Smart devices are the end result of the IoT. When the information from the internet is added to ‘stupid’ objects, they become more useful and more employable. IoT has different varieties: 1) you can let an object measure something and, based on that, take an unequivocal action, 2) you can also let an object interpret certain information and act accordingly, and 3) you can let an object understand data and set (new) goals independently.
The IoT revolves around the idea of making life easier. Most devices used for IoT learn from themselves, people and each other. This means that little to no human interaction with these devices is required. When we have more devices that can work together with other devices, even those from different manufacturers, we can automate many everyday tasks.
The Internet of Things will provide us with different benefits, such as more efficient processes, sales more focused on customers, better care and safety, and new services that make life more pleasant. It is expected, for example, that the IoT will improve production processes and will offer solutions for issues in fields such as energy, environmental and crime. The devices will be used in Smart Cities and Smart Homes. Over time, our energy consumption will decrease, we will waste fewer products and spend less money.
Your production lines must remain optimally available at the lowest costs. This means that downtime must be prevented. Usually we focus on periodic maintenance, but maintenance at that time may not be necessary at all, which means that the costs will be too high. If we can better predict downtime, then we can schedule maintenance at the right time; just before the moment that a standstill occurs. With the IoT we can easily read devices and record continuous readings from various sensors and other data. That’s why we can recognize trends, such as an increasing temperature. In this case we can convert these trends into predictive maintenance.
In essence, with the IoT we have given objects computing power and senses. They can take measurements of the environment and use the data to change their own settings and signal other devices to do so. Many of the objects perform actions based on Artificial Intelligence algorithms, which take place either within their own processors or on Cloud servers, instead of the if-then directions from the past.
