IoT, the HOT new trend in Technology

The Internet of Things is defined as A proposed development of the Internet in which everyday objects have network connectivity, allowing them to send and receive data.

With all the hype of IoT, especially when everyone wants everything to be automated, people tend to focus on the wild possibilities of this technology and on the drastic changes it can have on our lives. But we have to be reasonable and take a step back first to gain a better understanding behind M2M (machine to machine) technology and not to expect too much on having our I Phones use WiFi to drive our auto-mobiles any time soon.

For starters, let’s look at the fundamental hardware for IoT technologies. A great example would be Arduino, where it was first developed in 2004 and now is commonly used as an open-source single board micro-controller which equips users with the necessary hardware components including boards, shields, kits and accessories to build their own IoT product. With such tools, you can even make your own wireless alarm clock with Arduino. (Source: http://lifehacker.com/build-a-wireless-alarm-clock-with-an-arduino-1709065366).

Also, remember earlier on when I mentioned that using your smartphone to drive your car is kind of unforeseeable in the near future? Well, as of now we are making baby steps towards such an innovative moment by using smartphones to up our garage doors. Using a website hosted by an Arduino, the Arduino is connected to a wireless network which allows our smartphones to connect to a webserver and then activate a garage door open.

Another brand of hardware model you would like to know of is the Kinoma platform which creates a DIY construction kit for prototyping electronic devices. The tool kit is manufactured by Kimona Studio which is the development environment that works with Create and the Kinoma Platform Runtime. Another platform of the brand, the Kimona Connect, also provides a device app platform that allows you to produce iOS and Android apps that links smartphones and tables with IoT devices.

Moving on to operating systems, recently at an I/0 2015 developer conference held in San Francisco, Google has announced Brillo, its definitive operating system for IoT devices. Brillo will be the latest operating system to be used to connect devices created by Android and Nest labs. Furthermore, with Brillo being a huge part of Google’s IoT push, the company will be using Weave, which is a common language that will allow devices running on Brillo, Android OS, and the Internet to talk to each other. (Talking would mean the different operating systems under Google will be compatible to support each other’s Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and various other networks)

Too bad for iOS users though. However, Google is not the only big player interested in connecting IoT devices. Samsung has inform the masses that in 5 years, the products they produce from vacuum cleaners to smartphones, will be IoT equipped and have a form of internet connection.

Unfortunately, one of the biggest issues for all practical IoT devices now is the lack of interoperable standards among the different devices. It boils down to formatting, as when your home theatre system is unable to seamlessly communicate with your curtain shutters which is because each of it uses its own proprietary software.

On the other hand, for OEM's (Original Equipment Manufacturer), Google are doing their best in ensuring that all their IoT devices will be able to connect automatically. If a manufacturer is utilizing another OS to run their devices, Google is working on a compatibility library to connect Brillo devices over Weave.

On an ending note, Sudar Pichai, (then Vice President of Google) currently CEO of Google made this statement during the I/0 2015 developer conference, which perhaps sum up what we can expect on IoT devices in the very near future. Parking meters, airport kiosks, farm equipment. Google wants to make sure it is the backbone of its future, where we provide software tools for devices to communicate with one another. For the first time, we are bringing a comprehensive end-to-end solution. And we hope we can connect devices in a seamless way.

At least he didn't mention any remote controlled vehicles using a wireless connection. Imagine what the crowd would think.