Ever wondered why the word “smart” is used with certain devices? Smart Devices are electronic devices that are connected to other electronic devices through different wireless protocols such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, 3G/4G/LTE and can interact with them, to some extent, autonomously. Smartphones, Phablets, Smartwatches, Wearables, Smart Air Purifiers etc. are common examples of smart devices.One can see the advancements in the development of Smart Homes, Smart Cities and so on, where the smart devices are positioned to bring in revolutionary changes in the day to day functioning.
The technology is still in development stage but is taking giant strides every day. And looking at the pace of development, one can imagine what the future is going to be like. Things which seemed impossible few years back, looks obsolete today. And what we perceive today as the future, may become obsolete with new development very soon.
Lots of devices are being developed which exhibit some properties of Ubiquitous Computing- a term used to define anytime and anywhere computing. Couple that with AI (artificial Intelligence) and it becomes exciting! Humanoids—here they come!!
We are looking at the future from different perspective with the advent of the smart devices. Instead of thinking “Can it be done?”, we are saying “Why can’t it be done?”.
The whole world of possibility opens up when you look at smart devices. Smart Cars, Smart Buses, Smart Homes, Smart Hospitals, Smart Factories and much more.
The confluence of IOT (internet of things) and AI will open up possibilities beyond what we can imagine today. Your fridge will talk to you smartphone, which in turn will talk to your grocer and order supplies. Your wearable device will communicate with your personal physician and life insurer and update with all parameters related to your health and wellbeing.
The world that we see as of today, will cease to exist. Imagine a scenario in future where you are wearing a smart device which is connected to your brain through the nerves. The same device is connected to all other touchpoints in your life like family, work, travel etc. This will create an environment where something that you want (inputs coming from your brain) would actually get converted into physical order and gets delivered at your home. This is one example. Am I exaggerating the scenario? Probably not.
Today, tremendous volume of data gets generated every second. These will be efficiently gathered, processed and interpreted using smart devices.
One aspect that we must take cognizance of is the securitization of interconnected devices. Manual was cumbersome but almost hack proof. Digital was easier but prone to hacking. Thankfully, limited to the single device.
Smart devices, are interconnected and needs to be highly securitized. We must focus of building non-breach security protocols if we want this transformation to completely safe and secure. However, the pros of smart devices outweigh the cons.
Development in technology is meant to make life simpler and easier for its user. As I understand, the most precious commodity in the universe is time. Smart devices will help save time by creating, connecting and collaborating.
The author is CEO, Riversong Technologies