Internet of Things (IoT) is the future of wireless networking based on electronic sensors and automatic data processing. IoT represents a general concept for the ability of network devices to sense and collect data from the world around us, and then share that data across the Internet where it can be processed and utilised for various applications. IoT is not limited to one specific application. Today IoT applications spans across home automation, industrial automation, smart city solution, automotive application, smart energy management and more. According to the industry experts, the IoT solution space is going to witness an exponential growth with the increasing number of connected devices. Referring to the research conducted by Gartner approximately 26 billion devices are expected to be connected by the end of 2020. Listed here are the top 10 trending IoT devices that were displayed and demonstrated during the Freescale IoT Truck event that has the potential to change communicating ways in the near future.
Fig. 1 : Gesture Control Armband
Gesture Control Armband: A gesture control armband is a wearable device that reads and senses the muscle activity so that the user can control any connected devices with gestures and motion. The gesture control device looks like a sweatband. It aims to bring gestural interfaces into the mainstream. Electrodes embedded in the armband detect activity in a user’s muscles (electric pulses flowing in the blood stream) as they contract or relax in the course of moving the hand and arm. This further transmits the signals wirelessly to software that interprets the movements into commands. For instance if you want to increase the volume of the television you can directly point towards the TV and make a gesture of up or down to control the volume.
Fig. 2: Audio Bridge
Audio Bridge: Audio Bridge is a home automation solution where people can enjoy and listen to music wirelessly sitting in any part of the home. It is also referred to as a wireless HiFi system. Users can connect the wireless speakers to an audio bridge to play music. Start with any speaker and expand to any room, while maintaining control from any smartphone or tablet device. It even has the capability to play one song simultaneously in many rooms, and separate songs too. The target applications include audio accessories such as guitar and microphone recording dongles, audio docks and headphones. In addition to this it unites digital music collection in one app that can be controlled from any device.
Fig. 3: ZigBee Lighting Control
ZigBee Lighting Control: Lighting accounts for a high percentage of commercial and residential electricity consumption. Advances in wireless communications and energy-efficient lighting equipment have made it possible to effectively combine mesh networking with lighting control to create reliable, large-scale wireless lighting. This can provide enhanced control and reductions of lighting energy consumption for residential, commercial and industrial buildings. For instance a ZigBee-based motion detect sensor can be utilized in switch control that can automatically turn the lights off when there is no one in the living space, hallway, or other areas. Further it also help to save cost through automatic dimming based on ambient light conditions.
Fig. 4: Right Balance of Air Pressure in Tire
Right Balance of Air Pressure in Tire: A substantial number of vehicles hit the road each day with underinflated tires. Drivers can now drive safe with new tire pressure sensors that warn the driver about the air pressure in at least one or more tires that maybe significantly under-inflated, possibly creating unsafe driving condition. When the sensors embedded in the tires sense a drop in the pressure, the sensors send a signal to the driver about improper tire pressure so that he can take necessary action.
Fig. 5: ADAS
ADAS: Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) is a smart feature that allows you to take the next step in improving the driving experience, while also making it safer. The tremendous visual processing power will change the way people drive car and features like traffic sign recognition, blind spot detection, driver alertness monitoring, night vision etc will be defined under ADAS.
Fig. 6: Smart Eye
Smart Eye: It is currently one of the hot applications in IoT. Glasses are designed to transfer free information from any connected device directly in front of your face or at the top of eye. A flick of your head or tapping the glass makes it ready to accept commands. It provides hands-free navigation and is also capable of performing tasks autonomously, provided it is connected to a Bluetooth enabled device. Furthermore, the activity timeline can be managed using these glasses. The front-facing cameras transmit the commands to other components of a Smartphone, allowing users to control various functions and capabilities of their devices. Some of the functions that can be controlled with the help of this technology include activating screens, playing games, scrolling websites, and many others.
Fig. 7 Smart Glass
Smart Glass: People who often forget to take their adequate level of water can carry these tumblers along with them that remind of taking the adequate amount of water periodically. This smart device converse with the users by prompting a message that reminds about water intake to maintain appropriate water balance in body. It can even sense what is the minimum amount of water that needs to be taken daily on an average. It can sense and maintain the correct temperature (hot/cold) of the water in the tumbler. The device is synced to the user’s Smartphone, so that messages can be tracked if the person misses his daily-recommended level of water intake.
Fig. 8: Pulse Oximeter
Pulse Oximeter: Pulse oximetry is a procedure used to measure the oxygen level (or oxygen saturation) in the blood. It is considered to be a non-invasive, painless, general indicator of oxygen delivery to the peripheral tissues (such as the finger, earlobe, or nose). It captures the data and sends it over cloud to the concerned physician, without the patient having to visit the clinic for preventive precautions.
Fig. 9: Whistle Dog Activity Tracker
Whistle Dog Activity Tracker: According to vets, 30-60 minutes of activity every day is recommend for dogs. Here is a whistle device that helps to you keep your dog active, fit and healthy. This is the fitness and activity tracker of a dog. A small sensor is tied around the dog’s neck, which in turn can be connected to all the devices. It gives a clearer picture of how activity impacts your dog’s health and happiness. Whistle activity monitor provides a visual summary of your dog’s well being and behaviour trends by measuring your dog’s daily activity and rest. When you open the Whistle app, you can quickly see how your dog is doing. Whistle provides a new way to care for your dog, filled with actionable information to better understand your dog’s health, behaviour, and well being.
Fig. 10: Environmental Data Device
Environmental Data Device: The environmental data logger measures temperature, humidity and pressure. It monitors and records the condition of indoor and outdoor environments and allows you to easily access real-time as well as historical data on your phone or tablet through a Bluetooth smart connection to the installed app. Bluetooth Smart is the intelligent, power-friendly version of Bluetooth wireless technology. It can also provide real time environmental alerts. These find a large application in manufacturing, home and garden automation, facility management and more.
