10 Wonderful Applications of Internet of Things

10 Wonderful Applications of Internet of Things are discussed in this interesting blog. Some of the most explored applications of the Internet of Things (IoT) are:

1. Better Food Security Solutions

Better and improved food security is one of the 10 Wonderful Applications of Internet of Things.

• IoT based smart solutions can help in protecting organic food items such green fruits, dry fruits, vegetables, etc.
• An IoT-backed solution can provide real-time data of health status of the fruits and vegetables that can help in timely consumption o the food items before these get perished and are get wasted. 
• Recent advancements in IoT have enables signaling and warning systems that can save food from over-ripening and rotting.  
• Such IoT enables smart food security systems can be installed at cold-storages, warehouses and even at homes for better and effective food security.

2. Integrating Smarter Homes

• The most visible application of the Internet of Things (IoT) is a smarter home.
• A smart home uses sensors to control and maintain lighting, resources, management and security systems.
• A smart home is a smaller and independent version of smart city.
• For Example: Mark Zuckerberg  Jarvis.

Zuckerberg’s smart home system is one of the 10 Wonderful Applications of Internet of Things as it uses natural language processing for the contextual processing of voice commands. He has internet switches to operate the appliances plugged into them. The system take care of lighting rooms based on occupancy and even playing personalized music based on who is in the room. His security system uses facial recognition to alert the family of the identity of their visitors.

3. Innovating Agriculture Industry

Agriculture, as an industry, cloud massively benefit from the Internet of Things. The world’s human population is estimated to grow to around 10 billion by 2050. As such, governments are prioritizing the scaling up to agricultural system. This, combined with climate change, has farmers marrying technology to cultivation. Sensors are used to provide details of soil chemistry and fertilizer profiles. CO2 levels, moisture, temperature, level of acid and presence of appropriate nutrients all contribute to how good a harvest turns out to be.  

• Smart irrigation:  is an IoT application to regulate and efficiently use water for farming.
• The IOT system only initiates the water flow when the soil reaches a certain dryness level. It also stops the supply once a certain level of moisture is reached. This reduces wastage caused by human errors.        
• Live Stock Tracking:  It involves the user of RFID chips to keep track of an animal’s vitals, vaccination details and location.  
• Smart Green House:  It uses microclimate to raise crops instead of relying on changing weather patterns. Sensors monitors and control all parameters and have automated systems for light and water.  
• Prediction Farming: It is the practice of using information collected over time to hone and implement agricultural practices. The data provided by these sensors allow farmers to decide on the ideal growth parameters and suitable fertilizer.
• Cainthus, a Dublin-based vision company, uses imaging to monitor livestock. It tracks key data such as food and water intake, behavior patterns and heat detection. Farmers can use this information to decide milk output, reproduction management and overall animal health. It even boosts proprietary software to recognize animals based on hide patterns and facial recognition.

4. Building Smarter Cities

Among 10 Wonderful Applications of Internet of Things, a smart city is an urban city that uses sensors and cellular or wireless technology placed in ubiquitous places such as lamp posts and antennae. There are multiple facets in which one can incorporate IoT into the functioning of a city: 

• Traffic Management:  Sensors on roads and traffic signals send data to the IoT systems. This data, accumulated over time, allows officials to analyze traffic patterns and peak hours. It also helps create solutions for bottlenecks. Commuters can use this information to determine which areas are congested and what alternate routes can be used. A version of this already exists in third-party map services such as Google Maps.  
• Pollution Monitoring:  A pressing problem faced by every country in the world is air pollution. With existing sensors, one can easily measure parameters such as temperature, CO2 levels, smoke and humidity. Smart cities leverage this to gather data about air quality and develop mitigation methods. 
• Resources Management:  The biggest factor is deciding a city’s livability are waste and electricity management. With water management, sensors are attached internally or externally to water meters. These sensors provide information to understand consumption patterns. They detect faults in supply and automatically begin the necessary course of action. Trends in water wastage can be used to develop an efficient water recycling system. IoT-enabled waste management system produced a geographical mapping of waste production. These systems trigger the clearance process themselves.

For Example; By generating alerts when a trash bin is full. They also provide more insights into waste segregation and how people can improve waste processing. Electricity management comes in the form of a smart grid, covered in detail in this article.   

• Parking Solution:  Parking woes, while sounding insignificant, play a big part in traffic management. Smart parking solutions provide drivers with real-time information about empty spaces available.  
• Infrastructure Management:  Public infrastructure such as street lamps, roads, parks and gas supply lines cost a lot to maintain. Repair work in any of these causes, disruptions to everyday functioning. IoT-based maintenance and monitoring systems lookout for signs of wear and tear while analyzing patterns. This proactive approach can save a city a lot money.    
• Disasters Management: The Internet of Things can be used to hook up disaster-prone areas to a notification system. A forest fire, for example, can be detected and curbed before it grows beyond control.       
• In 2017, Spain announced hat it was turning its Balearic island into an IoT lab. Sensors have been deployed on existing TV and radio masts to track air and noise pollution levels. Officials also plan to use IoT for tourism and crowd management.
• In Plato Alto, California, a small parking system has been implemented across parking spots in the city. It guides drivers to the nearest parking spot and has proven to reduce traffic congestion.

5. Upgrading Supply Chain Management

Smart Supply-chain is one of the 10 Wonderful Applications of Internet of Things:

• Supply Chain Management (SCM) is a process that streamlines the flow of goods and services from raw material procurement to the customers. It involved inventory management, fleet management, vendor relationship and scheduled maintenance.
• During the pandemic, many businesses were affected by supply chain issue, especially when it caused a global shutdown in early 2020. As operations switched to begin remote, it made sense for organizations to consider integrating IoT into their SCM processes.     
• The Internet of Things is used at multiple layers in the SCM process. Shipping companies use trackers to keep an eye on assets. They also analyze shipping routes to figure out the fastest and most fuel-efficient routes. Other parameters such as containers temperature and humidity can also be monitored and controlled using IoT.    
• The IOT system allows managers to overhaul the supply chain process by enabling smart routing choices. This means that businesses can be confident in supply chain resilience.   
• Real-time and remote management of fleets ensures a smooth experience for managers and customers. Any delay or issues with transportation can automatically notify the appropriate personnel.   
• IOT in fleet management provides end-to-end connectivity between the vehicles and the managers, as well as the vehicles and the drivers. Besides asset management, IoT also takes care of vehicle health ensuring regulations such as those for pollution emission are followed.

6. Transforming Healthcare

The pandemic has accelerated the use of IoT in the healthcare industry as healthcare is one of the 10 Wonderful Applications of Internet of Things. The Internet of Things provides a much more efficient link between patients, doctors and pharmaceuticals. The traditionally reactive medical cycles can now be proactive.       

• Attaching sensors to a patient at home allows doctors to monitor them remotely. Continuous abnormalities of parameters immediately alerts, the doctors, creating preemptive action. Doctors can use this to monitor at-risk patients such as the elderly and those suffering from chronic diseases.    
• Besides monitoring, the IoT can also streamline patient medical records and access, making real-time data available across departments.      
• Medical research till today has always been based on data created in a controlled environment or data generated after the fact. Such real-time data amassed in large quantities can substantially improve research.           
• IoT is being used to optimize the manufacturing process at the pharmaceutical end. The direct result of this is lower drug prices. It is also used for intelligent inventory management.   
• The IoT was significantly used in many capacities while dealing with the COVID pandemic. Telemedicine and vaccine cold chain monitoring were two of IoT’s implementations.      
•  Zipline is a medical product delivery company that used drones to deliver medication and instruments to rural healthcare centers such as those located in Rwanda and Ghana.       
• Continuous glucose monitors (CGM) such as Medtronic and Dexcom monitor diabetic patients with the aid of sensors inserted into the skin.

These systems provide a bird’s eye view of glycemic patterns in pregnant women with diabetes. These system real-time and continuous data allow doctors to alter medications and recommend changes if necessary.

7. Revolutionizing Wearables

Another visible implementation of the Internet of Things is wearable technology. Wearable technology includes smart-watches, fitness trackers, smart eye-wear and even linked fabric.         

• The functionality of smart-watches varies from reading text messages and showing notifications to tracking locations and showing reminders. These wearables are helpful for parents tracking their children.   
• Wearables play a major role in elderly care. Continuous monitoring and location monitoring together keep caregivers in the loop. It doesn’t stop there. Nano-sensors can quantitatively predict the risk of possible medical conditions such as cancer. Early detection and prevention are key applications of wearable technology on the medical front.     
• Combined with head-mounted Augmented Reality (AR) gear, and wearables also provide surgeons with patient history, old data and real-time current data during surgery.     
• Wearables are being explored in a factory setting to reduce workplace accidents. The military also uses them for combat.
• For Example:  The appropriate example of wearable IoT technology is the Fitbit. The Fitbit tracks use activity and sleep patterns to encourage a healthy lifestyle.

8. Integrating Connected Factories

The Internet of Things is all about giving physical devices more digital prominence. Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) is the Internet of Things at a factory level. IIOT is often referred to as the fourth wave of the industrial revolution or Industry 4.0.

• Most factories subscribe to enterprise asset management (EAM) and computerized maintenance management system (CMMS) for maintenance management. Combining these with IoT-enabled sensors extends the physical life of machines and ensures availability and reliability.       
• Real-time monitoring of devices ensures predictive care and optimal machine health. Condition-based maintenance (CBM) is a maintenance strategy that monitors asset health and performs maintenance only if necessary. IoT enables this and cuts costs.     
• IIOT goes beyond supply chain management and maintenance management. Aggregated data assists in the optimization of product development and quality testing. It can improve everything from packaging to management. IIoT can automate many manual maintenance functions, which, in turn, automates mass production.   
• Volkswagen has decided to turn its main plant in Wolfsburg, Germany, into a smart factory. It has enlisted Nokia to create an IoT system centered on a standalone 5G network. It is currently testing smart factory use cases to fine-tune and discover new capabilities.

9. Reshaping Hospitality

The hospitality industry has had several upheavals due to the unprecedented pandemic. The cost of staff and upkeep did not keep up with the travel restrictions placed across the world.

• One way to offset costs is to turn to the Internet of Things for automation. Interactions can be kept to a minimum, in line with social distancing norms that seem to come and go. Mobile electronic keys, for example eliminate the need to personally check into a hotel. 
• Using electronic keys keeps hotel management informed of a guest’s location within the hotel. Extra request can also be directly charged on the fly. 
• Room service and housekeeping request can be made through a mobile phone.     
• Smart lighting and appliances make for a good customer experience. 10 Wonderful Applications of Internet of Things.  
• The YOTEL hotel in Singapore boasts of all these IOT systems. They also have adjustable smart beds, adjustable lighting and smart TVs.
• The hotel even has robots to perform basic housekeeping tasks.  IOT trends such as self-driving cars have not been included here.
• While they have been in play for a while, there is a lot more work left to make it a seamless reality.
• Self-driving cars and countless other applications are those that the world looks forward to in the near future.

10. Installing Smart Grids

• Utility companies are turning to IoT to make energy provision more efficient. Appropriate sensors are installed in energy meters, transmission lines, production plants and distribution points. This IoT system is called Smart Grid. Smart Grid leverage the Internet of Things for many use cases:
• They create alerts in case of failure at any point during power transmission.    
• Sensors are used to identify abnormalities in the line as is one of the 10 Wonderful Applications of Internet of Things.  
• They monitor energy consumption and peak usage statistics. 
• They gather consumption data at a geographic, organizational and individual level.   
• They identify lossy nodes during transmission.   
• They can pinpoint the exact location of inefficiency.
• Everyday users can analyze their energy usage and bring about positive changes in their carbon footprints. It also helps cut down costs when energy costs peak, as it did across Europe because of the Ukraine-Russia war.