No wonder, IoT is the talk of the town, given how much potential this technology holds to automate and connect our world. Short for the Internet of Things, IoT means empowering ‘things’ around you with the capabilities of the ‘internet’ leading to greater connectivity and data sharing. In doing so, it is bridging the gap between the digital and physical worlds and making human life simpler and more secure.
In today’s internet-dominated era, IoT has permeated our lives in more ways than one. It exists in every industry and is now revolutionizing our every-day interactions with cars, homes, appliances, and a plethora of lifeless objects. In fact, IoT has breathed new life into these ‘dumb’ objects, so to speak! You can now see them connecting with other gadgets, and generating, analyzing, as well as sharing mounds of data now and then, whilst notifying you on your smartphone for all matters significant! This is made possible not with any cable or wire but with a peripheral sensor and smart software that detects and acts on environmental and other factors independently.
So, where do you see IoT? Read more to understand what benefits IoT has to offer!
IoT in Wearables
Wearable technology is being hailed as an emerging milestone of the Internet of Things for its potential to improve human lives. A smart wristwatch is currently the biggest innovation in this category. In coordination with your smartphone, this watch provides you with data on your wrist in real time.
Some of the roles these watches are already playing are related to security and identification as well as health and fitness. When hooked with a sensor with biometric capabilities, these watches can sense location, send out signals in emergencies, and come with security features such as fingerprint activation.
As health monitoring equipment, smartwatches can help you reach your health-related goal by providing important health-related information. More complex measurements such as vital levels can help doctors expedite healthcare treatments during emergencies.
IoT in Automotive Industry
The automotive industry is the most visible and the first example of the Internet of Things as cars are rapidly becoming upgraded with sensor and software. Connected vehicles are capable of sensing, analyzing, and making decisions based on the information collected from the environment. IoT embedded vehicles can make the roads safe and facilitate smoother flow of traffic despite the human error. Some of the IoT features that we see in today’s vehicles are smart driving assistance, cloud-based infotainment solutions, real-time fleet management, predictive vehicle maintenance, driver safety systems, and more!
IoT in Retail
The benefits of IoT for retailers are endless. Whether it is your online store or an offline one, embedding your retail operations with innovative IoT solutions can allow you to create better and personalized experiences for each individual customer. You can make buying decisions easier and more fulfilling. IoT-upgraded beacons, smart mobile payment options, as well as analytical tools for accessing each customer’s preferences and crafting personalized discounts – these, are some of the capabilities that come with IoT. By deploying smart IoT solutions, you can build lasting relationships while improving your business revenues.
IoT in Home Automation
With IoT, the vision of a smart city is clearer than ever. By automating our personal spaces, we can not only make our surroundings safe and secure but can also improve our lifestyle by assigning a lot of our routine tasks to our gadgets and appliances. It is quite human to forget switching the lights off or even locking your door before leaving your property. But with a smart home, you get the ability to configure and control your home remotely at any time.
IoT allows your appliances to connect with each other and one good example of this interconnectivity – that is present in most American households – is a thermostat. A smart thermostat helps your HVAC systems maintain a comfortable environment in the home.
IoT in Transportation and Logistics
Whether by air, sea, or road, transportation and logistics impact almost all the aspects of businesses as well as human life. Hence, real-time access to data is significant. This is now possible by deploying customized IoT solutions. IoT can facilitate smooth and safe movement of both your people and cargo by streamlining various processes and improving operational efficiency. By deploying the right IoT solution, you can link all your devices with a centralized cloud network. This allows you to gain real-time visibility of your assets and operations as well as collect and share important data on a large scale.
Though we’re smack in the middle of IoT development, IoT has already become a technology that is transforming the way we live, work, and communicate. Thanks to the countless ways that the Internet of Things has revolutionized our world, the term is now becoming a popular parlance in every sector. It is exciting to know that the future of IoT holds endless opportunities to make our lives comfortable, secure, and fulfilling!