Do you know what’s the best thing about Iron Man?
Sure, he’s a smart, suave guy with loads of money and brains to build a suit of armor. But what he’s done, smartly, is he’s married data (the internet, basically) with his suit (his ‘devices’). This helps him have complete control over his suit. And sometimes, he doesn’t even need to be there to control it.
It’s also how the Internet of Things works. Scratch that, it’s EXACTLY how the Internet of Things works.
Simply put, IoT takes internet connectivity to devices that were traditionally dumb or non-internet enabled. Embedded with such technology, they become smart – they communicate and interact over the internet and can be remotely monitored and controlled.
Let’s check out a few examples –
- Consumer devices: Think of smart TVs, smart speakers, toys, wearables, smart appliances… you get the gist. People can turn on lights in their houses with their voices. They can control air-conditioning through their smartphone so that it’s nice and cool by the time they get home. Think of Legrand’s Arteor range of smart switches, Wi-fi switches, and sound-activated switches. Even in the city you live in, you have smart meters, commercial security systems (CCTVs) and technology used to monitor the weather.
- Enterprise/office devices: Imagine a situation where a conference room is fitted with smart sensors, so employees know exactly which room to schedule for a meeting. Once the employees enter the room, the air conditioning adjusts itself based on the number of people in the room, and the lights will dim accordingly as a presentation appears on the screen. Wait, did I say imagine? This is reality.
- Industrial devices: Currently, at a manufacturing plant, you’ll see machines outfitted with sensors that provide live data to the plant operators. This helps them detect anomalies and even predict what parts need to be replaced when.
So think about this – right from your morning alarm, to the dinner reservation for the weekend, even the ticket you booked for an Iron Man movie – everything is a part of the Internet of Things. The only question we need to ask ourselves currently is – how far can we take it from here?
