- The origin of the internet and the web
enabled the easy movement of data
between networks and a protocol standardization
for linking files.
At their core was the ability for humans
to access data and information
from connected devices where the source
was geographically irrelevant.
There's no doubt today that these innovations
have been game changing for the human experience.
In the early days of the web, convenience
and simplicity meant that millions of people
could participate as information consumers
and many could easily become
providers of information.
The internet and web provided a seamless
online medium for a wide range of interaction.
Over time enterprises began using
the internet to interact with machines
to conduct actions such as checking the status
of a device or restarting it.
Machines began to be programmed to commonly
communicate over the internet in the role
as just another user.
Early uses included sending an email
or text based on certain conditions
such as confirming the completion
of a tape backup.
The notion of customer to machine
and machine to customer emerged.
Instead of a internet limited
to connecting people, the internet was now
connecting people and all sorts
of machines and devices.
It was also connecting machines to machines.
By the early 2000s, the first references
to an Internet of Things or IoT emerged.
While the total human participation
on the internet is limited to the world's
population size, the Internet of Things
is vastly bigger with the potential
to add billions of devices with no upper limit.
It's generally anticipated that 20 billion
devices will connect over the internet by 2020.
We can anticipate the number skyrocketing
beyond that date.
The full definition of the Internet of Things
goes beyond simply a device connected
to the internet.
Consistent with trends
in the Fourth Industrial Revolution,
the IoT is better defined by a convergence
of several technologies.
Let's look at a consumer
example of an IoT device.
A new type of thermostat for the home,
one connected to the internet.
This thermostat requires a home Wi-Fi network,
but once connected it becomes remarkably smart.
First, as a result of connectivity,
it can be controlled from multiple devices
such as a home computer or a smart phone.
Being connected means its software
can be updated wirelessly.
Using AI, it learns the nature of temperature
in a room and the preferences of home occupants.
It can determine if the occupants
of a home have left and an eco-friendly way
adjust the temperature.
Finally, home owners can access this data online,
and they can understand their energy savings
and opportunities to improve efficiencies.
The thermostat was a breakthrough device
and opened the door to a huge number
of home based IoT devices that are
now responsible for powering what's being
called the Smart Home.
Many of these independent systems
now conform to one or more standards
that enables control from one system,
and optimal co-ordination between devices.
While the IoT world I've described so far
is largely focused on the consumer space,
there are other areas of the economy
where IoT is emerging.
The industrial IoT, also known as Industry 4.0,
is a convergence of the Internet of Things,
machine learning, sensor data
and machine to machine communication
and automation all in an industrial setting.
Embedding this technology in a manufacturing
context can significantly improve
traditional human processes such as identifying
efficiencies and predicting production
and maintenance issues early.
The Industrial Internet improves quality control,
sustainability practices and supply chain efficiency.
Improved outcomes include predictive maintenance,
deployment of field technicians,
energy management and asset tracking.
One popular example of the Industrial Internet
is the ability to predict maintenance issues.
Traditionally, the first time an organization
knows it has a manufacturing issue
is when a machine fails.
When this happens, production on that line
has to be stopped and the issue must then
be diagnosed by qualified engineers.
Repair or replacement work must be conducted.
Testing is then done and assuming all is well
the production line can be put online.
This is an expensive process both in terms
of repair, but also lost manufacturing time.
In Industry 4.0, a manufacturing machine
has a device embedded in it that
is monitoring specific criteria
under varying conditions.
These might include temperature levels,
cog movements, pressure and air and oil flow.
Using machine learning, the sensors learn
when the system is running smoothly.
Then when something is not right
the IoT device can record it.
At that point, a decision can be made
as to what to do.
It's a much more efficient way
to deal with possible issues.
Both IoT and the Industrial Internet
are reinventing how we think about
the possibilities of home
and industry innovation.
There is no IoT without the internet
and artificial intelligence, and there is
no Fourth Industrial Revolution
without the Internet of Things.