The "Things" in the Internet of Things (IoT)

You may be familiar with how the internet works. And you've probably heard of how the "Internet of Things," or "IoT," is igniting the next industrial revolution. But you may be wondering, what do "things" represent in the Internet of Things? What makes these "things" different from, say, a computer or a smartphone that connects to the internet?

What Do The "Things" Represent in The Internet of Things?

Here's your answer: the "things" in the Internet of Things can be anything from farming equipment (a tractor, an irrigation system, a drone) to the thermostat on your wall, to your "connected car," to a freight container with a connected temperature sensor within it that sends data to a logistics coordinator.

The Value of Connected "Things" in Healthcare, Logistics and Agriculture

IoT for Healthcare: Our Bodies as "Things" connected to the Internet

"Things" in IoT can also be "wearables" that serve medical purposes. Devices that monitor your bodily functions and systems daily and make that data available to your doctors can function as an early warning system for health issues and a way for you to keep yourself accountable to your health goals.

Image Credit: Sensors Magazine

As Lalit Panda writes in What Is the Internet of Medical Things (IoMT)?, "With streaming information, preventive care can reduce hospitalization and reduce the cost of acute care significantly." However, both Panda and Kristina Podnar, in her article, warn of the serious risk of accidents and abuse that come with connecting our bodies to the internet. In the case of healthcare, a "thing" in the Internet of Things would be our very bodies.

IoT for Logistics: Packages and Containers As "Things" Connected to the Internet

Logistics and Supply Chain Management are all about moving things from point A to point B. Keeping tracking of those things in an ideal world isn't terribly difficult. You send shipment X from warehouse Y to customer Z, and you know everything will work out, right? Wrong! The world is dynamic, shifting, and chaotic. Things go wrong. Everything from weather disasters to piracy can affect global shipping lanes and cause delays and financial losses. And sometimes it's merely naturally built-in inefficiencies that cause losses and delays.

In 2018, in the UK alone, inefficiencies in the supply chain resulted in losses of about $2B, due to what one study called "a game of Chinese whispers" as packages zigzag around the world. Ericsson recently argued in an article on IoT For All that "supply chain participants are connected—just not to each other or not at the right time."

That's where the Internet of Things comes in. For Logistics and Supply Chain Applications, "things" in IoT cargo containers, trucks, port utility equipment and, most importantly, data pipelines and digital ledgers for tracking shipments reliably as they traverse the world and change hands.