When driving the vehicle to work or any other destination, we can rely on the use of an application on the instrument panel of the vehicle or at least on our smartphone to guide us through the best way to get to the place of our choice, we can select options like avoiding tolls or highways if we choose to do so, and then all we have to do is follow the app’s voice guidance. Impressive! A) Yes; there are more applications than we can count on for a variety of related services to assist us in our daily activities.
Now imagine yourself driving away from home to a distant destination for your next vacation. Have an app that guides your journey and while you drive, check your vehicle’s fuel tank level and notify you of the nearest service station with the lowest prices for your preferred octane rating for your vehicle on the road to follow if necessary to, making sure there is enough gasoline in the tank to reach your destination; have the same app continuously checking tire pressure and overall vehicle condition, and provide alerts on any of these issues that require attention.
As you drive long hours on your commute, imagine that the app provides you with food and accommodation options based on your preferences, such as price range, bed and service preferences, or for vegetarian, Mexican, or Italian restaurants in the area, and that it provides you the best of all options. All you have to do is speak or touch the option of your choice on the screen and the app will complete the reservation for you and / or guide you through the new stop on your way.
How far into the future?
Some of these features we are enjoying today, but there are others that will be available very soon, it is a trend destined to grow exponentially, it will include many, if not all, of our imaginable needs on a daily basis. All these interactions is what is called the Internet of Things, it is certainly no longer something that happens in the future, but a reality of our present, and it is expanding quite fast.
Because it is important?
Just as the Internet is here to connect people, the Internet of Things is here to connect devices that can now interact with other groups of them, it is estimated that since 2008 there are more devices connected to the Internet than people. It is easy to assume and understand then why the importance of the Internet of Things and why we should care about knowing it and getting used to it as an integral part of our lives.
The Internet of Things aims to facilitate our activities and daily tasks by assuming some basic decisions on our behalf, where there is a network of devices that connect to the Internet to remove repetitive actions or to complete tasks learning from our condition and preferences. Those futuristic driverless cars we see in the movies are closer than ever to being a reality, let’s kick back and see more as they become available.
It is true that the IoT has just been born, there is much for all parties to learn and develop to make it grow in a structured and efficient way. To be fully achievable, its development must be thought to allow a connection between devices to be easy, a plug-n-play concept.
