The Internet of Things

Mark Roberti’s recent article on Ubiquitous RFID and Privacy, which talks about the concern one has for information abuses as the technology proliferates into everyday objects, got me thinking about The Internet of Things.

Lately, the Internet of Things has been all the buzz and is the connecting of everyday objects and devices to large databases and networks via RFID, GPS, Bluetooth, NFC etc. It will turn static objects into dynamic things, create intelligence in our environment and will dramatically change the way we live, interact and connect forever.

Politicians billed it as the next stage of development for technology-enabled living -- many governments around the world are now looking to building advanced IT-based infrastructures and ubiquitous information services into the urban spaces. With this comes the benefit of integrated information processing which industrial products and everyday objects will take on smart characteristics and capabilities. They may also take on electronic identities that can be queried remotely or be equipped with sensors for detecting physical changes around them.

RFID is probably the most mature and pivotal of these technologies with established standardization protocols and existing commercial applications. With new advances in technology, such as embedded RFID and nanotechnology, it means that smaller and a greater number of things will have the ability to be tagged and connected in a sensory and intelligent manner.

Internet of Things is a digital interplay of people, technology and e-governance with real and virtual environments. Imagine the future, sans flying cars and hot tub time machines, when public recycling bins use RFID to credit recyclers every time they toss in a bottle; pressure-sensitive floors in the homes of older people that can detect the impact of a fall and immediately contact help; cell phones that store identification records and can be used to pay at retail stores. Ubiquitous, convenient but when the data is used inappropriately for whatever reasons; it raises privacy concerns and the specter of a surveillance society. (They'll know whether I recycled my beer bottle?!)

If you want to find out more about the Internet of Things and XERAFY, check us out at our partner’s booth A127 at the 2010 Shenzhen International Internet of Things Technologies and Application Exhibition July 1-3.