The IoT of today

It is a cliché to declare how fast Moore's law is changing our technology-rich world and how connected our devices, social networks, even bodies, cars, and other objects are becoming.

A useful way to think of IoT technological progression is what happens when the network extends not to the last mile or last inch endpoint but to the last micron, where virtual and digital become physical. Whether the network extends to a motor servo controller, temperature sensor, accelerometer, light bulb, stepper motor, washing machine monitor, or pacemaker battery voltage monitor, the effect is the same: the information sources and sinks facilitate monitoring and control functions between our physical and virtual worlds. In the case of the IoT, the physical world is a direct component of the digital information, whether acting as subject or object.

IoT technology is being rolled out across many industries today. In Europe, for example, the Alliance for Internet of Things Innovation (AIOTI) (see https://aioti.eu ) has designed a set of pilot projects that focus on demonstrating real-world use cases of the IoT in action. These pilots are described in the following table and show the reach and potential impact of the IoT on our daily lives. The IoT is much more than consumer toys connected to the internet. IoT systems are progressing towards making a real difference in the well-being of the population and increased productivity in the business environment:

The impact that the IoT is having on the transformation of industry capabilities is significant. It becomes clear that, as we begin to rely on these technological improvements, the impact of denying or tampering with these services becomes substantial. Each of these systems must be developed with security and resilience in mind. Next, we discuss additional IoT ecosystems that are beginning to add value to our everyday lives.