As we all know, we are in an era of the fast development of sectors, technologies, infrastructures, and economies. This era is also known as the “Fourth Industrial Revolution” (2000-till date). We have gone through a process of three revolutions, which are the “First Industrial Revolution” (1760-1900) the revolution which coal, textile, steel and steam engines provided ways of making living more pleasant, “Second Industrial Revolution” (1900-1960) the revolution of oil, electricity, auto, metallurgy, and internal combustion systems and “Third Industrial Revolution” (1960-2000) the revolution of nuclear energy, robotics, auto, chemistry, and computers. The fourth industrial revolution is one that has many aspects, like green energy, 3D printing, genetic engineering. Though we will be talking about one aspect which is the internet of things and what it’s really about.
WHAT IS THE INTERNET OF THINGS?
Well, the internet of things has many definitions most are technical and some just logical, but all in all they mean the same thing. Internet of things is the process in which one can connect several devices, together on the internet to store up, perform certain actions or do both at the same time.
TYPES OF INTERNET OF THINGS?
You know people have the ideology, that all devices that work with the principles of the internet of things perform the same function. For example, I have a sensor that can measure weather conditions, traffic patterns, atmospheric temperature, and pressure e.t.c. these sensors are good examples of the internet of things that just gather and store data.
Another example there are certain devices that when used they perform certain actions, for instance, I press the automated keys of my car to unlock the car or I adjust the time I want my microwave to warm my food. This type of interconnectedness is based on components created to execute the actions.
In my last example, I have an alarm that is connected to my smartphone that has the data of my sleeping pattern, my route pattern to work and also my coffee maker in the kitchen. It will be able to access the perfect time for me to wake up and prepare for work on time, avoid congestion if my usual route is blocked and even brew my coffee at the right time which I leave the house. This type of connection is based on the other two types mentioned above.
So, in summary, we can say we have three types of the internet of things:
- The type that store data and sends it out.
- The type that receives information and acts on it.
- The type that performs both actions.
BENEFITS OF INTERNET OF THINGS
Internet of things cuts across various sectors which include farming, technology, manufacturing and medical to name a few. I will briefly discuss two sectors that prove to be a major game-changer and provide an efficient mode of operation.
The farming sector adopts the application of sensors that measures the soil temperature, water level and the fertility of the soil at that given time. We will be able to determine the perfect time to produce our crops, the quantity of water that will be needed and even if plants need to be watered because of weather conditions like rain, that will water it for that day and also know if the soil is fertile enough to provide the necessary nutrients for the crops to grow and produce greater yields with minimal cost of operation.
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The medical sector has been improved with the help of the internet of things which has created sub-sectors that helps with the improvement of health and lifestyle. An example of this would be genetic engineering which is the process of using biotechnological methods to restructure one’s DNA, damaged tissues and joints into a better one.
This revolution is moving at an exponential rate and not linear, which is disrupting various ways in which we operate and provide a more efficient way of doing things. I believe that this new age of the internet of things, 3D printing, genetics engineering, robotics e.t.c. is been created to make life better than it already is.
