Most people don’t realize it, but you are already participating in the Internet of Things.
That smart phone you have with the apps that talk to your Fit Bit, speakers, thermostat, printer and garage door…that’s you participating in the IoT (Internet of Things).
The internet of things is the term used to describe the connecting of any device with an on and off switch to the internet. Some examples are, ATM’s, autonomous cars (that self parallel park), farming tractors (that pilot themselves), to almost any machine and it can include doing a lot more than just turning something on or off.
Currently there are approximately 5 billion connected devices in use today. It is one of the fastest growing industries and one that will continue to influence our lifestyle. A perfect example is Smart TV’s. The picture quality hasn’t really changed much in the last few years, but now the TV connects to the internet and does a lot more than just play the stuff from your cable box. Think about it, IoT makes it possible to answer your email, watch NetFlix, and order from Amazon -all from the comfort of your couch. Industry insider’s note that a lot of the new stuff will be products we already have and enjoy, but it will now connect to the internet and give us more data and feedback about its operation, care, and functions. Think about a refrigerator that might generate a new shopping list as your take your milk and eggs out of it????
Recently companies have come out with products that are connecting the very fibers in clothing to the internet in amazing ways. Think about a baby sleeper that will monitor heart rate and breathing. If something is out of the norm, it will send an alert to your smartphone and wake you up to check on your child. It is truly amazing to think of the possibilities.
Athos workout apparel have built in sensors and are the world’s first smart workout apparel that provide insight into how hard your muscles are working in addition to heart rate all in real time. The biological sensors developed by Athos measure the electrical activity generated by muscles when they are doing anything that requires force or energy. Built with versatility and durability in mind, its high-performance compression material reduces muscle fatigue and soreness. https://www.liveathos.com/blog/engineering/getting-to-know-athos-muscle-effort-68
These examples are just two of the hundreds that are being brought to the market each day. Having the tools of your industry made more efficient and able to give you vast amounts of valuable real time data can increase revenue and put you ahead of your competition. Don’t let your business be left behind.
By 2020, only four years from now, it is estimated there will be over 26 billion connected devices. How do they all connect? Through the internet, but currently most servers are not designed to process that much communication. What will be next? 5G
5G’s early blueprint for the network is mostly comprised of beamforming technology and small cell base stations. The end goal is to have 1000x increase in capacity, able to support 100+ billion connections, with a speed of up to 10Gigabits and under 1milla second of latency (delay). To put some of that into perspective right now the current 4G system is transferring at a speed of 4 to 20MG (megabits) and 5G will be at 10GB (gigabits).
Watch in the coming years for more and more items to become part of the IoT connected to your lifestyle and ultimately the internet. Don’t get left behind. If you would like to learn more about the IoT and new technology that is happening in your industry give us a call today.
