Introduction to Internet of Things

Once upon a time, only living beings were having the power to sense and communicate whereas physical devices always needed human intervention.

By 20^th century every human being achieved freedom and the 21^st century marked the freedom of Physical Devices. Once trained and developed these devices can sense and communicate just like we do. And IoT plays a major role in this freedom of Physical devices.

When I came across the term Internet of Things for the first time, I assumed it is completely related to the use of the Internet but this is not true.

IoT comprises two key words Internet and things. Internet refers to the interconnection of computing devices with the help of transmission media to share information.

Things refers to all the physical objects around us from electronic devices such as mobile phones, computers, fans, tube lights, etc. and non-electronic devices such as doors, windows, chairs, and so on.

So, combining these terms we get the Internet of Things which basically means the interconnection of physical objects which communicate and share information among them. This can be possible without the use of the internet on a basic level. But the internet gives us an extra edge by making the devices communicate without any hindrances from physical boundaries.

The idea of connected devices had been around since the 1970s. But it was Kevin Ashton who coined the term in 1999 during his work at Procter & Gamble.

Watch a video on Introduction to Internet of Things here.

Let’s look into a more formal definition of IoT which will give us a more clear idea of how it works-

The Internet of Things is the inter-networking of physical devices embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators and network connectivity that enables these objects to collect and exchange data.

Let us understand what this definition tells us-

Internet of Things are the inter-networking of physical devices as it connects physical devices.

Next, it is embedded with electronics and software. The physical devices are embedded with electronics so that they can send data and respond to kinds of signals sent to them for communication. Software plays an important role as mere hardware is a dumb machine and software is needed for its operation.

Then come the sensors and actuators. Human beings have got sense organs which help them to communicate among themselves with ease and accuracy. In the same way, sensors act like sense organs for physical devices so that they can communicate among themselves accurately. These sensors take in some kind of input in the form of digital or analog signals and give output in the form of signals itself. These input and output signals are the sources of communication between physical devices. There are several sensors available such as PIR sensors, ultrasonic sensors, and so on. Actuators are devices that convert a type of energy into mechanical energy. In the case of human beings we have got sense organs to sense our surrounding but for the movement, we have got limbs which moves due to mechanical energy. So actuators are devices that convert electrical energy here to mechanical energy which allows physical devices to perform movement and locomotion.

So, how do these devices communicate?? They don’t have a mobile phone for long-distance communication. Do they communicate directly or is there something in between. Let’s make it more clear.

The physical devices communicate with the help of the server. The data collected using sensors are stored at an IoT platform which is used by other physical devices for interaction.

Now after having a clear idea about what is IoT let’s take a look into why do we need IoT and how it benefits us. IoT benefits each and every sector around the world.

Agricultural sector – Agriculture is the source of our food. With the use of IoT devices, soil conditions like its moisture level can be measured. If the moisture level falls below the optimum level automatic supply of water can be made.

Disaster Management – With smart devices enabled with the internet of things we can sense fires in the houses or buildings, detect a vehicular accident, and help in managing disasters.

Healthcare – IoT devices are being used in healthcare the sector to constantly monitor patients health data and send it to the server or database which can be seen by the doctors as well as the family members if allowed. In case of any  emergency regarding a patient’s condition, it will be notified to a doctor and the doctor can reach to patient’s help on time.

 Infrastructure Management – IOT can reduce the risks of accidents due to breakdown of flyovers, dams bridges, etc. With proper use of sensors condition of these infrastructures can be monitored and timely maintenance can be done.

Industrial Application – Industrial application of IoT is a large topic. IoT is used to keep sales records, to maintain inventory for customer relationship management and product maintenance.

Household Applications – Household devices such as fans, ac, lights, etc can be connected using IoT and controlled from anywhere with the use of your mobile phone.

Logistics – In the logistics domain, IoT can create a smart location management system that will enable companies to easily track driver activities, vehicle location and delivery status.

 

There are enormous applications of IoT in each and every sector of work. By 2025 it is estimated that there will be more than 21 billion IoT devices.