technology
DEPT
by Tyson Tuttle
THE INTERNET
OF THINGS
The Next Wave of
Our Connected World
The Internet has transformed numerous
industries and created new markets. In the
next phase of development, the Internet is
set to do much more. Industry leaders predict that the number of Internet-connected
devices will surpass 15 billion nodes by
2015 and top 50 billion by 2020. Most of
these connected devices will not be traditional PCs, servers or even smartphones but
smaller, cheaper, simpler embedded devices.
This growing web of connected devices
– known as the Internet of Things (IoT) -includes smart phones, tablets, TVs, gaming
consoles, home appliances, security systems,
smart thermostats, smart meters, personal
fitness trackers, portable medical devices,
smart watches, vending machines and numerous other products.
While the IoT vision has existed since
the early days of the Internet, the term
“Internet of Things” surfaced in the early
2000s to describe networks of RFID-enabled objects to ease asset identification and
tracking. The IoT concept has evolved to
include billions of devices connected wirelessly to the Internet. Already there are more
connected devices on the planet than people
(see Figure 1). These connections can be
device-to-person (or vice versa) or machineto-machine (M2M).
Figure 1
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There is admittedly a cool factor to
many IoT applications. Consider the profusion of Apple iPhone apps that allow users
to remotely monitor and control security,
HVAC and lighting systems with the stroke
of a touchscreen. The majority of connected
devices for the IoT are nodes located at the
so-called “last inch” of the network. Using
microcontrollers (MCUs) as the programmable “brains” of the IoT, embedded sensors and actuators serve as its virtual eyes,
ears and fingers, monitoring and reacting
to changes in temperature, humidity, light,
physical intrusions and other environmental
conditions.
M2M connectivity, rather than continuous end-user interaction, is vital to the
IoT. The distributed intelligence of the IoT
can unlock the power of M2M connectiv-