Internet of Things Applications

In the first of our series on the IoT we take a look at connected devices that are available today, the privacy and security issues of using them – and how Britain can play a key part in its future.

Chores are boring. Get home from work, let the dog out, put dinner on, start a load of laundry and write a list for your next grocery order. What if rather than doing housework when you get home, you could do it on your commute – or better yet, not at all?

That’s the promise of the internet of things: hand your commute over to a smart car, let your pet out via his web-connected dog door, open up an app to pre-heat the oven and start the laundry, and click to approve the shopping list your smart fridge automatically generated.

This all sounds like a futuristic life, and parts of it do remain years away, but the foundations are being laid now – and much of the work is being done by British firms. We need to decide now what the IoT will look like, how it will protect our privacy, and just how much help we really want from it.

See more at: theguardian.com