You’ve probably heard in the news recently about hackers who managed to seize control of a Jeep Cherokee’s on-board system, causing the vehicle to crash in a ditch. The hackers accomplished this from only a few miles away while sitting on a couch and simply using a laptop and cellphone. Luckily, it was a staged event, but how can this happen? The answer is connectivity, and that’s what I want to address in today’s article.The big picture behind connectivity is the “Internet of Things,” a term coined to describe the vast network of connected devices that exist in our homes, cars and our lives in general – and most with the intent to better and simplify our lives. In recent years, we have seen an explosion of devices that can connect to the internet, from televisions and thermostats to toasters and automobiles. There are millions of devices around us every day that are (or can be) connected.
The idea of connecting lots of “things” via computers is certainly not a new one. In 1983, I was 13 and vividly remember using my home Commodore 64 computer to print on the computer of my friend Paul Snodgrass, who lived down the street.
Of course, we had to hang up our Internet connection to talk on the phone about how cool it was, but even then, we knew that was the future of computing. Later in 1983, the iconic movie “War Games” showed people what could happen if things went wrong with connectivity, but the basic idea of controlling other machines from afar has continued unabated.
Today, connectivity has transformed the way we live. Streaming movies directly to your television, getting a text from the alarm company when your child arrives home from school, automatic map upgrades on your car navigation system or having the latest trending music available through a music app in your car are great examples of how the Internet of Things plays a part in our daily lives.
While the home consumer market really needs to see more “killer apps” to continue driving wide adoption of connected devices, commercial applications have already been transforming entire industries. For example, fleet management, construction and tracking of equipment usage and location have benefited significantly from the impact of the Internet of Things.
Fleet managers now have the tools to optimize routes, monitor fuel usage and schedule maintenance — all based on live data from vehicles. As a result, proper utilization and scheduling of construction equipment makes for more efficient construction projects and bulldozers can move dirt to a specific height and slope based on real-time readings from their blades and tracks.
These types of efficiencies driven by interconnected devices in commercial applications are estimated to be saving billions of dollars, and their longer-term impact is expected to escalate into the trillions. Further integration of the Internet of Things into manufacturing, transportation, logistics and agriculture will yield tremendous efficiencies that, while likely not obvious to consumers, already have tremendous impacts. Consumers will also directly benefit from innovations in healthcare, home control and security, personal device control and a wide variety of yet unknown areas.
Mississippi has a profound stake in the future of connectivity and the Internet of Things. One Mississippi company on the forefront of much of this technology is Camgian Microsystems in Starkville.
Its founder and CEO, Gary Butler, Ph.D., has a dynamic TED Talk on the evolution and power of internet networks that I encourage you find online and watch. Also, Mississippi-based C Spire’s fiber to the home initiative is a powerful enabler for many of the innovative technologies designed for the future of home technologies.
The Internet of Things will undoubtedly continue to revolutionize our lives, and I’m sure along the way there will be bumps in the road and security concerns (like the hackers with the Jeep Cherokee), but the tremendous value it is already providing is a testament to its vastly growing adoption.
Over the next few weeks, we will take a closer look at The Internet of Things and I’ll even return to the topic of crowdsourcing briefly to talk about crowdfunding.
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/money/business/2015/08/12/internet-things/31553285/
Tony Jeff is the president and CEO of Innovate Mississippi. He can be reached at tjeff@innovate.ms.