As we are surging towards the fourth industrial revolution, we are witnessing several technological advancements that have changed the way we live, we work, and much more. The things that used to be our imaginations then are now becoming realities, thanks to most of the IoT devices. The world is getting smart and so are we.
In today’s contemporary world, the term ‘internet’ is always into discussions. The internet has brought a drastic transformation in the lives of human mankind. With the emergence of Internet of Things (IoT), many tasks have become simplified. The world had been striving to enable communication and interaction between different devices as a part of a single system, and IoT has made it possible.
Humans have encircled themselves with network infrastructure. Be it a laptop, smartphones, smart gadgets, smartwatches, or smart and digitalized vehicles, all of these devices are used majorly today and have changed the way we communicate, interact, and connect. The day doesn’t seem to be far when almost every corner of the lives will be replaced by IoT smart devices. To one’s surprise, it is estimated to have more than 20 billion IoT products in the market up and in running state by the year 2021, which is more than the population of humans on this planet.
Earlier, simple watches were only used to see the time and date, but now the advent of smart IoT watches enables its users to see heartbeat rate, calorie count, steps walked, etc. We can see how IoT has automated the daily tasks of humans and contributed to improving their quality of life. But, we also can’t overlook the fact that as these devices involve machine to machine interaction, the issues of privacy and security breach may arise. However, these IoT devices have resulted in increased efficiency in all the tasks performed by them and have replaced human involvement.
There are many such IoT products available in the market. Let’s shed some light on some of them.
1. Amazon Echo
Amazon Echo is one of the most enchanting IoT products in the market and is in demand. This device connects to the voice-controlled personal assistant Alexa and responds when called with names – “Alexa”, “Echo”, or “Computer”. It can perform several tasks like playing music, audiobooks, voice interaction, making to-do lists, setting alarms, streaming podcasts, etc.
2. Google Home Voice Controller
Google has always been at the forefront in today’s digital era. How it would stay behind when it’s about simplifying human lives? One can get answers, play songs, tackle their day, enjoy their entertainment and control their smart home with just their voice, thanks to Google Home device. This device not only allows its users to speak voice commands to listen to music, control playback of videos or photos, or receive news updates, but also allow them to control their home appliances smartly. All these things are carried out by Google Assistant, the company’s virtual assistant.
3. Nest Protect
The list also includes another product of Google, Nest Protect. Being a dual-sensor smoke and carbon monoxide alarm, Nest Protect detects smoke much faster than standard ionization or photoelectric detectors. The Protect stands out, as it has been redesigned from the inside out, and because it’s a “split-spectrum” sensor—which ultimately means that it detects both fast-burning and smoldering fires more quickly and accurately.
4. August Doorbell Cam
With August, people can always be in control of their front door, no matter where they are, as they can see and speak with humans at their front door through their phone. With this IoT Device, your Doorbell Cam pairs with all August Smart Locks to easily let guests into your home and keep the bad guys out. It constantly monitors your doorstep and provides 24-hour video recording with the help of an app.
5. Awair
The next most interesting IoT product on the list is Awair. Who thought a few decades ago that there would be such a device, that would track invisible fine dust and chemicals in your air and give you personalized recommendations to help you stay safe and healthy. For people suffering from allergies or hypersensitive reactions, Awair is the best option they can always choose, as it closely monitors the Carbon Dioxide and humidity levels throughout the day.
6. Belkin WeMo
It won’t be surprising to say that gone are the days when you had to get up and walk that extra mile to turn on the light or fan switches and worry about them when you are not at home. The Wemo App enables you to control your home appliances and electronics through your Wemo® devices using an Apple® iPhone® or iPad®. Be it turning off light from the bed, turning on fan from the couch or making sure your lights are on before you come home at night, the Wemo App has made it possible.
7. Kuri Mobile Robot
The list would be incomplete without including Kuri Mobile Robot. This real live human-like robot is a home robot designed to interact with you and your family and capture clips of your day. With its expressive personality and its own unique robot language, this robot was designed in a way that its capacitive touch sensors enable Kuri to respond to human touch in a truly personal way. When someone gently taps to its head, it will look up at you and chirp affirmingly.
8. Ellipse by Lattis
Taking into consideration the issues of bike thefts, Ellipse, a smart bike lock was created. Ellipse is designed in a way that connects to one’s phone to provide keyless entry, theft detection, bike sharing, crash alerts and more.
9. Tile
We often forget things after misplacing them. The solution to this dilemma is Tile, a tiny Bluetooth tracker and easy to use app that finds one’s phone, keys, and anything one don’t want to lose in seconds.
10. GreenIQ Controller
GreenIQ Controller is a smart sprinkler controller with Wi-Fi and 3G connectivity designed for efficient landscape irrigation that can be accessed from anywhere, anytime, using an app. These IoT devices make us realize that technology has brought us so far that it is giving us the life which was just an imagination decades ago. The pace at which technology is evolving, many such advancements are yet to come and will surely disrupt the status quo of the contemporary world. In the near future, it won’t be surprising to see every individual depending on IoT for making their tasks simpler, faster, and accurate.