Today, when I mention the Internet in conversation, people know that I must be speaking about the World Wide Web, and that it is accessible from a computer, or Internet connected device, like your smart-phone. But, the Internet of Things will encompass everything from the shoes on your feet, to the chair you are sitting in as you read this article, and much more.
Equipping an everyday item with either the intelligence to ‘know’ about itself and communicate with the Internet, or giving it the ability to be named, and known, by the Internet, will have ramifications that cut across our society. From the mundane examples of your chair notifying the maintenance staff that it needs servicing, or perhaps your lost book lets you know that you left it in the conference room; to the extreme example of your sunglasses feeding you a constant stream of news from around the world. The network connected copier-scanner-printer in your corporate mail room already tells the staff when it is running low of paper and ink, but one day soon the bundles of paper might let you know that there are only ten of them left, and now you need to reorder.
As the idea of the Internet expands to include light bulbs, kitchen appliances, and doors; we will see a shift in what we consider the computer to be as well. Today I can buy a Chumby (see the cute little guy in the picture to the left) and put it on my nightstand. It’s an alarm clock, an Internet radio, a box with widgets flowing in over the Internet. I can check my Twitter account, my Facebook notifications and catch up on the latest news, weather and stock prices; and all before I roll out of bed in the morning. In the near future, this might all be embedded in your bathroom mirrors. So while you shave or put on your make up, you will read your blogs and watch a web cam pointing at a peaceful lake setting.
No longer will we think in terms of ‘getting on the Internet’, but rather the Internet will surround us at all times. Our cars will be connected via WiMax networks so that the continual stream of information follows us from home, to the office, and back again. The Cloud that we talk about will grow to include items and places, not just far off remote computing environments.
The Internet Of Things Cuts the Cord
Last week, Intel demonstrated a wireless power system to recharge batteries utilizing a magnetic field, this alone could enable electronic devices to remain connected to the Internet at all times. If you can remove the tether from the iPhone, from the Blackberry, from any device; they could be online at all times. Simply putting your phone, camera or laptop near a charging station will one day fill your battery to full. More than that though, we will see retailers offering charging stations on counter tops and tables as well. So you get a mocha and charge your iPhone while you enjoy it.
If you just step back and watch how fast technology is changing our lives, and how fast that technology is advancing itself, you will come to this realization: that the shape of things to come is drastically different than we can even imagine; and our imagination is good. In 1999 I was using Java, an open programming language developed by Sun, to do a lot of web development. Even back then Sun was pushing a technology to enable devices to communicate with each other across the network. That was almost a decade ago, and since then we have seen a huge advancement in these technologies. Now our devices are smaller, faster, require less power and are more durable. They are living in our products and contain code that allows them to upgrade themselves when needed. How cool is this stuff?
Links:
- International Conference for Industry and Academia - http://www.the-internet-of-things.org/
- Wikipedia Internet of Things entry - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_of_Things
- MIT Experimentally Demonstrates Wireless Power - http://web.mit.edu/newsoffice/
2007/wireless-0607.html - WiPower - http://www.wipower.com/
- Intel cuts electric cords with wireless power system - http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5jn6duu12s7ujb6ByZ1wuv389gooQ
- Kevin Kelly and the Next 5000 Days of the Internet @ TED - http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/kevin_kelly_on_the_next_5_000_days_of_the_web.html
Matt
matt at technologystory dot com
p.s.
Did anyone happen to see the movie Terminator? 
Tags: Blackberry, Facebook, Google, Intel, Internet, iPhone, IT, MIT, Twitter, widget, wifi, WiMax, wireless
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