Ingenieur Vol 77 Jan-Mar 2019 ingenieur 2019 Jan-March | Page 13

IoT in Buildings and the 4 Industrial Revolution th By Ir. Vekneswaran T. Arasappan Head, Technology and Innovation UEM Edgenta Berhad B roadband Internet has become more widely available, the cost of connecting is decreasing, more devices are being created with Wi-Fi capabilities and sensors built into them, technology costs are going down, and smartphone penetration is sky-rocketing. All of these things are creating a “perfect storm” for the IoT. Simply put, IoT is the concept of connecting any device with an on and off switch to the Internet (and/or to each other). This includes cell phones, coffee makers, washing machines, headphones, lamps, wearable devices and almost anything else you can think of. This also applies to components of machines, for example a jet engine of an airplane or the drill of an oil rig. There are seven crucial characteristics of the Internet of Things: • Connectivity • Things - Anything that can be tagged or connected as such as it is designed to be connected • Data • Communication • Intelligence • Action • Ecosystem Internet of Things Applications Ranking 1. Smart Homes - Smart Homes clearly stand out, ranking as highest Internet of Things application on all measured channels 2. Wearables. 3. Smart Cities 4. Smart grids. 5. Industrial Internet. 6. Connected cars 7. Connected Health (Digital health/ Telehealth/Telemedicine) 8. Smart retail. (www.i-scoop.eu) 11