The concept of Internet of Things has evolved since year 1999 and with over 15B IoT connected devices at present, it has truly become the internet of everything. In Kevin Aston’s (he coined the term Internet of Things in 1999) words, “The Internet of Things has the potential to change the world just as the Internet did. Maybe even more so.”
IoT is a rapidly evolving technology and it has a wide range of applications. It has the potential to revolutionize various industries by enabling organizations to collect and analyze data in real-time which can offer valuable insights for informed, data backed decision-making and unlock the full potential of connected devices at large.
Internet of Things at Present
At present, Internet of Things is an all-encompassing technology that is driving our cars, our homes and our businesses. It is rapidly making every physical device smart and connecting it to the internet. From smart cars, smartphones to smart homes with smart kitchen and smart showers, smart organizations with smart offices, smart manufacturing and smart supply chain, Internet of Things is transforming everything.
Presently, we have IoT-based access control, smart healthcare instruments, fitness trackers, smart homes, smart furniture, and smartphones amongst countless other things but the future of IoT inventions is not constrained by our present capabilities. Using IoT, AI and ML together, the scope of future innovation is unlimited.
What is IoT?
The Internet of Things (IoT) refers to the network of linked “smart” devices that can communicate seamlessly over the Internet. For an IoT to work, you need a physical object, an IoT technology such as BLE, RFID, LoRAWAN etc., and a medium (computer or smartphone) to connect these two to the internet.
Internet of Thing has the potential to revolutionize a wide range of industries, including agriculture, healthcare, and home automation. In agriculture, wireless IoT sensors can transmit information about soil moisture, soil health and nutrients to agricultural experts across the country. In healthcare, IoT devices can monitor patient health and provide feedback to medical professionals and in smart homes, IoT devices can automate various day-to-day activities such as controlling lighting and temperature as well.
Here are 10 best use cases of IoT that will transform our businesses and daily lives:
- Creating smart homes
- Innovating agriculture
- Building smarter cities
- Making better enterprise solutions
- Supply chain management with IoT
- Smart grids
- Smart wearables
- Establishing connected factories
- Transforming healthcare and life sciences
- Reshape hospitality
Creating smart homes
IoT has the potential to automate various day-to-day activities in homes such as controlling lighting and temperature improving convenience and energy efficiency. From smart kitchen, smart appliances to smart showers, IoT can make our homes smarter.
Innovating agriculture
IoT can be used in agriculture to monitor soil health vis-à-vis soil moisture, nutrients. It can also optimize irrigation and crop management improving crop yields and reducing costs.
Building smarter cities
In cities, IoT can be used to monitor and control various aspects of city life such as traffic flow, air quality, and waste management. This will significantly improve the quality of life for residents and provide tourists a remarkable experience. Wi-Fi, CCTV and digital tour guides can enhance the tourism and boost the city economy as well.
Making better enterprise solutions
Large enterprises can use IoT to create, maintain, and monitor their technology infrastructure. IoT can be a great tool to automate various business operations, create digital infrastructure, enhance productivity, and reduce costs.
Supply chain management with IoT
IoT can help you track inventory and shipments in real-time and enhance the overall asset visibility. This will eliminate supply chain bottlenecks, reduce risks, and boost productivity.
Smart grids
You can use IoT to monitor and control energy consumption in real-time, improve energy efficiency and reduce costs. It can felicitate smart metering and accurate billing, making the energy consumption more transparent and responsible.
Smart wearables
IoT has huge potential in wearable category. It can be used in wearable devices such as fitness trackers to monitor activity levels and provide feedback on health metrics such as heart rate and respiration. New smartwatches and smart bands can not only add to your fashion and style but transform your lifestyle as well.
Establishing connected factories
In factories, IoT can be used to monitor machine performance and optimize production processes, enhancing overall efficiency. It can help you create automated reports and insights which you can use for timely data-backed decision making. It can also enable smart employee training on new machinery and can reduce costs. You can use IoT to connect many factories and create a centralized platform for remote monitoring as well.
Transforming healthcare and life sciences
In healthcare, IoT can be implemented to monitor patient health and provide feedback to medical professionals, which can improve patient outcomes.
With the help of IoT technology like RFID and BLE, you can enhance the healthcare supply chain and ensure that medicines and medical instruments are available all the time. RFID can also prevent medical instrument counterfeiting potentially saving a lot of lives.
In Life Sciences, IoT can help with research and development of new medicines, vaccines and medical instruments as well.
Reshape hospitality
The hospitality industry can improve guest experience through personalized services and automated processes with the help of RFID, QR Codes and BLE. Smart access control will ensure safety and security of customers and their valuables, making for a great staying experience. Digital menus, maps of the hotel and list of services can be provided to the tourists to make their stay a pleasant one.
Internet of Things is connecting every physical device to internet enabling a smart city, smart home and smart business. From retail, IT and education to healthcare, manufacturing and supply chain, IoT has the potential to revolutionize businesses for long term growth and profitability.
Ever since its inception in 1999, Internet of Things has been through constant changes and caused countless transformations leading to 29B IoT connected devices by 2030 as per a recent survey and forecast.
- Last updated on May 05, 2023
