Excerpt from the ITU Internet Report 2005 on the Internet of Things (Note: Slightly dated information)
Source: www.itu.int/internetofthings/
Internet of Things is a technological revolution that represents the future of computing and communications, and its development depends on dynamic technical innovation in a number of important fields, from wireless sensors to nanotechnology.
First, in order to connect everyday objects and devices to large databases and networks – and indeed to the network of networks (the internet) – a simple, unobtrusive and cost-effective system of item identification is crucial. Only then can data about things be collected and processed. Radio-frequency identification (RFID) offers this functionality. Second, data collection will benefit from the ability to detect changes in the physical status of things, using sensor technologies. Embedded intelligence in the things themselves can further enhance the power of the network by devolving information processing capabilities to the edges of the network. Finally, advances in miniaturization and nanotechnology mean that smaller and smaller things will have the ability to interact and connect. A combination of all of these developments will create an Internet of Things that connects the world’s objects in both a sensory and an intelligent manner.
Indeed, with the benefit of integrated information processing, industrial products and everyday objects will take on smart characteristics and capabilities. They may also take on electronic identities that can be queried remotely, or be equipped with sensors for detecting physical changes around them. Eventually, even particles as small as dust might be tagged and networked. Such developments will turn the merely static objects of today into newly dynamic things, embedding intelligence in our environment, and stimulating the creation of innovative eproducts and entirely new services. RFID technology, which uses radio waves to identify items, is seen as one of the pivotal enablers of the Internet of Things. Although it has sometimes been labelled as the next-generation of bar codes, RFID systems offer much more in that they can track items in real-time to yield important information about their location and status. Early applications of RFID include automatic highway toll collection, supply-chain management (for large retailers), pharmaceuticals (for the prevention of counterfeiting) and e-health (for patient monitoring). More recent applications range from sports and leisure (ski passes) to personal security (tagging children at schools). RFID tags are even being implanted under human skin for medical purposes, but also for VIP access to bars like the Baja Beach Club in Barcelona. E-government applications such as RFID in drivers’ licences, passports or cash are under consideration. RFID readers are now being embedded in mobile phones. Nokia, for instance, released its RFID-enabled phones for businesses with workforces in the field in mid-2004 and plans to launch consumer handsets by 2006. (more…)
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