Last week I spoke about Web 3.0 and the future of the Internet. Taking a step back, this week I’ll be talking about how the Internet can be applied to everyday objects. It is already happening through what is known as the Web of Things.
The Internet of Things is a network of digitally connected objects that are able to communicate with one another and send information to web services that manage these objects. Imagine a world where billions of objects can report their locations, identities and histories over a wireless network. If all objects were equipped with tracking/identifying devices, we would never run out of stock or waste goods and we could monitor the consumption of everything from food to electricity and oxygen.
RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology is the driving force behind the development of the Internet of Things, together with smartphones and various sensors and software. RFID tags are becoming smaller and cheaper: costing only a few US cents each, they are often as small as a pencil point - so small they have even been attached to ants to track their movements. This allows almost any object, no matter how small, to be tagged. At the moment IBM is supplying RFID chips to a Danish transport company so suppliers can track the progress of their shipments as they cross the globe. RFID tags monitor the health of sensitive items like food and plants so they don’t expire or die en route to their destination.
Clothes are just one example of everyday objects becoming integrated into the Internet of Things thanks to advances in sensor technology. We now have bras that detect your heart rate and transmit data to a watch. Nike+ running shoes monitor your running and download the information to your iPod or Tweet it and post it to Facebook. You can buy a gaming headset that can read your emotions and detect when you mentally control objects. Biosensing underwear monitors your health by looking at things like heartrate, blood pressure etc. In the future, most of our clothes will be networked and linked in to the Internet of Things.
RFID tags are already in widespread use around the world, in everything from cattle to library books and passports. What is changing is the way these objects are speaking to each other and being connected through various networks. A good example is the Internet fridge. Such a fridge monitors its contents and lets you know when you’re running low on food and when certain things reach their expiry date. When it detects that you need more food it automatically orders for you and suggests recipes.
There are several companies actively integrating objects into the Internet of Things. One of these is Pachube, which allows people to store and share realtime sensor data from objects, buildings and devices around the world. So whenever your electricity use rises, the temperature drops, your aircraft takes off or even if your doorbell rings, Pachube will let you know about it. Services like Pachube and WideSpime offer real-time global maps to present data but also send information via SMS alerts and various feeds.
The semantic web will integrate seamlessly with the Internet of Things, since when you type in a query like ‘what are some good Chinese restaurants?’ the semantic web will detect all the tagged restaurants in the vicinity and analyse their recipes and menus. If you’re looking for a certain type of food (say chilis), the semantic web will find the exact location of the nearest chilis in the nearest restaurant.
The potential of the Internet of Things is tremendous. The quality of products will improve, things will never get lost (just put sensors in your socks and you will always be able to find them!) and it will be easier to buy things. For instance, buying food will be much easier because you will be able to tell how old it is, where it came from, the temperature and humidity during its journey to the shop and so on. With a simple RFID tag, you will be able to know the entire life history of an object.
In the future, cars won’t be able to crash because onboard sensors will detect an off-course vehicle and correct for it. Or what about a house that parks your car for you, opens your front door on approach, lights and air conditions only the rooms you are in, orders your pizza for you and switches on the TV for your favourite series?
While the Internet of Things offers many great advantages, there are also a few negatives. The greatest fear is that it will be used for complete surveillance and control of people - already in the United Kingdom and other countries, prisoners on parole or under house arrest have to wear tags that alert authorities when they move outside a designated area. Objects could also be programmed for unethical purposes, such as spying on people and displaying adverts without their consent - imagine if your Internet fridge was hacked by a pizza place and started ordering hundreds of pizzas. Another issue is that there will be too much data to process and people will be swamped by the Internet of Things.
For good or bad, the Internet of Things is already here but it has hardly entered the mainstream. But, in this not-too distant future, society will be transformed by analogue objects being able to interact with the digital realm. If all goes according to plan, life will be a lot easier in the future, where the Internet will be all around us in everything we do.
The Internet of Things is a network of digitally connected objects that are able to communicate with one another and send information to web services that manage these objects. Imagine a world where billions of objects can report their locations, identities and histories over a wireless network. If all objects were equipped with tracking/identifying devices, we would never run out of stock or waste goods and we could monitor the consumption of everything from food to electricity and oxygen.
RFID (radio-frequency identification) technology is the driving force behind the development of the Internet of Things, together with smartphones and various sensors and software. RFID tags are becoming smaller and cheaper: costing only a few US cents each, they are often as small as a pencil point - so small they have even been attached to ants to track their movements. This allows almost any object, no matter how small, to be tagged. At the moment IBM is supplying RFID chips to a Danish transport company so suppliers can track the progress of their shipments as they cross the globe. RFID tags monitor the health of sensitive items like food and plants so they don’t expire or die en route to their destination.
Clothes are just one example of everyday objects becoming integrated into the Internet of Things thanks to advances in sensor technology. We now have bras that detect your heart rate and transmit data to a watch. Nike+ running shoes monitor your running and download the information to your iPod or Tweet it and post it to Facebook. You can buy a gaming headset that can read your emotions and detect when you mentally control objects. Biosensing underwear monitors your health by looking at things like heartrate, blood pressure etc. In the future, most of our clothes will be networked and linked in to the Internet of Things.
RFID tags are already in widespread use around the world, in everything from cattle to library books and passports. What is changing is the way these objects are speaking to each other and being connected through various networks. A good example is the Internet fridge. Such a fridge monitors its contents and lets you know when you’re running low on food and when certain things reach their expiry date. When it detects that you need more food it automatically orders for you and suggests recipes.
There are several companies actively integrating objects into the Internet of Things. One of these is Pachube, which allows people to store and share realtime sensor data from objects, buildings and devices around the world. So whenever your electricity use rises, the temperature drops, your aircraft takes off or even if your doorbell rings, Pachube will let you know about it. Services like Pachube and WideSpime offer real-time global maps to present data but also send information via SMS alerts and various feeds.
The semantic web will integrate seamlessly with the Internet of Things, since when you type in a query like ‘what are some good Chinese restaurants?’ the semantic web will detect all the tagged restaurants in the vicinity and analyse their recipes and menus. If you’re looking for a certain type of food (say chilis), the semantic web will find the exact location of the nearest chilis in the nearest restaurant.
The potential of the Internet of Things is tremendous. The quality of products will improve, things will never get lost (just put sensors in your socks and you will always be able to find them!) and it will be easier to buy things. For instance, buying food will be much easier because you will be able to tell how old it is, where it came from, the temperature and humidity during its journey to the shop and so on. With a simple RFID tag, you will be able to know the entire life history of an object.
In the future, cars won’t be able to crash because onboard sensors will detect an off-course vehicle and correct for it. Or what about a house that parks your car for you, opens your front door on approach, lights and air conditions only the rooms you are in, orders your pizza for you and switches on the TV for your favourite series?
While the Internet of Things offers many great advantages, there are also a few negatives. The greatest fear is that it will be used for complete surveillance and control of people - already in the United Kingdom and other countries, prisoners on parole or under house arrest have to wear tags that alert authorities when they move outside a designated area. Objects could also be programmed for unethical purposes, such as spying on people and displaying adverts without their consent - imagine if your Internet fridge was hacked by a pizza place and started ordering hundreds of pizzas. Another issue is that there will be too much data to process and people will be swamped by the Internet of Things.
For good or bad, the Internet of Things is already here but it has hardly entered the mainstream. But, in this not-too distant future, society will be transformed by analogue objects being able to interact with the digital realm. If all goes according to plan, life will be a lot easier in the future, where the Internet will be all around us in everything we do.
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