IoT, or the “internet of things”, is a phenomenon we frequently encounter on a daily basis – perhaps without even realising it. Embedded sensors and technologies within physical objects are incredibly commonplace: from smart meters, smart speakers, and connected security within the home, to IoT technologies augmenting industries like healthcare, manufacturing, logistics, agriculture, and retail – to name a few.
Looking back, how did IoT become so prevalent across so many touchpoints in our lives? Here’s an overview of IoT’s evolution to date…
1980s – 1990: The IoT revolution started out on a university campus – Carnegie Mellon in Pittsburgh. David Nichols, a graduate in the computer science department, was fed up trapsing to the campus vending machine to discover it was out of Coca Cola. Instead, he developed a way to remotely track the machine’s contents.
By pulling data from the wires attached to the in-stock lights, remote computers could see the status of the machine, including whether the desired drinks were stocked. This data sharing process relied upon Advanced Research Projects Agency Network or ARPANET – a predecessor to today’s Internet – which was first developed in 1969.
The vending machine tracker was followed by an automated toaster that could be remotely switched on and off again via the Internet, technically making it the first IoT device.
1993: The food and drink focus continues with the invention of the Trojan Room coffee pot – a coffee machine at the University of Cambridge that used a live picture stream of a coffee pot via the internet to display whether it was empty or full.
1994: Following the Trojan coffee pot’s success using a live camera feed, inventor Steve Mann created the ‘WearCam’ – the first wearable camera, and later invented the smartwatch videophone, or wearable computer in 1998.
1999: Pioneer Kevin Ashton coined the phrase ‘Internet of Things’ to describe a network of physical objects that are connected to the internet via embedded sensors and software, giving a name to the innovation.
2000: LG launches the first ever smart refrigerator – this internet-connected fridge had the capability to create grocery lists, offer real-time information on grocery products price and stock, as well as information on the refrigerator’s temperature, tips on food, nutrition, recipes, expiration dates, nutrition information, and cooking methods of the products stored inside.
2005: The UN’s International Telecommunications Union (ITU) publishes its first dedicated report on the Internet of Things. The report spoke on the benefits and future-looking capabilities of IoT, as well as the wider implications for society, in standardisation, privacy and socio-ethical challenges.
2008 – The number of connected devices officially exceeds the number of people in the world – with this milestone, it is proclaimed that IoT is ‘born’.
2009 – The original FitBit activity tracker is released – this wireless-enabled consumer gadget delivered real-time data on the wearer’s movement, sleep and calorie burn, with IoT now tapping into the fitness world.
2011 – Industrial IoT – or IIoT – is rolled out. This innovation refers to sensors being embedded into machines and appliances across industry applications, like manufacturing, medicine, and logistics. Automation, robotics, analytics, and predictive capabilities, for example, help production lines by reducing errors, streamlining production, improving safety, reducing costs, predicting faults, and enhancing visibility – to name a few benefits.
2014 – Seoul becomes the world’s first smart city. Wider scale IoT was leveraged with the inception of ‘smart cities’, whereby traditional networks and services are leveraged, made more efficient, and become focused on smart digital solutions. For example, IoT enables a city to self-manage and monitor traffic flow, create safer communities, and promote more environmentally friendly practices.
2016 – AWS IoT core is launched – Amazon Web Services introduced a cloud-based service that lets users seamlessly and securely connect and manage different IoT devices. This network allowed such technologies to ‘talk’ to each other all within one consolidated infrastructure, enhancing the interoperability of devices.
2020 – The number of IoT device connections increased more than 50% of the active connected devices, perhaps accelerated by the COVID-19 pandemic’s surge in digital innovation.
2021 – There were reportedly more than 10 billion active IoT devices in the world.
2022 – World Economic Forum names IoT as one of the three most impactful technological advancements, with further innovations no doubt set to revolutionise industries further in 2024 and beyond.
2023 – As artificial intelligence took a stratospheric leap forward, its ability to optimise IoT functionality saw it assist with automating data analysis and decision making in real-time. This helped deliver greater efficiencies, predictive capabilities, and intelligent insights.
The Future of IoT
In 2024, IoT has truly made its way into everyday life, with an estimated 207 billion devices currently connected worldwide. This is only set to skyrocket with the emergence of Massive IoT – used to describe a very large network of connected devices, transmitting data to one central server. Its use cases are vast, spanning smart cities, industrial automation, agriculture, and smart meters – among many others. With Massive IoT currently undergoing a ‘growth spurt’, Juniper estimates the total number of IoT connections will reach a whopping 83 billion by 2024.
However, IoT’s success and longevity hinges on its solutions being secure and streamlined. To address the challenges faced by enterprises in IoT deployments, Thales offers a holistic approach to IoT, addressing connectivity management, logistics, and cybersecurity pain points. When it comes to solutions for IoT, our blueprint for success is split into three parts:
- Build: a range of industry grade, standardised, futureproof hardware to securely connect devices
- Run: connectivity suite enabling secure, global, resilient, cost-effective connectivity from production to operation
- Protect: cyber protection suite to protect IoT devices and data from factory to the field, from edge to the cloud
For more reading on how Thales’ solutions support IoT’s growth journey, please check out the following resources:
- https://dis-blog.thalesgroup.com/iot/2024/11/07/iot-the-shift-towards-seamless-connectivity/
- https://dis-blog.thalesgroup.com/iot/2024/07/30/iot-achieving-successful-development-and-rollout-of-smart-devices/
- https://dis-blog.thalesgroup.com/mobile/2024/04/15/trends-challenges-and-opportunities-in-iot-deployment/
- https://dis-blog.thalesgroup.com/mobile/2024/02/29/adapting-to-thrive-in-a-new-era-of-connectivity-management-strategies-for-iot-enterprises/