The Internet of things is a concept where most of the devices we use on a daily basis are connected to each other and the internet. According to IDC, around 212 billion devices will be IoT enabled by 2020. There’s a revolution happening at the moment that involves connecting our physical and digital worlds. While IoT is still in its infancy, it’s time to think about the various great applications, especially with the devices that we already own.
Here is a list of the best applications of the Internet of things:
Home Appliances
The breakdown of home appliances can disrupt your life. These are usually too expensive to throw away and difficult to fix on your own. Relying on handymen is always the only option when your refrigerator or washing machine breaks down. IoT will help the technician to figure out the actual problem by diagnosing it remotely even before receiving a service call. The technician could even predict if some component is broken or about to break with the help of IoT sensors. This data can also help in the manufacturing of better products that are efficient and require less maintenance. This is one of the hottest applications of IoT with major brands like GE, Samsung having started launching smarter appliances that are easier to service.
Your Car
Smarter climate control adjustment and active air suspension seems like the first things we believe will be touched by IoT in cars. How about an audio system that understands your mood and can play personalised music? One of the best applications of IoT in your car would be in tracking energy and fuel usage to maximize efficiency. Servicing your car would be a lot easier too with the IoT sensors inside the car that helps technicians pin point the exact problem even without looking under the hood. Tesla already has a very sophisticated vehicle user interface with IoT features.
Some more IoT applications for cars:
- Monitor the distance travelled on your tires
- Get notifications when servicing is required
- Smart GPS tracking of your car at all times
Your Locks
The ability to control remotely, who enters your house, garage or car can be very convenient. By granting your family members, babysitters technicians or guests access to your locks can save you lots of time and a quick visit to home. This will not only result in convenient locks, but safer ones to be precise.
Your Pet
Who doesn’t want to keep track of the things they love? Keeping your pets safe and sound requires care and attention that the busy lives we lead has made difficult. Having the ability to track their location and health would be great applications of IoT and some of it are already out and being implemented. There are several companies that make GPS devices to track pets, but monitoring their health is an upcoming application. Fitbark is one such device you can check out.
Your Health
When the devices and appliances break, it’s one thing. But when our own health goes down, it’s totally different. One of the life changing applications of the Internet of things would be in the monitoring of various health aspects. And when we say this, it’s not just about activity trackers like Fitbit. It’s about specific aspects of your health like the blood pressure, heart rate, glucose levels and oxygen saturation. This level of monitoring will lead to a better quality of life for us in the very near future.
About the Author:
Jacob Koshy is a tech blogger who is passionate about newer innovations in technology like big data and the Internet of things. He manages the content marketing at PromptCloud. You can follow him on Twitter @jacobpkoshy
