Think of a world full of objects that behave like links on a website, connecting to each other and interacting to completely transform our user experience.
The internet of things is the 'goose that lays the golden eggs' of the near future because it can revolutionize all areas of technology and do it quickly: the latest estimates speak of a 15.000 billion euro market within the next six years. And it's not about mysterious oracles or brave speculations by philosophers and experts: it's about calculations made by the companies that are investing in this boom (Cisco and General Electric above all).
Janusz Bryzek recently organized an eloquent conference: Trillion Sensor Summit. One thousand billion sensors: a hyperbolic figure to focus interest on the 'heart' of this new business. Everything will be played on sensors, real 'labels' to stick on all sorts of objects, and Janusz has put together 200 companies in the sector to try to form a body with a consortium that points to the goal.
It is not so impossible to achieve it, however. In the world there are already 3.5 billion sensors (mostly in the field of electronics and home automation) instead of the 10 million sensors that were in 2007. The 'tags' of the near future will have to cost less than 1 dollar and consume energy in quantities close to zero.
Not all that glitters is gold, of course: alongside the many possibilities in the medical field (it will not be a trivial matter to always have the 'pulse' of our vital parameters) it will not be uncommon to be attacked by an incredible amount of advertising that will be able to reach us practically anywhere.
