The total network: how the internet of things is reshaping our world

The Internet of Things (IoT) is one of those mind-boggling concepts, the scale and implications of which can be difficult to comprehend. At its core, it will involve billions of connected devices and sensors, all sharing data, supposedly making our lives better. Exactly how this will happen is still a matter of debate though, and there are several concerns over how the technology will be delivered, as well as how to make sense of the torrents of data these devices will produce.

When the internet first started gaining major traction in the early 1990s, naturally it was tech companies that led the innovation. Today, the lines between industry and tech are becoming ever more blurred, with companies such as Google making waves in the automotive market, and manufacturers moving towards ‘smart’ factories and supply chains – commonly referred to as Industry 4.0.

This blurring of two worlds promises to be a hallmark of the IoT revolution: the physical and the digital melding together, connecting not just people, but also everything around us with which we interact. According to the soothsayers, the result will be a network with many billions of nodes including autonomous vehicles, orbiting satellites, factory machinery, smart homes and connected power grids.