The ‘Internet of Things’
(IoT) consists of billions of devices, which use wireless, and are all connected and all communicating to eachother. We started off with about 2 billion devices in 2006, think your printer and home computer; by 2020, we’ll be talking 200billion connected devices. We’ll eventually be looking at 26 ‘smart’ objects per person; these can range from your phone, car,camera, gaming system and even your house.
At present IoT enabled devices only really exist in factories, businesses and health care; providing vital data for machinery,computers, track inventory and increase efficiency. By 2025 the global worth of IoT tech could be around $6 Trillion, with over $2 Trillion of that allocated to the healthcare business.
But what can we as consumers look forward to in the near future:
- Retail: Mobile purchases and tracking of what you buy to tailor your shopping experience
- Transportation: Self parking cars, GPS tracking and performance analysis
- Electronic locks: Being able to open and close doors with your smartphone
- Buildings: Structures and offices which will be able to control themselves like environmental
- Companies: 95% of businesses expect to be using IoT in the next 3 years