A common and popular vision of the “Internet of Things”—which I loosely define as the connection of billions of physical objects to the Internet through the use of low-cost sensors—is the example of an alarm clock smart enough to read your schedule, review the latest traffic and weather reports, and then communicate this information to your coffee maker in such a way that you’ll be able to maximize your sleep while still getting to work on time with a piping hot cup of java in your hands. This vision of the future is entirely possible but it sells short the true potential of the Internet of Things (IoT).
A more comprehensive vision is one where a world of inexpensive sensors—embedded in everything from your eating utensils and pajamas to your mattress and home lighting system—work in concert to monitor and measure everything from your diet to your sleep behavior, and then use this information to modify your actions in beneficial ways. For example, the system could tell you to reduce the amount of caffeine you consume after 6pm as well as train your bedroom lights to gradually increase their brightness the precise moment you come out of REM sleep.
The two scenarios might not seem that different but I’d argue that they are and the difference hints at the broader potential of the IoT. In the first example, sensors are collecting current information to modify present behavior. In the latter scenario, a myriad of sensors still collect information from present activities and actions but they now combine it with detailed records from your past behaviors to help shape a healthier, happier and more productive future. In other words, you’ll still get to work on time but in the future you’ll do it in a way that not only leaves you feeling refreshed for the day but healthier for the long term.
Here then are nine additional and unexpected ways the Internet of the Things may modify the future:
1.
A New Literacy for the 21st Century.
For the better part of the past three decades, educators have rightly placed an increased emphasis on computer literacy. Due to the IoT, however, the tide will turn away from making humans “computer literate” and instead toward making technology more “human literate.” One the acronym sure to become more prominent in the future is “IfTTT”. It stands for If This Then That and it hints at how technology—with the help of sensors—will start getting out of our way and begin doing what we want.
GLOBAL FUTURIST
10 UNEXPECTED WAYS THE
INTERNET OF THINGS
WILL OPEN UP A
FUTURE OF OPPORTUNITY
JACK ULDRICH
Jack Uldrich is a renowned global futurist, independent scholar, sought-after business speaker, and best-selling author.
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