Three Tech Innovations That Are Unlocking The Potential Of "The Internet of Things"
In the future anything that can be connected to the Internet will be. Even today most of us can link our phones to our computers, televisions and games consoles with ease; and some of us -- the current generation of iOS and Android users -- can even hook up our phones to home appliances, such as fridges, ovens and lighting systems. Yep, the world is changing. But what benefits are we going to get out of this network of stuff? Well, the two most obvious answers are: greater convenience and better economy. Imagine walking into a room where the lighting and/or heating system adjusts to match your mood. Perhaps the hue of the bulb changes to something softer when you're feeling a bit stressed, or the air con kicks in when you're a little flustered. While unavailable on the consumer market, these technologies are already starting to become a reality.
The Internet of Things essentially revolves around a large network of sensors that is constantly gathering information in real time and feeding it to other devices via the Cloud. For example, you could have a smart watch that keeps track of your heart rate and redirects the information to your heating system. The Internet of Things is perhaps the biggest technology trend taking place right now. The latest smart phones and appliances are already utilizing it, and within five years it will no longer be a pipe dream reserved for science fiction novels, but rather, a reality for the everyday general consumer. The following three tech innovations are next on the agenda...
More New Cars Will Be Connected
This year more new cars in the United States have been connected to the Internet than not. While the rest of the planet are still lagging in the car-web-connectivity department, it's expected to be a standard feature within the next couple of years. GM are currently leading the race with the announcement that all of their new vehicles will ship with 4G-LTE as standard.
The Internet of Lighting Will Start Gaining Traction
Philips Lighting have just announced the second incarnation of the HUE system, an LED-based light bulb that can connect to smart phones and allows users to customize home lighting via an app. The current technology permits the user to adjust brightness, hue and colors -- it can even sync up bulbs with music. In addition, iOS users can activate and interact with the system using the Siri voice command interface.
Every Home Will Have a Smart Meter
Fuel supplier, British Gas, are the first of the UK's big six to start implementing home automation services in Britain. Subsidiary company Hive, has teamed up with Philips to utilize HUE, which is the first major step for widespread Internet of Lighting integration on British soil. In addition, they have also started supplying wireless smart meters, which allow customers to monitor their output from a single device and place caps on electricity and gas consumption via a smart phone -- other fuel suppliers in Europe are expected to follow suit in the near future.
These three innovations may not be the most riveting; however, their benefits are already starting to prove just how powerful the Internet of Things could become, especially from an environmental standpoint. For example, Philips's new LED lighting system has been used to cultivate crops during the winter; over 90% of British Gas customers have reduced their carbon footprint (and bills) when utilizing smart meters; and cars hooked up to the web have been proven to improve lane capacity and lower emissions. It's an exciting time. With tech firms across every industry striving to create the next big thing, development shows no signs of slowing down. At the current rate of innovation billions of electronic devices will be hooked up to the Internet of Things by 2020, each working together to create a better, brighter future.
