WHAT IS IOT?

The Internet of Things (IOT) is the network of physical objectsdevices, vehicles,

buildings and other itemsembedded with electronics, software, sensors, and network
connectivity that enables these objects to collect and exchange data. The IOT allows
objects to be sensed and controlled remotely across existing network infrastructure,
creating opportunities for more direct integration of the physical world into computerbased systems, and resulting in improved efficiency, accuracy and economic benefit when
IOT is augmented with sensors and actuators, the technology becomes an instance of the
more general class of cyber-physical systems, which also encompasses technologies such
as smart grids, smart homes, intelligent transportation and smart cities. Each thing is
uniquely identifiable through its embedded computing system but is able to interoperate
within the existing Internet infrastructure
British entrepreneur Kevin Ashton first coined the term in 1999 while working at AutoID Labs (originally called Auto-ID centers, referring to a global network of objects
connected to radio-frequency identification, or RFID). Typically, IOT is expected to offer
advanced connectivity of devices, systems, and services that goes beyond machine-tomachine (M2M) communications and covers a variety of protocols, domains, and
applications. The interconnection of these embedded devices (including smart objects), is
expected to usher in automation in nearly all fields, while also enabling advanced
applications like a smart grid, and expanding to the areas such as smart cities.
"Things," in the IOT sense, can refer to a wide variety of devices such as heart
monitoring implants, biochip transponders on farm animals, electric clams in coastal
waters, automobiles with built-in sensors, DNA analysis devices for
environmental/food/pathogen monitoring or field operation devices that assist firefighters
in search and rescue operations. Legal scholars suggest to look at "Things" as an
"inextricable mixture of hardware, software, data and service". These devices collect
useful data with the help of various existing technologies and then autonomously flow the
data between other devices. Current market examples include smart thermostat systems
and washer/dryers that use Wi-Fi for remote monitoring.
As well as the expansion of Internet-connected automation into a plethora of new
application areas, IOT is also expected to generate large amounts of data from diverse
locations, with the consequent necessity for quick aggregation of the data, and an
increase in the need to index, store, and process such data more effectively. IOT is one of
the platforms of today's Smart City, and Smart Energy Management Systems.

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HISTORY
As of 2013, the vision of the Internet of Things has evolved due to a convergence of
multiple technologies, ranging from wireless communication to the Internet and from
embedded systems to micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). This means that the
traditional fields of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks, control systems,
automation (including home and building automation), and others all contribute to
enabling the Internet of Things (IOT).
The concept of a network of smart devices was discussed as early as 1982, with a
modified Coke machine at Carnegie Mellon University becoming the first internetconnected appliance, able to report its inventory and whether newly loaded drinks were
cold. Mark Weiser's seminal 1991 paper on ubiquitous computing, "The Computer of the
21st Century", as well as academic venues such as UbiComp and PerCom produced the
contemporary vision of IOT. In 1994 Reza Raji described the concept in IEEE Spectrum
as "[moving] small packets of data to a large set of nodes, so as to integrate and automate
everything from home appliances to entire factories". Between 1993 and 1996 several
companies proposed solutions like Microsoft's at Work or Novell's NEST. However, only
in 1999 did the field start gathering momentum. Bill Joy envisioned Device to Device
(D2D) communication as part of his "Six Webs" framework, presented at the World
Economic Forum at Davos in 1999.
The concept of the Internet of Things first became popular in 1999, through the Auto-ID
Center at MIT and related market-analysis publications. Radio-frequency identification
(RFID) was seen by Kevin Ashton (one of the founders of the original Auto-ID Center)
as a prerequisite for the Internet of Things at that point. If all objects and people in daily
life were equipped with identifiers, computers could manage and inventory them. Besides
using RFID, the tagging of things may be achieved through such technologies as near
field communication, barcodes, QR codes and digital watermarking

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IMPACT
There are lots of ways the devices of the Internet of Things may affect the economy.
Connected mobile devices have already caused some disruption by allowing small
businesses and individuals to easily take payments without expensive registers or credit
card processing equipment; rather, all they need is an app on a typical tablet or
smartphone, a simple card reader and an Internet connection. Services from companies
such Square and Paypal process these payments, taking a small cut of each transaction.
The IoT is also poised to disrupt other industries, such as insurance, where the ability to
have sensors on just about anything can mean early detection of all kinds of risks and
dangers, and could allow them to reward customers for adopting these devices, or
penalize them for what they consider risky behavior (like speeding).
The IoT will further automate processes and increase efficiency, which will affect
companies' bottom lines. With embedded technology that can communicate conditions
immediately, there can be great reductions in waste of perishable goods, materials lost to
manufacturing issues, time lost to unexpected machine or system breakdowns, and
energy consumption, resulting in cost savings. The increased access to data that can be
gathered in real time can also lead to better and more timely business decisions.
Companies have been known to monetize data, and now they'll have even more.
The IoT should greatly increase other types of jobs, especially those related to the
gadgets themselves and the data they gather. This includes sales and maintenance of the
related hardware, development of devices and analytics software, and data analysis
(although some are working on programs to do a lot of the analytical heavy lifting). More
IT staff and customer service representatives might be needed for monitoring services
connected to a lot of these devices. The data centers necessary for cloud computing may
also have to expand or increase in number. Cisco estimates that the data created annually
by IOT devices will rise from 113.4 zettabytes (ZB) in 2013 to 403 ZB in 2018 [sources:
Cisco, McLellan].
Machina Research reported in April 2015 that the value of the Internet of Things was
around $900 billion in 2014, and they predicted it will rise to $4.3 trillion by 2024, an
amount greater than the economies of many countries. Some other analysts put the
potential value at $6.2 trillion by 2025 [source: Intel]. Getting on board with the Internet
of Things may take large IT investments from companies and require changes to business
processes, new equipment, and lots more Internet bandwidth, storage capability and staff
to deal with the new technology.

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HOW DOES IT WORK?

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COLLECTION
Devices and Sensors are collecting data everywhere.

At your home.
In your car.
At the office.
In the manufacturing plant.

COMMUNICATION
Sending data and events through networks to some destination.
A cloud platform.
Private data center.
Home networks.

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ANALYSIS
Creating information from the data.
Visualizing the data.
Building reports.
Filtering the data[paring it down].

ACTION
Taking action based on information and data.
Communicate with another machine[m2m].
Send a notification[sms,email,text].
Talk to another system.

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APPLICATIONS
The devices that contribute to the Internet of Things span personal, household, public,
business and industrial spaces, and any area that's not affected by them now likely will be
in the future. The smart gadgets that many of us see and interact with daily are our
Internet-connected smartphones, which have sensors including accelerometers,
gyroscopes, GPS and sometimes heart-rate monitors, but those are just the tip of the
iceberg.
In the personal-item sphere, we have wearable devices like fitness trackers and heart
monitors that use our phones to send and receive data. Smartwatches, like Apple Watch
and Pebble, perform those tasks and many more in conjunction with our phones. Sensors
and microprocessors on clothing aren't far behind (and are possible to create now with
sewable boards and sensors from Arduino and other companies). Even pets can be added
to the list of "things" we can add sensors to for tracking purposes. We also already have
cameras that send pictures to the Internet, scales that can share our weight on social
media, toothbrushes that monitor our brushing habits and gaming systems that listen for
verbal commands.
Some famous devices under IOT that are appreciated manifold are:
1. HAPI fork
2. Smart Egg Tray
3. Smart Pet Game
4. Smart Slow Cooker
5. Smart Gardening
6. Smart Socks
7. NOD

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ADVANTAGES

Information - Having more information helps in making better decisions.

Monitoring - Gives you the current update of data.
Time The amount of time saved due to IOT could be very large.
Money Knowingly or unknowingly, it always helps in saving money.

DISADVANTAGES
Compatibility - Currently, there is no international standard of compatibility.
Complexity - As with all complex systems, there are more chances of failure.
Privacy/Security - With all this IOT data being transmitted, the risk of losing
privacy increase.
Safety - We can never be sure of the machines, therefore it is in the hands of the
user.

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CONCLUSION
The Internet of Things is coming which brings us into a new era in which everything from
tires to toothbrushes can be identified and connected and things can exchange information
and make decisions by themselves. The communication forms will be human-human,
human-thing, thing-thing. Things will be the main traffic makers. People's life can benefit
from the Internet of Things. The future is bright but the way is hard. There still are many
technical issues need to be addressed and a long way to go to make a real global the
Internet of Things.

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REFERENCES
http://www.philforhumanity.com/Internet_of_Things.html
https://sites.google.com/a/cortland.edu/the-internet-of-things
http://computer.howstuffworks.com/internet-of-things.htm
https://www.google.co.in/search?q=internet+of+things&sour
ce=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwiCjOfar9_LAhV
T3GMKHeyEAMQQ_AUICCgC&biw=1366&bih=667
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_Things
http://www.slideshare.net/ValaAfshar/internet-ofthingsslideshare
http://giphy.com/search/internet-of-things

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