Taking a SiP of IoT
“Internet-of-Things” or IoT and it’s challenges have been on my mind long before it became a popular term. I’ve just finished writing an 18 part blog series on the subject, hosted on an internationally respected news site, Embedded Computing Design. After reading this short article, I’d like to invite you to read the whole series, and engage in the discussion.
However, you may need motivation to go look for the series and actually read it. So, let me motivate you. I first heard the concept of “Cloud Computing” many years ago at a press conference in Beijing, China. My response to the question of “what do you think about Cloud Computing” surprised even me as the words came out of my mouth. Several months later I heard a better descriptor of the concept called the “Internet of Things”. What surprised me next was the apparent confusion of what the IoT was.
(Re)Defining the IoT
It was that surprise that encouraged me to put together some thoughts on how I define IoT (and Cloud Computing). I have attempted to simplify the concept by defining three distinct subsystems of the larger IoT system. Those three subsystems are 1) the Cloud, 2) the Aggregator and, 3) the Smart Sensor. Here is a my original pencil drawing of how they relate.
Each of the three subsystems takes on specific characteristics that differ from the other two. Yet, each can overlap with its adjacent subsystem. That means an Aggregator can sometimes act as a Cloud Computing element (I call it “High Performance Platforms” as I still don’t like the idea of calling all of the sophisticated hardware, firmware and software being called “the Cloud”). At other times the Aggregator can appear to be a smart sensor.
A Conversation About IoT in a Series
While describing each of the subsystems I take the time to tell stories; from favorite travels to technology tidbits. It is far more enjoyable to describe something with a story than to define it with engineering rhetoric.
Finally, at the end of each of the Blogs in the series I ask some questions to put you in the IoT picture, to help you conceive how you can participate in the expansion of the IoT world.
- Internet of Things (IoT) Definition
- The systems that make up IoT
- How many systems are there in the IoT?
- What is an aggregator?
- What does an aggregator look like?
- How does an aggregator talk to the rest of the IoT
- The cloud
- The Aha Moments for my Cloud understanding
- Bandwidth, performance, and security: What we expect of the cloud
- “Infinite” in the context of IoT
- Clouding the Issue of the IoT
- The P’s and Q’s of Smart Sensors
- An early smart sensor concept: Smart Dust
- What are the components of a Smart sensor?
- Smart Sensors: The Reality of Sci-Fi
- Smart Sensors from Smoke to RF
- Warming up to Body Heat
- Beyond IoT
I have one last thought before I encourage you again to read my blog series. That is, my vision of where technology will be used and who will use it. I believe that creative people will no longer need to know the technology (i.e., engineers and scientists) in order to create with it. Believe it or not, there are actually very creative people who are not engineers. It is my hope that these very creative individuals will be able to revolutionize their respective realms.
Questions for you
As with each of the blogs in the series, allow me to leave you with a couple of questions to ponder; and yes, it is ok to respond to us with your thoughts.
- What is your simple definition of IoT? Can you define it without using the phrase “Cloud Computer”?
- Have you ever asked a non-technical person (I call them normal people) for their definition of IoT or “Cloud Computing”? What was their response?
P.S., I am thinking about a couple of other blog series that might be of interest to you. So keep a watchful eye out for them!
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