The Internet of Things
How does the Internet of Things fit within the framework of previous Industrial Revolutions, and where is it today?
1. Introduction
We are now more technologically connected than ever before, between our friends, our working environment and the machines that operate beside us.
In this topic you will:
- Look at the Internet of Things (IoT), how it fits within the framework of previous Industrial Revolutions and where we are now today.
- Look critically at your relationship with technology and the speed at which the machines around us are adapting and reacting to our changing requirements.
- Think and reflect on the relationship that you have with technology and how this could evolve in the future.
2. Back to the future
In 1962, the Hanna-Barbera animation studio produced a sitcom called The Jetsons. Unlike their show The Flintstones which was set in the Stone Age, The Jetsons imagined what life might be like 100 years into the future.
But just how accurate was it?
Watch the video below then ask yourself if any of it has come true today.
✅ Poll
Read the following prompt then vote below. All responses are anonymous.
Thinking about the present day, are you positive about the development of technology in your life?
3. What is the Internet of Things (IoT)?
There are many definitions of the IoT, from a TechTarget version….
“The internet of things, or IoT, is a system of interrelated computing devices, mechanical and digital machines, objects, animals or people that are provided with unique identifiers (UIDs) and the ability to transfer data over a network without requiring human-to-human or human-to-computer interaction.
A thing in the internet of things can be a person with a heart monitor implant, a farm animal with a biochip transponder, an automobile that has built-in sensors to alert the driver when tire pressure is low or any other natural or man-made object that can be assigned an Internet Protocol (IP) address and is able to transfer data over a network TechTarget.”
…to a Techopedia version
“The IoT is significant because an object that can represent itself digitally becomes something greater than the object by itself. No longer does the object relate just to its user, but it is now connected to surrounding objects and database data. When many objects act in unison, they are known as having “ambient intelligence.”
We use it without thinking about what it is.
Watch this video to see a quick introduction to the IoT.
4. Disruptive technologies
Before we look at the IoT in detail it will be useful to place it within its historical context.
What happened in the past that created the building blocks for the Internet and now the IoT? How did it happen?
Industrial Revolution 1760–1840
Where we are now can be traced back to the start of the Industrial Revolution in the late 1700s in Manchester. Traditional manual labour was rapidly rendered obsolete through a number of key inventions. The automation of the textile manufacturing process started off with the creation of the Spinning Jenny, an automated spinning machine and the development of steam technology such as the Rocket Locomotive ensured that goods could be moved a lot quicker. Manufacturing moved from single households where a family controlled the weaving process to the factory where larger machines could be operated by one person. As disruptive example of technology there would be no turning back; the factories were about to arrive.
Internet revolution 1940–2010
Moving on from the the start of the Industrial Revolution you might think that the development of the Internet is a very recent event but you would need to go back to the early 1940s to see the beginnings of the Internet.
Ladies and gentlemen, we present the Memex!
Proposed as a concept by Vannevar Bush, and first published in 1945, the Memex (from “memory extender”) was Bush’s idea of a hypertext system, a sort of mechanised file and library.
“ A Memex is a device in which an individual stores all his books, records, and communications, and which is mechanized so that it may be consulted with exceeding speed and flexibility. It is an enlarged intimate supplement to his memory.
It consists of a desk, and while it can presumably be operated from a distance, it is primarily the piece of furniture at which he works. On the top are slanting translucent screens, on which material can be projected for convenient reading. There is a keyboard, and sets of buttons and levers. Otherwise it looks like an ordinary desk.” Dr Vannevar Bush, “As we may think”, The Atlantic, July 1945.
You can read more about Memex here.
Although a Memex was just a concept and was never actually made, in a reflection of society at the time its creator imagined it would only be used by “men”. Bush’s plans for his ‘memory extender’ demonstrate the start of the process that we are living through now, the immediate access to information at our fingertips.
💬 Contribute
Read the following prompt then add your contribution in the box below. Responses from the same person are the same colour. All comments are anonymous.
What are your thoughts on the Memex? Which examples of technology do you think it’s closest to, and why?
ARPNET — Advanced Research Projects Agency Network
Moving on from Memex in the 1940s the first official internet ‘message’ was sent from UCLA to Stanford Research Institute at 10:30 pm PST on 29 October 1969. This was sent via a network which became known as ARPNET.
The text of the first message was supposed to be “login” but it crashed the system and could only send “lo” !
The first stable ARPNET system was finalised on 21st November 1969 and was the forerunner of the Internet that we know today.
Unlike the multifunctional Internet we have today, the goal of ARPNET was clearly of a military nature. The definition used at the time says the role of ARPNET is…
“to exploit new computer technologies to meet the needs of military command and control against nuclear threats, achieve survivable control of US nuclear forces, and improve military tactical and management decision making”
In essence research computing was spread out across military and educational establishments, and ARPNET was able to bring these locations together virtually. Many people aren’t aware that the Internet’s origins were in the military. How do you feel about that?
What will the future hold?
Humans have been on a journey of discovery from the Industrial Revolution (often referred to as Industry 1.0), to mass production (Industry 2.0) to the Internet Revolution (Industry 3.0) we see around us. But what’s the next big seismic shift? Some people argue that Industry 4.0 and beyond will be underpinned by the Internet of Things and the collision of three variables, people, data and machines. Let’s take a look at this combination of variables in the next section.
5. People Data Machines
There are a 8.1 billion people on the planet and “over the next five years up to 2025, global data creation is projected to grow to more than 180 zettabytes”.
The image below demonstrates a 2023 breakdown of the data we are generating every minute on the multiple platforms that we use.
You can also access the first Data Never Sleeps 1.0 here to compare how data has changed over the last 10 years e.g. 10 years ago 2 million search queries were sent to Google and now its 5.9 million!
In combination with the increasing population and the data being created is the development, miniaturisation and cheapness of the sensors which are placed in all the machines that we and industry use. At a very basic level, this is the Internet of Things.
💬 Contribute
Read the following prompt then add your contribution in the box below. Responses from the same person are the same colour. All comments are anonymous.
Read the contributions in the comment stream below then add your own example of an Internet-connected device or sensor, a brief explanation about it, and what questions it might raise about the collection and use of data.
Rise of the Supercomputers
ASCI was a powerful supercomputer built in 1996 by the US Government at the Sandia National Laboratories. It cost $55 million, covered 1,600 sq feet and it was the first computer to break the one teraflop speed barrier, that’s one million million operations per second!
It was also the first supercomputer to be built from commercially available CPUs (Pentium Pros, Pentium II Xeons). The power it used on an hourly basis, 800 kilowatt per hour, would have powered over 800 homes.
Why is this important and why is interesting?
It highlights how expensive it was in 1996 to build a 1 teraflop supercomputer. In comparison to the ASCI, 17 years later in 2013 the cheaper, faster, and smaller PlayStation 4 (PS4) could be found underneath TV sets around the world as evidence that the pace of change in recent years has been exceptional.
The evolution of the PlayStation console
I’ve already mentioned the PS4, so it’s only natural as an avid gamer I’d use the PlayStation as an example of the speed of technological change!
In 2005 the PS3 had a power of 228 Gflops, cost $500 and sold 64 million units. 8 years later in 2013 the PS4 could reach speeds up to 1.8 teraflops, was cheaper at $399 and sold over 73.6 million units.
In 2020 the PS5 was launched and it has a theoretical potential of 10 teraflops and cost £449.99.
The PlayStation has certainly come a long way in a relatively short period of time but are you surprised that a gaming console sat under your TV can now outperform the mathematical power of a 90s supercomputer?
The PS5 launched at the end of 2020 but what about the PS6, or the PS10? How much more advanced will they be compared with the ‘stone-age’ PS1 or this year’s PS5? We will probably have a physical console for a while yet whilst the cloud is still unreliable for a lot of people.
Google Car (Lidar)
Another example of the reduction in cost and miniaturisation of technology can be seen in the LIDAR system used in autonomous car design. In 17 years it has dropped in price from 35 million dollars to 100 dollars!
The LIDAR system is now used by car manufacturers, agriculture, aerospace and has been included in the latest Apple phone. With the reduction in cost the technology becomes more pervasive in our everyday lives.
So what are machines using the sensors for ?
Machines are using sensors to communicate with each other and to communicate with us. As an example of what's called ‘Living IOT”, sensors were placed on Bumblebees to “explore an alternative, biology-based solution: integrate sensing, computing and communication functionalities onto live flying insects to create a mobile IoT platform” — so not relying on drones that are limited by a 20 minute battery charge. You can read the full article here.
If we think about how the sensors can be beneficial to us then we only have to see how many billions of devices they are embedded into. They are in all the objects you own that are connected to the network, they monitor your heart rate on your run, check your sleep patterns (are you getting enough REM sleep?), remotely turn your lights on, check your fridge has any milk left or let you turn the heating up when you are on the way home. These are examples that we can see value in.
There are also examples of the IoT having a more sinister and less beneficial aspect.
There are also some very strange examples as well…..
Technology roadmap
In the technology roadmap image (above) you can see all the different industry areas that the IoT currently covers and how pervasive it is across the world.
Is there anywhere the IoT isn’t?
With any Industrial Revolution there are many changes that take place both to the individual, their social/workplace environment and to the existing status quo. Is the Internet of Things any different to the previous disruptions such as the Industrial or the Internet Revolutions?
The lifecycle of these revolutions and how they effect us is a really interesting area to explore in your coursework.
A question that I think about is how will the job market change, what jobs will disappear and which new ones will be created? What does the relationship between employment and automation mean for the future? Will my job as a Teaching and Learning Librarian disappear? Will a robot be the new me? Will AI replace all that i can do? I certainly hope not :)
💬 Contribute
Read the following prompt then add your contribution in the box below. Responses from the same person are the same colour. All comments are anonymous.
How do you think the potential applications of the IoT could affect your future employment?
6. What do you think about the IoT?
In this post we have looked at how the IoT came about, what it is and some of the things it can do.
In this final activity you will be looking at the question below and posting your thoughts on whether you Agree or Disagree with it.
Depending on how and why it is used, the Internet of Things will either be a force for good or bad — do you agree with this statement?
Before we start the activity, let’s take this poll to see how you all feel about the IoT.
✅ Poll
Read the following prompt then vote below. All responses are anonymous.
“Depending on how and why it is used, the Internet of Things will either be YES a force for good or NO a force for bad.” Do you agree with this statement?
Discussion activity
In this activity we are going to use Padlet to build a discussion around a question.
“Depending on how and why it is used, the Internet of Things will either be a force for good or bad.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement and why?
Padlet is an educational tool where you can respond to a question and link to the supporting evidence that backs up your analysis
✍ ACTION: You will need to access the Padlet to take part in the activity.
- Go to https://bit.ly/46o6BJQ
✍STEP 1
1. Post your response to the question in the Padlet and link to the evidence that supports your response:
- In Padlet you can choose to add your response to the Agree column or the Disagree column or the Counter claim column depending on your point of view.
- Click on the + sign to add your response and include a link to the evidence that backs up your argument.
This is an example of the type of responses you could add in the Pros and Cons channel.
For: Yes there might be problems with the IoT but there generally is with every disruptive technology . I only think of the benefits of how it can help us and do the jobs that we don’t want to do. The IoT will be looking after our health in the years to come in a more sustainable way than currently exists.
Against: I know that the Internet of Things is here to stay but I can’t help but feel that the technology that we use now is already being exploited, hacked and misused and that it will only get worse as more devices become connected. It concerns me that my data isn’t safe.
✍STEP 2
Respond to a comment in the Agree or Disagree column by adding your response to the counter claim column.
- Read the comments.
- Add your response to the Counter claim column and link to the evidence to back up your argument.
Finally.
Read and reflect on the comments by other students on the topic.
- Read through the agreements, disagreements and counter claims in the discussion board.
- Has your perception of the IoT changed slightly, a lot, or just stayed the same?
✅ Poll
Read the following prompt then vote below. All responses are anonymous.
In this critical activity has your opinion changed or stayed the same on whether the IoT is either a force for good or a force for bad?
Further reading for inspiration
- 📖 IKEA has an ingenious plan to dominate the smart home market (website article). IKEA’s perfectly positioned to own the smart home. Its new smart blinds could signal the start of a big 2019 for the retailer’s smart-home ambitions… if it seizes the opportunity.
- 📖 Amazon asks Ring owners to respect privacy after court rules usage broke law (website article). A UK court has upheld an harassment claim after a neighbour complained about use of security cameras and doorbells. Are they infringing on our privacy?
- 📖 The IoT: Intrusive or Indispensable Objects? (longer read). Development and investment in the IoT promises a future that is radiant but which remains nevertheless to be discovered and which will reveal whether this was a revolution or a passing technological fad.
- 📖 How is the IoT world shaping up in 2021 and what trends will influence the future of IoT? (website article). Useful facts, figures and trends from across the web hint at the future direction of the IoT and how the pandemic impacted on it. What can we expect over the next few years.
7. Summary
We’ve looked briefly at the Industrial Revolution and the Internet Revolution, but what’s next? The Connectedness Revolution? The Information Revolution? The AI revolution? Where will Industry 4.0 and the Internet of Things take us?
The IoT blurs the boundaries between humans, technology, the Internet, data (both personal and public) and the physical world around us. Unless you’re a hermit living in a cave in the most remote part of the planet you can’t have failed to notice the speed at which technology is moving and the effect this is having on our daily lives.
Is the changing technological landscape a force for good or something to be feared? Do the advantages outweigh the dangers? Do you feel positive about the IoT, negative or somewhere in the middle?
In the present day we take it for granted that we’re able to video call our friends on the other side of the world while we’re walking down the street, but do we really need a kettle that knows to switch itself on when it senses we’re five minutes from home? Is that clever or just plain lazy?
And what of the data the kettle uses to trigger this action? Who owns it? Who has access to it? Is anyone using it without our consent? We’ll be looking at some of these questions in other Digital Society topics.
In this topic the Internet of Things you’ve been encouraged to think and reflect on the relationship that you have with technology and how this could evolve in the future. We hope we’ve given you food for thought.
