The Internet of Things is the idea of connecting many objects to the internet, sharing information to automate and optimize tasks.
How does the Internet of Things work?
The Internet of Things connects devices that weren’t connected to the internet before. These devices need sensors to collect data about the environment and how they are used. All this data is transmitted to the cloud.
The devices can connect to internet through cables, with an Ethernet network, or by wireless technologies like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and mobile networks 4G and 5G. The connectivity depends on IoT application network. The data on the cloud is processed by software and shown to the user by tables, graphics, and numbers on computers, tablets, and smartphones. The user needs an application to see the interface with information about the state of connected devices.
The role of artificial intelligence
The device linked to IoT generates a huge quantity of information, that becomes Big Data. Artificial intelligence and learning machine algorithms are necessary to find more useful information, detect problems, make predictions, send notifications, and control actuators to make the necessary adjustments. Some applications use natural language processing to identify voice commands and writing.
Some applications of Internet of Things
- A car with GPS can indicate to the driver where there is a traffic jam and the shortest route to arrive at a destination.
- The Internet of Things is one of the main components of Industry 4.0. The machines are connected to a network for better planning, to detect and correct problems. To obtain a more efficient production.
- On residences, illumination, temperature, energy consumption, alarms, and home appliances can be monitored by the user through a smartphone and automatically controlled by an application at distance.
- In agriculture, sensors linked to an IoT platform monitor the soil conditions, plant and animal health, the terrain through drones, etc. All this information is transmitted to an application, where it’s also possible to see the weather conditions.
