Internet of Things (IoT)

Learning Outcomes
• Upon completion of this lesson, students will be able to:
• Describe the key concepts behind the Internet of Things (IoT)
• Explain the definition and usage of IoT systems in different contexts
• Gain knowledge about IoT applications across various segments
 A Brief History of IoT Technologies
• The concept of adding sensors and intelligence to physical objects was first discussed in the 1980s,
when some university students decided to modify a Coca-Cola vending machine to track its contents
remotely. But the technology was bulky and progress was limited.
• The term ‘Internet of Things’ was coined in 1999 by the computer scientist Kevin Ashton. While
working at Procter & Gamble, Ashton proposed putting radio-frequency identification (RFID) chips on
products to track them through a supply chain.
• He reportedly worked the then-buzzword ‘internet’ into his proposal to get the executives’ attention.
And the phrase stuck.
• Over the next decade, public interest in IoT technology began to take off, as more and more
connected devices came to market.
• In 2000, LG announced the first smart refrigerator, in 2007 the first iPhone was launched and by
2008, the number of connected devices exceeded the number of people on the planet.
• In 2009, Google started testing driverless cars and in 2011, Google’s Nest smart thermostat hit the
market, which allowed remote control of central heating.
 What is the Internet of Things
(IoT)?
• IoT is a network of interconnected objects
(things) that are embedded with sensors,
actuators, software, and other technologies for
the purpose of connecting and exchanging data
with other devices and systems over the internet.

• IoT is the intersection of the

Internet, Things and Data.
 What is the Internet of Things
(IoT)?
• After excluding computers and
handheld devices (e.g., cellphones
and tablets), there are 16.5 billion
connected things in 2020
worldwide
• IoT collects that data from millions
of sensors embedded in everything
from cars, to refrigerators, to space
capsules
 IoT - Historical Perspective
Yesterday Today Today/Tomorrow
local Area Networks (LAN), Static Wireless Mobile, ubiqitous Machine to machine (M2M), Internet of
services (email, web) Internet access, Cloud Mobile Things (IoT), Smart World services
Services & Resources

Evolution
 IoT Domains
• With sensors becoming increasingly ubiquitous, there is tremendous potential
for innovative IoT applications across a wide variety of domains

Smart
Predictive Automated Grid
Safety and
Maintenance Transportation
Security
Smart
Home

Precision Health
Inventory
Smart Agriculture
Military Management
City
 IoT is Everywhere: From Home to Work

- Automated Transportation
- Smart Farming
- Smart Surveillance Cameras
- Thermostats
- Baby Monitors
- Smart TVs
- Refrigerators
- Children’s Toys
- Automatic Light Bulbs
 IoT sensing: more sensors than ever
- Pervasiveness of Sensing devices (digital data)
• E.g. current smartphones are equipped with a number of embedded sensors

- A Mobile Smartphone can provide a lot

of context information about you and
your activities:
- your mobility (even wthout GPS)
- your movement between floors in a building
- Your speech
- Your contacts
- Your interaction with other objects
Four Main Components of IoT Systems

Sensing Communication Computing Acting

IoT Systems
 IoT sensors and Actuators
• Sensor: a connected device enabling the sensing
of physical parameters of the scenario or
controlled environment, whose values are
transformed into digital data.
• Actuator: a connected device enabling the
activation of actions on the controlled
environment.
• Controller: a connected device implementing an
algorithm to transform input data in actions.
• Smart things: digital devices providing service
functions realized by the synergy between
sensors, actuators and controllers (possibly
implemented by local/distributed execution
platforms and M2M/Internet communications).
 IoT Characteristics
Pervasive Connectivity Heterogeneous Scalability
• IoT devices are • Networks exist on • Many technologies • Order of magnitude
Ubiquitous much smaller and interact with each higher than current
• Embedded cheaper scale other Internet
everywhere

Sensors Active Engagement Small Devices Intelligence

• IoT loses its • IoT introduces a • IoT devices have • IoT enhances every
distinction without new paradigm for become smaller, aspect of life with the
sensors active content, cheaper, and more power of data
• Sensors transform product and powerful over time. collection, artificial
IoT from a passive service • IoT exploits small intelligence and smart
network of devices engagement devices to deliver its networks
into an active precision, scalability,
system and versatility
 Advantages of the IoT
Improved Customer Engagement and Decision making Efficiency and lower operating costs
• Transform passive engagement into vibrant and active • Use cheap technology to lower the operating expenses
engagement with users and promote energy conservation
• Gain insight into potential new products and service • Monitor the performance, quality, and reliability of
• Deliver post-sales services efficiently products and services

Reduced Waste Technology Optimization

• Make areas of improvement clear • Improve customer experience and better understand
• Provide real-world information leading to the more product use
effective management of resources • Unlock the world of critical functional and field data
• Deliver revenue-generating post-sales services

Enhanced Data Collection New business opportunities

• Collect sensing data from the right places in the right • IoT provides the the ability to collect data from the
times network and use advanced analytics to uncover new
• Remote troubleshooting of products business insights and opportunities
 Disadvantages of IoT
Network security Data privacy
• IoT creates an ecosystem of connected devices • The sophistication of IoT provides substantial personal
communicating over networks which leave users exposed data in extreme detail without the user’s active
to various kinds of security attacks participation

Complexity Flexibility
• IoT systems are complicated in terms of design, • IoT systems are flexible in integrating easily with each
deployment, and maintenance other, which may cause conflicts between different
• IoT often uses multiple technologies and a large set of vendors or locked systems
new enabling technologies

Compliance Unemployment
• IoT technology must comply with regulations • The wide-use of IoT will result in a significant loss of
• IoT complexity makes the issue of compliance seem mundane jobs
incredibly challenging • IoT will have a devastating impact on the employment
prospects of less-educated workers
 IoT in Agriculture: Smart Farming
• By using IoT sensors to collect environmental, farmers can make informed decisions,
and improve every aspect of their work – from livestock to crop farming.
 How is IoT Shaping Agriculture?
Smart Agriculture Sensors Cost Management and Waste Reduction
• E.g. weather conditions, soil quality, crop’s • Monitor anomalies in the crop growth or
growth progress or cattle’s health. livestock
• Data can be used to track the state of the • Mitigate the risks of losing the yield
agriculture field as well as equipment • Lead to higher revenue.
efficiency.

Process Automation Enhanced Product Quality and Volumes

• Increase business efficiency through • Achieve better control over the production
process automation process
• By using smart devices, farmers can • Maintain higher standards of crop quality
automate multiple processes across your and growth capacity through automation.
production cycle
• E.g. irrigation, fertilizing, or pest control.
 Monitoring Climate Conditions

• Weather stations combine various

smart farming sensors
• Weather stations collect various data
from the environment and send it to
the cloud
• These measurements can be used to
map the climate conditions
• It can be also used to choose the
appropriate crops, and take the
required measures to improve their
capacity (i.e. precision farming)
 Greenhouse Automation

• The use of IoT sensors enables farmers

to get accurate real-time information
on greenhouse conditions such as
lighting, temperature, soil condition,
and humidity.

• Weather stations can automatically

adjust the conditions inside the
greenhouse to match the given
parameters.
 Crop Management

• Crop management devices, just like

weather stations, can be placed in
the field to collect data specific to
crop farming such as temperature,
leaf water potential, overall crop
health, etc.

• Farmers can monitor their crop

growth and any anomalies to
effectively prevent any diseases or
infestations that can harm the yield
 Cattle Monitoring and Management
• IoT agriculture sensors that can be
attached to animals on a farm to
monitor their health and log
performance.
• Livestock tracking and monitoring help
collect data on stock health, well-being,
and physical location.
• Such sensors can identify sick animals
so that farmers can separate them from
the herd and avoid contamination.
• Using drones for real-time cattle
tracking also helps farmers reduce
staffing expenses.
 Agricultural Drones

• Also known as UAVs (unmanned

aerial vehicles), drones are better
equipped than airplanes and
satellites to collect agricultural
data.
• Drones can also perform a vast
number of tasks that previously
required human labor such as
planting crops, fighting pests and
infections, agriculture spraying,
crop monitoring, etc.
 IoT Wearables
Wearables’ Characteristics Connectivity

• Small electronic devices • Wearable devices are not always connected to the
• Comprised of one or more sensors Internet
• Associated with clothing or worn accessories, such • Offer connectivity, such as Bluetooth- or NFC-
as watches, wristbands, glasses, and jewelry (Near Field Communications) based connectivity
• Have some sort of computational capability to smartphones
• Capture and process data about the physical world • Connect to smartphone applications
• Some presenting data in some sort of display

IoT Wearables

• Adding information & value to wearables'

capabilities
• More sensors and functionalities
• Integration with services and data provided by
other devices (including other wearables)
 IoT Wearable System

Input Device Display Device

Com port VGA out

Frame grabber

Network card
Wireless
Network
Video Camera Main Unit

Parallel port Back plane

Low Power Indicator Power Supply

Wearables Functionalities and Application
Areas

Sensors Consumer-oriented Non-consumer-

applications oriented applications
• Light • Fitness and sports • Defense and
• Sound • Fashion and security
• Speed/acceleration apparel • Manufacturing and
• Humidity • Home automation industry
• Temperature • Gaming • Healthcare
• Accelerometers
 Wearables Examples
Apple Watch Sensoria Fitness T-shirt Adidas Smart Run

• Includes a heart rate • Comprised of • Wrist device that

sensor, GPS, and an embedded textile monitors the wearer's
accelerometer sensors heart rate and
• Fully integrated into • Enables tracking of location data
the Apple ecosystem heart rate • Blended into Adidas
miCoach system
 Wearables Examples
FitBit’s Flex Google Glass Nike+ Sportwatch

• Sleek wristband • Head-mounted • Measures the

• Provides real-time wearable computer distance traveled
statistics on a user's • Projects a • Measures pace and
daily fitness activity transparent screen speed of the
in front of the user’s wearer's run
field of vision
 Wearables Examples
Samsung’s Galaxy Gear Sony Core Garmin SmartWatch

• Android-based smart • Wrist-worn • Built-in sports apps

watch waterproof wearable • Smart scales with
• Synchronizes with a smart band with a wireless connectivity
cellphone to achieve built-in sensor • Enables a more active
smartphone-like • Records activity levels lifestyle
capabilities throughout the day
 IoT Applications Development Process

Focus on Rapid Developing

Initiate
application deployment, product
Analyze sensory Create an IoT engagement
development monitoring, and features and
architecture vision and employee
and modification embedded
communication
infrastructure planning sensors
 IoT Applications - Smart City

Urbanization Demographic changes Changing lifestyles Climate change

• Urban population • Number of seniors • Changes in family • Climate changes &

worldwide amounts aged 60 or over is patterns global warning
currently to the fastest growing • New habits in work • Policies for efficient
approximate segment of the and mobility, e.g., use of water, energy,
4.1 billion people population at a rate tele-working, and other resources
• Expected to double of 3.26% vehicle sharing, & • Measures for
by 2050 • Decline in infant renting sustainable growth
• Resource depletion; mortality & high • Need for novel
need for efficient fertility urban services in
management of • Proliferation of the support of these
resources younger population changes
• Exclusion, • Need for
inequality, and rising employment
insecurity opportunities
challenges
 Smart Cities and IoT

Smart Cities are empowered by Relevant IoT technologies

IoT technologies • Connectivity: WiFi, 4G/LTE, 5G
• Empowers internet-based connectivity • Devices interaction: IoT middleware
across devices • Scalable processing: Cloud computing
• IoT will generate up to $11.1 trillion a • Data processing: Data mining, Data
year in economic value by 2025 analytics, BigData
• Smart cities are one of the IoT settings
with the highest business value
 Smart City Development Model

Phase 1: Digital Phase 2: Services Phase 3: Services

Infrastructure Development Integration & Citizens
• Broadband networks • Smart Energy, Smart Participation
• Sensor networks Transport, Urban Mobility • Integration and reusability
• Public Open Data • Stakeholders of data & services
• Certification & validation Involvement • Citizen engagement
of infrastructures • "Smart City" • "Integrated Smart City"
• "Digital city"
 IoT in Healthcare
Patient Monitoring
• Sensors collect patient data
• Microcontrollers process,
analyze, and wirelessly
communicate the data
• Microprocessors enable rich
graphical user interfaces
• Healthcare-specific gateways
through which sensor data is
further analyzed and sent to
the cloud
 IoT and Clinical Care

Target Benefits Implementation

• Replace the process of having a • Improve quality of care • Constant monitoring using IoT-
health professional come by at • Lowers the cost of care by driven, noninvasive sensors
regular intervals to check the eliminating the need for a • Collect comprehensive
patient’s vital signs caregiver to actively engage in physiological information
data collection and analysis • Uses gateways and the Cloud to
analyze and store the information
• Send the analyzed data wirelessly
to caregivers for further analysis
and review
Connected Car and IoT Transport
Sensors
— An economy cars: more than 200 sensors (brakes, belts, air bags, doors, etc.)
— A luxury car: more than 600 sensors (A/C, ABS, lights, radar, road conditions, etc.)
— 70 sensors just in the engine of a 2005 Ford Focus (today 15X w.r.t. 15 years ago)
— Vehicle safety and comfort has improved via sensors and actuators

The vehicle’s automatic control (beyond driver) is more

likely a “nervous system” reacting to possible problems, Image source: Beaudaniels-illustration.com
obstacles and contributing to comfort and safety
 Connected Car and IoT Transport
Sensors

Source: Application Developers Alliance, “Internet of Things: Automotive as a Microcosm of IoT”, White Paper, 2019