Welcome to the future, there’s a new Internet. Regular readers of Mobile ID World will have noticed a current trend in the news, that mobility and identity have started to encroach on the realm of the Internet of Things. Once referred to as M2M, the machine to machine, network and the Industrial Internet, the concept is relatively simple, but has massive implications. Automation and communication between everyday objects can make for a more convenient, more comfortable and safer world.
Throughout June, Mobile ID World will be focusing on this, the biggest new topic in identity management. Welcome to the future; welcome to Internet of Things Month. Let’s get started.
People, Places, Things
If the Internet of Things sounds like a broad term, that’s because it is. Much like the original Internet (through which you’re accessing this post right now), IoT is all about connecting and communicating. The difference is that this new network facilitates machine to machine communication. IoT allows for your lightbulbs to communicate with your television, your smoke detector to communicate with your smartwatch, your car to communicate with insurance providers.
The goal of the Internet of Things is to bring efficiency and safety through smart automation. It is a network that affects our environment rather than our interpersonal correspondence. The following links will help paint a picture of the IoT markets, the organizations dedicated to growing it, and the technologies that are keeping us in touch with our newer, smarter things.
Location of Things: Pixie Connects And Identifies Physical Objects
Report Predicts Huge Growth for IoT
Connected Car Tech Will Use Biometrics to Offer Personalized Driving Experience
Qualcomm Solidifying Foothold in IoT
IoT Device Compiles Shopping List by Dictation, Barcode Scanner
Strong Growth for Voice Biometrics, Smart Car Integrations
IoT Could Improve Lives of the Elderly
Ten New Members Join AllSeen IoT Alliance
The Conclusion of Connectivity
The Internet of Things requires connectivity, and as such, it is currently limited in scope, but not for too much longer. Major companies are invested in bringing Internet access to the parts of Earth that are currently underserved (about two-thirds of the world population). A major milestone IoT tech is aiming for is the smart city, but the idealistic end goal of a smart globe will require world-wide connectivity. The following feature from this year’s Mobile World Congress will shed light on how Facebook and Google are both independently working at connecting the connectionless – a major step in the direction of IoT proliferation.
MWC 2015: Day 2 – Accessibility and The Connected Globe
Getting Involved, Getting Interfaced
While the Internet of Things primarily facilitates communication between machines, there is a human element to it as well. Consumer and residential IoT solutions exist to make home life easier, but because of their nearly invisible nature, interfacing with connected tech can be a challenge.
A number of IoT interfacing options are cropping up to facilitate the human element. Voice and speech recognition is a major element in this arena, offering natural handsfree interfacing with the option of biometric security too. Wearable tech is emerging as an option in this regard as well, as is social media and smartphone tech.
Here are the ways mobile ID tech is helping the Internet of Things make space for the end user.
Twitter IoT Integration Could Make User the Medium for Things
Google’s Brillo Aims to Provide OS for IoT
New iOS May Put iPhone at Center of the Smart Home
Sensory Releases TrulyNatural, Licenses It For Social Robot
New Internet, New Security
With all of the massive connectivity brought about by the Internet of Things there emerges a serious problem that must be addressed: how do we secure our things? While experts and organizations scramble to produce standards with the rapidly growing IoT, biometrics vendors are stepping up to the plate and bringing easy and secure strong authentication to the vulnerable network that could control everything from our refrigerators to our cities’ power grids.
Silicon Labs Releases Development Kits To Bring Biometrics to the Internet of Things
HYPR Announces Biometric IoT Security Platform
Lack of Tech Standards Leaves IoT Vulnerable
ARTIK Chip Line Brings Some Standards to the IoT
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Stick with Mobile ID World throughout June as we continue to explore the Internet of Things with more featured articles and interviews. Join in on the discussion by following us on Twitter and tweeting with the hashtag #IoTMonth.
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