What is the Internet of Things？
The Internet of Things (IoT) represents the network of physical objects, “Things” that are geared with sensors, software, and other technologies. This network enables connecting and exchanging data among other devices and systems over the “Internet” to achieve a better-connected world. These devices range from ordinary household objects to sophisticated industrial tools. The Internet of Things industry is growing: It is expected that there will be more than 22 billion IoT connected devices by 2025.
Why is IoT important?
Over the past several years, IoT has become one of the most important technologies of the 21st century. It has become common in some developed countries such as Canada where we can connect devices and appliances together. For example, smart cars, kitchen appliances, lights, and Air Conditioning can be connected to the internet, and we can manage them on a device such as a mobile phone. The IoT makes this seamless and smooth communication among us and those physical objects possible.
The IoT has a large part in the digital world in terms of collecting data from the massive amounts generated every day. There is a high chance that different devices run on different systems, just like people speak different languages from different regions. So how can these devices communicate with each other without any issues? The answer is, the IoT acts as a huge “translator”. As a network, the IoT first collects data from millions of different devices. After that, the IoT analyzes and translates the data. Then, it will share the data with different devices in their own “language” to truly connect everything together. Therefore, the IoT is important because big data, cloud computing, and mobile technologies have become almost essential to our daily lives. The IoT allows these technologies to cooperate with each other with minimal human intervention in this hyperconnected world.
How Will the IoT Impact us?
The IoT will bring a lot of benefits to these key industries:
Manufacturing is one of the key industries of Canada: Let’s explain this by giving an example: A factory is producing a mass number of light bulbs. There is a machine with sensors that will detect any impending failure for each light bulb. If there is something wrong with the product, it generates a message to the IoT and the IoT will analyze the data and send it to the manufacturer. Therefore, the manufacturer can remove this flawed product from the production line. By implementing the IoT, the production efficiency and accuracy will be improved.
Transportation: Many items we use in our daily lives are transported to us by vehicles. The IoT provides a convenient way to track the availability, location and inventory of the vehicles. When you order something online, you can always track your package so you know where it is. Without the IoT, it is impossible to achieve this. The IoT can also help identify those areas where the stock is low. This can be extremely beneficial, since no one wants to see empty shelfs in the supermarket.
Healthcare: The IoT allows hospitals, and pharmacies to manage their resource more efficiently. Doctors or nurses will have quick access to the information of the medical equipment they need and the availability of it. This has saved thousands of lives when the Covid-19 outbreak occurred and the world was running short of ventilators. The IoT allowed hospitals to know if one place was running short of the ventilators while another was not, so that the hospital could reallocate them.
Conclusion
IoT has many potentials that are yet to be discovered, if we can make use of it wisely, it will certainly benefit us and make tasks easier and more efficient. For now, we should be aware of the impact the IoT will bring to us, therefore we will be more prepared to embrace this promising technology.
