The Internet of Things, or IoT, is becoming a significant part of our everyday lives. Connecting electronic devices, vehicles, clothes and even buildings to a digital network, the Internet of Things could dramatically change the way we live. By 2020, there may be as many as 26 billion devices connected to the IoT.

The IoT could change our daily lives by anticipating what we want and need before we ask for it. Like a cup of coffee first thing in the morning? Your coffee machine could automatically brew one for you. Office devices could replenish themselves by detecting when they’re low and ordering new supplies. Your home could adjust its temperature based on your body temperature, detected through your smartwatch.

Below is a list of the top 10 IoT products that are changing our lives for the better. These IoT device examples are just a handful of what’s possible when we connect our world to the internet.

It’s a steal: Amazon Go

Imagine walking into a shop, taking what you want, and leaving without flashing your credit card. Amazon Go could revolutionise how we shop by removing checkouts and reducing the time we spend queuing for groceries. Instead of shopping, going through the checkout to pay and then leaving, Amazon Go uses “Just Walk Out Technology”. The IoT product uses computer vision, deep learning algorithms and sensor technology to detect when items are picked up, these items are then automatically added to your Amazon account cart and paid for when you leave. All you need is the Amazon Go app, a smartphone and a shopping bag, making shopping trips easy! The tech giant already has one Amazon Go store open in Seattle, although it’s only open to Amazon employees at this stage.

Make your home smarter: Vivint’s SkyControl Panel

Bringing together all the smart elements in your house, the SkyControl Panel IoT device connects your home’s locks, lights, thermostat, cameras and appliances to your smartphone. Made by smart home solutions company Vivint, the device is only the size of an iPad but can help you control the safety of your home and assist with elements of your daily routine.

The system tracks your daily habits and makes suggestions about the temperature of your home, the lighting and even your appliances. The SkyControl system can also make it look like you’re at home when on holiday, deterring crime, and can warn you if you’ve forgotten to set an alarm. It’s the closest you’ll get to a butler without having to be rich!

Total Front Door Control

Source: www.vivint.com

Turning trash into treasure: Bigbelly’s waste recycling system

Bigbelly aims to turn current waste collection and recycling efforts into a more efficient process that could save money and reduce our carbon footprint. Bigbelly offers an entire system from the bins that know when they need emptying, to cleaning services, maintenance and monitoring, for a fixed monthly fee. It uses its IoT-connected stations to collect data and continually improve the system as it ‘learns’. The system also aims to help businesses, universities, city officials and more to learn which recycling efforts are working and which ones aren’t, helping to protect the environment.

Big things in small packages: Raspberry Pi Zero W

The Raspberry Pi Foundation’s tiniest edition, the Raspberry Pi Zero, is now equipped with wireless LAN and Bluetooth 4.1. The computer – with a motherboard of only 65mm x 30mm x 5mm in size – is small enough to add to devices and connect them to the Internet of Things. Only costing about £15, the tech features 512MB of RAM, mini HDMI, a camera connection and micro USB power. Product designers and innovators have already created IoT products such as glasses, speakers, drones, cameras and more with the device.

Whatever the weather: NEST Learning Thermostat

This is claims to be way more than just your average thermostat. The Nest Learning Thermostat senses your presence and informs you of the weather, your home’s temperature and other snippets of localised information, with its Farsight technology. The latest version of the product can also control your home’s hot water production and is equipped with 10 highly sensitive sensors for temperature monitoring. It can also work in tandem with your phone to learn when you’re home or when you’re away and turn the heating up or down accordingly, saving energy and making sure your house is always at your preferred, optimum temperature. No more coming home to a freezing house in winter!

To infinity and beyond: Windows 10 IoT Core

The Windows 10 IoT Core is an operating system designed specifically for the IoT. Much like the Windows 10 that many people know as running on their desktop machines, this operating system is customised for a smaller device with or without a display, making it ideal for running on IoT products. The software can be added to devices such as the Raspberry Pi Zero W and used to programme applications, connecting to the IoT using Microsoft’s cloud product – Azure. Microsoft have suggested a huge variety of suggested applications from creating an Air Hockey Robot to an animated “picture” of the weather on a miniature screen and a ‘connected’ clock radio, but some innovative students have taken it even further. Pupils at the Valley Christian Schools in California are working on sending a MinnowBoard Max device that uses the Windows 10 IoT Core, up to the International Space Station. The device, which looks like a motherboard encased in a Lego shield, is equipped with a robotic arm, allowing the students to study metal’s reaction to electromagnetic energy in space.

Super sensitive: Amazon DRS Weight Sensor

The Amazon DRS Weight Sensor could make stock-taking a thing of the past, as it senses when products are being used and reorders them from Amazon when they are soon to run out. The weight sensor is already part of the technology behind Amazon Go. The IoT product is part of the Dash Replenishment Service (DRS), which reorders necessary supplies for household devices. It is claimed that this technology will eventually lead to washing machines that order their own washing powder, pet food dispensers that reorder food when supplies are low and hand soap dispensers that get their own top up of sanitiser, amongst other things.

Source: create.arduino.cc/projecthub/guelo/amazon-drs-weight-sensor-75986a

Thinking on your feet: Digitsole Smart Footwear

Source: www.digitsole.com
Digitsole is making thinking on your feet very literal by offering “smart” insoles that evaluate your steps. The insoles can log distance, measure speed, track calories burned and can even heat your feet using specially designed insole components. The IoT product can be fitted to any shoe, being equipped with Bluetooth 4.0 and connected to a smartphone app that is constantly updated. The insoles are more accurate than smartwatches and could help with conditions that affect circulation such as Reynaud’s Disease that leave feet feeling freezing.

The sound of science: Sonos wireless home sound system

The Sonos wireless home sound system is perfect for the music lover. The system plays music from wireless speakers in each room of your house, pumping music to each space as you want it, adjusting volume and playing different songs in each. All the speakers can be controlled from one handy app, which can play music from over 30 streaming services such as Spotify and Apple Music. The IoT device uses WiFi to ensure that the speakers are always in range, putting a stop to music that cuts out because your phone is out of Bluetooth range. It can also easily settle any arguments over who chooses what to play next!

Source: www.sonos.com/en-gb/system

These are just some of our picks of the top Internet of Things devices currently available on the market. There will be many more to come in the future, which could potentially transform the way the world works.

It may seem like we’re moving toward living within an episode of The Jetsons, but soon the reality will be that our homes, clothes, cars and more could be tailored even more precisely to our needs, taking care of us automatically at the touch of a button.