"In 1991, researchers at Cambridge University shared a single coffeepot among several floors. The researchers were frustrated by the fact that they would often climb several flights of stairs, only to find the coffeepot empty. They set up a video camera that broadcast a still image to their desktops about three times per minute — enough to determine the level of coffee in the glass pot. Several years later, that coffeepot had become one of the first Internet web cam sensations, with millions of hits worldwide. That coffeepot was a proof of concept for today’s networked objects and the Internet of Things." (HammerSmithgroup research report, 2010)
The idea of everything being connected to the internet is not new, but it’s increasingly becoming a reality. In 1999, the MIT Media Lab coined the term 'Internet of
Things' (IoT), which is essentially the concept of physical objects
connecting to the internet and becoming tangible social actors. In 2008, the number of things connected to the internet was greater than the number of people who were actually connected. There are 9 billion connected devices at present, and by 2020 that number is going to explode to 24 billion devices, according to new statistics released by GSMA, the global mobile industry trade group.
These stats are pretty impressive, but I think I should show you just a few quick examples of what the internet of things is doing to our objects...
- ThingM designed WineM, an intelligent wine rack that lets you identify which one bottles match the terms of your selection criteria.
- Botanicalls enables plant-human communications, with a sensor to measure moisture in the soil with embedded ethernet connection which sends tweets such as “Water me please,” “You didn't water me enough,” or “Thank you for watering me!”
- BodyTrace is a networked bathroom scale that wirelessly uploads users’ weight to the BodyTrace website, generating weight and BMI charts and recommendations from the data.
- GlowCap, a networked screw-on cap for a standard prescription bottle that wirelessly links to the Internet through an embedded sensor and transmitter. GlowCap address the problem of patients who forget to take their prescriptions.
I guess once we see where the concept of the Internet of Things came from and where this technology is headed, we need to look at the implications of it all... What are the stakes for possible users if
our objects can upload, download, disseminate and stream meaningful
things to the internet? How should we think of
our objects when they start producing information online more actively than we do? A coffeepot was connected to the Internet (before it was even
called the Internet) and provided information about its status
(long before there was Twitter)... where to now then?
Leave me your thoughts and comments below. Just want to say thanks for reading + commenting throughout this semester guys, it's been fun... Enjoy your holidays :)
Other Sources
http://theconversation.edu.au/the-internet-of-things-this-is-where-were-going-3965
http://gigaom.com/cloud/internet-of-things-will-have-24-billion-devices-by-2020/
The first thing that comes to mind is evil robots taking over the world. Like that episode of the Simpsons with the Y2K bug.
ReplyDeleteBut then I don't think the menial devices will ever catch on, at least not for many many years, because who seriously wants to hook, say a toaster up to the internet? I mean, I can see the positive implications of doing so, but how much more will it cost?
There are many positives, for example, buoys that detect tsunamis, fire detection towers, and even emergency buttons that alert an ambulance if someone is having a medical issue.
I think the future is the internet, however, I hope we won't all be just sitting in front of a screen all day for the rest of our lives!
I really don't see the point in having all these devices connected to the internet. The example with the coffee pot is a great example.. Get off your lazy arse walk down the stairs and see for yourself that the coffee pot is empty!
ReplyDeleteIt just seems to me that we are all getting a bit lazy and are beginning to rely too much on these technologies. Although the idea is great, fascinating and as Ben said it does have its positives but at the end of the day with everything connected to the internet what use do our brains have?
Great examples!! I'm still struggling to get my head around the whole idea of objects actively responding and tweeting on their own. I mean the Botanicalls idea is cool and all but I can't see it progressing past that stage. What more will a plant need?? Relationships, belonging, a can of coke etc. Then again I do see the implications...Not watering your plant will show that you're lazy, uncaring or forgetful and this information will be accessible to everyone. On the other hand keeping your plant happy shows positive qualities such as caring, timeliness and productivity. I'm very keen to see how the Internet of Things changes our lives.
ReplyDeleteI agree with Elise. I don't see the point of having certain devices connected all the time to the Internet and giving so much information. I don't think we need that much information about every-single-thing! It's not good to be connected all the time and knowing every single detail about things. If the world is one day like Ericsson's video...I would probably go crazy. I want things to be things and people to be people: the first ones don't talk and I don't need them to. No matter how they do it.
ReplyDeleteI'm going to agree with the others and say what is the point of connecting everything with the internet? I mean, some things would be cool, but something like my socks do not need to be connected. What will that do for anyone? The Ericsson video creeped me out to be honest and I don't think I want everything to be connected to the internet.
ReplyDeleteI too agree with everyone else and am wondering what will be the consequences of constant connectivity with everything around us in 20 years. I know this is a dystopian view, but do we really have to be told when to water a plant? what happened to common sense? I don't want to experience a constant feeling of paranoia that my plant may be thirsty and therefore hating on me?
ReplyDeleteI was talking to a guy doing his honours in psychology, focusing on the impacts of society needing to be constantly connected others. This topic reminded me of this immediately and to be honest, I am a little freaked out.
I agree slightly with Elise, in saying that it may be lazy of us to not walk up stairs just for coffee, however I would argue that perhaps now with there being talking gadgets and all, that maybe we will have more time for multi-tasking other jobs. We can put the mundane stuff down and focus on the career, or the family, or the human emotions that we so live by. Maybe I am a little naive to think that we can stay humans after such a drastic electronic change.
ReplyDeleteGreat post Olivia. I have thoroughly enjoyed reading all your blogs.
"What are the stakes for possible users if our objects can upload, download, disseminate and stream meaningful things to the internet? How should we think of our objects when they start producing information online more actively than we do?"
ReplyDeleteWhen you said that, it got me thinking about cars these days. How they are so advanced, they're bordering on being trains we just steer ourselves. Are we needed in a technological future? At what point will technology be using us, rather than us it. I can see how the Matrix got started...
And if more devices will be connected to the Internet, than there are humans on the face of the earth, and these devices are actively participating in discussions and decision making, we could effectively consider these devices as a new population.