Dear Readers,
3
V
IEWPOINT
June 2015
ere is now doubt - a new emerg-
ing Megatrend called the Internet
of ings (IoT) is going propel-
ling the entire electronics indus-
try. According to the de nition of
Wikipedia “ e Internet of ings
is the network of physical objects
or things embedded with electron-
ics, so ware, sensors and connec-
tivity to enable it to achieve greater
value and service by exchanging
data with the manufacturer, opera-
tor and/or other connected devices.
Each thing is uniquely identi able
through its embedded computing
system but is able to interoperate within the existing Internet infra-
structure.” e Internet of ings is by another de nition “a group of
physical objects with embedded sensor technology that communi-
cates an internal state or external environments to a network”.
According to Gartner, there will be nearly 26 billion devices on the Inter-
net of ings by 2020. ABI Research estimates that more than 30 billion
devices will be wirelessly connected to the Internet of ings (Internet
of Everything) by 2020. As per a recent survey and study done by Pew
Research Internet Project, a large majority of the technology experts and
engaged Internet users who responded agreed with the notion that the
Internet/Cloud of ings, embedded and wearable computing will have
widespread and bene cial e ects by 2025. It is, as such clear that the IoT
will consist of a very large number of devices being connected to the
Internet. What also means that IoT will creates nearly endless growth
opportunities for companies in the electronics, IT, and so ware indus-
tries. e embedded computing nature of many IoT devices means that
low-cost computing platforms are likely to be used.
ings, in the IoT, can refer to a wide variety of devices such as heart
monitoring implants, biochip transponders on farm animals, electric
clams in coastal waters, automobiles with built-in sensors, or eld
operation devices that assist re- ghters in search and rescue. ese
devices collect useful data with the help of various existing technol-
ogies and then autonomously ow the data between other devices.
Current market examples include smart thermostat systems and
washer/dryers that utilize Wi-Fi for remote monitoring.
Besides the plethora of new application areas for Internet con-
nected automation to expand into, IoT is also expected to generate
large amounts of data from diverse locations that is aggregated very
quickly, thereby increasing the need to better index, store and pro-
cess such data. What also implies that the IoT goes far beyond the
traditional embedded technology e Internet of ings has already
evolved due to a convergence of multiple technologies, ranging from
wireless communication to the Internet and from embedded systems
to micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS). is means that the
traditional elds of embedded systems, wireless sensor networks,
control systems, automation (including home and building automa-
tion), and others all contribute to enabling the Internet of ings. To
keep you up to date with the challenges but also possibilities of the
IoT we decided to focus this issue upon this topic.
Yours Sincerely
Wolfgang Patelay
Editor
