The Internet has become a real breakthrough in human civilization. With its help, many new directions arose in the economy and social life. One of them is the Internet of things. What it is? What is its essence? Is it progress or not? We will consider all this in the framework of this article.
general information
From the wording it can be understood that the main object of interaction is things that have access to the network. It’s very difficult for many people to understand, the phrase itself is perceived as some kind of absurdity. But it is necessary to understand it as a "network of things." That is, many become hostages to a simple translation of the development name from English without adaptation to local characteristics.
If we talk about the Internet of things popularly, then it is understood as the concept of a space in which there is a combination of the digital and analog worlds. Thanks to this, our relations with objects are redefined, and their additional essence and properties are revealed. Under this concept is understood any virtual or real object that exists and can move in time and space.
Here, however, I want to ask a question how this relates to non-existent digital data, but practice will show everything. Indeed, this phenomenon is understood as a small number of sensors and devices that are connected by communication channels and connected to the Internet. Here we consider the possibility of integrating the real and virtual worlds, where people and devices act as equal sides of communication. This is what the Internet of things is. What is it, we examined, now let's pay attention to the study of the possibility of implementing this state of affairs.
Creating the prototype
The first person to offer something like this was Nikola Tesla. In 1926, he suggested that all things be united into a single whole via radio, which evolves to the position of the "big brain." At the same time, management tools will fit into your pocket. The world's first Internet item was created by one of the fathers of the TCP / IP protocol, John Romka, in 1990, when he connected his toaster to the network. The English version for designating this concept (Internet of Things) was proposed by Kevin Ashton. This happened in 1999. Then they created a center for automatic identification, thanks to which such a phenomenon became widespread. In 2008, the number of items connected to the network exceeded the number of people who have access to it. This is how the Internet of things develops to this day. Examples of this phenomenon will be given later in the text of the article.
Future use
It is assumed that it will be important for participants in business, social and information processes. Here things will act as active subjects of interaction. They will be able to “communicate” with each other, transmitting information about the environment, and also respond and influence the processes that occur in their controlled environment, without involving a person.
Build structure
The development of the Internet of things involves the creation of a clear framework for interaction, as well as the scale of influence. Some experts cite the following structure classification as a model:
- 1st level. Identification of each object is carried out separately.
- 2nd level. It is a service that serves human needs (as a private example, we can consider the system of "smart home").
- 3rd level. It is a service built on the concept of a smart city. It provides for the collection and processing of all information related to the inhabitants of the settlement, as well as certain areas, neighborhoods and houses.
- 4th level. Touch planet. It follows the example of the third level, but already on the territory of the entire planet.
How are IoT data transmitted?
For the interaction and communication of devices, it is necessary to use one language (method). Cisco carried out a thorough technical analysis, which revealed that IP technology can be adapted to the requirements of a new type of network. In this case, it means only a means of communication between different devices, while there is no need to speak of a single machine language yet. But even with such a start, it can be said that a complex array of individual pieces of equipment will still be standardized, and this will happen according to the same principle as it was with the Internet.
Technology
We have already examined what the Internet of things is, what it is and what amenities it can provide in the future. But how can this concept be implemented? At the moment, it relies on two technologies:
- Radio frequency identification. This is a method of object recognition, in which, thanks to the use of radio signals, the existing data is recorded and read. They are stored in transponders. This technology is well suited for tracking the movement of some objects, and it also copes with obtaining a small amount of information. In this case, you can give an example: the refrigerator has a reader. The products have special RFID tags. As soon as their expiration date comes to an end, we would receive a notification about this. In case the food runs out in the refrigerator, you can provide a person with a notification about this.
- Wireless sensor networks. In this case, it implies the presence of many sensors and actuators, which will be combined using a radio signal. The coverage area in this case can range from a few meters to a couple of kilometers. And all this will be carried out thanks to relaying messages between system elements. This vision has already been realized in solving a number of practical tasks that are related to monitoring, logistics, management and so on.
Implementation problems
The most important at the moment is the lack of standards. Therefore, there are significant difficulties in integrating the proposed solutions. It is also necessary to ensure the autonomy of all things. In other words, it is necessary to learn how to make such sensors so that they receive energy from the environment, and not from batteries. You should also take into account the risks posed by the presence of a global network through which the whole world can be controlled. Of interest is what the Internet of things without the Internet will be. After all, it will be enough an abyss of electricity - and all the developments may be unnecessary. Therefore, it will be necessary to provide power not only to small sensors, but also to processing systems.
Opportunities
But if you think so, almost everything has a negative side. Therefore, let's concentrate on the positive that the Internet of Things technology carries. So, its implementation can lead to the fact that:
- Items will constantly support the person.
- The transparency of the ongoing processes and the primary focus on the result will be ensured.
- The focus is not on the execution, but on the desired.
It is envisaged that control will be carried out using a small device, the role of which can even be played by a smartphone. Although it is even possible that for this purpose a device mounted in the head of a person will be used. But this is still a distant future. Although, who knows.
And what about the Russian Federation?
The Internet of things in Russia is not yet very organized. The first steps to streamlining it were made only in the fall of 2015. And the proposal to create a thematic consortium, the company "Rostelecom" made only in early spring. It should be noted that in this direction there are no leaders whose position would be undeniable. Therefore, theoretically there is every chance to break ahead in this industry. True, for the success of the enterprise it will be necessary to engage in its popularization, explaining to everyone what the Internet of things is. Photos, videos and various fact-finding exhibitions open to the general public can only help. Active propaganda in the media can also help this cause. It is necessary to arouse the interest of the population in high technology, invention. And in this case, significant financial injections are needed. Then we can expect that the investments that we make now will bring us benefits in the future.
Conclusion
So we examined what the Internet of things is. What it is and how it can theoretically be realized - there should not be any questions. It should be noted that promising technologies are constantly appearing in the world. The task of our state is to do our best to help those who are not afraid to experiment and create something new. It is necessary to provide comprehensive support for those who wish to work for the benefit of all mankind. But at the same time, you must not lose sight of the potential risks. So, with the development of the Internet of things, it will be necessary to seriously take care of information security. In addition, it must be borne in mind that such processes can have negative consequences for those who are prone to laziness (the likelihood of an increase in the number of such people is also considered high). Therefore, technologies should be implemented taking into account various factors in order to minimize the bad sides and at the same time maximize the good.