Since the mid-1990s the internet has transformed our lives and with it the ways in which we work, shop, browse, learn, socialise, play and communicate. The change was so rapid – and so far-reaching – that the pre-internet years now seem curiously quaint and crepuscular, although they were less than 20 years ago.
For most, the day-to-day benefits of the internet revolution were sufficiently beguiling that blue-sky speculation on what the web might one day mean could be left to a handful of experts. And so it was that in 1999 the concept of an “internet of things” was first articulated by British technology pioneer Kevin Ashton, who coined the phrase.
He said: “If we had computers that knew everything there was to know about things – using data they gathered without any help from us – we would be able to track and count everything, and greatly reduce waste, loss and cost.
“We would know when things needed replacing, repairing or recalling, and whether they were fresh or past their best. The internet of things has the potential to change the world, just as the internet did. Maybe even more so.”
For example, in the internet of things, household appliances might be connected together over the web, with embedded devices that collect data about their operation and make it available via a network. So it is possible to imagine home owners gathering information on the electricity usage of their washing machines, fridges and ovens, enabling them to manage energy more efficiently.
Or it would be possible to control a domestic security system from a mobile device. Households would benefit from knowing their homes inside out.
But what might the internet of things mean in an industrial context? Mike Lees, a former engineer who works for industrial automation firm Solutions PT, explains: “I think we’re some way from people controlling devices remotely over the internet in an industrial context. That’s more likely in distributed systems such as water infrastructure, where there’s a real challenge for connectivity. But in factories we’ve been pretty connected for a while.”
He says that manufacturing companies are already used to interpreting and analysing data from supervisory control and data acquisition (Scada) systems and human-machine interface systems. Many manufacturers already use the Ethernet to link production equipment. So, in some ways, they are ahead of the game in any move towards a more connected, data-rich internet of things, says Lees.
“Our customers are now starting to talk about ‘big data’, which is becoming common currency,” he says. “From the days of the Ethernet we’ve been through the struggle involving having enough bandwidth to retrieve data and where to store it, such as databases. Now we have cloud computing and that really can’t be separated from the internet of things.”
Uniquely identifying each object in a home or on a production line with its own IP address opens up the possibility of many things being controlled in new and useful ways: but it also means generating vast volumes of information. “Without the cloud you wouldn’t have the internet of things, because that relies on the storage of vast amounts of data,” says Lees.
“There’s a whole set of technologies coming together – virtualisation, cloud technology, the internet and data. There’s a convergence at the moment. Sometimes when something doesn’t get off the ground it’s because a key component is missing. But what seems to be happening here is that the internet of things is gaining momentum in manufacturing.”
One of the most useful early applications might be when a machine is added to a production line, says Lees. “We’re not getting many greenfield installations at the moment – a lot of work being carried out in factories is retrofitting existing equipment or dropping in machines to existing lines. That means real headaches in terms of IT integration.
“Retrospectively adding machines to an existing architecture is a real pain. The internet of things could mean bypassing an IT architecture but still allowing the data to be stored and reported on. That could be a godsend for the engineer.”
The possibilities of the internet of things are part of the general trend of IT becoming increasingly important to manufacturing operations. “We’re having to embrace newer technologies,” he says. “The demographics are changing: some of the older engineers are moving out of the system and IT-savvy people are coming in. The internet of things is an example of the application of that to our world.
“It’s not just an off-the-wall technology, it has relevance. People aren’t yet asking us for ‘internet of things’ solutions, but they are asking us to solve problems and this is one way of doing so.”
He acknowledges that the consumer might embrace the internet of things more readily than the engineer. “I think there’s a degree of scepticism in our industry – people are naturally conservative. The implications of failure in an office environment are totally different to when you’re producing a product. So it’s balancing that required conservativeness with a more gung-ho kind of attitude.”
Engineers at consumer electronics giant Sony are also interested in the future of the internet of things. The company has been leading a sustainability inspired project known as Sony FutureScapes. A collaboration with Forum for the Future, it imagines what our world could look like in 2025. The aim is to demonstrate how technology can help us “lead better and more sustainable lives”.
One of the concepts that has been developed is the Internet of Things Academy, which would attempt to bridge any digital divide between those who can access and use the data generated, and those who can’t. The academy, the concept of which has been developed by design agency Superflux, provides a central platform which facilitates the “mixing and matching” of hardware, software and data sets.
Sony’s chief technology officer, Dr Chris Clifton, an electronics engineer by background, says the internet of things has the potential to explode by the end of the decade. “Machine-to-machine communications could see something like 20 billion objects connected by 2020. It’s already clear that there are many applications: in telehealth, telematics, security, fleet tracking. The list goes on,” he says.
FutureScapes attempted to enlist the help of as many people as possible when setting out to imagine 2025. “Where I see my role,” says Clifton, “and that of the other engineers at Sony, is as a facilitator. We really wanted to make this engaging and bring in people from outside.”
One of these was Superflux director Jon Ardern, who helped to develop the Internet of Things Academy concept. He says: “To us it’s about the convergence of the physical and the digital – the internet being embodied in physical things. Cloud computing has made it easier to try and sidestep the complexity of data management.”
Ardern’s training is in interaction design for computing. “I looked at the human implications of a wider range of technologies, all the way from biotech through to IT. So that’s where our interest comes in: this kind of space where people and technology meet, and what the implications and applications are. And we’re also interested in what’s preferential – rather than just possible.”
For a long time, even in the developed world, as the internet changed our lives, not everyone was able to access it. Is Ardern’s standpoint on the internet of things an ethical one? “Ethics comes into it, but I think we’re a bit more interested in the complexities of human nature and the wider implications, rather than taking a specific ethical standpoint. Sometimes we explore some of the more troublesome implications.
“But we want to look at what’s hopeful too. This technology is coming. We can debate whether it’s a good thing or not, but devices around you are going to start being connected to the internet.”
Part of the aim of the project is to open up the technology to as many people as possible. Ardern points out: “You’re being affected by it, but you don’t necessarily have the tools to affect it or benefit from it in ways other than those predetermined by manufacturers or policy makers. We were interested in how you could bring people together who have an intimate knowledge of the internet of things and allow them to work together easily, and create a hub. You could call it bringing democracy – at a grassroots level.”
Clifton acknowledges that it is difficult to predict the future, but says trying to do so can be instructive for the engineer. “In consumer electronics, or any branch of engineering, we work perhaps a few years in advance at the most. When you look at 2025, it’s very difficult to predict what the future will be in terms of technology: FutureScapes isn’t about predictions, it’s about ideas. You use your imagination.”
Ardern recalls his first experiences of using the worldwide web: “The way the future pans out isn’t always the way people imagine,” he says. “I think the first time I used the internet, I was disappointed. You’re promised this all-consuming, immersive experience, and you get a page. It wasn’t exactly the information superhighway or whatever terminology was being used at the time.
“But I think we’re at an exciting point now, where very high-powered computing is within the reach of most people.”