devices are coming every day. Computers, Laptops, Mobile Phones, Smart Watches, Smart Glasses, Aero-Planes, Drones, etc.
Anything we can do as a human normally and manually is transforming to electronic or automated. This transformation made our world moving faster than ever. But what makes all these things connected together is the Internet and from here came the IoT then started to get in the show.
What is the Internet of Things?
The Internet of Things, or IoT, refers to the billions of physical devices around the world that are now connected to the internet, all collecting and sharing data.
The Internet of things (IoT) is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines provided with unique identifiers (UIDs) and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.
Then the definition evolved due to the convergence of multiple technologies, real-time analytics, machine learning, commodity sensors, and embedded systems. Traditional fields of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems, automation (including home and building automation), and others all contribute to enabling the Internet of things. In the consumer market, IoT technology is most synonymous with products pertaining to the concept of the “smart home“, including devices and appliances (such as lighting fixtures, thermostats, home security systems and cameras, and other home appliances) that support one or more common ecosystems, and can be controlled via devices associated with that ecosystem, such as smartphones and smart speakers.
History of the Internet of Things:
The term “Internet of Things” was first said by entrepreneur Kevin Ashton, one of the founders of the Auto-ID Center at MIT. Ashton was part of a team that discovered how to link objects to the internet through an RFID tag. He first used the phrase “Internet of Things” in a 1999 presentation – and it has stuck around ever since. Ashton may have been first to use the term Internet of Things, but the concept of connected devices – particularly connected machines – has been around for a long time. For example, machines have been communicating with each other since the first electric telegraphs were developed in the late 1830s. Other technologies that fed into IoT were radio voice transmissions, wireless (Wi-Fi) technologies, and supervisory control and data acquisition (SCADA) software. Then in 1982, a modified Coke machine at Carnegie Mellon University became the first connected smart appliance. Using the university’s local Ethernet or ARPANET – a precursor to today’s internet – students could find out which drinks were stocked, and whether they were cold.
IoT connected devices communicate via networks or cloud-based platforms connected to the Internet of Things. The real-time insights gleaned from this IoT collected data fuel digital transformation. The Internet of Things promises many positive changes for health and safety, business operations, industrial performance, and global environmental and humanitarian issues.
The Internet of Things in Today’s World and Who’s Using it:
Many industries use IoT to understand consumer needs in real-time, become more responsive, improve machine and system quality on the fly, streamline operations and discover innovative ways to operate as part of their digital transformation efforts. So Let’s
See Who’s using it:
1. Retail
IoT unites data, analytics, and marketing processes across locations. Retailers capture IoT data from in-store and digital channels and apply analytics (including artificial intelligence, or AI) for real-time, contextual listening and to understand behavior patterns, and preferences. They often use IoT connected devices like RFID inventory tracking chips, cellular and Wi-Fi systems, beacons, and smart shelves in their Internet of Things strategy.
2. Manufacturing
IoT connects all phases of the Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) process – from supply chain to delivery – for a cohesive view of production, process, and product data. Advanced IoT sensors in factory machines or warehouse shelves, along with big data analytics and predictive modeling, can prevent defects and downtime, maximize equipment performance, cut warranty costs, boost production yield and enhance the customer experience.
3. Health Care
IoT technology captures data streaming in real-time from the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT) – such as wearables and other medical connected devices that monitor exercise, sleep, and other health habits. This IoT data enables precise diagnoses and treatment plans improves patient safety and outcomes and streamline care delivery.
4. Transportation and Logistics
IoT with geofence-enabled location intelligence and AI, deployed across the value chain, can deliver greater efficiency and reliability for transportation and logistics companies. This technology can improve service quality, reduce downtime, and boost customer satisfaction. It can also enhance safety and reduce costs by managing, tracking, and monitoring connected vehicles, freight, and other mobile assets in real-time.
5. Government
IoT applications are used to address many real-world issues – traffic congestion, city services, economic development, citizen engagement, and public safety and security. Smart cities often embed IoT sensors into the physical infrastructure, such as streetlights, water meters, and traffic signals.
6. Energy
The Internet of Things helps providers deliver reliable, fair-priced services and products. IoT connected devices and machines predict problems before they occur. Distributed grid resources like solar and wind are integrated through IoT. And behavior data – such as that collected from smart homes – improve convenience and security, and informs the development of customized services.
7. Banking
Banking as we know it is disappearing, and the entire financial ecosystem is undergoing radical change. Digitalization, fintech, regtech, open banking, data privacy, and regulatory compliance technologies are all playing a part.
Almost most of the industries are using the concept of IoT nowadays to add value and facilitate the use of their products.
How Internet of Things Works?
Being connected through the Internet of Things – to send, receive, and often act on data – results in many smart IoT things that we can use to build a more secure, convenient, productive, and intelligent world. Already, the Internet of Things capabilities plays a significant role in businesses’ digital transformation efforts. When we combine IoT data with advanced analytics and AI – leading to the “Artificial Intelligence of Things” – the possibilities seem endless.
How Internet of Things Works with key Technologies?
IoT is a major contributor to big data – the massive volume, velocity, and variety of structured and unstructured data businesses collect every day. Getting value from big data in IoT requires big data analytics. Related techniques include predictive analytics, text mining, cloud computing, data mining, data lakes, and Hadoop. Most organizations use a combination of these techniques to get the most value possible from IoT.
Artificial intelligence can multiply the value of IoT by using all the data from smart connected devices to promote learning and collective intelligence. Some of the core techniques that AI uses are machine learning, deep learning, natural language processing, and computer vision.
Data management and streaming analytics:
The Internet of Things puts high demands on data management for big data streaming from sensors. Event stream processing technology – often called streaming analytics – performs real-time data management and analytics on IoT data to make it more valuable. Key capabilities include filtering, normalization, standardization, transformation, aggregation, correlation, and temporal analysis.
Case Study: “Levi’s Smart jacket has a Google Brain”
Let’s take a look at one of the recent case studies in IoT. Google and Levi’s unveiled a jacket that is connected to the Internet with a Title “Levi’s Smart jacket has a Google Brain”
American clothing company Levi’s is addressing some serious first world problems with its $350 smart jacket, powered by Google’s connected apparel platform Jacquard.
The inability to answer calls or do other smartphone-specific activities while riding a bike, standing on a crowded train, or carrying groceries can certainly be worrying, despite humans having survived for millennia without that capability.
Regardless, the denim jacket, called the Levi’s Commuter Trucker Jacket, has been designed to address this problem, or perhaps just introduce a different way for users to interface with their smartphones.
It is the result of a long-term partnership between Levi’s and Google to integrate capacitive threads with a copper core into the manufacturing process of a denim jacket.
The smart jacket is equipped with a removable snap tag on the left sleeve cuff that allows wearers to interact with their smartphone more safely using gestures, LEDs, and haptic feedback. It’s somewhat similar to wearing a smartwatch.
Written by: Abdallah Helmy El Damiry
Title: System Administrator and Cyber Security Researcher
City: Awsim, Giza, Egypt
