The industrial internet of things is a term that we’re getting more used to seeing. But do we really know what it means and the effect it will have on business?
It’s been called the fourth industrial revolution and promises to disrupt and ultimately improve the way we as humans interact with machines and big data.
Google tells us that:
The IIoT is part of a larger concept known as the Internet of Things (IoT). The IoT is a network of intelligent computers, devices, and objects that collect and share huge amounts of data.
The Internet of Things
The internet of things connects machines, product diagnostics, software and analytics so the businesses can operate more efficiently.
The best example of this is with smart heating systems.
Companies like Nest give consumers control over their heating through linking up via mobile devices. We can turn them up, down, on and off from our mobile phones away from our homes.
Some devices can even tell if you and your smartphone have left the house and will turn the heating off automatically, or set it to turn off when it’s a sunny day.
The benefits of these types of systems in our home are obvious, we are becoming more economical with our resources and have more control over our lives and our homes.
Wearable tech is also becoming mainstream with people exercising; wearing smartwatches of wrist bands to monitor their heart and distance travelled.
And it’s not stopping at our home, there is talk of smart cities, where traffic signals monitor use and bins signal when they need emptying.
The Industrial Internet of Things
The Industrial internet of things (IIOT) is where industry starts to utilise this technology to increase efficiency, eliminate waste and improve health.
· Manufacturing is furthest ahead with the organisation of tools, people & machines; tracking stages and process.
· Farming is starting to use sensors to manage crops and cattle to boost production and the health of their animals.
· Healthcare is also expanding with smart pills and monitoring patients health through wearable tech. Intel created a smart band which tracks how much a person shakes with Parkinsons and Sonamba monitors activities of older and ill people.
The driving force behind all this tech is that ultimately smart machines are better able to consistently and accurately capture and communicate data.
The downside could be that as we become more reliant on tech, breaches of security become more of an issue. And some companies have been accused of treating staff like machines, monitoring toilet breaks with workers being squeezed for more productivity.
Here are 5 facts you need to know about the IIOT from The Manufacturer
1 – This growth in the Industrial Internet will increase manufacturing profitability by 21%
2 – There are 1.5 trillion objects on this planet. Only 0.6% of them are connected.
3 – In 1822, Charles Babbage designed the first automatic computing engine and Ada Lovelace created the first computer programme in 1843. By 2022, there will be over 50 billion objects connected to the internet.
4 – The biggest impact of the Industrial internet will be in manufacturing.
5 – The digital transformation will boost business. GE estimates the Industrial Internet could be a £174bn market by 2020.
Industrial Internet of Things at G2 Innovation
The IOT is not new to G2, we’ve developed our own products and worked with clients to develop theirs. We’ve produced hardware, software and the packaging and enclosures to make products user friendly and accessible.
When we’re not developing IOT tech, we’re also teaching it. Tom and James both teach Arduino programming at our local HackSpace.
We'd love to hear from you if you've got a project you're working on that we could support you with. Feel free to get in touch.