热度 23
2013-4-16 10:46
2670 次阅读|
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In my opinion, a disruptive technology is the bearer of tremendous opportunity and equally a harbinger of obsolescence. Technology's impact on society and business is substantial, if not underestimated. The most profound technological changes are those that weave themselves into the fabric of everyday life until they are indistinguishable from it. Although product cycle times are accelerating, the underlying technologies unfold over many years. Within each trend there are multiple enabling technologies, all at various stages of maturity and adoption. Promising to be the most disruptive technology since the World Wide Web, the Internet of Things (IoT) is predicted to result in up to 100 billion Internet-connected objects by 2020. Relying on embedded computing and sensors, and driven by smartphone and tablet adoption, IoT in 2013 will witness an explosion of new uses by consumers and enterprises alike. "IoT," a concept that originally sounded like something out of sci-fi movie is, in fact, a reality, and one that is bound to become even more widespread. I believe that the Internet of Things, or the ability for consumer devices and appliances to communicate with one another via Web access and a complex system of embedded sensors, will "enable a wide range of new applications and services while raising many new challenges." Among these up-and-coming possibilities is the ability for smartphones to communicate via NFC and Wi-Fi to a range of devices, including wristwatches, healthcare sensors and home entertainment systems. The public is captivated by the vision of being able to control everything in their homes and offices, from temperature, lighting and security to using devices to brew cups of coffee, program entertainment, check health records, and conduct a myriad of other tasks. Enterprises are also beginning to embrace IoT for tracking physical assets, managing customer relationships, and creating efficiencies in business operations and supply chains. Yet many technological hurdles must be passed before this vision becomes a reality. New types of sensors, new ways of connecting devices, and new strategies for embedded computing must be rolled out to bring IoT's vision to the forefront. Formerly known as machine-to-machine communication, IoT until recently has been the province of large companies, such as Microsoft and Cisco, seeking to stake their claims to the technology. However, with IoT perhaps the most talked about technology trend for 2013, the year ahead should see an explosion of start-ups, applications and research projects aimed at leveraging IoT's vast potential to change human lives. Enterprises are still in the early stages of implementing IoT solutions. A recent Forrester Research survey noted that 15 per cent of surveyed companies currently have an IoT solution in place. However, 53 per cent of companies surveyed said they planned to implement an IoT solution in the next 24 months, indicating that there is interest in a much more-connected future. IoT will digitize all businesses. The challenge will be making sense of all the data from image recognition, embedded sensors and other information related by physical objects. By 2015, 70 per cent of companies will have one executive in charge of overseeing Internet-connected devices and objects. The payoff will be in the supply chain, control and information services. "The Internet of things has applications across multiple industries." New companies and applications will bring the long-held vision of the Internet of Things closer to reality. - Narang N. Kishor Mentor Principal Design Architect Narnix Technolabs Thirty-five years back when I chose design as my profession and further back in 1981 when I started my design and technology consultancy (Narnix Technolabs), instead of an industrial or commercial enterprise, the real driver was my passion for new technologies and design. I wanted to always stay on the forefront of technologies and a few steps ahead of the market. I have never regretted that decision and no professional or financial hardship has been able to deter me from this very exciting, though tough, career in design and technology.