Internet of Things, where everything gets connected, has become a reality! This ubiquitous penetration of technology has made lives easier,businesses smoother, and people have been able to communicate better and faster. People are realizing that they are standing in the midst of a paradigm shift where they are able to connect everyday things with technology. This has opened up an enormous potential in the world of information, where with a proliferation of connected devices, you can enjoy several benefits. Internet of Things (IoT) has promised several good things in the coming years. Here's a look at some of the emerging trends.
Wearables that are Not Confined to the Wrist Alone
We have seen the smartest wristwatches and wristbands, but now wearables are available in headgear, body wear and footwear as well. In the coming years, we can imagine how smart headgear is going to become smarter. The same has been happening with body gear and footwear as well. For example, athletes can track their performance using smart body gear, and footwear that would allow users to reach their workplace in half the time is becoming popular.
Vehicles that have Become Smarter
There is a shifting driver behavior, thanks to the connected vehicles that have been released in the past year. It is believed that 70 million connected vehicles are to be released in 2016. It means, you have driverless cars entering the roads. The automobile industry has always seen innovation, and paradigm shifts in technology. However, technology has been really fast in the 21st century and the pace at which innovations and inventions are taking place is definitely getting accelerated. Self-driving cars are the next innovation in the automobile industry. It aims to control traffic jams, avoid crashes and accidents, and generally make the commute easier.
Smart Homes
In the previous year, Apple and Google released several gadgets to make homes smarter. If all those products were in the nascent stage in 2015, you can expect them to become smarter and more efficient in 2016. And this means you get smart home appliances, fitness bands, smoke alarms, sprinklers and garage closers. The way you secure your homes is also becoming smarter where you have remote locks, smart electrical plugs and home device routing systems. Now probably, you can wait for another invention soon enough - devices that talk to each other. You already have smart security systems that can automatically lock and open themselves when you give a voice command even from a remote location.
Smart Grid Systems were Introduced as Part of IoT
With the introduction of Smart Grids, seamless connection of homes and businesses became possible. This was one of the biggest transformations that happened with IoT. As most of the newest products in IoT are intended for the consumer industry, smart grids are built to provide sustainable solutions for all your energy needs. The idea is to provide the highest quality energy at low costs, and with smart grids, this dream has been turned into a reality.
IoT is Reinventing the Retail Industry
The Internet of Things has started revolutionizing the retail industry as well. More than trillions of devices are being deployed to market products and goods. Whenever new innovations in technology come up, there will be something in it for the consumers, because they are constantly demanding something new to make purchases easier. IoT will make a tremendous impact in the retail industry. For example, it will cover:
- Asset management
- Product tracking/traceability
- Interactive consumer engagement
- Mobile payments
- Shopper intelligence
IoT is changing the way people shop and can revolutionize the way retailers conduct their business. Through interconnectivity between devices, it is possible for retailers to collect data required for their business and all the information they need for gaining insights are readily available. Smart devices have not only made online shopping easier, it has also become easier for retailers to keep their businesses secure in their brick and mortar buildings as well. Sophisticated motion sensors are placed at the entryway of shops to enhance security.
IoT is Revolutionizing the Healthcare Industry
Critical information is always passed down among doctors, and from them to patients to ensure quality health care. With health care providers adopting IoT, they have been able to use customer data to make critical decisions. Data collection has played a significant role in patient outcomes, improving and personalizing health care, even triggering lifestyle and behavioral changes before patients get affected by critical illnesses. The key in patient care is PGD or �patient generated data�. PGD is used in medical devices, wearable devices, evaluate outcomes, make changes in health-related outcomes that were not possible previously, track activities of patients, and so on. The following healthcare solutions are also possible with IoT:
Cloud-based hygiene system in hospital
In the past, doctors and patients were worried about acquiring infections from hospitals, mostly because of lack of hand hygiene. Now, with the help of RLTS technology or Real-time Location System, individual and staff interactions are monitored and sanitization rules are being followed.
Maintaining a central record of all information related to patients
Through IoT, hospitals maintain a centralized record of all their patients and any doctor located at any of the hospitals can access this information (if permission is granted). This can be quite helpful, especially when a patient gets referred to another hospital.
Researchers in medicine make use of IoT
Research results have been made more reliable and accurate, while shortening paper-based workflow considerably. Quantitative, standardized analyses of experiments have been introduced, making it easier and quicker to garner research results. IoT has emerged as the third wave in the field of internet development. It has made significant changes in personal lives and improved workplace productivity. And we have seen self-driving cars and highly sophisticated drones, now there are several others to watch out for. So, let us see what else will come up in IoT in the coming years! Interested in using IoT to transform your business? We can assist you!