How Is Internet Of Things Impacting Our Lives?
IoT or Internet of Things is a relatively new concept. What you’ll be surprised to know is that it is already a part of our lives in many ways. It's just that we don’t know it. Let me give you an example. Do you or anyone you know uses any fitness app to monitor health? If yes, that’s IoT for you. The Internet of Things is here and it is here to stay. Hiding from it will not make it go away. In order to know how is the Internet of Things impacting our lives, let us first understand what it is.
IOT is…
...a collection or network of smart devices connected to each other and exchanging data over the internet. These devices gather information using the sensors that are embedded in everyday objects like wrist watches, smoke detectors etc.
How Is IoT Impacting Our Lives?
Now that the concept of Iot is clear, lets see how and where all it has become an integral part of our lives.
1. Homes - Your home is the place where you encounter IoT first. I am sure you all have fire alarms. They receive input from the smoke detectors which have embedded sensors. When these detectors detect smoke they pass the information to the alarm system to sound an emergency. At the same time, the very same data is used by the sprinklers to know where the fire is and switch on the water sprinklers in just that specific area. Making homes smarter is the purpose of IoT. Motion sensor lights, Gadgets like Google Home and Amazon Echo, water sprinklers in the garden, automatic garage doors, light-sensitive lighting systems etc. are just a few ways in which IoT has invaded our lives. In the near future, even your refrigerator will let you know when a particular dish, fruit or vegetable is about to spoil so that it can be consumed in time. Cool isn't it?
2. Smart Cities - Your water company soon will measure your daily, monthly and yearly water consumption. It will also monitor those times of the day when it is at its peak. Your electricity company is also bringing the same devices to study your electricity consumption patterns. This data allows them to plan in advance to meet your needs. Intelligent traffic detection allows the traffic signals to work more efficiently and keep the roads relatively free for moving traffic. IoT makes waste management more efficient by identifying things that can be recycled and planning ahead for those that need to be processed further. In a more radical manner, IoT allows the Government to study the investment patterns and expenditure of individuals in the State and plan large scale projects through internal financing.
3. Smart Health Monitoring And Related Services - Health and fitness monitors make it far easier to keep a tab on your vital statistics. There are other specific monitors which are prescribed by physicians, when required, to get data for something specific like blood pressure, blood glucose levels etc. This makes for more efficient problem detection. When you apply for healthcare insurance this data can be useful to the insurance company as well and you need not keep a steady supply of records. All this is possible only through IoT. Even hospitals use IoT enabled devices to keep a tab of all in-patients, medicines in stores, emergency equipment location, energy consumption, access restriction etc. Sportsmen during training are kitted up to allow better analysis of their technique, performance, and energy levels.
4. Environmental Safety - Air and water quality are already being monitored remotely in many cities across the world. Very soon it is going to become a reality for all cities. I have a weather station on the roof at home that reports data globally on a network showing this exact information. With unique sensors, monitoring soil and atmospheric conditions has also become possible to a large extent. Further advancements in this area will benefit farmers and other individuals alike. We are already using tagging devices to keep track of wildlife where itis dwindling in numbers.
5. Energy Management - As a homeowner, you want a comfortable home and yet keep your energy bills to the minimum. IoT allows you to control lights and temperature at home through a mobile application. You can do this in real time and save a lot of your hard earned money. In the same manner, a smart kitchen will allow you to operate your equipment like coffee maker, microwave, oven etc., remotely for more efficient service.
IoT For A Convenient Life
In all that we have talked about one thing quite apparent is that IoT aims to make life simple. It will reduce duplicity of data and make sharing across all platforms possible. While currently in its infancy IoT is impacting our lives so much already. Imagine how much more it will do so when it is fully developed. For the time being, you have to embrace the technology and understand how it can add more value to your life without any adverse effects on your safety and security.