I did not know that the term Internet of
Things (IoT) was coined almost 15 years ago. It is only recently that I have
seen IoT is being discussed and commonly referred to. I recollect reading about
RFID tags around the same time as the coining of IoT took place. These tags
were going to revolutionize inventory management and many other Retail and
logistics processes. The rider was - RFID tags should cost less than a Nickel,
only then would it be feasible to be used extensively. The reason I mention
this is, because in my opinion, it is a precursor to IoT. For the 'Things' to
communicate to each other some such 'intelligence' like an RF tag is necessary.
I relate to IoT as a sci-fi concept
from much earlier times. Where every inanimate object that we surround
ourselves with is able to communicate with each other and take 'appropriate'
actions. In an ideal IoT scenario my bed is able to calculate the amount of
sleep I have had, it is integrated with my calendar and knows how soon I should
get up. I get woken up by the bed - singing, screaming or shaking determined by
the choice of the day. As my feet slip into my slipper, my kettle comes on and
the water temperature in the bathroom adjusts to the optimal temperature that I
seek. The Possibilities are many and as we fantasize or visualize.
And perhaps scary. Am reminded of a comic
I read more than 4 decades ago. The robots take over the world. The robot
decides everything for you. No you can’t have that second bite of cheese cake;
not another shot of single malt; time to hit the sac - lights out; and on and
on. Do we need that big-brother? Perhaps selectively required. We could end up
a healthy race and wouldn’t end up spending a lot of our time searching for
keys that were kept in a 'very secure' place.
An ideal IoT world will not just be flat
but everything within arms distance. Does that make future generations less active?
My grandfather was a healthy nonagenarian. My father in his mid-fifties could
beat me, a 17 year old then, in a game of badminton. Their health was vouched
by their physical life and habits. IoT through devices wearable and otherwise will
remind me to get off my seat and walk, scream when my cuppa has more sugar or
the dinner plate has more calories, prompt me to walk those extra steps to
achieve my daily quota of 8000 steps.
50 Billion devices are expected to be
connected to the IoT by 2020. Only another 5 years, most of us will be around
and we will know whether it will be 50 or 500 Billion. From the intelligent
fridge that will order replenishment to the medicine bottle which will not only
order replenishment but also remind the user to have the medicine, the
possibilities are enormous. 50 or 500 billion is just a number.
