Applications of IoT – Where Innovation Meets Connectivity
In this article, we will be going over some examples of IoT devices. First, we will try and understand what IoT devices are, then look at some everyday use care scenarios and domains in which IoT devices are being used. So pay attention, take notes, and read till the end for the best benefits!
What are IoT devices?
Since I have already covered IoT devices in depth in another article, we shall focus solely on examples of IoT devices in this article. Nonetheless, a quick recap won’t hurt.
Technically speaking, IoT devices are non-standard computing devices that connect wirelessly to a network and have the ability to transmit data over the network. These devices communicate with each other in a network by making use of an internet protocol.
IoT devices are not your traditional “dumb” machines. Instead, they are smart pieces of tech that use machine learning and artificial intelligence to send, receive, analyze data, process it, and take actions without human intervention. With that said, they can also be remotely monitored and controlled.
IoT devices are built and designed for numerous applications. They come in several shapes and sizes. IoT devices are also portable digital machines. Some excellent and familiar examples of IoT devices are Google Nest, Amazon Alexa, Ring Cameras, smartwatches, and many more.
I have already written two other articles on IoT devices. The first one is a complete in-depth article that takes you through topics like “How IoT devices work?”, “What are the different trends in IoT devices”, “Advantages and disadvantages of IoT devices”, and more.
The second article on IoT devices covers 15 mind-boggling examples of IoT devices ranging from virtual assistants to security cameras. It would be best to read at least the first article to understand how these devices work in various conditions and use cases.
Common examples of IoT devices
There are millions of IoT devices, so many that thousands of companies are researching and developing thousands of IoT devices as you read this article!
We cannot cover all of them. Instead, we can look at the different domains in which IoT devices are being used. Several categories carry out specific tasks for various uses and industries within it. Let us look at some of them.
Home Security
We have already looked at a couple of home security IoT devices. These are becoming increasingly popular for domestic and industrial purposes.
Let us look at some of the features that these home security IoT devices offer:
1. Motion Detection:
Motion detection sensors detect motion and alert users when someone is at the door.
2. Automatic Recording:
Once these motion detector sensors sense some motion, they automatically start recording from the cameras for referencing purposes in the future.
3. Remote Arm/Disarm:
Using the app through their phone, users can even arm or disarm the system from anywhere.
4. Smart Home Functions:
These security devices can also be integrated into a smart home and mimic household activities as if the person is at home.
Industrial IoT device
IoT constantly changes how industries manufacture, transport, and maintain their assets and materials. IoT devices can keep track of resources, usage, and product quality while providing opportunities to automate specific tasks and generate actionable insights about the supply chain. Let us look at some types of IoT devices that are being used in IIOT (Industrial Internet of things):
1. Security Systems:
Tons of goods worth millions need proper security. Industrial organizations use IoT devices like cameras, motion sensors, and many more to maintain the safety of their locations and job sites.
2. Safety Applications:
Security is critical to maintaining a safe and proper workplace. For example, safety devices like smoke detectors, pollution monitors, temperature regulators, and chemical detectors are used by business organizations in factories.
3. Machine Sensors:
Industries use various sensors in factories to supervise the functioning of machines. These sensors monitor machine functioning and can track and manage activities like output, beginning and ending a cycle, dangerous operating condition alerts, maintenance monitoring, and more. These sensors can also send notifications that a machine is not working.
4. Project Management:
Industrial IoT devices can also be used to manage projects that industrial, manufacturing, and construction organisations rely on to complete crucial tasks.
5. ERP-Integrated IoT Devices:
IIoT devices can also be integrated with ERP (Enterprise Resource Planning) to carry out maintenance tickets, supply chain monitoring, procurement, predictive analytics, and many other tasks.
Healthcare and Fitness
With fitness being a booming business, IoT devices target users who want to monitor everything related to fitness, like the number of steps, calories burnt, hours slept, BP, hormone levels, blood oxygen level, heart rate, and more.
Even healthcare organisations use IoT devices to perform various tasks like loading biometric data, billing, streamlining access to patient charts and treatment data, research, and improving patient care. Here are a few examples of the different types of IoT devices used these days in the healthcare and fitness domain:
1. Wearable Healthcare Devices:
Most smartphone and watch companies have a smartwatch with various biologic sensors to monitor patient vitals, hormone levels, and heart rate. Apart from smartwatches, there are even rings and bands that do the same.
2. Baby monitors:
It may not entirely come under this domain, but it still is a boon for working parents and also parents of newborns. For example, there are IoT cameras that send a live video feed to an app to notify parents of their baby’s movements. Some IoT sensors can even monitor the baby’s breath rate changes, heart rate changes, blood oxygen levels, and more.
3. Activity Trackers:
These devices are similar to wearable devices but are chunkier and more advanced than smartwatches. These devices also track fitness activities such as calories burned, heart rate, steps, and body fat percentage.
4. Patient Implants:
Implants that are connected (basically IoT implants) help doctors to get real-time insights into crucial biological data. These are primarily used on more critical and old patients.
Virtual Reality
With the rise of VR games, web 3.0, and metaverse, IoT devices in the market for augmented reality are no less. The idea behind these IoT devices is that users can wear a device enabling them to interact with the software connected to the IoT and create virtual experiences in the real world.
The most common case of VR and AR is in gaming, but other industries like fitness, entertainment, education, and even health care use AR and VR. Let us look at some Virtual reality and augmented reality IoT devices:
1. Mobile AR (Feature Tracking):
All the new smartphones coming out of the factory are equipped with this familiar feature. It is used for scanning QR codes, identifying plants, or bringing photos to life when viewed through the lens.
2. Mobile AR (Depth Sensors):
Again, most flagship smartphones have a depth sensor to capture better pictures. Besides images with better depth focus, these sensors use simultaneous localisation and mapping to learn about the space around you and create a 3D virtual experience.
3. Head-Mounted VR:
As the name gives it away, these are IoT devices that you wear on your head. One fine example is a head-mounted AR glass. These devices display information as if it were right in front of your face.
4. Standalone VR:
These IoT VR devices are similar to head-mounted AR glasses. But these devices use spatial computing to provide a virtual experience.
5. Mixed Reality Photon Projection Action:
As complex as the name sounds, this space-age tech is the next potential phase of AR and VR. Here, a device will shoot photons into the eyes of the user to build a virtual experience around them.
Banking and Financial Services
If there is any sector where IoT devices are used extensively, it has to be the finance sector. This sector is quick to adopt new tech, and numerous financial institutions utilise IoT technologies to enhance the customer experience. Let us look at a few examples of such IoT technology:
1. ATMs:
All of us have seen an ATM, but most don’t even know the full form of it. ATMs or Automated Teller Machines are connected devices allowing users to perform banking activities remotely.
2. Payment Cards:
Credit cards and debit cards are complete game changers, but the cards we are talking about here are entirely different. These cars are battery-operated. They provide two-way communication between banks and users, including transaction data, banking information, and even a display where users can get quick answers when they need help.
3. POS Terminals:
Fintech is becoming increasingly popular. Why? Because consumers demand more convenience and accessibility for their favourite banking services. Due to this, many fintech companies offer connected POS terminals that store and record transaction data in real time.
4. Asset Monitoring:
Many banks use IoT security for banking and financial services. These include intelligent asset monitoring that tracks each device on its network.
These use case scenarios cover most IoT devices. However, there are also other domains like smart homes, autonomous cars, space agencies, and more. IoT devices take up more domains and use-case scenarios every day.
Summary
Today, in this article, you have learned what an IoT device is and the various types qof these devices used in multiple domains like healthcare, fitness, security, IIoT, VR, AR, banking services, and more.