Writing for AdWeek, Katy Bachman says the Internet of Things (IoT) “heralds the arrival of the Jetsons Age.”
According to Bachman, three emerging technologies will lend the IOT its intelligence: sensors capable of tracking temperature, movement or speed; systems to integrate the control of devices; and a shared syntax that lets them talk to each other.
“Think of thermostats that turn down the heat after everyone has left the house; smart calendars that tell you to leave for that important meeting right now because traffic is bad; a refrigerator that updates your online grocery order when your milk has reached its expiration date or your lettuce is wilted,” she explained. “[Or], apps that adjust your prescription dosage based on diet and exercise for the week; [and] the robotic vacuum cleaner that activates after the 20th person has walked through the door. Once the devices can talk to each other through the Internet, the consumer won’t have to push a button to make something happen because the devices will anticipate what you want. Yes, we are headed to a Jetsons kind of future.”
Indeed, as AdWeek confirms, 50 billion-75 billion connected devices are expected to create 13 quadrillion connections to the Internet and generate a staggering 200 exabytes of data a year by 2020.
“It’s data that ostensibly can be used to improve consumers’ lives and indubitably will be used to market to consumers—bringing a whole new meaning to ‘reaching the right consumer at the right time with the right message,’” said Bachman. “Like personal computing and the smartphone did before, IOT will forever change how we live, work and play.”
Bachman also identified three significant categories that soon will be transformed by the IoT: fitness & health, home automation and connected cars. To be sure, the number of digital health exhibitors is up 40 percent at CES 2014, with more than 65 companies pitching digital solutions for diagnosing, monitoring and treating. Similarly, home automation is about to go mainstream with WiFi, smartphones and wireless sensors – while the connected car remains a major focus of both auto and electronics firms, as one in three consumers considers smartphone connectivity a must-have feature for their next vehicle.
The full text of the AdWeek article is available here.
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