IoT

Internet of Things (IoT)

By Kalyan Acharjya

Almost all Physical Things

Connected Themselves / Internet

What is Internet of Things (IoT): As the world is inspiring to be connected and the population of the globe will be 8 billion in 2025 by comparing 7.1 billion today itself. Are there all human mankind are connected to internet at present? Absolutely No! There are approximate 1/3 peoples of this blue planet are able to access the internet. As the human population is continuously increases very fast and everyday there are latest technologies emerges, as a consequence which is transform the connected human lives in different ways. Every individual is associated with various types of machines or things in their daily activities (e.g. mobile phone, toothbrush, car, watch, work station, microwave oven, clothes, refrigerator, laptop, music player etc). The technology help us to connected with individual through various devices or machines; seeing that, there will continuously exponential increase of modern electronics devices as new technology come out. But presently all things are not connected with the internet. There are 15 billion devices were connected to internet by 2015, it will constantly increase as fast as the internet connection will touch the different regions on this earth.   The phrase “Internet of things” was used by British entrepreneur Kevin Ashton in the year 1999.  

The Internet of Things (IoT) is emerging fusion technology of technologies which amply to stay connect of all physical things with Internet using smart networking, ubiquitous sensors and actuators.  It will offer to stay connected through Internet to all physical things exist on earth planet. As a result individual being able to control, command, sense, order, know to all surrounding things of our daily lives. The growth of artificial intelligent indicates, after few span of time, maximum machine or devices will communicate to each other (machine to machine communication) without human intervention and it will emerge smart living for human beings.  There may be possibility of human body will be embedded with biochip for health monitoring purpose; also sensor chip will be implanted in animal body, which allows to monitoring health and tracing the location.  IoT will put forward to connect all physical things with the Internet and people life style will be more secure, smooth and smart.  Actually IOT is system of systems to embed all devices or similar subsystems connect with main system and the big data stored on cloud centers, all systems are communicate through smart networks.

Basic Architecture of Internet of Things (IoT):  The basic network architecture will be same as the present Internet network system (LAN, wi-fi, Blue-tooth, radio transreceiver, Zigbee etc), but it should be upgrade to high efficient and smart networks, main networks will be wired or wireless, but end networks application seems to be wireless for more flexibility and remote controlling. The data flow and traffic should be emphasis on wireless sensor networks, which can be allow to use all type protocols. All communication devices are directly linked with Internet, but for those passive things which are not suppose to be part of communicator things such as  chair, table, bed, cloths etc are attached with sensors, RFID tag (radio frequency identification), actuators etc. These types of things will share the encoded information to individuals through smart phone. It shows that all things to be directly or indirectly connect with Internet network. The computing or communication devices are directly connected and non communication things are connected through accessible unique identify tags such that authorize individuals will access, control and locate the things in anytime from anywhere. As the IoT is emerges, it urge for great development required for mainly in three sectors, sensing devices, networking and big data attachment in network operation centers. So the sufficient infrastructures to be build to intend for full and successfully implementation of IoT.

      How the Internet of Things Works (IoT) works and Applications: Before two to three decade, the awaited applications of Internet of Things were unimaginable or like fiction. But now days, the advancement of technologies, these fiction will become reality very soon. The controlling of any appliances of your home from remote location is not the big deal now days; the citizen of developed countries utilizes these applications in their daily activities by using embedded devices and networking e.g. individual can ON or OFF the bathroom geyser from the way to home or office using mobile phone and this type of application possible because of intelligent fusion between electronic devices with Internet network. Though the example was not amazing application of IoT, IoT is much wider than that. Internet of things will offer you great extensive and wider sense applications. The intelligent devices can share the experiences each other, it will so amazing. Anyone able knows from their office, how many people are sitting in their home right now (without use CCTV). How this happen, your home chairs are embed with tiny pressure sensor, it will communicate with local computer which is available at home and  the computer send the information to the  user phone, when request to do so. However the information is share with only authorize persons to any part of the world, but user should be connected with Internet. You can locate your spouse by offering  the wearable e-cloths, i.e. such cloths are imply with some tiny unnoticeable sensing passive sensor tag, those tag are detect by dedicated reader installed all over the city.

      Few Applications of IoT: There will be following remarkable applications (few) of Internet of things in near future.  

o   Health care Remote Monitoring (Real Time): If some member of your family is heart patient, where constant precautions monitoring is required, in such cases, patient cloths will attach with heartbeat sensor and if the heartbeat will go some unnatural frequency, personal phone activated to send automatic message with details (data and location) to the family doctors or nearby hospitals, where doctors will activate to ready ambulance and proceed towards the patients. By quickly responds such patient’s cases somehow will save the lives of various people. Also IoT will offer to regular remote monitor to the patient by their personal doctors, it will hugely benefit to the peoples and speedy information may be save the number of lives. For bedded patients, may be bio-chip will implanted inside the human body (if allow) to monitor all other parameters for fast recovery or wellness.

o   Logistics: RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) Technology already exists and uses by various logistics sectors. Even so IoT will employ this concept to more amazing applications. Normally in RFID technology, unique passive tags (IC Chip) will be attached with all products which contain detail about the product (Mfg Date, Base No, Price), when these products are enter in automatic billing section (specific RFID reader range), the all product will check in and summed up the total price automatically. After successfully billing, all tag attached with those products are deactivated, such that it will not activated the alarm of at exit gate. Another way If some produce will out of expiry or damage during self or storage, it alert is activated through computer to retail store manager about the product for replacement. Using this approach owner can also trace the products location and condition after shipments. This types of implementation will greatly advantageous for fruits and vegetables shipments, which allow the seller can monitor all environmental parameters of the location. Normally the each unique ID tag will identify the all products or things movement within reader range and reader will connect with computer to access the all data from remote location using Internet.

o   Environment Monitoring: There are number of environment factor, which are continuously degrading in our environment. Suppose there is lake of water in your colony, you have no time to continuously watching the pH value of the lake water. If pH water indicator sensor are floating on the water, when the pH level reach the critical, then sensor activate the pre installed device to sending the alert message to concern authorities and local residents. By knowing the facts on time, there may be possible to restore the water quality by adopting some cleaning method or setting strong guidelines not to through the pollutants materials in the lake; in the similar fashion it is possible to monitor and control the air and sound pollution also. This concept makes environmental pollution monitoring and controlling more cost effectual and deployable. 

o   Smart Transportation: In transportation system will highly beneficial by navigation on any route within the city, such congestion will avoid by guiding drivers to follow the alternative route, the whole traffic will real time monitored and drivers (driver less car itself) will instantly get the information regarding traffic congestion on the particular track. At public bus stoppage with displaying the expected time of arrival of all buses on that route. The result there will less traffic jam and hassle free journey and more importantly commuter can save the precious time.

o   Smart Home Living:  All home things will connect with Internet and all things will understand your requirements of particular things. The tooth brush will enable with Bluetooth, it sends the performance and condition of your teeth to your personal dentist. IoT embed smart water tap automatically open when you approach towards it as per your requirements water will flow. It also allows the power conservation in your home based on your routine work and day light condition inside the room. When you approaching your home, your e textiles cloths find the temperature of your body and environments, as per intelligent decision of all connected devices, your home geyser or ac will on, as you reach entry gate, smart gate will automatically on as it will recognize you by using face recognition or smart phone or other security systems.  By the way coffee is ready by intelligent machine as per your body requirements.

      Benefits of Internet of Things:  The Internet of things will transform human lives by various ways; it will offer smart living for individuals, machine to machine communication to share their experiences without human intervention. The system will Less Human Intervention in their Daily Activities and the personal task will be performing by things in automatic through knowing the persons feeling at that time. If you ready with your office bag, which is attached with IC tag, it will alert the car for ready, driver less car (Google already designed driver less car) will approach the gate for pick up and proceed towards office based on real time traffic within the city. For the other example like when you will so idle during working hours, sensor attached with shirts (e-textile) will exchange the feeling with your smart device and it will activate the coffee machine and after sometimes you will receive the message of coffee was ready. During sleep, smart pillow will awake you based on your next day to do list or meeting (which are noted in your tablet). The daily activities will be perform automatic, by intelligent systems and devices, here M2M communication will help to less intervention of human being  and the artificial intelligent of machines will more help to take the decision by device itself based on training data.

All machine will so intelligent, which imply to communicate with other devices by own self. Machine will understand your emotion, and based on your feeling it will take the decision. You can understand the feeling of your pets, by allowing to some bio-chips within body or attached with wear cloths of your pets. These somehow look like some fiction nowadays, but these will be reality very soon by advancement of technology of Internet of things.

      Challenges and Issues: Any technology advancements is so fast, however the security issue related with that technology is not as fast as compare the development of that technology, also  people have to adopt the technology quickly before technology itself will force to adopt it. Obviously, there are few issue related with Internet of things- 

• o   Privacy: The most anxiety issue with the Internet of things is its data privacy, as the all information or status of individual are available in certain network and things associated with individuals will be hacked to access the personal information of concerned peoples.
• o   Big Data: Some latest data shows that at present, there are approx 15 billion devices will connected with the Internet and it will reach 25 billion in 2020, now it was predicted the total information recount with Internet, this big data securely store in cloud network is the major for adoption of fully Internet of things, however cloud data center will provide the great help in this regard.
• o Illness: As the things are associated with some small devices or chips, all things will communicate daily human activities will done by
• o   Human Job Security: The movement of the individual will be able to track, if person is associated with any electronic things, this somehow will give threaten to human security for key person.
• o   Extravagance to other animals or birds: In Internet of things, maximum things are connect with wireless medium, all wireless communication through electromagnetic wave, if the communication devices were hugely increase, the radiation of electromagnetic spectrum was also more in the environment, this  high energy radiation, somehow affect the habitant of natural birds species. In a recent research study of environmental monitoring, sparrow bird’s habitant was hugely effect by increasing mobile devices. The more radiation also gradually increases slight move disease for human being.

      Conclusion Remarks:

There is no doubt that by employ of Internet of Things (IoT) will transform the life style of human mankind. It will also boost the implication business of Internet economy of the world; it suggested that there will total connected living market $730 Billion economic market due to take on the Internet of things by the year 2020. By adopting the future trends of Internet of things will help to attain the dream of mega trend of digital world 2015. The dream of digital world 2025 will be   will transform the living mechanism of Human being, it provides the better life.

By connected, will have positive contact in various ways, peoples will easily share the information and gaining the information for the lager prospects for the betterment of society  to improve the human life and finally cross the threshold to entry in the world of wisdom.

Even if it will hugely boost up the economy Internet automation market, there are some issues related to upgrade the current Internet network infrastructure and issue to upgrade the current Internet network will have to upgrade to all things connected through Internet.  Before adopting the complete system, it will have to profitable to deal with the issue and search for the sustainable solutions. The development of smart sensory devices will help to step forward for connected things through Internet.

In near future Internet of things will revolutionize the living standard of human mankind and it will convert the world into smart village and it will gives the Internet of Everything’s (IoE).