In recent years, opportunities to hear “IoT” have increased. IoT, which connects things and the Internet and contributes to developing a wide range of fields, is spreading rapidly globally.
Furthermore, IoT is a technology that is deeply related to the SDGs. Those who are interested in SDGs will want to know these words.
First, let’s look at what kind of technology IoT is!
What Is IoT?
IoT is an abbreviation for “Internet of Things“. It is a technology that leads our lives and society in a better direction by connecting things like things to the Internet.
Furthermore, IoT is expected to create new services and business models in various fields such as factories, medicine, agriculture, cities, transportation, electric power, shipbuilding, and construction.
For example, a smart speaker is one of the things where IoT is used. The smart speaker will play automatically when you say “play music”, so you don’t have to move and turn it on!
In this series of trends, Smart speakers
- Find the purpose (instruction) by voice recognition
- Use natural language processing to understand and execute content
We do both of these things automatically!
Speech recognition and natural language processing were not installed in conventional speakers but were realized by connecting to the Internet.
In addition to playing music, the possibilities are expanding, such as connecting to other home appliances and turning the power on and off by voice.
ALSO READ: What Is Scraping Technique And How It Is Used
Why Is IoT Attracting Attention?
The concept itself originally existed around 1999, but the background that started attracting attention was
- cost
- technology
- Society
Cost Change
As IT technology began to permeate society and people’s lives, many services and devices were mass-produced, leading to cost reductions.
The principal cost reductions are:
Hardware Manufacturing Cost
- Increased demand for hardware such as personal computers and smartphones has made it possible to produce small, high-performance communication devices and sensors at low cost.
Communication Cost
- High-speed data communication
- Transmission of large amounts of data is also possible
- Major carriers have launched plans dedicated to IoT, keeping power consumption low and allowing radio waves to be sent over long distances
- Low cost due to the development of communication technology. A secure communication environment has been established even though IoT products
Data Management Costs
- Emergence of the cloud
- Data output by many IoT devices can be accumulated
- AI can analyze accumulated data
Technological Change
In terms of technology, there have also been significant changes in terminals, networks, and data analysis technology.
Sensor Technology
- Various sensors (touch, acceleration, earth axis, etc.) have been developed and spread, giving birth to a wide variety of sensing technologies
- Terminal/system technology
- With the spread of credit cards, security management systems have evolved
- Semiconductor technology that guarantees data security has also evolved
- As a result, the development of semiconductor chips and infrastructure design required for IoT devices has progressed
- Advances in battery management technology to minimize device power consumption
- Devices have become smaller and can be used for a long time
Network Technology
- Development of wireless communication technology that connects devices and servers
- Wi-Fi and Bluetooth spread ・Infrared communication, ZigBee (*), etc., and communication between devices is increasing ・Simplified connection between devices
Web/Application Technology
・Easy development of APIs and web services that exchange data with devices
Data Analysis Technology
・Development of a data platform for analyzing vast amounts of data received from a wide variety of sensors
・Distributed processing of large amounts of data is also possible
Changes In Society
The social changes that triggered the spread of the Internet and IoT
Spread Of Smart Devices
- By connecting individuals to the Internet, it has become possible to process a large amount of information.
- The sense of discomfort with being constantly connected to the Internet has diminished.
- Personal information has begun to be used for business.
- Information value has risen.
- There is a trend in society that seeks value in the information obtained through IoT.
Diversification Of Funding
- The hurdles from fundraising to hardware manufacturing and sales have been lowered for individuals and small organizations. As a result of making data, analysis is also possible
- For reasons (1) and (2), IoT is recognized as necessary, and it is expected that a lot of funds will be raised when expanding the system in the future.
Giant IT Companies Enter The IoT Field
- Major IT companies Apple and Google provide development environments for “smart homes,” “health care,” and “connected cars.”
- Progress in developing the above fields will lead to developing products and software that utilize IoT.
This way, various changes will overlap, IoT will attract attention, and demand will continue to increase.
