Wearable technology, a smart traffic cone, and AI machine learning are just some of IoT’s most innovative achievements. It is quickly escalating to become a crucial tool in almost any industry.
Whether it is healthcare, construction business, or retailers, IoT can increase productivity and efficiency while saving time and money. Let’s take a look at the hottest IoT technologies to watch for in 2021 and beyond.
Predictive Maintenance
IoT is changing the way people do predictive maintenance. Now you can have numerous sensors monitoring industrial equipment, your home water supply, heating, and electricity.
These devices send real-time data to a software that can analyze it and detect malfunctions or failure quickly. Furthermore, it sends a warning through an app so technicians can repair and replace components to prevent loss.
IoT is capable of processing vast amounts of data and analyzing it. It doesn’t only take into consideration the condition of the machine, but also its environment. Predictive maintenance can improve the machine’s lifespan, achieve higher productivity, and save money in the long run.
Blockchain
Considering the tremendous amount of data IoT has the collect, the data security becomes one of the biggest challenges for the IoT industry, but the blockchain is becoming the solution. It will play a massive role in how IoT devices transfer information between each other.
Blockchain is designed as a foundation for applications involving transactions and interactions that support IoT. Some companies are already allowing to extend blockchain into cognitive IoT.
The benefits include acceleration of transactions, which will now be done instantaneously; it increases security, avoids the risk of collusion or tampering, and saves money.
Smart Homes With IoT
Smart homes are emerging, thanks to IoT and are providing security and convenience for homeowners. Motion sensors and carbon monoxide detectors increase safety and comfort, for example, you can integrate motion sensors into smart light bulbs, and when they detect movement, the sensors could send signals to the bulbs to turn on.
Thanks to IoT, you can now control almost every aspect of your house remotely. They can open and close windows, control water heater temperature, air quality, or even start the coffee machine. You can now manage all of your home devices from one place, increase energy efficiency, maximize home security, and improve home appliance functionality.
5G and IoT
5G technology will improve the IoT development by improving the performance and reliability of connected devices.
The performance of IoT strongly depends on how quickly the devices can communicate between themselves and with 5G, data transfer speeds will increase enormously, the data throughout will reach up to 20 GB per second.
Plus, it will be possible to transmit data in real life, which will also help to reduce lag. In addition to that, it will create more reliable and stable connections.
Smart Retail
IoT technologies are improving the efficiency and productivity of retailers and e-commerce businesses and transforming them into smart stores. GPS sensors on trucks ensure you improve supply chain control and help the maintenance of transport, route, and tracking optimization.
Sensors in the warehouse can monitor the storage conditions and aim on predictive maintenance and ensure the safety of their employees. NFC allows customers for contactless payment methods and improves their experience.
They can collect data and determine customer density by using sensors. Business owners can now control and process stock information digitally while saving time and reducing workload.
Smart Logistics
Connected vehicles are one of the emerging technologies of IoT. The feature, a combination of GPS, artificial intelligence, and data analytics, allow transportation companies to monitor the location of their trucks, optimize routes, and even have a driver behavior detection system that detects different types of driver behaviors. This includes harsh acceleration, speeding, frequent braking, etc. This can save money to the companies, ensure their fleet is working, and increase efficiency due to route optimization.
Final Thoughts
The Internet of Things industry is quickly growing and has become a crucial part of every industry. The technologies previously mentioned are the hottest IoT achievements so far, but the future is promising. We hope that the internet of things continues to evolve and improve the quality of life of users.
