The Internet of things (IoT) is the network of physical devices, vehicles, home appliances, and other items embedded with electronics, software, sensors, actuators, and network connectivity which enable these objects to connect and exchange data. Each thing is uniquely identifiable through its embedded computing system but is able to inter-operate within the existing Internet infrastructure. Experts estimate that the IoT will consist of about 30 billion objects by 2020. It is also estimated that the global market value of IoT will reach $7.1 trillion by 2020. IOTA is a company working on the currency (currently MIOTA or 1 million IOTA) that machines connected to IoT networks will use to transact with each other without human interference.

Here are some practical use cases of IoT and how it will affect our physical reality in the near future:

IoT Based Public Transportation

You are in a rush to catch the train, it departs in just 2 minutes from now and you’re probably not gonna make it in-time since you have to issue a ticket at the front desk, then follow the instructions and search for your platform while running like crazy inside the station. Yeah…that’s exactly what people used to back in 2000. Today we have various platforms like the Dutch RET who provides you with a plastic card, filled with RET tokens and paid for with Euro, giving you the option to postpone the cashier at the front desk and go straight for your train. On each platform, you can find RET card identifiers where you can swipe your card before entering the vehicle, and do the same when you arrive at your destination. The RET system will then compare the distance between the two geographical points and charge your card according to your travel distance. If your card is out of RET tokens, the RET card identifier will flash with a red light and summon an audible frequency perceived by the sense of common hearing, indicating that “something is wrong” while attracting conductors at your location at the same time.

We are not so far from where your smart hand-held device will determine in less than a second if you might catch that train or not. As you approach the vehicle, an IoT connection is established between the two devices (train – your device). You can now see which wagon has empty seats and how many units it can accept before it is considered as “full”. Entering the wagon, you don’t have to swipe any cards or even take your device out of your pocket, the IoT connected devices will interact with each other and determine whether you are administrated to travel or not. An “active digital ticket” will be issued as soon as the train departs, or canceled if you choose to abandon the wagon before the departure time. When you arrive at your destination, IoT measures the distance traveled and if the value is agreed between your device and the train, your device will be charged accordingly and your “inactive digital ticket” will be stored in your device’s “history log”. If your device is out of tokens used by IoT applications or IOTA, no alarms or lights will make any “noise”, instead, hand-held devices used by the operators of the self-driving public vehicle will spot immediately the trespasser, who will then be escorted out of the wagon. These operators would carry temporal access to basic information regarding each and every one of the passengers. In case a passenger pursued by governmental institutions appears to be on board, the device will immediately notify the respective authorities who issued a “search ticket” for the specific unit without mortal administration. The authorities can decide whether it is an optimal option to wait for the wanted individual arriving at his destination or acting immediately, notifying on-board personnel with instructions sent to their respective devices.

IoT Based Telecommunication Systems

“The Internet of Things (IoT) has the potential to connect and create digital representations of the physical world, making it possible to transform business models, to enable data-driven decisions and to optimize the performance of business processes. For individuals, IoT provides the potential to save time and improve quality of life.

The speed of these changes triggers the need for new cloud-based solutions to process and deliver a vast amount of information across a wider ICT ecosystem, including devices, applications & enterprise’s back-end systems. IoT Platforms (aka Application Enablement Platforms) are designed to speed up and simplify the development of IoT solutions by providing developers with tools for integrating connectivity, enable device management, data analytics and expose information through APIs in the marketplace.” – Ericsson

5G IoT based networks are going to replace traditional GPRS satellite networks, providing instant intel exchange, global coverage and minimum fees. Your smart home applications and hand-held devices will be connected to IoT anywhere at anytime. You can find warm food on the table moments before you arrive home. Your favorite TV show for that day, based on your “history log”, is already downloaded and it’s ready for streaming. Solar panels have heated the water you need to relax under a shower right after, and again based on your “history log”, only the amount of water you are going to use will be heated, leaving the rest of the green energy on bypass for multi-use during the day. Lights will be switched on and off and adjusted according to spatial movement inside the house and the current hour of the day, always in compliance with your “history log”.

These interactions between your IoT applications will take place without your administration as long as your personal hand-held device will be around to support your physical existence and therefore your approval. M2M (machine to machine) payment systems like IOTA will be used by the applications everytime they perform any sort of transactions with pragmatic physical or digital impact. Your internet provider will be automatically paid by your machines using it, every time they request a permission to access the web. Unlike today’s internet providers, IoT based internet will charge you according to a complex mathematical equation made up of data based on your current internet speed, your geo-location, the file size and file type you are trying to gain access to, the server that file is currently held by and many other aspects, instead of paying a monthly fee, regardless of the hours and the volume of data you practically used that month. All these interactions and payments will be automated and managed by your IoT devices until you cancel your smart contract with the providers of the applications. Manual override will be possible in extreme situations or when you break the routine of your “history log”.

IoT Based Interactive Maps

Google Maps is awesome when you have internet access on the move, no one can deny that. But what happens when 5G IoT based networks take over?

“Drone Guides” will be all over the place and you could pick one to lead you to your favorite club or your favorite kitchen. You could ask a drone to walk you home or accompany you while you’re passing through a dark alley. The drone would provide vision and safety since no one would attempt to interfere with you when there’s a flying machine recording everything, connected to the IoT above your head.

Passing by stores will give you information about highlighted retail products or services, daily deals and more. Cafeterias, restaurants, and bars will let you know if you and your company could fit there at the moment without you talking to the personnel or even approaching the store. You can get notifications if any of your IoT connected friends are around, where they are spending their time and who’s with them, you could book a table, watch a movie, get into a club instantly, just passing outside each store.

Crowded areas will be shown as intensive color marks on your map in case you wanna walk around and see some people. You can learn why it’s so crowded there before you chose to start walking towards the location. Maybe it’s just a riot and not the open field party you wanted to attend.

Cabs, Ubers, Public Transportation will be all interactive with the map, showing real-time movement and not just clocks that may be accurate, maybe not.

This is just the tip of the iceberg IoT comes with and in the end, we are almost there anyway, the difference is that you will be soon able to interact instantly with anything you see on the map and your device could interfere, accept or send transactions, micro-messages, notifications, social invitations and more just by using your IoT based map. Sounds like a 3d version of Facebook? Sure it does, and it’s just around the corner.

Watch NTT Docomo’s vision for 2020 and see how IoT will change our world.

Ross Peili for cryptogazette.com



